February 2009 New Specialty Toys — Board Games

It's a rolling polar bear jam. Roll the colored dice to collect high-scoring polar bears from the rink. Roll doubles to trip up opponents or "Free Skate" to take your pick of the pack. But press your luck too far and you may wind up flat on your face. The player with the most points skates away with the victory. Launch date: March 2009.

Players engage in the adventure of completing a mission in space. Safety is paramount as lives are at stake so every player has an important role. Players gain wisdom and knowledge as the game progresses. This game is quick moving and requires strategic decisions.

This is an urban version of the game Community that employs a higher level of strategy. Players aim to develop a stable economy and decide what works among many options as they develop the city’s economy.

Players work to build a caring and happy village and in the process learn to handle bad feelings. In this game, everyone wins.

Players must develop strategies to solve the many problems facing the fictional nations inhabiting Planet Earth. Solutions come when the world leaders are quick thinking and compassionate. The game is won when problems are solved, lost when war breaks out.

Threatened by natural disasters and sometimes the need for safety measures, up to eight players must work together to construct as many homes as possible. The houses are from various cultures in various stages of history, offering an educational slant on the many different kinds of shelter in the world. It comes with a 12” x 12” board, diecut homes, and natural disaster, safety measure and rebuild cards.

Players travel around town on a journey to collect the most passengers in a game that teaches math skills and helps players sharpen strategic thinking skills. Available in English, Spanish and French.

By encouraging children to build a weather scene, the game teaches strategic thinking and understanding of weather from season to season. Available in English, Spanish and French.

Get ready to touch, time, see, balance, bluff, listen, locate and laugh your way through this outrageous game! Teams race to perform all kinds of fun, easy to play challenges spread over ten sense-ational categories.

New adventures from Frog and Toad bring to life the charming artwork of Arnold Lobel. The unique “create asyou go” game encourages kid’s creative thinking and problem solving. For one to four players. Launch date: February 2009.

This educational board game jump-starts the road to reading by incorporating basic phonics and more than 300 sight words in an engaging activity. The cards comprise up to 90 percent of beginner-level reading material and more than 50 percent of all English text. The game takes new readers on an adventure through literacy land complete with common landmarks and street signs. They earn a bonus roll after correctly identifying a game card. The first player to reach the library is the winner. "Through repetitive interaction with basic phonic sounds, sight words, and their definitions, new readers enhance their reading skills while playing a fun game. Er-u-di-tion provides families and schools with a useful tool for preschool and elementary school students," Owner Denise Bossard of Acumen Associates told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 20, 2008.

Each player is a powerful wizard with a dragon companion, and resources in the region are getting low. Players must take on the other wizards as well as their dragons to survive, collecting treasures to gain power and battle it out to rule the world. The game uses cards, dice and miniatures, as well as luck- and skill-based game-play elements. "No matter if it's parents and their children, experienced players or someone absolutely new to the game, everyone can jump in and play and expect an even playing field that's easy to learn and fun to play," CEO Ray Farrar of Ascended Games told TDmonthly. "They can expect innovation and clever ideas at every turn, such as the unique aspect of eliminated players being able to still influence the game's outcome." Launch date: April 2009.

Late for the Sky's City games help preserve both the memory of home and the excitement of going somewhere new. Whether as a souvenir or a homesick cure, all the familiar places are there. "This is a newly released board game for people who love The Queen City — made right here in Cincinnati. We chose from some favorite landmarks, like Fountain Square, the Taft Theatre and Sawyer Point. We mixed in some chili cheese coneys, a few flying pigs, great traditions, riverboats and some BIG FUN," Carla Miller of Late for the Sky Production Company told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2008.

BANDthology is the fun and interactive board game that challenges your musical knowledge and creativity. Play as individuals or teams and get ready to have the most fun you've had with a board game in years! The object of BANDthology, is to be the first individual or team to win 6 musicians to form your own Supergroup. Bandthology appeals to music lovers of all ages and different musical interests. It plays very well as a party game or with large groups. There is no limit to the fun because BANDthology is a different game every time you play. You don't need to be a music expert to be great at this game. Our fun and funky band members will have you trying harder to collect your favorite first. So whether you like pop, rock, metal, alternative, blues, jazz, rap, hip hop or country music... BANDthology is... Your Music. Your Game.
Awards: Creative Child Magazine 2009 Preferred Choice Award.

