May 2010 New Specialty Toys — Family Games

All players help a dreaming little boy, chased by tigers, collect all four teddy bears and a toy collection. Then, they get him back to bed before he wakes up. The game includes a board, tigers, candy, wake up card, little boy, card stand, toys, dream tools, and rules for basic and hard games.

Grump has taken the villagers' treasures and is now fast asleep at the top of the beanstalk. Together, players climb to the top to recover their treasures. If Grump is awakened, he takes back everything. Players share the treasures and leave some behind for Grump. Their kindness will help change him. The game is won when everyone has some of the treasure.
Awards: 1981 Canadian Toy Testing Council  Top Rating

Players help each other plant as big a flower garden as they can, and also help the Growlies find what they need most, so they don't pick and trash the flowers instead. With some sharing of ideas and talking over of strategies, players can will help change Crabby, Messy, Greedy, Stinky and Snobby into happier creatures. Each game unfolds differently. The game includes a board, 16 flowers, five growlies, a growly lodge, nine special items, scoresheets, a handy chart, and rules for regular and hard versions.

Players act as Camel Drivers, guiding caravans from their home village through the desert, gathering various valuable things to trade and sell in the city. The game includes a board, special dice, sandstorm card and holder, caravan movers, desert caravan collector card, and an assortment of special cards including tents, thieves, valuables, guards, camels, food, water and jeeps.

The game begins with a Random Universe arrangement. Players try to create an Ordered Universe of life and form. The illustrated cards represent various thought-provoking concepts. The game also includes The Collection, a booklet of 40 more co-op card games for the same deck.

Players work as a team to feed the hungry bus passengers entering the diner. This game is quick-paced, original and challenging. It comes with three sets of rules, for younger children (5 to 7), middle years (7 to 12) and adults. "Our games foster the spirit of co-operation. Players help each other ... they are never against each other," Family Pastimes President Jim Deacove told TDmonthly.

The 1,000-piece Canvas Collection brings four images to life as real art. Both box and puzzle feature a linen texture offering the look and feel of the original painting. The beautiful imagery features magnificent country scenes that may take the puzzler to another place.

The Studio Series is an assortment of four 500-piece round puzzles with real wooden pieces that features top rated images by renowned artists Hansel, Sundrum, Daniel and Boehme. Sue Harrison of The Canadian Group told TDmonthly, "Great images and a great feel provides a premium puzzling experience!"

The Sandkidz Beach Guide contains games and crafts for a full day or weekend of beach fun for the whole family. All items come in a vinyl pouch attached to the guide and can be replaced as needed for more beach activities. The Sandkidz Beach Guide was awarded the 2009 "Seal of Excellence" by Creative Child Magazine. Launch date: June 12, 2008.

This 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle features a delicious assortment of berries and jams from the cover of Gourmet Magazine. Adam Silver, CEO of New York Puzzle Company, told TDmonthly, "The Gourmet line of jigsaw puzzles includes three free recipe cards based on the puzzle theme to make at home."

This bustling beach has plenty of detail to satisfy even the biggest of puzzle aficionados. The 1000-piece Beachgoing puzzle features the July 8, 1939 cover of the New Yorker.  Adam Silver, CEO of New York Puzzle Company, told TDmonthly, this product is "made in the USA from extra-thick puzzle board to ensure for better play and a better fit."

Puzzlers can visit the Duck Pond, Noah's Ark, Llama's Castle and more at this Children's Zoo Wonderland. This 500-piece jigsaw puzzle can be a family activity. Adam Silver, CEO of New York Puzzle Company, told TDmonthly, "All of our jigsaw puzzles are made in the USA from extra-thick puzzle board to provide for better play and a better overall fit."

The Adventures of Tommy the Tomato Playing Cards is an extension of the alphabet book for children. It is a memory, "go fish" and trivia game all in one. The games are designed to teach children literacy though the alphabet as well as the benefits of nutrition while being interactive.

This is a great puzzle for the vintage muscle car fanatic. Puzzlers piece together the profile of 12 mid-century American automobile icons featured on the cover of the February 1957 edition of "Popular Mechanics." Adam Silver, CEO of New York Puzzle Company, told TDmonthly, "All of our puzzles are made in the USA from extra-thick puzzle board to ensure a better fit."

