Gaga over Games

It's fascinating to me how different we are. Some of us who are not French think Jerry Lewis is funny. Some of us like light, quick games with our kids and some of us dive deep with friends, or even strangers who become friends, as we compete and trade resources in order to settle an imaginary island. We will lose ourselves for hours and love every minute of it.

Two weeks ago I launched a site around my next book at www.101greatgames.com. You will not be surprised to learn that the book will be called and feature 101 Great Games. What you might be surprised to learn is that in two weeks the site has attracted 111 members who are very passionate about the cardboard, paper, plastic and wood with which they play. I've received hostile email, warm wishes and everything in between regarding the selection process, site guidelines and even what constitutes a game. It's a wonderful thing.

I've even discovered some games that I didn't know existed and that is what has me really pumped about this project. It's my hope that 101 Great Games introduces a ton of people to a ton of fun they never knew existed.

What's your favorite game?

Clean and Green

Earth Day is this Wednesday, and so I thought I'd give you my list of toys that teach kids what it means to live (and play) “cleaner.” This list originally appeared on Nickelodeon's Parentsconnect website. Go green...

Kapla Blocks
This quality wooden building toy is made of pine blocks from renewable forests and offers open-ended play so kids can explore and expand their creativity. Throw a block party!
Available in sets from $30 to $350 at: www.kaplatoys.com

Dynacar
Batteries Not Included… OR NEEDED! This Dynacar comes with unbreakable headlights, “high-beam” LED lights, and 6 realistic car sounds – all “kid-powered.” Kids turn the ingenious, foldaway crank arm to charge the dynamo engine for hours of supercharged fun!
Available for $14.99 at: www.seetoys.com

BagGammon Game
“Fun is in the Bag” and so are full-sized, fold out, fabric boards in this portable “BagGammon” game. No wasteful packaging and the patent-pending board/bag design makes cleanup a breeze. This one I liked to much I helped the inventor license it to Imagination Games.
Available for $14.95 at: www.baggames.com

Green Toys Tea Set
Would you like milk with your tea? Made from recycled milk containers and other environmentally friendly materials, this 17-piece play set will have your kids brewing imaginary tea with a very real benefits: Creative play that’s good for the earth!
Available for $24.95 at: www.greenfeet.com

Chuck Taylors

My first pair were sky blue. I was 11 years old and playing basketball seriously for the first time in middle school. Converse Chuck Taylors had all the ankle support that canvas sewn to rubber could give you, which was not much. When my wife and I were married, we showed up at the reception with our dress shoes off and black (his) and white (hers) Chuck Taylors on our feet. Our dressy dress shoes were not conducive to the Chicken Dance.

Now my 10-year old daughter is in on the action, but with more of a fashion statement in mind than ankle support.

Do you remember your first pair?

Edith & Harry

Thinking back, I probably learned to play from my grandmother, Edith Horan. She and I used to watch Philadelphia Phillies games together when she was in her 80s and I was in my glory, by her side, glove in hand. I was 9 years old and wanted to be Larry Bowa, her favorite player. I learned baseball from her. She was usually soft-spoken, but wouldn't hesitate to question an umpire's call or yell at Danny Ozark through the TV screen If he wasn't bunting, down by one, with a runner on first and no one out.

Harry Kalas died today. Most sports fans know him as the voice of NFL Films, but to Philadelphia fans, he was the voice of the Phillies for 26 seasons.

I'm happy Harry & Edith are talking baseball tonight and I am very happy that Harry had this moment before he died.

Who's Best at Blurt!?

Over the 15 years that Blurt has been on the market, I've played it with people in bookstores, toy stores, in the Mall of America, on national TV shows and on radio shows. I've played it on cruise ships and in classrooms and once, in a cocktail lounge in Cape Coral, Florida. Across the years, I have noticed two things:

1) Woman are generally better at Blurt than men.
2) Kids (12 to 16 year-olds) are better at Blurt than their parents.

Now these are not universal facts, but general observations. A recent game night with Guys vs. Gals reported to me by a board game reviewer confirmed #1 to be accurate. When grown-ups play Battle of the Sexes in Blurt, the fairer sex usually wins. This irks some people (read: males).

I come from a line of competitive game players and bragging rights go a long way in contributing to the overall fun of the play, as long as it's all good-natured. So in that spirit, I am conducting a social play experiment with Blurt in 2009. Whenever I play the game this year (and I plan to play it a lot in celebration of its return to the market and its 15th anniversary), I will be keeping score. When I play with listeners on radio stations, we will pit woman callers vs. men callers and I will keep score. When I do promotions for Blurt at toys stores, we will play kids vs. grown-ups and I will keep score. I will keep a running tally of the scores on this plog and I encourage you to send me the results of your test play for inclusion. In the spirit of fair play, I will trust the accuracy of results reported to me. (Do not lie to me, you ultra competitive freaks... you know who you are).

Let the Blurt games begin!

Making the Monkey Dance: Ice Cream Time

A joyful memory of mine is turning the crank on our old homemade ice cream making machine. I was blessed to be a part of a large family and the rule was, if you want to eat the ice cream, you gotta take a turn on the handle. Many a summer picnic in my boyhood backyard was spent staring at our cigarette-burned, vinyl, red and white, checkerboard table cloth while cranking that thing like it was an organ grinder and I was trying to make the monkey dance.

