May 2009 Notable Toys — General Games

WordTeasers: Junior is designed to help children improve their vocabulary while providing laugh-out-loud fun. Players simply open the box, pull out a card, read the Challenge Question out loud, and then answer it. Answers may cause uncontrollable laughter or interesting debate. The game may also be used for writing prompts in the classroom. "It's both an education game and a party game. It's fun for kids and their families — a great dinner-time activity," Jack Roberts, senior vice president of Elm Education Marketing, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 15, 2009.

Players roll the dice to roll up the score in this terrific hand-held version of the popular game from Hasbro. Launch date: July 31, 2009.

This sleek edition of America's favorite word game is designed for people on the go. It features a nylon, zip-up case with snap-in tile racks, a folding game tray, and snap-in letter tiles in a cloth pouch. Launch date: July 31, 2009.

The goal of this Rubik's game is to manipulate the clear sphere to get the colored balls into their proper locations. "It's not as easy as it looks!" Jenna Banks, director of sales for EE Distribution, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 31, 2009.

Spin for a Hero, and something to ride: a rival, a treasure (to find or to hide). Choose a cave, or a castle with fortified towers, a friend and an object with magical powers. Get all of them first and you'll get the glory ... of winning ... and using them all in a story. The game includes: four Heroes, four Rivals, four Helpers, four Magical Objects, four Means of Transport, four Treasures and four Fairy Tale Places. Launch date: 2009.

Oozora JKA certified competition kendama. Well balanaced and solid, the Oozora is the most highly regarded kendama currently manufactured, made by Japan's oldest maker of competition kendamas.
The cherry red color is the classic kendama color.

WarStone is a collectible card game using marbles to compete against opponents on a board. The starter set is designed for 2, 3, or 4 players. To start a game, divide the card deck by color and match up stones with cards of the same color. Set up the battlefield. Place stones in their starting positions. Stones with icons match the icons on the cards. Except for Hex cards, each stone has a matching card. The object of the game is to fire at an opponent and knock a predetermined number of them off the battlefield. The cards instruct you how to attack. Contents include 24 WarStone Stands, 24 Page Rule Book, 2 Savage Stones, 4 Master Stones, 16 Core Stones, 60 Cards, Ruler and Markers, and Storage Pouch.

The Greedy Gorilla's come all the way from England to teach kids better eating habits. Give him something unhealthy and he burps. He's made of  75% recycled cardboard. Launch date: February 2009.

This classic game features an erasable whiteboard with a marker/eraser that can easily be stored on the side, and has no loose components, making it ideal for travel. It measures 0.9” x 10.2” x 8.75”.
— “We sell a lot of … Melissa & Doug flip games, especially Hangman,” Susan Blanton, owner of Pufferbellies in Staunton, Va., told TDmonthly in March 2009. "All the pieces are attached," pointed out Holly Anver, manager of Ages & Stages Toy Box in Golden, Colo.
— Four of 64 specialty retailers named this one-piece version of hangman when talking about best-selling travel toys in spring 2009. Four of 39 retailers echoed that sentiment in March 2010. Overall, 11 percent of those surveyed in '09 cited games by Melissa & Doug. David Ekwall of The Wooden Toy in Wethersfield, Conn., said his store sells eight to 10 per month.

Think-ets Deluxe contains a distinctive assortment of 30 miniature trinkets specially selected for storytelling and imaginative play. Individuals can use them to play 10 different games, including the following: What’s Missing? (fun memory game); What’s Your Story? (hilarious storytelling game); Who’s Last? (challenging strategy game); What’s Moved? (keen observation game); and What’s Similar? (mind-bending categorization game). It is ideal for travel and use in restaurants. Think-ets Deluxe is the larger version of the Original award-winning Think-ets game. It "has enormous play value for open-ended play using miniature items for storytelling," CEO Randy Compton of Think-a-lot Toys told TDmonthly. Launch date: September 2009.

In this card game for two to eight players, players assemble sets of cards to make their army of knights and dragons. A player can include the magical breath weapon with his knight or dragon to destroy the knight or dragon of the same color. "You assemble the cards to make the image of your knight or dragon. The cards are in four languages, so there maybe some accidental learning," Dr. Daniel Sulliban, owner of Earwig Enterprises, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2009.

Expand your Flibbix possibilities with the Flibbix Bridge. A little trapdoor can send players onto a playing level they're not expecting. Launch date: February 2009.

