January 2026 Notable Toys — Game Pieces

In Cold War Confrontation, you take control of either East or West Germany and guide your nation through the ideological and political battles of the postwar era. Your goal is to rebuild, compete, and demonstrate the strength of your chosen system. Historical events like the Oil Crisis, mass protests, and shifting global politics shape the gameplay, introducing unpredictable challenges that can disrupt even your most careful strategies. The game emphasizes tight, tactical card play, where you use action cards to grow your economy and improve living standards—success depends on smart timing, precision, and taking calculated risks to stay ahead of your rival. With the 2+2 expansion, you can play in partnership mode as one of four powers—East Germany, West Germany, the USA, or the USSR—forming alliances where only one side can win, so you cooperate when it helps but always watch your own conditions. Throughout, you balance military buildup and ideological influence while trying to avoid global catastrophe; push your agenda too hard, and escalation could end the game for everyone.

This game encourages cooperative play, with each session lasting about 30 to 45 minutes. It also includes rules for solo play and for younger players, plus a helpful "How to Play" comic to get everyone started. The game was designed and illustrated by Drew Brockington, the creator of the CatStronauts comic series.

This cooperative memory game invites players to work together as they help the iconic Very Hungry Caterpillar find matching snacks before the week ends and the leaf runs out. The interactive 3-D leaf board features a stand-up caterpillar mover and sculpted track that bring Eric Carle’s beloved artwork to life right on your table. With simple setup and quick turns, players flip snack tokens, watch out for sun tokens, and move the caterpillar through 15–20 minutes of family-friendly play. The game reinforces preschool skills like matching, days-of-the-week sequencing, turn-taking, and teamwork for children ages 4 and up. It comes with a convenient drawstring storage bag, a parent guide, and instructions for easy setup and quick gameplay. The box measures 12½ inches by 9 inches by 1½ inches. Inside you’ll find the 3-D game board, leaf tracker, day-of-the-week tracker, caterpillar mover, 7 sun tokens, 24 snack tokens, and easy-to-follow instructions, and it plays 2–6 players.

This cooperative board game for 2–4 players invites you to explore a 3D game board where you’ll dodge fire spirits and navigate ladders and slides. Designed as a legacy game, it features evolving rules, hidden elements, and components that change permanently based on your choices, creating a fresh adventure every time you play. Each of the six chapters takes 20–40 minutes to complete, so you can play one or more sessions depending on your schedule and return later to continue. Developed by Matt Leacock and Rob Daviau with artwork by Cory Godbey, Ziggurat helps players ages 8 and up build problem-solving skills, teamwork, and strategic thinking. The game includes a board with six levels, 12 heroes, 4 hero cards, 12 fire spirit tokens, 38 starting cards, a storybook, a hidden lore package, and other surprises to discover.

Co-operative games are a great choice for young children, and this one has earned a TOP Rating from Canadian Toy Testing. The set comes with a 12 x 12 inch board, a special die, four movers, and four cat treats. It was designed by Jim Deacove and is recommended for children ages 3 to 5.

In this cooperative game, players work together as aspiring wizards and witches to save the kingdom from a dark spell. Everyone collaborates to outsmart the wizard and brew a magical potion that will break the curse. Along the way, players use strategy and problem-solving to collect ingredients before the wizard blocks their path, using tokens, dice, and potion bottles to add to the experience. This type of shared play supports emotional development, decision-making, and creative thinking in a relaxed setting. The game includes 6 potion bottles, 6 cauldron ingredient tokens, 6 wizard tokens, a wizard hat with stand, a spell-breaker token, 2 action dice, a game board, and 3 magic dice. It’s designed for 2 to 4 players ages 6 and up.

In Hurry Little Owls, players work together in a color-matching game to guide all the owls safely back to their nest before sunrise. This cooperative approach means everyone wins or loses together, creating a supportive and low-pressure play experience. As children play, they practice simple strategy, following directions, and taking turns, with two levels of play that help the game grow alongside your child and make it easier for older and younger kids to join in. The game encourages emotional development, shared decision-making, and creative problem-solving in a relaxed setting. On each turn, players use color cards to move the owls along the board, but if a sun card is drawn, the sun moves closer to rising. Players can move any owl and discuss their moves as a group to plan the best way to win. Designed for 2 to 4 players ages 4 to 8, the game includes a game board, 6 owl tokens, 1 sun token, 14 sun cards, 36 color cards, and instructions for two different ways to play.

