March 2012 New Specialty Toys — Family Games

A classic memory game made only the way Sevi could. Beautiful hand-painted daisies are the prize for uncovering matching pictures found beneath. The hardwood base of the game holds 5 templates, so players choose a game, place the cover on top and begin. With five levels of difficulty and different configurations, kids may never remember if they played the same game twice. Did we forget to tell you that Sevi is Europe’s’ oldest wooden toy maker? Oh, sorry if we did. Then you probably remember that they use only vegetable-based paints and smooth hardwoods, right?  We have a feeling you are going to be very good at this game.

Our classic "Orchard" for the youngest ones. Can the children harvest the fruit into the basket before the raven reaches the Orchard? Cooperative game.

SPIN and SEEK On-The-Go hidden-object games are a must have for any road trip. Spin the wheel then find the 3 objects hidden within thousands of squiggly lines. Play with a friend to see who can find the objects first. Launch date: 2012.

Creatures is a creative, strategic card game that blends friendly competition with a good laugh. Gameplay occurs as players mix and match 'FRONT', 'MIDDLE', and 'BACK' cards in their hand to create entirely new creatures, and stage attacks against the creatures in other players' hands. The illustrated portions of each card align to create an image of the new creature with a zany new fun fact. A creature which conquers all other players in a single turn becomes a 'Champion'. "With over 22,000 possible creature combinations, no two games are alike," Tyler Panian, owner of Creatures Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: November 2011.

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

Bag-O-Loot Junior is designed for 2-6 players ages 6 and up. Players compete to make as many Bags-O-Loot (five matching cards) as they can. The problem is, other players keep stealing your cards. Of course you are doing the same thing to them so the groans and laughter never stop as sets of cards are constantly shifting from one player to another. Very easy to learn. "Bag-O-Loot Junior is the only game on the market where players take turns making and stealing sets of matching cards from each other," John Shelley, president of Bag-O-Loot, LLC, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2012.
Awards: 2012 Dr.Toy Best 20 for $20

Can you help the dotty dinosaurs to find their missing spots? Throw the dice to match shapes or colors and be the first to cover your dinosaur board in this fun game for young players. Two games in one. For 2-4 players ages 3-6 years.

Play with your food! Join the chefs in the crazy kitchen and collect everything they need to make a meal. Then grab your plate and wait for your dish to cook! Will  you be the first to serve up a tasty treat? For 2-5 players ages 3-7.

Race to fill your trolley! Be the first to fill your trolley with all of the items on your shopping list, in our best-selling memory game. For 2-4 players, ages 3-7.

Fishing Camp is a game where both children & adults can play & learn fun facts about Fishing. The game is designed to grow with the player, starting at level one questions, which are primarily identification of fish and fishing tackle. As the players increase in their knowledge about Fishing, they grow into the higher level questions. A fun & educational game where parents & children can play to see who catches the first fish and gets back to the docks. Game includes: 1 game board, 200 game cards(400 questions, and 100 fun facts), 1 decoder, 8 game characters, 1 die, 16 level cards, and 1 GPS card. Launch date: 2012.

Kids will share thoughtful, personal responses, and really listen to each other in this family-friendly game that includes game board, 7 character pieces, 7 token holders, 7 sets of tokens, 12 Wild Ernie tokens, and 1 pair of “Ear-Resistible” Jumper Rabbit ears. For 3–7 players. Launch date: April 2012.

The newest Perplexus model requires a player to twist, turn, and realign the tracks within to escape traps, dead ends, and cliffhangers. A captivating new dimension for the Perplexus family of toys. Thirty transition points.
Awards: 2012 ASTRA Best Toys for Kids – Gameplay/Brainteasers

The new Game where the goal is to be the first millionaire! Stack pairs of assets, to cover your valuables before they are stolen by other players! Defend your assets with like cards in your hand or Gold or Silver Wild Cards! Easy to learn in just minutes, with layers of strategy for years of fun! This will be a your new Family Favorite! Loved by all ages. Kids, Parents, and Grandparents can all enjoy a great time together. Even dedicated, competitive, gamers get a kick out of the quick action, and the drama. Enjoy the emotional response as the value of your Assets increase each time they are stolen. Steal them back to gain even more value. Before they are stolen again, cover them with more Assets to protect them. Watch out though, if your new top set is stolen the one below it is in jeopardy again. Keep building up your assets till you become the first millionaire.

