April 2012 New Specialty Toys — Puzzles & Skill

8 cups, plenty of Hiccups. This hand-held puzzler has straightforward direction but challenging play. Pass the ball sequentially from cup to cup without a hiccup. Drop the ball and start back at cup #1. Frustratingly fun.
Awards: 2012 Creative Child Awards – Seal of Excellence

Sturdy, stand-along letters let kids practice their ABC's as well as form simple words. Birch wood puzzle frame and stand-up puzzle pieces painted with water-based paint. Launch date: January 2012.

The fun of matching and the challenge of puzzles. There are puzzles and there are memory games...but only Puzzle Match™ combines these two timeless play patterns in one unique, patent-pending game designed for kids ages 3 to 6. Puzzle Match offers a unique challenge unlike any traditional memory game: Rather than searching for two identical images, kids have to find two halves of a whole image, such as the bottom and top of a seahorse. Once the interlocking pieces are found, they can be assembled into a giant, beautifully illustrated scene. Launch date: May 2012.

Patterned challenge cards invite curiosity, logic & determination. Created by famed puzzle creator Ivan Moscovich. A tricky and baffling brainteaser to wrap one's mind around. Fold, loop, turn, open and close the perpetual hinge to recreate and match the 56 pattern challenges. Includes 56 Challenges, 1 Hinge. Launch date: April 2012.

One of five unique hexagon-based pieces make up a single block piece providing versatility, variety, and extended thought. The five hexagon-based pieces include: a single hexagon; 2, 3, and 4 hexagons - joined in linear arrangement; 3 hexagons joined in a non-linear arrangement. Includes 24 Congruently cool & colorful hexagonal building blocks; 5 unique hexagon-based pieces - a single hexagon; 2, 3, and 4 hexagons - joined in linear arrangement; 3 hexagons joined a non-linear arrangement; Full-color illustrated Building Guide with 20 engaging design challenges; facts of hexagons in nature & mechanics.
Awards: 2011 Parents' Choice Recommended Award

Famed puzzle inventor Ivan Moscovich has an eye for the unusual and a mind for enigmas. His latest magnetic collection of brainteasers, Craniatics is a visual cocktail of new configurations. Includes ten magnetic challenges with solutions. Includes three Craniatics games suitable for 1 or more players.

Nine Squares + Three Rules = One Solution. This collection of 48 puzzles will enhance critical thinking, logic and deductive reasoning skills while sharpening math and sequencing. Each EquiLogic puzzle provides number, symbol, color or shape hints. Using these clues, players put their deductive reasoning skills to the test and must find the magic number by identifying the correct combination of tiles and numbers. With only three rules to follow, kids will quickly be scratching their brain to arrive at the solution.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

The aim is to reach the other end first. The problem is that each opponent puts up fences to slow the other down. Not to worry, there's always a way out. But who will find the shortest route? Created by Gigamic; exclusively distributed through Back Alley Traders in the USA.
Awards: May 2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: This beautifully designed wooden strategy game has won several prestigious awards already in the US and in Europe. It also has great user reviews on Amazon.com. TDmonthly staff who saw the game demoed at Toy Fest West 2012 were impressed. Other awards: 1997 Mensa Select Top 5 Best Games; Games Magazine Game of the Year 1997; Best Bet of the Toy Testing Council 1997; Prix d’Excellence des Consommateurs; Consumer’s Toy Award 1997 Quebec; Spelgut 1997; Grand Prix du Jouet 1997; Games Magazine “Games 100 Selection” 1998; Games Magazine “Best Games.”
— As of 4/10/2012 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 25 reviews on Amazon.com.

Each of the 16 pieces has 4 different attributes. The aim is to line up 4 pieces which share the same attribute. The problem is players can't choose which piece they're going to play - their opponent chooses for them.

Kendama is the ultimate form of the traditional ball and cup game. Originating in Japan, Kendama has captivated the world with its simple design and endless freestyle trick possibilities. With no moving parts, Kendama is deceptively simple at first glance. The simplicity makes it enjoyable for the beginner and also gives it its infinite playability.

MightyMind develops creativity & helps children understand visual/spatial relationships. A great confidence builder in a fun, purposeful format. Children learn to solve puzzles entirely on their own. Starting with the simple concept of manipulating shapes, kids follow a logically programmed sequence of patterns, learning how to manipulate different geometric shapes to build pictures of increasing complexity. This set features a zoo theme and puzzles that include animal shapes.
Watch Video from WTHRA 2012

The award winning combination of a game, a brainteaser and a puzzle all rolled into one. Based upon concepts of spatial recognition and visual discrimination, the Pajaggle Board Game challenge players to quickly put unique pieces where they belong. Simple, right? Think again! Pick up a board and give it a try.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval, 2011 Tillywig  "Best Family Fun"; 2011 Major Fun: Keeper Award (First puzzle game to ever receive such an award); 2012 Astra  Best Game of the Year; 2012 Creative Child Magazine: Game of Year Award

What could be better than a puzzle kids can actually play with? This 28 piece puzzle only fits into the hardwood storage box one way but don’t worry, the images are painted in bright colors on the inside and outside. A great on-the-go gift since all pieces fit snuggly in its box and latch shut. Children can build skyscrapers as the roofs of all the building pop off and are stackable. An excellent developmental building toy, pieces are perfect for little fingers and big imaginations. Sevi is Europe’s’ oldest wooden toy maker – since 1831 – using only vegetable-based paints and smooth hardwood.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

The Void is puzzling to comprehend because there’s a hole right in the middle of it. Consumers can literally put their finger right through the center of the Void. The object is to solve each side, much like one would a standard Rubik’s Cube, but that’s where the similarities end. The Void has different colors, rounded edges, and requires a different solution. Launch date: February 2012.
Awards: 2012 ASTRA Best Toys For Kids Nominee

For more than 40 years Charles Wysocki enjoyed his love affair with life and Americana, and through his imaginative and colorful artwork touched the hearts of millions worldwide."Chuck" felt a special kinship with puzzlers, who share in the creative process by building his paintings one piece at a time. This 1000 piece puzzle has a finished size of 26 3/4 x 19 3/4". Puzzle includes an 18 x 11 3/4" BONUS POSTER of the image. These puzzles are made here in the USA with 100% recycled paperboard at their factory in Buffalo NY.

Brand new in the Green Start series, made from 98% post consumer recycled materials and printed with eco friendly inks, this extension brings earth-friendly messages and all natural materials to the joy of creating beautiful floor puzzles. Packaged in a reusable totebox, each of these floor puzzles reveals a unique, endearing scene that kids will love to build. A bright and bold shape parade contains seven basic shape pieces with fun patterned designs. Pieces are self-correcting and can fit only into one spot. Names of shapes are printed under each piece. Launch date: April 2012.

Brand new Earth-friendly green start chunky wooden puzzles are made with wood from sustainable forests and packaged in a reusable carry-along storage case. Created with the help of child-development experts, these puzzles have chunky, raised pieces to support basic grasping skills, combined with slight gradations of cognitive challenge. A fun double-decker bus contains six square windows of the same size and shape that can fit into any of the spots but need to be rotated so the animals face right side up. Border of each piece matches color inside well. Launch date: April 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval
— In a February 2013 survey, two out of 11 retailers told TDmonthly that puzzles were their best selling wooden toy.

This nine-block puzzle challenges kids to re-create six familiar animals. But it's not always a 3x3 square shape: the giraffe puzzle is tall; the alligator is long.

Part puzzle, part stacker. These rainbow curves create a colorful fan of feathers when sorted from smallest to largest.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval

Our super friendly moose has shed his antlers. Players help him regrow new ones by adding one branch at a time. Be careful! If he tips over, they'll have to begin again. Super Moose is a building and balancing game that requires a steady hand. It can be played solo, by a group, or one-on-one.

Create a transportation-themed mosaic using magnetic geometric shapes. Arrange-and re-arrange-these vibrantly colored wooden pieces on the lap-sized magnetic board. A carrying handle specially sized for small hands makes it easy for kids to take this toy wherever they go.

Children can create animal themed mosaics using magnetic geometric shapes. Arrange-and re-arrange-these vibrantly colored wooden pieces on the lap-sized magnetic board. A carrying handle specially sized for small hands makes it easy for kids to take this toy wherever they go.

Can kids fit all the numbers back in? First, spill the ten digits (0-9) from the box and give them a scramble. Then, place the pieces back in the box so that the lid closes flat. There are over 4000 possible solutions.
Awards: 2011 Parents’ Choice Awards - Recommended

New fun and colorful GEOMAG set lets kids build and put into motion. Build a spinning top, and put it into motion. Set makes two spinning tops. All components are manufactured to stringent European and American safety standards. GEOMAG E-Motion Power Spin 24 pc Includes: 8 magnetic rods; 8 Non-magnetic steel spheres; 2 performance tips; 1 triangle panel; 1 pentagon panel; 2 graphic discs; 1 triangle pro panel; 1 pentagon pro panel.