Kids will develop their hand-eye coordination while working up an appetite for pasta with Meatball Madness. The battery-powered ladel lets them levitate a meatball through a series of obstacles in a restaurant and onto the customer's plate. The game comes in three sections, which can be scattered throughout a room or house to encourage kids to run from section to section. Launch date: February 2009.

This recycling game for two to four players encourages participants to put the proper items in the 3D recycling bin while keeping an eye out for litterbugs. It is made in England.

In this game for two to five players, participants must gather everything necessary to make a meal, and then wait while it cooks in the crazy kitchen.

This game includes an inflatable globe with more than 270 animals printed on it. The point of the game is to locate the animal using a variety of clues. Children 4 and up can play up to four levels. Level 1 starts by identifying an animal's silhouette in among one of six sections of the globe. With the highest level, the player is only given a verbal description of the animal. "Everyone is able to play given that the game has different levels of difficulty," Shantel Cartwright, in sales and marketing for TEDCO Toys, told TDmonthly. Launch date: May 2009.

The Golden Dragon has been discovered and ninja players must be the first to reach its location. To move throughout the game, players roll one of two sets of dice and solve the number challenge rolled. The skill level of each player determines which set of dice that ninja will use. To win the game, ninjas will solve four word challenges. While moving throughout the lands, other ninjas will try to trap opponents and block their way to the Golden Dragon. "Players will be having so much fun they won't realize they may actually be reinforcing their math skills while playing," Tami Murphy, marketing manager of The Haywire Group, told TDmonthly. Launch date: July 2009.

Rubber chicken meets disc golf in this ridiculously fun game.  Players each choose a different colored rubber chicken.  One player throws the target nice and far!  The target becomes the "hole," like in golf.  Players then take turns flickin' their chicken at the target.  If you don't make it on the target, throw again from where it landed. Each throw counts as a point.  Try to land any part of your rubber chicken on the target within the least amount of throws as possible. The player with the lowest score after nine-rounds is the winner.  For 2- 4 players. 

The Incredible Treasure Hunt Party Games are themed Treasure Hunt Party Kits that come complete with a beautiful wooden treasure chest, a set of themed clues, eight party invitations, and eight prize-filled loot bags containing more than 60 themed prizes. They are designed to offer everything parents need to host a fun and exciting party. There are three steps to set-up. First, hide the clues and treasure chest in the designated areas found on the Secret Hiding Places Guide prior to the party. Next, gather the party-goers around, and then, read the first clue aloud to start the Incredible Treasure Hunt. "The real wooden chest is a substantial and attractive piece that sets it apart from other games, and the cute characters, clever clues and multiple themes to choose from make it unique," Lisa Howard, CEO of Party Innovations, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2009.

One of four new Haba card games-easy to carry along and fun to play! This Lucky Sock Dip card game will help you to match up the mismatched up socks and get that old 'sock monster'!

In this game of geographical hop-scotch, two to seven players take turn drawing one of the 48 cards of the contiguous United States, toss the beanbag onto that state in three chances, and then hop across the 33-square-foot map, naming each state hopped on and retrieving the beanbag. The game includes instructions in both English and Spanish and can be played in teams.

Designed to encourage communication and self-expression, FAMILY MATTERS challenges players to do funny things, share stories, learn trivia, and resolve 140 "Fake Family Crises" as they take turns driving through town toward the finish line (aka the Weekend Wish) for some post-game family fun of the winner's choosing.

This 220-thread count, standard-sized pillow case features a playful side with a colorful pirate scene and a character side with images that glow in the dark. It also comes with a booklet of games tied to the theme.

In this fast-paced educational game, up to four players draw seven tiles each and begin forming crosswords of numbers so that each grouping adds up to 22. For each 22 that's hit, a player yells "Ku-do" and selects more tiles so he or she always has seven. When the tiles are gone, players add up their points — one point per each 22 and extra points for use of the same number two or three times in the same equation. Tiles with colored numbers may be counted as positive or negative numbers, and players can use the dice to set number goals for the amount of rounds they wish to play. Launch date: February 2009.

Get hooked on this card game of big fish and even bigger fish tales. Cast a lure card from your tackle box, then pick from your opponents' cards in hopes of landing the big one. Will you be able to see through their bluffs or will you get stuck with a soggy old boot? Reel in the most fish and you're the master angler. But catch only junk and you'll be left telling a story about the one that got away. Launch date: March 2009.
— Gamewright games were listed as top sellers by Shana Hack, owner of Moon Rabbit Toys in Santa Fe, N.M., in June 2009.