This is a game of collaboration, learning and discussion full of strategy, with each player making an important contribution. Set in 1895, players are a group of peaceful Christian villagers in Russia who drive wagons through the countryside, visiting homes to collect firewood and weapons for the building of ploughshares in the village center, all while avoiding confiscation and imprisonment by the Tsar's patrolling soldiers. The game includes a 17" x 17" board, special playing cards, movers, dice, collection chart, wagons, and rules for regular and advanced games.

Messages consists of three games for those who love playing with words and ideas. Players must express their cleverness, creativity and sense of humor by using symbol tokens to form picture phrases and sentences, known as rebuses. Players pool their ideas to make rebuses to fill the board, red spots add challenges, and each game played is a different experience. The package includes a 7.75" x 7.5" board, 100 symbol tokens, a glossary of suggested meanings, rules and a storage bag.

Early Years are four cooperative card games for the younger ages. Each game is designed to nurture and encourage a blend of close observation, communication, imagination, and some academic, social and memory skills in a non-threatening, self-esteem-building atmosphere. The pack includes four sets of 35 cards each: a “domino” word game, an animal memory game, a number/math skills game, and a storytelling game. Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly Early Years is "a big bargain with lots of play value, and just plain fun to play! Special group game rules are included for accommodating as many as 36 players."

This game is designed to nurture imagination, listening, self-expression, collaboration and clear thinking, using a story-telling format. The setting is science-fictional and the issues presented everyday and real, tackled by players with role-playing, values discussions, dialogue, problem-solving, and creative writing. Not an Island is adaptable to any group situation and includes 55 situation cards, 55 resource cards, six life force markers, two booklets of scenarios, and rules for basic, medium and hard levels of play. Launch date: 2003.

In this cooperative game, players try to develop a series of balanced patterns. The moving principles are simple, but the variations and complexities of play are almost infinite. This is a game for those who like abstract, meditative endeavors. A simpler game, Clarity, is included for the beginner or younger players. The game also includes a 12" x 12" board, three sets of colored "pebbles," and scoring sheets. Launch date: 1973.

This values-oriented, moral-dilemma game of discussion and evaluation presents challenges an individual encounters from childhood to old age. The situations and questions appear on cards with choices to make. Players can create their own responses and more situations to enter into the game. This game is a useful tool to stimulate values discussion in a non-competitive framework and includes a 14" x 18" play pad, four sets of questions (for childhood, adolescence, middle years and old age), mover, die, game and complete rules. Launch date: 1976.

Starwords is a cooperative word game in which players make words to cover as many Star Spaces as they can. Each word must be about what players see in the picture. The picture changes, letters get recycled, and letters are given away. Players can discuss, share and compare ideas in a natural, friendly way. Word wizards can play the Advanced Version in which dice are rolled to see what kind of word has to be formed. The game includes a 13" x 17" board, die, reference chart, 100 letter tokens, and a collection of unusual pictures. Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly, "Our games foster the spirit of cooperation. Players help each other climb a mountain, make a community, bring in the harvest, complete a space exploration... They are never against each other." Launch date: 1983.

In this coordination game, teams must imitate the robot movements shown on the cards. The team that is the best at controlling their 'robot' teammate with gestures and reaching the robot position faster than their opponents wins. Asmodee Marketing Manager Ruby Nikolopoulou told TDmonthly, "The price point is interesting for gifts." Launch date: October 2009.

Players are charged with the challenge of rescuing a baby dinosaur stuck in a canyon threatened by a flash flood. Players must work as a team to save little Dino by lowering the water level until he is dry and also help give him his favorite food. Bambino Dino is simple to grasp, with color-coded dice that indicate when to pick a helpful Tool or some Food and also when to build the Water higher and higher. The game includes a 6" x 12" board, water pieces, rules, bucket and food cards, dice and stickers. Launch date: 2001.

In this game, a winter storm hits Little City. Granny and Grandpa, Uncle and Aunt, Mom and Dad, and Best Friend's Family have things to do, places to go and errands to run. Players must help them complete these tasks together by driving to the places on their lists and returning them safely home. Deep snow? Bad ice? Players decide when and where to do some plowing or spreading of sand while the weather constantly changes. The game includes one 12" x 12" board, weather reports, errands, cars, places, snow and ice, and service trucks. Launch date: 1994.