It's spring break here in Florida and my daughter found this recipe for making your own ice cream in some Ziploc bags. SHAKE IT TO MAKE IT!

Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic... Recess

According to this New York Times article by Tara Parker-Pope, kids who had more than 15 minutes of recess a day showed better behavior in class than those who had little or none.

Did this really surprise anyone? Adults who exercise (i.e. play) are happier, healthier and more productive. Why should kids be any different?

Dr. Romina M. Barros, a pediatrician and an assistant clinical professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine was the lead researcher for the study. The article quotes her as saying, “Sometimes you need data published for people at the educational level to start believing it has an impact. We should understand that kids need that break because the brain needs that break. Recess should be part of the curriculum.”

Not only are many kids not getting as much recess time as they used to (the article states that a recent survey by a Children Advocacy Group found that 40% of schools had cut back on recess periods), those that do have it, often have it taken away as a penalty for bad behavior. As Dr. Barros points out in the article, if we wouldn't think of stripping kids of math class for bad behavior, why recess?

In light of the results of the study, denying kids recess because of poor behavior is more akin to taking a kid out of math class because he or she was having trouble with numbers. It's giving up on them. Don't our kids deserve better?

Playfulness in Practice #2

Hat day at my daughter's school means that kids pay $1 in order to have permission to wear a hat. Why? All the money raised goes to Cancer research. The parents do not get to participate per se, but I had a jester's hat just lying around doing nothing.

Wanna help us as we walk to fight Cancer? GO HERE!

Zen and the Art of Soundtrack Enhancement

Doris Day, eat your heart out.


As I was packing away our Christmas stuff a few months ago, I came across an old CD featuring Toyland by Doris Day from the movie Babes in Toyland. Looking through the liner notes, two words stood out. Public Domain. When you need music for a film on toy designers and your budget is spent, and then the perfect song appears with no royalties (strings) attached, you should pay attention. Lyrically the tune worked, but musically it was so S-L-O-W. What to do?

I'm blessed to run in a circle of very creative friends. My buddy Steve Sipes is a very talented musician. He called in favors for me and the next thing I know, he's reinterpreted the song into a surfer/punk rocker and we're recording it! Ladies and Gents: The Toyland Band!




We wanted to pay homage to the Doris Day version and yet another friend stepped up. Sam Robertson is a talented singer/songwriter. She's only 17, but she's got an old soul and a soulful sound. We had a great time recording it at Zen Recording up in Tampa. She nailed it. The boys in the band nailed it. Steve put his signature on it and it's going to play great in the film.

So without further ado, the TOYLAND BAND!

Playfulness in Practice #1

A new ongoing segment promoting the incremental increase of your fun quotient. You do the math.

1. Play Punch Buggy. Whenever you see a Volkswagen Beetle say, "Punch Buggy! No Punch Backs!" Then punch the person next to you in the face as hard as you can I kid. Punch them in the arm lightly. My daughters and I do this and it's added a lot fun to our long car rides and trips to and from school. She is winning 54 to 9.

2. Hack your kid's lunchbox and add notes of randomness.

3. Make an edible butterfly from a radish.

4. Turn off the TV and play a board game.

5. Gather your family around the computer and try not to laugh while you watch this.

Blurt Fans! Got Fleeced? Get a Free Game!

Someone contacted me the other day and asked why Blurt was selling on amazon for over $100. Here's the 15-year history, condensed into simple supply and demand. It's Blurt-onomics. Buyer beware.

1994: Blurt is published by Patch Products.

1994 - 2004: We sell over a million Blurt games in a span of ten years. Demand grows, supply grows.

2004: Mattel buys the licensing contract from Patch Products and along with it, inventory of boards and boxes. This is why the Mattel version of Blurt looks identical to the Patch version.

2004 - 2006: Mattel never produces its own version of Blurt, but continues to sell rehashed inventory to a limited number of retailers. People still want the game, but Mattel only sells to mass market accounts. Supply of Blurt games in the marketplace diminishes, demand grows.

2007: The rights to Blurt revert to me on January 1st, too late to get another company to make the game for 2007. Supply of Blurt games in the marketplace diminishes further, demand continues to grow.

Summer 2007: I license the game to Sababa Toys. They launch it at Toy Fair, with a plan to go to print in summer. I help them get some buzz about the game's relaunch. Demand continues to grow. Games start popping up on Amazon for $50-$60.

Summer 2008: Sababa files for bankruptcy before producing any games. Supply of Blurt games in marketplace drops further, demand continues to grow. Blurt games are selling on Amazon for $75-$100.

2009: Educational Insights licenses the game and totally redefines it with a new edition for $29.95. Old Blurt games on Amazon hit $85-$110.

And that's how we got to this place.

In these economic times, board games are an inexpensive way to entertain your family. That's what makes the price gouging offensive. Greedy sellers won't check themselves, but now that the new edition is out, this problem will go away. No one will buy a 4 or 5-year old game with 1,300 clues in it when they can buy a brand new one with 1,800 clues in it.

If you purchased a Blurt game in the past three years for over $50 and can send me your email receipt and or confirmation, I'll send you a brand new Blurt game for free.

Send receipt to:

The Playmakers
5342 Clark Road
PMB 180
Sarasota, FL 34233-3227

Thanks to all the Blurt fans who have played and loved the game over these last 15 years. Here's to many more years of affordable, family fun.