September 2012 Notable Toys — Family Games

EXIM Games is introducing the world's first and only board game with integrated game play through the use of an Apple iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, patent pending. Only EXIM Games can give kids the ability to use the unique xPirate board game with multiple Apps and mobile platforms. Welcome to xPirate. Players have been recruited as Captains of their own xPirate ship. In this strategic pirate quest for hidden treasure, victory is awarded to the xPirate ship that finds all its hidden treasures and returns home first. Launch date: November 2011.
Awards: 2012 - 2012 Creative Child Awards Program, 2012  Game of the Year Award

It’s a busy day in Crazy Cake Café. Baker Bernie needs kids' help getting cakes stacked as quickly as possible so they can be delivered. The first player to finish stacking one of Baker Bernie’s famous twelve layer cakes wins a recipe card. Collect ten recipe cards and winning the game will be the icing on the cake. This fast-moving game is a delectable visual-spatial, brain-teasing treat. 2 to 4 players. Launch date: August 2012.

In the Old West, the sly snake oil salesman had a special talent: he could get the most skeptical customer to buy the most dubious product. Now players can have their turn, inventing their own crazy two-word products and selling them to all types of customers. If the customer buys a product, the player wins. With over 280 wild words and 70 oddball customers, players will never run out of new combinations. Launch date: November 2010.
Awards: 2012 Mensa Select; 2012 Dr. Toy; 2012 Toy Man Seal of Excellence
— In a late Summer 2012 survey, Charles from Miller's Toys in Mamoronec, N.Y., told TDmonthly that Snake Oil is one of their top-2 best selling card games. They sell about 2 dozen copies a month.
— As of 12/6/2012 this product had 5 out of 5 stars from 2 reviews on Amazon.com. Pros: Fun for all ages.
— Gary Green, owner of Toy Box of Asheville Inc in Asheville, N.C., told TDmonthly in a February 2015 survey that Snake Oil was his store's best-selling game.

Robbin’ Eggs is the eggciting game of math, memory, and luck. Each egg has a number on the bottom - some positive, some negative. Players turn over eggs trying to get the sum as close to the rolled number on the die, all while following sometimes silly rules on the cards. Meanwhile, opponents might have a “rob” card and can steal the egg other players need.  Players try to remember the location of numbers as the game progresses…that is, until another player scrambles the locations with a drawn card. The player with the lowest score at the end wins the game. "This game is much more than just an educational math game or a memory game.  Because it adds these components together along with the uniqueness of the nest and eggs, and the randomness of the action cards, this game becomes an entertaining family game that happens to help players hone their math skills," Tami Murphy, marketing manager at The Haywire Group, told TDmonthly. Launch date: June 2012.

Bowl, Spell and Score is a wacky word bowling game in which bowlers roll a unique wooden character ball to determine the amount and location of bowling pin letter tiles to flip over in an attempt to spell words for points each frame. Launch date: 2011.
Awards: December 2011 Toyman Award

Roll-a-chore is a dry erase chore, rewards, message chart game. In the bag: 10"x13" themed game board, dry erase marker, dice, spinner, draw string bag, suction cup and adhesive magnets. This game takes the "chore" out of assigning chores in a fast, fair, fun way. There are countless benefits when using this product: math, writing, reasoning, teaching responsibility. Themes available include: Basketball game board, Baseball game board, Policeman game board, Jake (one of roll-a-chore's characters) surfing game board, Molly (one of roll-a-chore's characters) surfing game board, Flowerpower game board, Blue Hearts game board, Molly Soccer game board, color-a-chore (for the little tikes learning their colors) themed game board, and Handy Helpers 2 & 3 (a general family theme look) game board, with more themes to be available later in the year. Launch date: February 2005.

In Tsuro of the Seas players will sail the treacherous waters of the Mystic Seas in an engaging game of adventure and suspense. As the captain of one of the Emperor’s mighty Red Seal ships, players navigate the seas by placing Tsuro wake tiles to direct their vessel. Players must take great caution to avoid opponents’ ships...and those mysteries lurking on the horizon and under the sea. The last captain sailing to survive the mystic seas wins. For 2 to 8 players ages 8 and up; plays in 20-40 minutes. Launch date: August 2012.