June 2009 Notable Toys — General Games

Think fast! What word means “a partially dried grape”? Be the first to say “raisin,” and you’re on your way to winning this riotous game of rapid word recall. Players take turns reading clues aloud, competing to blurt out the correct answer first and move ahead on the board. The first person or team to circle the board wins. Sounds simple, right? But as the race for the right word heats up, and the blurting gets boisterous, it’s easy to get tongue-tied! Blurt is a great vocabulary builder for kids, a hilarious addition to adult parties, and a must for family game night. Includes junior version for ages 7 to 9. For 3 to 12 players.

Patchwork is a fast-paced logic game for two to five players designed to build logic, memory and patterning skills in a fun setting. Players trade colorful, two-sided cards between elegant wood racks to create sets, or steal them from each other. Game play takes 20 to 30 minutes. "The game employs a totally unique game mechanic that is easy to learn, fun to play and teach[es] logic, memory and sequencing skills," Daniel Weaver, founder of Knightweaver Games, told TDmonthly. This product has received the following awards: 2009 Oppenheim Gold Seal; 2009 Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children's Products; 2009 Seal of Excellence for Kid's Strategy Game from Creative Child Magazine; and 2009 Outstanding Products iParenting Media Award. Launch date: January 29, 2009.
— "It is an engaging game that encourages player to think logically while trading card with other players.  You have to use logic, memory and create pattern sets to win the game," said Angel Stahl of Angel's Toy Barn in Greensburg, Pa., who especially liked this game at the 2009 ASTRA Marketplace.
Editor's Note: Gamewright announced May 25, 2010, that it signed an agreement for the worldwide publishing rights to Patchwork. Play will remain the same; however, Gamewright will re-launch the game as FlipOut in late 2010 or early 2011.

This word search race game includes 20 different word search puzzles. The object is to find the words and mark them with your color tile. Whoever has the most tiles when the puzzle is complete is the winner. Launch date: 2008.

In Loop It, players connect their tiles to any of the twisting lines on the board and score points based on the point value of the tile they played, the place they played it and other neighboring tiles. "This international sensation is new to the U.S. but a great new twist on an old favorite," David Norman, president of Goliath Games, told TDmonthly. "[The] game combines logic, spacial reasoning, math and fun in a great game that is really easy to learn." Launch date: July 2009.

Each card is an opportunity to explore, explain and express oneself on subjects from serious to silly and everything in between — leisure suits to lava lamps and pet rocks to a favorite rock group on 8-track tape. Launch date: March 2009.

Friends and family can talk about the decade that changed the world, exploring topics from the heavy to the groovy, whether influenced by the Establishment or the anti-everything movement. Launch date: March 2009.

Valley girls and video games, Ronald Reagan and Rubik’s Cube, Flashdance and the fall of the Berlin Wall. TableTopics ‘80s edition has it all covered. The era of big business and even bigger hair can inspire fun conversation with friends and family. "The content and quality of our questions is unsurpassed by any competitive product, but if we had to pick on thing that is iconic about TableTopics, it is our beautiful cube. It's very upscale, permanent, timeless," Sheryl Brunell, vice president of TableTopics, told TDmonthly. "Our founder and owner, Cristy Clarke, wanted to create a product that people would use in their homes everyday and was beautiful enough to stay out on the dinner table, on the coffee table, on the dining room table all the time." Launch date: March 2009.

We developed this game at the urging of teachers who, while praising the content of our popular TerraCarta USA playing cards, wanted a product more suitable for classroom use. The result is the States of the Union game. The maps are much larger so that kids and grandparents will have an easier time reading place names. The playing card pips have been removed, and we have added rules for two fun, fast-paced quiz games.

Learn the States! Playing the States of the Union game can foster a new curiosity about our country among children of all ages. Great for Travel! Contents include cards of all fifty states plus the District of Columbia in superb detail – state flags, mountains, rivers, national parks, historic sites and a fold-out map of the United States. The full deck also makes a fascinating set of flash cards. Can you name the “Grand Canyon State”?

As with all of our products, we have followed the successful model of dynamic packaging design, educational value, and a commitment to the concept of helping kids develop a good mental map of the world through game play.

Each card in this geography themed deck sports a detailed custom map of one of the fifty states. The cards deliver facts about the states, including flags, important cities and towns, rivers, lakes, mountain peaks, national parks, historic sites, and other fun features. All of this information is displayed on the delicately shaded relief maps that are the heart of TerraCarta. The District of Columbia and U.S. territories are included in the playing card coverage. A two-sided map and playing card index, an informational key card, and a wild card that shows the entire United States in striking global perspective fill out the complete deck of 55 cards. With a full set of traditional suits and ranks, TerraCarta can replace standard playing cards for popular games, such as gin rummy, hearts, and crazy eights. It can also be used as a set of quiz and flash cards.

Gather a herd of dinosaurs to win points. Be careful, though — if you roll a T Rex, he might eat your dinos and you'll lose a turn.

In this classic game, players must carefully choose one of the crocodile's teeth and press it down. But watch out for his sore tooth! If a player chooses the wrong one — snap! the crocodile will playfully bite down and that person is out of the game. The game includes a crocodile, plus instructionsin English and Spanish. For 2 to 4 players. Original launch date: 1991.

In this game, the players all help farm dog Harley find and bring back home as many of their favorite things as possible. Harley will have to look out for fellow prowlers, such as the bear, raccoon, skunk, porcupine and nasty briar Patches, and it might be necessary to call in the vet. The game includes a 12" x 12" board, rules for easy and hard games, a dog house card, favorite things tokens, a bark and sniff card, and a Harley mover. "Players work together to help the old dog, Harley, out of a variety of problems. This is a game of sharing and helping eachother," Jim Deacove, president of Family Pastimes, told TDmonthly. Launch date: April 27, 2009.

The chickens are hanging out on their colorful wooden perch. But if one of them decides to leave, the whole perch will teeter. The goal is to collect as many chickens, hay bales and wagon wheels before the rocking perch topples. The chickens, hay bales and wagon wheels have different weights, meaning different point values. The player with the highest score wins the game. Selecting a heavier piece receives more points but entails more risk of making the perch topple. If a player causes the perch to topple, five points will be deducted from his or her total. "Two trees are planted for every tree used in the creation of this game," Adeline Bertrix, sales manager at Blue Orange Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009.
— Chickyboom is a top seller at Golden Apple Learning Store in Pleasanton, Calif., Owner John MacDougall told TDmonthly in summer 2009.
— Three of 44 retailers named this game as an overall best seller in late fall 2009.

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.