Kids like watching clouds and finding the “match” to things. Enter Cloud Matchmaker, a game that encourages matching of geometric shapes using a cloud theme. Children use a chain to create a cloud formation displayed on the card drawn and the audience guesses the match. The player who collects the most cloud cards wins the game. For two to six players. Launch date: 2012.

This game can be played with the whole family and lots of players, either with full trivia or just the colored dice and cup color for very young children. Watch the Tower grow and grow while answering questions correctly - but players will need a steady hand. Selecting the wrong cup when the tower is growing after answering the question could bring the Tower Tumbling down. All the trivia questions are built within the body of the game on round tower plates. Includes 300 question and answers.

By creating a path from Start to Finish, 2 to 4 players try to beat the Ogre to the treasure. Along the way they need to collect 3 keys to open the treasure’s lock before the Ogre gets there. Players strategize, cooperate and build the path as a team. If they make it down the path before you-know-who, they all win! By playing this game, children master math grid concepts, emotional development, shared decision making, strategy techniques and of course, have fun! Board game includes a pair of wooden dice, 37 game cards, 4 key tokens and an Ogre snack. Launch date: 2012.

Chirp, chirp! The baby birds are hungry. Players help Mama Bird by turning over cards one at a time and gathering seeds. But watch out. The squirrel with the bushy tail might take the seeds for his own supper. Gather more seeds for the birds than the squirrel and everyone wins! This game works for 2 to 4 players and includes a game board, 16 game cards and 15 seeds. When play is done, children will have learned shared decision-making, cooperation, counting, adding, number sets, taking turns and following directions.

Spin the spinner and find a matching bug. Then slip it under the rug. It’s okay, Moms, because it’s just a game! Everyone works together to get all the colorful bugs under the rug before the three stinkbugs release their smelliness around the room. Watch closely and make those matches. Each of the three levels of play adds a new challenge. The board game includes 24 bright bugs, three stink bugs, a die, instructions for three game levels and a game board with a built-in spinner. Once preschoolers complete the game they will have mastered visual discrimination, taking turns, rolling a die, recognizing colors and shapes, distinguishing big and little, and counting. The focus in Level 1 is with a roll of the die that determines which 1 bug attribute will be matched for the entire game—color, number or shape. Players try to find matches to that attribute. In Level 2, both a roll of the die and a spin on the spinner complicate players’ abilities to find a match. Level 3 requires players to match two attributes in matches. Launch date: 2012.

Child-safe scissors allow 2 to 4 players to cut all the little bugs free before Willy the Spider falls from the top of the web. But watch out because the web is well, wiggly. To get started, kids pick a card, follow the instructions to cut the web and pass the scissors either left or right. Work cooperatively to free all the bugs and everyone wins. Preschoolers master recognizing left from right, cutting with scissors, taking turns, counting, hand-eye coordination and working cooperatively. Game includes stand-up web posts and platform, 50 paper webs, child-safe scissors, 10 bugs, 1 Willy spider, 30 cards, and instructions for 3 levels of game play. Level 1 introduces cutting with scissors with the players passing the scissors in one direction only. Level 2 adds Left and Right passing and Level 3 challenges the players to get up and switch seats, moving themselves left and right accordingly. Launch date: 2012.

From the makers of UNO. Based on the on the best-selling phone app game, Angry Birds. The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Be the first person to strategically topple the structure cards by rolling the right bird on the die. Then knock out the pigs with the flick of a die to win in this quick-play game based on the popular phone app. Includes Angry Birds playing cards and Dice. For 2 to 5 players.
— As of 01/05/2012 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 14 reviews on Amazon.com.

Build and expand groups of beautiful color sequences. Players mix and match their own and other players’ cards into strategic groups to be the first to play their entire hand. It’s not as easy as it seems. Complete and collapse a spectrum into “white light” to increase their chances of winning.

Visual illusion leads to confusion as players try to follow number and color sequences. Players must watch out for the action cards that could completely disrupt their turn. The player to get to 100 points before the rest wins the CUBU challenge. Players can also play Speed CUBU to really test their visual perception.

Players connect the cards to build a beautiful array of colors. Add a little splice and slice to make the array explode. Array can be played on a table – but for even more fun play it on the floor and see how big the array can grow. The last person in the game is the player who builds the largest array of color.

The latest Pentago utilizes the sleek design style of the Multi-Player version in the compact ready to go, two-player version. Pentago is a two-player game in which the object is to create a row of five markers, in any direction, before your opponent does, but with a twist. Each move consists of placing a marker and then twisting one of the four game blocks; simple yet ingenious.

There’s no dice to roll in Patch’s new version of Farkle. In Farkle Flip™ The Quick-Grabbing, Risk-Taking Card Game™, Patch puts a new spin on the popular family game by turning it into a card game. Players flip cards over, hoping to make combinations to help them win using their own cards or another player’s cards. If a player draws a Farkle, they lose their points for that round. But they can score those Farkle cards later – definitely a new twist on Farkle. Launch date: 2012.

