TDmonthly's ToyFair 2006 Preview--General Games Product Category

Word Pirates!® by HAYWIRE GROUP

Spell words, build bridges, and block your way to the Treasure, matey! Arrgh! Players make their way towards the treasure by creating paths of words and bridges across the shark infested waters.  Cunning pirates make good use of rock walls to block their enemies from reaching the pirate loot first. Now more game play! Enjoy endless play with a two-sided dry erase game board.  Pick the original game board or the new updated shark attack mode.  For 2-4 players. 6/11/2009 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Bamboo Mancala by TOYSMITH

Featuring a board made from the renewable resource bamboo, this game, a version of the ancient Mancala, challenges players to collect the most pieces. ( Watch Video) 6/9/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Quelf by IMAGINATION INTERNATIONAL

Players pick one of eight quirky characters and make their way around the board answering "Scatterbrainz" categories and "Quizzle" trivia, or acting out "Stuntz" and "Showbiz" cards, all while following the "Roolz." "Quelf provides cross-generational appeal that is active, wholesome and hilarious fun that the whole family can enjoy together. It is the most random and silly game on the market and will provide players with a memorable night!" Jill Schneiderman, in marketing for Imagination International, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2005. This game has received the following awards: 2007 Creative Child Seal of Excellence, 2007 iParenting Media Award, 2006 Major Fun Award, 2006 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and 2005 Upbeat Magazine Board Game of the Year. 5/28/2009 (Price: $15)

Travel Pop The Pig by GOLIATH GAMES

Everyone takes turns to spin the hamburger to see how many bites the pig will take. Players move the pig's hand to his mouth each time he takes a bite. With every bite the pig's stomach gets bigger, bigger and bigger. But the player who feeds him too much loses the game. This game has no loose parts, making it ideal for fun on the go. Launch date: July 2009. 5/22/2009 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Travel Litterbug by GOLIATH GAMES

There is a fly hidden in the trash can. Players take turns filling up the trash can by pushing the buttons on the outside of the trash can with different types of trash on them. At random, one of the buttons will make the trash can spring open and release the fly. To reset the game, players just push the fly back down and close the lid. Each time, the button that opens the trash can randomly changes so players never know when the fly is going to fly out. This game has no parts to lose, so is ideal for trips. Launch date: July 2009. 5/22/2009 (Price: $12.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Pop the Pig by GOLIATH GAMES

Everyone takes turns to roll the die to see how many chomps the pig will take. Players push down the pig's head to chomp the burger. With every pump, the pig's stomach gets bigger, bigger and bigger. When he pops on a player's turn, that person loses the game. Launch date: July 2009. ( Watch Video) 5/22/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Stixx by GOLIATH GAMES

In this colorful family game of strategy and bluffing, players try to capture all the STIXX of their own color. They can bluff by also taking different colored STIXX in an attempt to thwart opponents. Players who believe they know their opponent's secret color can call them out but will lose a turn if wrong. Launch date: 2008. 5/22/2009 (Price: $24.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Rolit Travel by GOLIATH GAMES

This family oriented strategy game for two to four players is simple to learn and comes in a plastic case that snaps shut and is designed for ease while traveling. The object for each player is to surround their opponents' playing pieces and switch them to their color. The person who has made the most pieces of their color at the end of the game is the winner. Launch date: 2008. 5/22/2009 (Price: $11.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Rolit Junior by GOLIATH GAMES

This simple game is designed to be learned in about a minute and played with the entire family, with kids from 4 to 10 years old. Game play takes about 15 minutes. The object is to surround opponents' playing pieces and switch them to your color. The person who has made the most pieces of their color at the end of the game is the winner. Launch date: 2008. 5/22/2009 (Price: $19.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Up Turn by GOLIATH GAMES

Players take turns placing their tiles in the correct sequence, racing to get rid of them in this fast-moving game. The game can have unexpected turns as special tiles let players change direction, give tiles to opponents, skip opponents, or play wild cards. The game includes 106 high-quality tiles and four holding racks. Launch date: 2008. 5/22/2009 (Price: $34.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Tayu by GOLIATH GAMES

Tayu is named after the legendary Chinese hero who saved his country from flooding by creating a series of waterways. In the game, each player trys to create as many water channels from one side of the board to the other, while at the same time blocking his competitor. Twists and turns are the norm in this fast-packed strategy game. "Choosy, quality toy-store owners agree that this game is of the highest quality and provides the most fun for the money," Jodi Swindle, operations manager for Goliath Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008. 5/22/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Le Bloq by GOLIATH GAMES

Players place the Bloqs to try to surround unused squares on the board, and the player who can isolate the most of these squares wins. All of the playing pieces in the game are the same but can be played in many different ways to create space to win. Launch date: 2008. 5/22/2009 (Price: $34.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Trapdoor Checkers by GOLIATH GAMES

This game was designed to transform checkers into a game of cunning and luck where kids can beat their parents. On each turn, players spin to see if they either move, or open and close trap doors. If a checker is on one of the trap doors, it might fall through. Trapdoor Checkers features "quality components that stand the test of time," Jodi Swindle, operations manager at Goliath Games, told TDmonthly. Launch date: 2008. This game earned a 2009 Major Fun Award. 5/22/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Find It Deluxe Edition by FIND IT GAMES

Now the whole family can play a fast paced game with a Deluxe Find It Game containing over 70 hidden items. The game includes a card deck of cards, spinner, a timer, check of pad, and instructions for 6 ways to play and variations to adapt for younger players. Basic play: Each player is dealt seven cards that vary in point value. At the beginning of each turn spin the timer to determine the action required prior to play (add points, miss a turn, trade hands etc.) Look fast! You will have 30 seconds to try to find a many items as possible. Play continues until someone finds all of their items and runs out of cards. Find It Deluxe Edition is the perfect party or family game. For two or more players, age 8 through adult. 5/20/2009 (Price: $32) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Blurt!® by EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS INC.

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. ( Watch Video) 5/20/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Patchwork™ by KNIGHTWEAVER GAMES LLC

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. ( Watch Video) 5/19/2009 (Price: $19.99)

WordQuest by GOLIATH GAMES

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. 5/19/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Loop It by GOLIATH GAMES

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. 5/19/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

TableTopics - '70s by TableTopics

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. 5/19/2009 (Price: $25.00)

TableTopics - '60s by TableTopics

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. 5/19/2009 (Price: $25.00)

TableTopics Conversation Starters - '80s by TableTopics

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. 5/19/2009 (Price: $25.00)

States of the Union by RESOURCE GAMES

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. 5/8/2009 (Price: $11.95)

TerraCarta USA by RESOURCE GAMES

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. 5/8/2009 (Price: $6.95)

Dino Dice by KOPLOW GAMES INC

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. 5/4/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]

Crocodile Dentist by HASBRO INC.

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. 4/30/2009 (Price: $16.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]