Looking for fun games the whole family can enjoy? Toy Insider’s Chief Toy Officer Laurie Schacht stopped by WGN in Chicago to show off some games that are sure to spice up family game night. For more on the items featured in this segment, check out the product notes below, and for the complete rundown of the best toys of the holiday season, be sure to check out our complete Toy Insider Holiday Gift Guide.


CRACKERS IN MY BED (WINNING MOVES)

  • Find ‘em, Match em’, Feed Him Quick!
  • Kids spin the spinner and search through the bear’s bed to find the top-half cracker pieces that match the bottom-half cracker pieces they have.
  • When a correct match is made, kids “feed the bear.” First player to feed all their crackers to the bear wins!
  • This game is designed for two to four players.
  • Ages: 4+
  • MSRP: $12.95
  • Available: Amazon

FISH FEUD (BUFFALO GAMES)

  • It’s feeding time! Launch squishy fish through the mouth of the Big Fish- to the player on the other side in this two player game. You both race to clear your side of all fish to win.
  • Don’t take turns, both players launch squishy fish at the same time.
  • Any fish that arrive on your side must be sent back before you can win. So, keep launching as fast as you can.
  • Ages: 4+
  • MSRP: $14.99
  • Available: All major retailers (Amazon, Target, Walmart)

FRYIN FLYIN DONUTS (MAYA TOYS)

  • Fryin Flyin Donuts is the new preschool game that is fun for the whole family! Every kid has an affinity for donuts and will love playing the swirling, twirling, frantically fun donut game!
  • Simply throw your donuts into the fryer and be the first player to fly all your donuts into the baker’s box to win the game!
  • Two-player game.
  • Ages: 4+
  • MSRP: $19.99
  • Available: Amazon

TUMBALL (UNIVERSITY GAMES)

  • This nerve-wracking bead-stacking game teaches kids about balance and weight while refining their fine motor skills.
  • Appealing to both children and parents, this strategy game is fun for the whole family!
  • To win Tumball, carefully place all your white beads on top of the suspended colorful balls using the wand. With every bead you add, the colorful balls become more unstable. If you push your luck too far or make one false move…TUMBALL!
  • You must add the fallen beads to your collection. Get rid of all your beads to win!
  • The package includes 14 colored balls, 24 white beads, 7 hangers, 4 wands, 2 assembly rings, 1 base, 1 arm, 1 hook, 1 ring and Instructions.
  • Ages: 5+
  • MSRP: $24.99
  • Available: Amazon, Walmart, Meijer, Fred Meyer, Learning Express

FLYING SUSHI KITCHEN (REDWOOD VENTURES)

  • Roll into the new Flying Sushi Kitchen action game from RedwoodVentures! Whether you love sushi or not – Flying Sushi Kitchen is sure to cause a ruckus at kitchen tables everywhere.
  • Flying Sushi Kitchen puts your competitive skills to the test as you pluck pieces of floating sushi rolls from mid-air, which stream from the bamboo shoots, in a mad dash scramble to fill your sushi order and rack up enough tickets to beat the competition.
  • Use the special, kid-friendly chopsticks to fill your order before time runs out. Add a little wasabi and ginger, don’t miss the spicy tuna roll, nab that smoked salmon, and hurry!
  • Flying Sushi Kitchen includes bamboo shoots, sushi rolls, and chopsticks for 5 players.
  • Batteries not included.
  • Ages: 5+
  • MSRP: $24.99
  • Available: Walmart

SNOT IT (KD GROUP)

  • Snot It is the gross game of boogey fun! To start, each player puts on a pair of snot glasses with icky sticky snot dripping from them
  • When it’s your turn, spin the spinner to find out which color boogers you need to try to pick up from the booger bowl
  • Wind up the booger bowl and let it spin – then try to pick up the right boogers using only your sticky snot! You only get to keep your boogers if you pick up exactly what you spun
  • Beware the purple boogers! If someone accidentally picks one up, everyone has to yell “SNOT IT!” as quick as they can. The first player to yell keeps the purple booger, while the last player must return one of their boogers to the bowl
  • The first player to collect 10 boogers wins!
  • Ages: 6+
  • MSRP: $19.99
  • Available: Amazon

WHAT’S THAT SMELL (WOWWEE)

  • It’s the party game that stinks! What’s That Smell? is the hilariously fragrant new guessing game that will throw your sense of smell into overdrive.
  • Guess the scents correctly to outrank your competition or suffer the stinky consequences of the Whiff of Shame!
  • The game includes 48 Mystery Whiff Cards and four Stank Cards and scent-barrier bags.
  • The winner—aka “Nose-it-All”—gets to pick a player of their choice to suffer the Whiff of Shame: Three Big Whiffs of one of the four outrageously stinky Stank Cards including: Extra Old Toe Cheese, Diaper Blowout, Hot Chunky Vomit, or Smothered in B.O. !
  • For added fun, capture the loser’s recoiling face in super slow motion using the ReekCam available in the free What’s That Smell app!
  • Ages: 14+
  • MSRP: $19.99
  • Available: Amazon, Target

SHOCK BOX (ZING)

  • Introducing Shock Box, an all-new electronic reaction game from Zing that challenges focus, reaction, and speed.
  • Once the light turns from red to green, players have to be the quickest to hit their controller button—or else you’ll be shocked!
  • To start, each player takes hold of a controller. Push the start button on the base to activate suspenseful Shock Box music and a red blinking light. When the red light turns green, press the button your controller as quickly as possible.
  • If they’re not the first to hit the button, players will feel a thrilling shock, zapping them out of the game!
  • If you’re quick enough to hit the button before the other players, you’re safe—for this round at least.
  • Shock Box has variable shock control with two different levels of intensity and four game modes, making each round a more shocking surprise.
  • Record your favorite moments of shock and share it on social media using #ShockBoxChallenge.
  • Ages: 14+
  • MSRP: $29.99
  • Available: Amazon, zing.store

About the author

Bill Reese

Bill Reese

Bill Reese is Business Operations Manager at Adventure Media & Events, where he's worked since 2014. A former editor at Playbill and graduate of SUNY–Purchase, he spends most weekends rooting for the New York Red Bulls pro soccer team and making subway systems out of Brio trains with his little boy Jonah.

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