This two-player game is a timeless battle of wits that combines deduction, strategy, and cunning. Each player works to outsmart their opponent by deducing their rival’s hidden identity, eliminating key targets, or making a bold move to seize the throne. With a striking table presence, the game includes eight finely sculpted 3-inch fantasy busts, a stained-glass puzzle board, and premium components. Games are quick and strategic, lasting just 20–30 minutes, making it easy to set up and replay for head-to-head challenges. The complete set comes with eight fantasy figure pawns, a four-piece puzzle board, a movement sideboard, movement tiles, identity cards, and aid cards.

This UNO game brings the festive world of the movie Elf to life with its deck of cards featuring iconic images from the film. It plays just like the classic game, where you match colors and numbers to be the first to get rid of all your cards. A special "World's Best UNO" rule lets a player give every card of one color from their hand to another player. The deck also includes a special foil-embossed card that can be used in the game or kept as a collectible. As part of the UNO Fandom series, this version celebrates popular movies, sports, comics, and more. Designed for 2 to 10 players ages 7 and up, it makes a fun gift for fans of the movie Elf.

This pumpkin-shaped 72-piece nightlight 3D jigsaw puzzle is a fun choice for Halloween enthusiasts. It works as a seasonal decoration once assembled. The puzzle comes from a globally recognized 3D puzzle brand and is designed for children ages 6 and up. When complete, the lit puzzle ball measures 13 cm in diameter and is made from premium plastic pieces that fit together securely without the need for glue. You can build it by following the numbered guides on the back of each piece or by assembling it freely. Puzzles like this one offer a chance for family time, mindful focus, and cognitive benefits, making them a thoughtful gift option for birthdays or holidays.

This two-player strategy game lets you relive the Battle of Hoth, where you can take command of either the Imperial Army or the Rebel Forces in a fast-paced, head-to-head showdown. The game includes a set of detailed miniatures featuring iconic Star Wars characters, vehicles, and troops to bring the battle to your tabletop. With custom dice and tactical options to guide your decisions, each playthrough offers a dynamic and unique experience. It’s well suited for Star Wars fans and players who enjoy immersive, tactical games.

This cooperative game invites 1–5 players to defend the city of Waterdeep and the depths of Undermountain from four legendary Dungeons & Dragons monsters: the Beholder, Displacer Beast, Mimic, and Red Dragon. Work together to protect citizens and outwit these iconic foes in a strategy-focused adventure that encourages teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Each session lasts about 60 minutes, and with each monster presenting unique tactics and challenges, the game offers plenty of variety and replayability. Inside the box, you’ll find a richly illustrated game board, sculpted monster miniatures, hero badges, citizen standees, a custom d20, cards, dice, and all the tokens needed to start your quest right away.

In this game, the animals are all mixed up and need your help getting back to their homes. It blends creative storytelling with a classic memory matching style, and includes fun animal facts that young zoologists will enjoy. Based on the popular PBS Kids show "Wild Kratts," the game comes with a double-sided gameboard, four double-sided habitat cards (for eight habitats in all), 48 tokens, 30 trivia cards, and complete instructions. It's designed for 2 to 4 players ages 5 and up.

In The Peak Team, players work together as wildlife rangers to protect endangered species and complete conservation missions across a dynamic mountain reserve. The game uses a unique reverse-drafting system where players assign cards to one another, helping everyone gather the tools needed for exploration and teamwork. You'll explore a towering mountain board divided into different regions, using paths and transportation systems to reach observation points and important wildlife zones. Each ranger must complete personal and team objectives before actions run out, so you'll need to balance exploration with efficiency to succeed together. Designed for family game nights or cooperative strategy fans, the game offers engaging gameplay with plenty of replay value.

In Small Fjords, gameplay unfolds in two distinct phases. First, you'll strategically place hexagonal terrain tiles to build the game's landscape, creating fjords, meadows, and mountains. Your choices here directly affect scoring and movement later on. Once the map is complete, the game shifts to a contest of territory control, where you deploy your Viking tokens to claim land and outmaneuver your opponent for dominance over key areas. The game is compact and portable, making it easy to bring deep, tactical play to quick sessions at home or while traveling. Designed for head-to-head strategy, it's a great fit for both kids and adults who enjoy tile-laying, abstract games, and Viking-themed adventures.

Mabula is a two-player abstract strategy game that tests your planning and spatial thinking with every match. Players push marbles across the board to shift positions and build connected groups, but you’ll need to be careful not to push any marbles off the edge. You can score by forming the largest connected group, or try the advanced mode where you multiply the sizes of your individual groups for a more complex challenge. Since marbles are placed randomly around the perimeter and color placement is restricted, each game offers a fresh and unique experience. Designed for ages 8 and up, Mabula provides quick yet deep gameplay that works well for game nights, casual play, or head-to-head competition.