Barbecue Party an action-packed game for preschoolers. It’s all about action-reaction as players try to load up the grill with all kinds of funny food before it pops a gasket.  Kids have to be very careful not to jiggle the grill when they lay an ear of corn, a tomato, or any of the other food pieces on top because it can jump at any time. Includes 16 plastic food pieces, 18 cards, & 1 pair of tongs/pliers. Launch date: June 2012.

The wicked vampire hunter secretly flew above the old castle and emptied a whole sack of stink ygarlic over the ruins! It is Leo Longtooth's job to watch over the sleeping vampire children in the castle's basement, and he must protect them from the horrible stench in the air. Players must help Leo clear the smelly garlic out of the ruins. With the help of the little glowing bat, players can magically clear the garlic out of the castle without touching it. They must be careful, though -- if the garlic falls through the cracks in the floor, it will spread its nasty smell into the basement where the vampire children sleep. "It glows in the dark and uses reverse magnetic polarity," Russell Gershman, sales rep at Playroom  Entertainment, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2012.
Awards: 2010 Kinderspiel Des Jahres Nominee
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM THIS COMPANY

In this unique memory game, players can help the little magicians navigate through the secret maze using their magical magnetic pawns to discover the right pathway, while remembering where the invisible walls are located. If players forget their way, their magician must start back at the beginning. Launch date: 2010.
Awards: 2009 Kinderspiel des Jahres Winner

Kaboom! A colorful cloud of smoke billows out of the cauldron in the old Magician's Kitchen, where the magician's little apprentices are learning the art of cooking up magic potions. Each ingredient must be tossed carefully into the pot, but hidden areas in the board may trip yplayers, causing their ingredients to go flying. Once all the ingredients are in place, its time to light a fire under the cauldron for the final test to see who can make the potion the fastest. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: 2011 Kinderspiel Des Jahres Nominee

Wits & Wagers Party is the latest version of the award-winning party game.  It mixes the fun of Vegas-style betting with hilarious new trivia.  Do you know what percent of bank robberies are committed by women? Of course not, and you don't need to! That's the fun. No one knows the answer, but everyone can take a guess.  Wits & Wagers Party will instantly get large groups of people playing and laughing together. "Wits & Wagers Party is the simplest and most accessible version of the Wits & Wagers brand, the original trivia game where you do not need to know trivia to win," Luke Warren, PR Director for North Star Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2012.

Topsy Tower is game of strategy where players determine which size pieces will build the highest tower and match the role of the dice. The player who stacks their tower first without it toppling over wins the game. For two to four players. Launch date: 2012.

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.

The third Perplexus family member is a hot favorite with all ages, including teens and adults. Epic’s track is over 30 ft. long, and has 125 barriers. It is so challenging that it even has a mid-way restart point. Once kids pick it up, they won’t want to put Epic down.
— As of 01/12/2012 this product had 4.2 out of 5 stars from 114 reviews on Amazon.com.
— In an April 2012 survey about best selling travel toys, Kai Rady, owner of Shenanigans Inc in Charlottesville, Va., told TDmonthly that her best seller is "Perplexus, especially the Epic version."
Awards: 2012 The National Parenting Centre - Seal of Approval, 2012 Learning Express Toys - Best Toy Award, Games Category, 2012 Canadian Toy Testing Council- Best Bet 2012, 2011 The National Parenting Centre - Gold Seal of Approval, 2011 Parent Tested Parent Approved - Seal of Approval, 2011 Neighbourhood Educational Toy Stores - Gold Star, 2011 Fat Brain Toy ‘Award - Brainteasers, 2011 Family Fun - Toy of the Year, 2011 Disney Top 10 Family Fun - Toy of the Year, 2011 Creative Child Magazine - Game of the Year

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.

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.

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.