January 2013 Notable Toys — Board Games

Who will pluck the most popular pairs? Each player gets 60 seconds to pair up 11 images at the same time. 5 pairs and one bad apple. Players gain points by matching the most other players with the same pairs. Launch date: July 2012.
Awards: 2012 - Best Party game of the Year from Games Magazine; 2012 - Best Family Game of the Year from Creative Child.

Re-embark in the Map it! adventure with the Map it!-USA Edition. The same amusing, educative and exciting game as Map-It! World, but with less jet-lag. Launch date: 2012.

In this game, players take turns placing randomly drawn location cards in the correct position, around a given starting point. Is Bangkok north or south of Cancùn? What about Mount Everest? Is it east or west of St.-Petersburg? If a player isn't a geography wiz, they bluff. Their opponents might just believe them…Launch date: 2012.

Play along with UG™ of HOMEVESTORS of America, rescuing "Ugly" Properties and rehabilitaing them to make them "Luvly" for resale.  Get started learning to Rescue, Rehab, and Resell Houses, just like on ABC's "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" or A&E's "Flip This House". Learn the game and sign up online and on a mobile device to play in HOMEVESTING tournaments. Prizes galore, including flat screen TVs, XBoxes, Cash. Come learn what Tony Robbins, Robert Kiyosaki, Carlton Sheets and Armando Montelongo charge thousands of dollars for. Learn the trials and tribulations that come along with the adventure of real estate investment, and have fun doing it.

KerFlip is a fun, fast anagram word game that families and word nerds can claim as their own. KerFlip's innovative flip-scoring system rewards players for constructing words FASTER than their opponents can. And cleanup has never been simpler: just sweep used letters into the tile chute and funnel them into a collection cup at the end of the game. "KerFlip features a completely original and innovative way to score, called "flip-scoring." The first time a tile is used, it’s worth 10 points. Once it’s been scored, flip it to its orange side. Now it’s worth only 5 points to other players," Damon Tabb, inventor and owner of Creative Foundry Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2012.
Awards: 2013 TDmonthly Seal of Approval, GAMES Magazine BEST Word Game for 2013; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Best Toy Award; 2012 Dr. Toy: 10 Best Educational Products for 2012; Creative Child Magazine: 2012 Game Of The Year; 2012 Majorfun.com: Major Fun Award; 2012 Playonwords.com: PAL Award.

Players must surround their opponent’s queen bee while trying to block their opponents from doing the same. Each insect has a unique way of moving (as in chess) and resembles the movement of the insect depicted on the tile.
Awards: 2006 Mensa Select

The Junkyard has been turned into a racing track, by ‘The Race-Kart Crew,’ a team of 8 speedster enthusiasts. They have built their own racing karts and invented some crazy gadgets and traps made from junk found in the Junkyard. Take on the role of one of the crew to create the fastest, meanest racing kart in the Junkyard. Use your creativity to outwit your opponents, roll bombs, release missiles, lay down hidden traps, all while speeding through mud and grass and jumping over collapsed bridges. Launch date: March 2011.

Logan Stones takes the simplicity of ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ and adds to it a fast paced, fun game, that can also be played with strategic precision for a much more thought provoking experience. Launch date: June 2010.

Players must try and collect 6 fruit leaves before their fellow monkeys. However there is an additional obstacle lurking in the jungle. If players are not careful, a hungry gorilla may swipe the fruits that they have gathered. A colorful Toucan can also bring players luck and give them a chance to win more fruit. Launch date: February 2011.