Games & Puzzles
Staff -- Playthings, 7/1/2001
If any category is best equipped to weather the stormy economy, it's games and puzzles. Families will look to inexpensive alternatives for their entertainment needs. A night at the ballpark may bow to APBA's dice-and-chart-based baseball games, available in three levels of complexity. Hours wasted queuing at the local amusement park may be better spent on one of Wrebbit's new, pliable Perfalock puzzles.
From the few minutes it takes to play a round of Out of the Box's smash Apples to Apples to the hours of turn-based strategy in Avalon Hill's Axis and Allies: Pacific, retailers can provide even the most finicky family with an evening's entertainment.
Show & tell
With so many boxes clamoring to be picked up by a store patron, what's a retailer to do? Kenneth Box, manager at Toy Factory in Jacksonville, Fla., puts the boxes in a waterfall display so they all face out. "I'm standing in front of some puzzles right now, and I can see at least half of the covers of all the boxes," he told PLAYTHINGS in between customers. Several retailers also suggested grouping games and puzzles by age group. Displayed for play above are 1, 2, 3, Learn With Me (prototype) by General Creation, Loose Change by International Playthings, Galactic Takeover by Binary Arts and Time's Up! by R&R Games.
Putting it together
Toy Factory's Box gave PLAYTHINGS a few tips on puzzle hunting. "The best overall are ones with really nice pictures. We carry a lot of 500- to 1500-piece puzzles. Anything more is only for a very serious puzzle person." Variety is another key (but, of course, when isn't it?). Puzzle-solvers range in age from pre-school to post-retirement age, and there's something for everyone in this category. Seen above, clockwise from the top left, are the Human Anatomy 2-Sided Giant Shaped Floor Puzzle by Frank Schaffer Productions, Woodkins layered elephant puzzle by Pamela Drake, Green Eggs and Ham cube puzzle by Bepuzzled Kids and Instant Insanity by Basic Fun. These pieces of the puzzle world fit together to form solid, evergreen business for many retailers.
Portable play
Summer, Hasbro Games spokesman Mark Morris explains, is a big time for games and puzzles. They're ideal whether at the beach or waiting out a rain storm. Handheld electronic games add ease and portability to the mix. Clockwise from top left, Hasbro's M.A.G.S. plugs into a CD or MP3 player and begins a fast-paced, tempo-driven challenge. Playability is as diverse as one's music collection. Or relive the glory days of the electric gridiron with Mattel's Classic Football. (Hopefully, this run, pass and kick classic—okay, so you can't pass—will revive the company's far superior Football II.) Megatak has packed games, pranks and a room guard feature in Prankster. Lastly, Hasbro combines collectibility, combat and stealth in Pox, the build-your-own-monster-to-defeat-your-friends game.
On the homefront
Debbie Smith, owner of two Toys that Teach stores in Richmond, Va., says game and puzzle sales should bring in its share of customers this fall as "more and more people are finding out they'd rather spend time at home than out and about." Adding to the appeal of 'a night in,' clockwise from the top left, are Conjecture by Outset Media, Honey Nut Cheerios Spelling Bee Game by Briarpatch, Proverbial Wisdom by Proverbial Wisdom and Pirateer by Warren Industries. Whether it's to bring quality time to the family, begin a new tradition or just pass the time together on a rainy evening, a good time is sure to be had by all.
