| Toy Fair 2001 -- Day Five | |
by Frank Sobyak
Show Spotlight
Acronymity (www.acronymity.com; compare prices)
Scott Kuhne is the inventor of this TCG (Totally Cool Game) that's sure to have you LYAO (laughing your, uh, tail off).
Scott is a computer salesperson who was teaching a colleague about the industry when he realized that every other word he used was an acronym. There were so many of them, he thought is was a game... and with his help, now it is.
Scott spent two years researching acronyms and their meanings. With the help of Pezzano Incorporated, promoters of Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary, they developed the rules, game play and customer appeal. We met Brad from Pezzano, Inc., and liked what we heard from him. If you're interested in a first class public relations representative you can reach him at brad@pezzano.com.
Acronymity was launched just before the holiday buying season but still was one of the top selling games at Games by James, winning a Top 25 Games award in less than a month. Scott has supported the launch of his new game with TV appearances, radio talk show appearances and game-signing events.
To play the game, players guess the meanings of the acronyms and abbreviations to advance around the board. Shorten your path by landing on one of the four Acro-Challenge spaces, where you have the opportunity to cut across the board and save 7 spaces. The first person to move around the board and answer the final Acro-Challenge wins the game.
The game comes with 952 cards that test your knowledge of everyday acronyms and abbreviations such as SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato), and NABISCO (National Biscuit Company). There are over 18 categories including entertainment, computer, sports, financial, medical, military, and more.
Part of the profits of the game (5%) is donated to charities, including the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and the United Way.
This is a fun game that we believe will be one of the winners that makes it big, so go out and get it ASAP!
Games for All Reasons (www.game-board.com)
We met Joan Moravick, president of Games for All Reasons. Games for All Reasons is the manufacturer of Finish Lines (compare prices), Paired Up (compare prices) and Paired Up Jr. (compare prices).
Finish Lines is a phrase game that challenges players to finish popular lines from television, movies, history, music and more. The product has received many awards since its launch, including a Top 10 pick by the Chicago Tribune, Top Mind Game by American Mensa, Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Product, and a Top 100 game by Games magazine.
New for 2001 is a second edition of Finish Lines cards, with 500 all new quotes and phrases in the same Finish Lines categories.
Paired Up is a card game for three to six players who take turns giving and receiving clues in an attempt to name pairs. The 800 pairs listed on the game cards span generations and topics. In just one year, Paired Up has been proven a winner. We've heard positive comments about it from many of the specialty retailers we've worked with.
New for 2001 is Paired Up Jr. This game features 320 pairs on 80 game cards. Players have almost a minute to guess popular pairs ranging from nursery rhymes to everyday items. It's sure to be popular with kids and for parents to play with their children. We think they have another success in Paired Up Jr.!
For the Record from Reed Enterprises (www.fortherecord-game.com; compare prices)
Announced new for 2001 is For the Record, 80's and 90's edition. This popular music trivia game now features popular songs from that we have all heard through the last 20 years.
Like the award-winning favorite, For the Record 50's, 60's and 70's edition, this new edition plays to the crowd with its awesome design and unique guitar-shaped game board and 800 multiple choice questions. A fall into the "Mosh Pit" may propel you forward on the board or hoist you backwards, depending on the roll of the die.
This game is totally rad and will be music to the ears of music fans across the globe.
Out of the Box (www.otb-games.com)
Out of the Box is the manufacturer of Apples to Apples (compare prices), Shipwrecked (compare prices) and Bosworth, winners of multiple awards and some of the recent best sellers.
New for 2001 are My Word (compare prices), My Word Jr. (compare prices) and Blink. My Word is the first word game that plays like a party game. As soon as the letter cards are laid on the table, all of the players quickly search for words among the cards. The first player to call out a word using at least three cards wins those cards.
Blink is the lightening fast game where two players race to be the first to play all of their cards. Using sharp eyes and fast hands, players quickly try to match the symbols or colors on the cards. The first player out of cards is the winner. The game takes minutes to learn and takes less than two minutes to play. Comes with 56 symbol cards and quick play rules.
Fib or Not? at Toy Fair
For all of the independent manufacturers at Toy Fair, it was a great opportunity to learn more about the industry, to showcase product and take orders, and to gain feedback from the marketplace. But perhaps the most fulfilling was the camaraderie that was developed with many of the other independent entrepreneurs in the industry. There is a great group of people in this business and we're glad to be a part of it. From the team at Gather Around Games, we thank everyone who has welcomed us and everyone who has helped make this possible. We hope everyone has a successful 2001! Betcha Didn't Know Endless Games What started as a bar stool game of make-believe turned into an exciting business venture for three friends. Brian Turtle and Kevin McNulty had made a habit of pretending they were someone else while drinking at their local watering hole. The object of their game was to be as outrageous as possible and keep their story going for as long as they could. One night after many drinks, they exhausted all their fantasy lifestyles and began to talk about setting out to create a real life fantasy - starting their own business. They talked through the night and by sunrise they decided to start a game company. Together with an old friend of Kevin's, they built Endless Games. (Courtesy of the Toy Manufacturers of America)
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