October 2008 Notable Toys — Puzzles & Skill

The Kanoodle case holds two solitaire games that challenge the player to build colorful 2D puzzles and 3D pyramids. Once a child picks a design from the included puzzle book, he or she puts some of the pieces into place as shown, then fills the empty spots with the remaining pieces. Only one of hundreds of possible combinations actually completes the puzzle.
— Three of 68 specialty retailers named Kanoodle when asked about their top-selling toy or game in October 2008.
— Dean Smith, co-owner of JaZams in Pennington, N.J., told TDmonthly in October 2008 his store sells about 24 units of Kanoodle each month.

All of the NHL action packed into one puzzle.  You build, you score!  The assortment features popular NHL players. Finished puzzle measures 24” x 36”.

Suitable for children ages 1 1/2 and up, this wooden puzzle made in Taiwan is designed to improve hand-eye coordination and motor skills. The different puzzle pieces — items found in dad's suitcase — are labeled underneath: tie, watch, electric razor, wallet and more.

Large size classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 13" x 18.5"; 496 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring dozens of winter-related and other figural pieces.  Vintage Swiss Alps ski poster.  Liberty Puzzles offers over 200 different puzzle images, from fine art to vintage prints and posters.

Children's classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 9" x 12"; 104 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring numerous figural pieces.  Part of our Little Liberty puzzle line, designed with larger pieces for children's skill level.

This large-size, classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 13" x 19", includes 479 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring dozens of circus-related and other figural pieces. Box cover image is taken from an early 20th Century toy set.  Hours of fun for the entire family!

Small sized classic wooden jigsaw puzzle, measuring 5.5" x 9"; 104 pieces.  Heirloom quality puzzle featuring holiday-themed figural pieces (Santa, toys, reindeer, etc.).  Comes in small craft box, perfect stocking stuffer size.

This colorful puzzle features two challenging games in one and is designed to test an individual's patience and train the memory. It is available in five jewel tones: red, green, purple, blue, clear and yellow. A version with a clock base (MSRP: $9.95) is also available.

This 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle is one in a collection of four prints from the canvases of landscapes and home portraits created by folk artist Art Poulin. Launch date: January 2009.

Set imaginative gears in motion with this colorful and durable puzzle. Children can challenge themselves by setting interlocking gears into different logical and creative patterns on the puzzle board. Includes 48 gears and 30 interlocking gear pegs. Helps develop logic and creative thinking skills for 3 dimensional systems and geometric patterns.

The No. 1-selling kids' almanac becomes a fun educational tool in this trivia deck series for kids. Coded by age range and subject, each deck includes 75 fun and educational brainteasers that build skills in science, math, reading and vocabulary. "The World Almanac brand is widely recognized and trusted," pointed out Cathleen Brady, senior manager of children's publicity at Chronicle Books. This product received a 2008 Parents' Choice Recommended Award and a 2006 National Parenting Publications Toy Award, Gold Honor. Launch date: May 2008.

This beautifully illustrated floor puzzle measures 2' x 3' with 48 jumbo pieces, and features dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles. A bonus music CD features songs that teach about paleontology, the Brachiosaurus, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Stegosaurus and more. Launch date: October 2008.

This "cruise edition" of the quick-play, easy-to-learn strategy game Pentago is ideal for portability and travel. Launch date: 2007.
Awards: May 2012 TDmonthly Top Toy Award. Why it won: Not only is this game a proven best seller; it also earned a high rating from TDmonthly's panel of reviewers, as well as users on Amazon.com.
— Brooke Andrews, owner of Millers Toy Store in Mamoroneck, N.Y., told TDmonthly in late fall 2009 that her store sells about 12 Pentago games per week. Erika Evers, owner of Dancing Bear Toys in Hendersonville, N.C., estimated sales of about 8 to 12 units per month.
— As of 4/12/2012 this product had 4.8 out of 5 stars from 24 reviews on Amazon.com.

Designed to aid fine-motor, hand-eye and creative skills, this wooden puzzle has seven bug-shaped pieces that are easy to grasp and can be placed upright for play. There’s a picture underneath each piece. It measures 1” x 9” x 12” when assembled.
— “These are traditional toys. Every kid needs some basics," Catherine Higgins, owner of Stone Soup in Bar Harbor, Maine, told TDmonthly in July of 2008.
— Kathy Yuri, manager of Hammond Toys in Orem, Utah, told TDmonthly her Melissa & Doug puzzles are educational favorites: “Because they're made out of wood, they're more sturdy for the kids.” 
— Almost 15 percent of retailers surveyed in summer 2008 named Melissa & Doug puzzles as one of their best-selling educational toys.

This puzzle is great for stimulating and training the brain. Each game includes: 1 plastic playing board , 12 color building blocks, a 16 pages guidebook , and one portable card. The product meets CE, ST En 71 and ASTM standard.

You may not have known what it was called, but we'll bet you've seen a Chinese Yo-Yo performance either by Chinese acrobats or in a wonderful Cirque du Soleil show. Now you can enjoy playing with this seemingly simple toy that can be used for an incredible array of tricks. It's great for hand-eye coordination, and for lots of wholesome fun for adults and kids alike.

A new pattern matching game from ThinkFun designed specifically with younger kids in mind, Clever Castle provides children with an enriching and fun play experience. Kids use the clues that the King and Queen of Clever Castle have provided to help all nine of the party guests find their rooms. When every princess, knight and dragon finds their assigned room, kids flip the challenge card to see if they are right! With a parent’s guide and 40 Challenges, graded from Easy to Super Hard, Clever Castle has been specially designed to encourage children to explore, succeed, and have fun.

Young kids can now enjoy their own version of the popular Hoppers® game from ThinkFun® as they help Red Frog Freddie win the leaping contest by being the last one in the pond.  Players choose a challenge and place the frogs on the playing board to match the picture shown.  To win, players hop all of their frogs around the pond until only the red frog remains.  The 40 challenges, ranging from Easy to Super Hard, keep kids’ minds busy as they will need to use smart moves to beat all of the green frogs to win the title King of the Lilies!