BANDthology is the fun and interactive board game that challenges your musical knowledge and creativity. Play as individuals or teams and get ready to have the most fun you've had with a board game in years! The object of BANDthology, is to be the first individual or team to win 6 musicians to form your own Supergroup. Bandthology appeals to music lovers of all ages and different musical interests. It plays very well as a party game or with large groups. There is no limit to the fun because BANDthology is a different game every time you play. You don't need to be a music expert to be great at this game. Our fun and funky band members will have you trying harder to collect your favorite first. So whether you like pop, rock, metal, alternative, blues, jazz, rap, hip hop or country music... BANDthology is... Your Music. Your Game.
Awards: Creative Child Magazine 2009 Preferred Choice Award.

The CAMP Travel edition is very compact and mobile, with a unique wood design. Up to 4 multi-level players, and has fun “setback” and “move forward” functions. All new outdoor trivia cards, with vibrant full color images, includes content highlighting all 50 states.
— "The board game Camp has sold well in our store. Happy to see the travel edition that kids and parents can play together," Marlene England of Dancing Bear Toys & Gifts, told TDmonthly at Toy Fair 2010.

Little mice need players' help to push their pieces of cheese into their mouse holes. But participants must watch out for the cat! To play the game, players try to flick a mouse token on the game board so it hits and propels one or more cheese tokens into a mouse hole. The first team of mice to get all its cheese through the mouse holes is the winner. This wooden game is made in Canada. Launch date: 2009.

In this game of secret colors and surprise endings, someone will have four in a row before you know it. Players reach into a bag and pull out a token, which might be their color, an opponent's color or a wild card. Players can place their tokens on the board to extend their row, block another player, or fool others into thinking they have a different color then the one they really have. The ultimate goal is to get four tokens in a row. "The whole family can play this simple-to-learn strategy game," Barbara Uebelacker, PR manager for Patch Products, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.
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Late for the Sky's City games serve as great connections to preserving both the memory of home and the excitement of going somewhere new. Whether as a souvenir or homesickness cure, all the familiar places are there. And if players are living in the city the game is designed around, it’s fun playing with places they can see out their window. "We chose some favorite landmarks and traditions, mixed in some Rocky Mountains, professional sports, music, a great big amphitheater, and some BIG FUN ... and voilà [vwä lä] -behold; Denver-OPOLY!" Carla Miller of Late for the Sky Production Company told TDmonthly. Launch date: December 2008.

This ultimate action strategy game combines the contemporary action strategy game Halo Wars with the ultimate military strategy board game, RISK. Global domination has reached an electrifying new level of interactivity. "The nature of the 'Halo Wars' license and customized game board, pieces and game play make this game a standout," Anne McBride, marketing manager for Usaopoly, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 10, 2009.

Calculated chances and strategic choices will place the odds in favor of players as they let the five dice roll them to a win with Yamslam. After each roll, a player chooses the dice that will get the best combination. Each combination is worth a different value and has only four chips, so it's important to take the best ones before they run out. Players race to get special bonuses before their friends do, keeping the suspense rolling until the end. The game has appeal for all ages and is convenient for travel, as it is "self contained in a beautiful tin box," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager for Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.
Awards: Dr. Toy's 100 Best Children's Products 2009; 2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: This dice-rolling game from Blue Orange is fun for both kids and adults. With each roll of the dice players must strategize how they can win the chip with the highest point value. Without even realizing it, kids are learning basic math skills like addition and probability. The game is self-contained in a red tin, making it easy to play on the road or tote along to a party.  
— Yamslam is on the best-seller list at Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., Owner John MacDougall told TDmonthly in summer 2009.     
— "Right now, a game called Yamslam is our best-selling game," said Sue Banducci of Games Unlimited in Danville, Calif., in late 2009. She was anticipating sales of about 250 units during December.    
— Three of 38 retailers cited Yamslam as a best-selling game in Feb. 2010.

Gobblet Gobblers utilizes the awesome strategy of Gobblet and adds personality and character to the game. Players pick their Gobblers family and line up three in a row to win the game. The Gobblers have a strong appetite and can gobble up smaller Gobblers. These cute little characters will test strategy and stimulate memory. The all-wooden game has a bright, distinctive design and is earth friendly. "We plant two trees for every tree used in creating our games," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager for Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy 2009. Launch date: February 15, 2009.

Where to Buy: Poopsie's

Whether used to break the ice at a party or just create fun memories over the holidays, this game requires players to bring a gift. After all the gifts are unwrapped in round 1, participants keep rolling the dice, passing gifts, losing them and even "Zunkering" them, trying to get a final turn in before time runs out.

The goal of this two- to four-player game is to buy goods at market in Carthage and successfully sell them to merchants overseas while collecting achievement tokens and avoiding being raided by pirates. Playing time is 30 to 45 minutes. The games includes the following: a gameboard, 108 cards, 12 wooden pieces, 48 achievement tokens and rules. Launch date: 2008.