Unlike any other Chess teacher, No Stress Chess teaches kids how to play using illustrated cards and an illustrated 2-sided board. Once players become comfortable with the moves and powers of each piece, flip the two-sided board over and play standard game of chess. For 2 players. Contains a 2 sided chess board, 17 charcoal pieces and 17 ivory pieces, 56 action cards, black plastic card tray and instructions.
Deluxe Super Scrabble combines the "bigger. better" game play of Super scrabble with an innovative gameboard that holds letter tiles firmly in place. Launch date: July 2012.
The Classic Game of Threezer® Riddles. The fun starts with three seemingly unrelated clues. What do Roses, Doughnuts and Jurors have in common? Players win the card if their team guesses, “They come in dozens.” How about A Violinist, An Archer, A Fancy Gift? (They all have bows!) First team to collect the winning number of cards claims victory. TriBond “Threezers” are challenging, clever and contagious. The game’s edge-of-your-seat excitement has sparked sales of over 3 million copies. Launch date: July 2012.
The Void is puzzling to comprehend because there’s a hole right in the middle of it. Consumers can literally put their finger right through the center of the Void. The object is to solve each side, much like one would a standard Rubik’s Cube, but that’s where the similarities end. The Void has different colors, rounded edges, and requires a different solution. Launch date: February 2012. Awards: 2012 ASTRA Best Toys For Kids Nominee
A limited edition released for the Rubik's Cube's 2010 30th anniversary, this cube is an original-sized, fully functional Rubik's Cube made of wood. Five of the six sides are painted in different colors, while one is left natural. ― “Rubik's Cubes. The wooden ones that just came out … were gone in a week,” said Shana Hack, owner of Moon Rabbit Toys in Santa Fe, N.M., when TDmonthlyasked about her best-selling puzzles in summer 2010. ― Barbara Fineblum, owner of Barston's Child's Play in Baltimore, Md., said in June 2010 that she sells 68 Rubik's Cubes per month. Of 40 retailers, two said Rubik's Cubes are their top-selling puzzle.
Booray! is a fast-paced New Orleans-themed poker game. The first player to obtain 400 Booray Bucks or to be the last player standing wins. This game consists of 52 custom-designed cards and 108 Booray Buck cards, and is designed for three to six players.
A fast-playing, portable game of Scattergories. Whoever has the most cards at the end of the game wins. Included are a deck of letter cards, a deck of category cards, 2 "I Know" cards, and a card tray.
An updated and more complex version of the classic 3x3 Rubik's Cube, this brainteaser has twists and turns to baffle even experienced puzzlers. Winning Moves Games warns that due to the complex mechanics required to allow movement of the four row Rubik's Cube, care should be taken during play to align the rows fully before attempting to twist. ― Two of 39 retailers told TDmonthly in October 2009 that Rubik's Cubes are their top seller for tween boys.
Originally from the 1960s, Mille Bornes involves a car race across France via a card game. Players must avoid traffic hazards and earn points along the way, while keeping a close eye on — and sabotaging — their fellow players. The game contains 106 illustrated cards. — Amanda Lepley, manager of Finnegan’s Toys and Gifts in Portland, Ore., named Mille Bornes as her best-selling card game in summer 2008. — “We carry several, but I’d say Mille Bornes [is the top seller],” remarked Richard Stoecklein, owner of The Toy Factory in Jacksonville, Fla. — Three of 64 retailers named the game as a top-selling card game in August 2008.
In this classic party game, two or more players roll the dice to score points and try to avoid “pigging out” so they don’t lose their points. It comes with two pig dice, a score pad and guide, two pencils and a plastic carrying case. — “Every time we get it, it's crazy,” Donna Cole of Kaleidoscope Toys in Salida, Colo., told TDmonthly in May 2008. — “Our best-selling game has always been Pass the Pigs,” said Joel Hardy, co-owner of Magpie Toys in Red Lodge, Mont., noting that they “display it vertically on a shelf.” — In a late Summer 2012 survey, Mike Castor, owner of Pentwater Toybox in Pentwater, Mich., told TDmonthly that Pass the Pig was their second-best selling card game.
The series of on-the-go brain exercise games contains three varieties: Pyramid Power, Square Deal and Puzz-ominos. Each game poses a different challenge that increases in difficulty with each strategic move. The games come in a handy, compact tin and can be played with friends or in a solitaire-fashion.
The 1950s game is back in print, with its original play, look and feel. Each player chooses his or her own personal success formula and then embarks on an exciting variety of career paths, hoping to be the first to complete his or her quest for fame, fortune and happiness. Launch date: 2008.