This is the 6th addition to the game of Dominion. It adds 26 new Kingdom cards to Dominion including 20 Actions 3 Treasures 3 Victory cards and 3 Reactions. The central theme is cards that do something immediately when you buy them or gain them. Dominion: Hinterlands is an expansion and cannot be played by itself; to play with it you need Dominion or a standalone expansion to Dominion (e.g. Dominion: Intrigue). Those provide the Basic cards you need to play (Treasure Victory and Curse cards) as well as the full rules for setup and gameplay. Dominion: Hinterlands can also be combined with any other Dominion expansions.
— As of 1/02/2012 this product had 4.5 out of 5 stars from 10 reviews on Amazon.com.

4 dynamic action images - "picto-verbs" get minds in motion. Roll the dice & the creative problem solving, language learning, and story telling begins. "Once upon a time, a giant LAUGHED..." Rory’s Story Cubes Actions features 9 cubes that illustrate 54 every day verbs. Players can play with them solo or combine them with other sets of Rory’s Story Cubes to kick-start their creativity and set their imagination in motion.
— As of 1/02/2012 this product had 4.4 out of 5 stars from 5 reviews on Amazon.com.

Players beware; getting the answers wrong is a lot harder than getting them right. Get it Wrong to Win is the only game where the objective is to give the WRONG answers to the questions. Players attempt to answer five questions with wrong answers before the timer runs out. But watch out, one correct answer and their turn is over. The player with the most tokens wins.

The popular Brainstring has been turned inside out. Brainstring Revenge is just as knotty as the original, but features a movable ball with a 360° spin that will have users on the ropes. Twist, turn, stretch and slide the puzzle in all directions to unravel the tightly wound knot. Once the strings are completely separated, the puzzle is solved – no strings attached.

Rapid reflex is a card game that challenges players to match images, colors, and left/right directions. Players take turns reading the action cards. The first player to slap the color that correctly matches the action card, with the correct hand, gets to keep the card. The first player to collect one card of each color wins.

Dark magic has been performed at Hogwarts! A fellow student has vanished from the famous School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it is up to the players to solve the mysterious disappearance. Play as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna or Neville and try to discover WHO did it, WHAT spell or item they used, and WHERE the student was attacked. Was it Draco Malfoy with a Sleeping Draught in the Owlery? Move around Hogwarts making suggestions- but watch out! Wheels on the board actually move to reveal secret passages, hidden staircases, and even the Dark Mark! When players think they've gathered all the facts they need, they go to Dumbledore's office to make their final accusation to win the game.
— As of 12/30/2011 this product had 4.3 out of 5 stars from 15 reviews on ToysRUs.com. Pros: More in depth than original Clue; fun for Harry Potter fans. Cons: Instructions are a bit confusing.

Crossboccia is the reinvention of Bocce Ball by introducing play in 3 dimensions. Crossboccia balls will rest on uneven surfaces. A vertical vector becomes part of the game, so stairs, tables and chairs can be played upon. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, the next arena can be anywhere. Launch date: February 2012.

Drawing inspirations from cards illustrated with whimsical characters and situations, players weave fanciful stories ranging from the romantic to the preposterous. Whether making up their own fairy tale or creating a story together, Tell Tale Fairy Tales revs up kids' imaginations.

Search the seas for matching shrimp in this fun family game. The shrimp may share any of 4 characteristics—quantity, origin, size, and color. When players catch a matching shrimp trait between the 3 fishing zones, they squeeze the starfish to haul in their catch and collect their cards. The slickest shrimp spotter will be crowned King of the Prawns.

Armed with a stack of Ingredient Cards and a given Food Challenge, create the yummiest or yuckiest meals with Chef Cuckoo. The best—or the worst—chefs will emerge from the kitchen with the stars to prove it.

Spot It NHL edition is great for die-hard hockey fans. Hockey themed symbols give Spot It its cool edge. The logo of every NHL team appears on the cards.

What happens when America’s favorite pastime and the best-selling card game in the country collide? The official MLB™ edition of Spot It! Whether the logo of a favorite team, a bitter rival, or another baseball related image, spot it and players will be running the bases to victory.
— In a May 2012 survey about licensed products, Elmer  Carranza, manager of Doodlehopper 4 Kids in Springfield, Va., named Spot It as their best seller. They sell 24 copies each month.

Finally, a Spot It for little ones. With a scaled down card deck and 6 symbols instead of 8, Spot It Jr. Animals is accessible for kids under 6. Adorable animals appear on all the cards, with one big animal centered on each card for easier spotting.
Awards: 2014 TDmonthly Top Toy Debut Award, 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval