January 2012 New Specialty Toys — General Games

This is a "Twist on the Classic Four-in-a-Row Game." It's full of secret colors, sneaky moves and wacky wild tokens that make players Swivel. Just when one player is about to get four in a row, another player may have to twist a level of the 3-D board and change everything. Launch date: 2011.

Kids can bring classic tales such as Mother Goose, The Little Engine That Could, The Berenstain Bears and Where the Wild Things Are to life with colorful game boards, including three-dimensional accessories and pawns. Each game is an adventure, much like the ones children read about in books. "No other game brings to life cherished childhood stories in the form of a board game that children will love to play over and over," Mary Dolan, public relations coordinator at Patch Products, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: 2011 Dr. Toy Best Picks Children’s Products; 2011 Creative Child Game of the Year, in the Kids Games, Learning to Share category; 2011 Parents’ Choice Foundation Parent’s Choice Recommended Product Award.

In 100 Wacky Things, players will do some ridiculous things while laughing uncontrollably at each other. The game has two types of cards: Always and Whenever. If you draw an Always Card, you will do the wacky thing on your card every time it's your turn. A Whenever Card directs you to do what the card says whenever another player does something specific. And we can't forget the silly props: the elephant nose, feathered boa, funny glasses and echo microphone. Launch date: 2009.
Awards: 2010 FamilyFun 8 Best Family Board Games; 2009 Creative Child-Preferred choice award; 2009 iParenting Media Awards-Outstanding products; 2009 The National Parenting Center-Seal of Approval; 2009 Winner of the Washington Post’s KidsPost best toys

Players must complete each word challenge and motor across the USA. "Rest Stop" cards add to the fun along the way, with lucky breaks and the occasional pothole. Road Trip game contains 120 Challenge Cards, 40 "Rest Stop" cards, 7.5" x 20" Vintage Road Map Board, 30-sided Alphabet die, and 4 retro Station Wagon movers.
Awards: 2015 TDmonthly Magazine Top Toy Award; 2011 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award for Best Toys
— As of 10/21/2011 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 3 reviews on Amazon.com.

Think-ets Holiday Collection is a carefully selected assortment of well-known holiday items that will engage kids before and after all the presents have been opened.  Kids will love the holiday themed trinkets and will begin telling lots of great stories right before your eyes. The game has 15 miniature trinkets from around the world and the same instruction booklet as Think-ets Original, with 10 different games to play, all housed in a red or green mesh pouch. Now kids can have their own Think-ets game with a holiday theme to it. Sample contents include: snowman, snowflake, jingle bell, present, tree, polar bear, slice of Yule log cake, ring, milk bottle, plate, and more.

This nostalgic edition of the classic CANDYLAND ® game is a “sweet” way for young children to have fun and learn at the same time. The adventure takes you on a wonderful journey, travelling past the Crooked Old Peanut Brittle House, and Lollypop Woods until you eventually reach Home Sweet Home…
As this magical experience unfolds, your child is learning colors without reading or counting.
This collectible tin edition features the charming graphics of the 1955 edition as well as the iconic gingerbread men. It is a timeless edition to be enjoyed by children of all ages with a sweet tooth for fun!

This premium edition game features the great fun of Monopoly with many premium upgrades including a solid wood cabinet in a black painted finish with a recessed flocked silver foil stamped rolling area.  Other upgrades include an integrated storage area with lined compartments and a wooden banker's tray.  This deluxe set also includes a silver foil stamped game path and Chance and Community Chest cards, Monopoly money with silver ink printing, wooden houses and hotels and plated die-cast tokens.

For game fans who like nostalgia and style, Winning Solutions’ Library Classic Collection includes special editions of MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE and CLUE board games, packaged within a luxe faux-leather “book” that makes a decorative addition to any bookshelf. Each game design is inspired by original graphics and game pieces that made these brands cultural icons, such as wooden houses and hotels in the MONOPOLY Library Classic game, and die-cast metal “weapon” play pieces in the CLUE Libary Classic version.

Players of all ages and abilities will enjoy the new BIG scale Scrabble, which is 50 percent larger than the original version, making the print easier to read and letters easier to manipulate for older (and even younger) players. The Giant SCRABBLE game features an oversized, rotating wooden game board. The tiles and rack are also made with wood and the gold-foil raised grid keeps letters in place during play.

In this game, players build a railroad empire in the land of the rising sun. Players use their initial investment to build track. Then pick up commodities where they are grown, mined, or manufactured and deliver them to a lucrative place of demand. Players complete a delivery and make the money they need to buy larger, faster trains, and expand their railroad empire. Win the game by building the most effective railroad empire. Obstacles are rival tracks and Japan’s great mountains, channels, and rivers and restrictive coastline.
Nippon Rails is geographically accurate. The game depicts Japan’s rivers, plains, and mountains, as well as its natural resources. It’s a great way to learn about the geography, business, shipping, and transportation of Europe while having fun with friends or family. For 2-6 players. Playing Time: 120-240 minutes. Launch date: October 20, 2011.
— As of 10/20/2011 this product had 6.7 out of 10 stars from 358 ratings on BoardGameGeek.com.