The Royal Edition features the original game board and packaging of Parcheesi. Players race to get all of their pawns into the center “home” space, all the while keeping an eye out for blockades or captures.
Based on a 1940s Polish dice game, this game has players battle to get each of the five animals on the farm: rabbit, sheep, pig, cow and horse. Players build and trade their way to a complete “herd” of animals, and try to avoid rolling the hungry wolf or sly fox that will make a meal out of the herd.
Based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, the game allows players to add mattresses to their bed as they move along the board. Build the highest bed and reach the “crown” space to be named the true princess.
The game comes with a wooden case that features detachable hinges, allowing the case to transform into an exquisite banker’s tray. This luxury edition features a game board with original artwork, Chance and Community Chest cards, Title Deeds and property colors, original brass-colored tokens and wood houses and hotels. As an added bonus, the game also includes a 16-page “Monopoly Memories” book that reveals little known facts about the game and its early editions, and contains complete enhanced rules.
In this new edition of the classic game, players build words on their own boards simultaneously. After each round, players have the option to choose a replacement letter from the bag or select one of the tiles facing up on the prize tile podium. Another new feature is the wild tile, which allows players to swap boards with an opponent.
Players race against time to guess as many words as possible. Depending on where a player lands on the board, he or she may have to draw a word, provide clues in as few words as possible, rely on Classic Taboo, or invite Bendy Bob, a new flexible friend, to help guess the correct word. The game contains 252 cards, three pawns, a Bendy Bob plush character, a game board, a sand timer, a sketch pad and a pencil. Launch date: Spring 2008.
The challenge is to put the UFO puzzle back in working order with all the colors matching up. The puzzle can rotate into almost 40 million positions but there is only one correct solution.
This sleeker version of the original Rubik’s cube plays like the original, but features cubes in black, silver and white. — “Right now, all kinds of Rubik’s Cubes are great,” Co-owner Jay Demircift of Puzzle Zoo said in early 2008 of this best-seller in his stores.
This special collector's edition brings back the bright and charming artwork of the original 1962 cards. The game comes with 110 poker-sized cards, a large format rules booklet, a car-shaped card tray and large foldout score sheets.
This new edition of the classic 80's game includes updated graphics, new stone colors and special rules. The game comes with four sets of colorful stones, four velour drawstring stone bags and a board that rolls up to fit in a travel tube. Players must arrange five stones in a row or capture ten of their opponents’ stones to win.
This game includes a quad-fold game board, 32 houses, 12 hotels, eight skyscrapers, four train depots, 37 title deed cards (including new states), 16 chance cards, 16 community chest cards, 16 bus tickets, two dice, one “speed die,” a pad of money (including new $1,000 bills), a banker’s tray and full-color illustrated rules. Compared to the original Monopoly, this edition has a 50 percent bigger game board, it can play faster with the special speed die, and players really have the opportunity to own it all, according to Marketing Coordinator Irena Malek-Strumpf of Winning Moves Games. Launch date: Fall 2006.
An expanded version of the mind-boggling classic, Rubik’s 5x5 is the most challenging Rubik’s Cube ever made. Rubik’s 5x5, also known as Rubik’s Professor, has more than 10 billion combinations, more combinations than any other puzzle in the world. Featuring the iconic Rubik’s Cube design and color concept, Rubik’s 5x5 is a real handful. It comes with a black plastic cube stand. — “Rubik’s Cube,” Denis Hofsetter told TDmonthly, when asked which item was his 2007 best-seller. “We sold out.” Dennis is the owner of The Toy Store in Atlanta, Ga. — Manny Rocha, general manager of Mr. G’s Toys & Expressions in Los Angeles, Calif., said that his store “sold four gross” of Winnning Moves’ Rubik’s Cube. — Five percent of 62 retailers who spoke with TDmonthly singled out this item as their store’s 2007 best-seller.
Now young minds have a Rubik's Cube they can master. Although ideal for introducing a child to the concept invented by Rubik, Rubik's Jr. can be tried by anyone who finds the more traditional version too difficult to tackle. — Kevin Tjaden, owner for 25 years of Scientific Wizardry in Boise, Idaho, was glad he’d stocked Rubik’s Cube, since it was featured in the holiday hit “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith. — Mary Walsh, owner of The Magical Child in Greenfield, Mass., wished she’d stocked more of the “old, standard Rubik’s Cube.” — A 25th anniversary edition of Rubik’s Cube is also available.
