Moose in the House game

I found this game at Barnes & Noble, and the only reason I didn't buy it for some nieces and nephews this year is because I'd already done their shopping. But next year I'm giving this to at least one set of relatives with kids -- especially because they're Canadian and I think they'll find it pretty darn funny, not to mention fun! The object of the game is to keep the moose out of your house and get it into your opponents' houses; cards have pictures of rooms, some of which have been invaded by the monster moose from the north! (If you have no idea how big a moose really gets, go to YouTube and search on "baby moose sprinkler", where you'll find an adorable video of twin baby moose playing in a yard sprinkler, with mama looking on.)

Back to the game, the box it comes in is pretty small as far as games go. According to Amazon, it measures 1.6 by 4.7 by 5.8 inches. So whether or not it fits in a stocking depends on how big that stocking is, of course! But it does make a lovely small gift in any case. Recommended age range is 8-12 years old, but I think it's the kind of thing parents can play with kids and still have fun, like Waterworks or Mille Bornes, two of my childhood favorites.

What: Moose in the House game
Where: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $9.99

Spot It

This "Spot It" game is the perfect size for a stocking stuffer! It comes in a 3.5 inch diameter, 1 inch high circular tin, and contains 55 cards with 8 symbols each. There are 4 different versions of the game, all of which incorporate matching symbols the most quickly. The product description says it's for 2 to 8 players, ages 7 and up. The compact size means it would make a good take-along game, as well. Looks like fun, don't you think?

What: Spot It
Where: Solutions
How much (as of today's post): $14.95 (plus shipping)

Zombie Dice Game

Halloween is upon us, and as usual I am caught out without a costume! I don't know why it is that I manage to get organized early for Christmas, but Halloween catches me off-guard every year.

In any case, here is a fun Halloween-themed stocking stuffer (although I suspect that any day now we're going to start hearing a slogan such as "Zombies... They're not just for Halloween anymore!" And it's true that zombies are everywhere these days, from Jane Austen novel mash-ups to a mock Sears website. Since zombies are currently cool, teens would probably enjoy this game, which comes with all the dice and directions tucked into the dice shaker cup. The product description says the game is easy to learn and games are quick, running about 10-20 minutes each.

And hey, how can you go wrong with dice that have "braaaaaiiiinnnnssss" on them?!

What: Zombie Dice Game
Where: ThinkGeek.com
How much (as of today's post): $12.99 (plus shipping)

Nightmare Before Christmas Yahtzee

Just in time for the season that stretches from Halloween to Christmas, this Nightmare Before Christmas Yahtzee game, complete with a Jack Skellington dice cup! It's funny about this movie; it first came out in 1993, or 17 years ago, yet every year these is more and more new merchandise for it. I guess it has quite the cult following!

I should note that it might be a tight squeeze for a stocking stuffer. The Amazon page lists the dimensions as 13 x 11.5 x 7 inches, but that doesn't seem right to me because I saw it in Borders today and it wasn't anywhere near that big. In any case, this plays the same as regular Yahtzee except the dice have characters from the movie instead of numbers, but you still try for four-of-a-kind, yahtzee, and so on. It's a fun little variant on a classic.

What: Nightmare Before Christmas Yahtzee
Where: Amazon, Borders, or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $16.13 (plus shipping)

M.C. Escher Mirror Puzzle

I went through an M.C. Escher phase in high school, when I was convinced he was the world's most brilliant artist. I even tried recreating some of his work in pencil, with limited success.... Seeing this Escher mirror puzzle from Vat19 brought back those memories, and I think it would make a nice stocking stuffer (assuming a generous-sized stocking) for a teen or a college student who likes puzzles.

So what's this puzzle about? Each of 9 cubes, measuring 1.25 inches apiece, has two mirrored sides plus pieces from five different Escher images. I'm not quite sure how the math on that works.... I think I need to see this in action! I especially want to see how the mirrored sides play into the solution.

The frame or base for the puzzle makes the total dimensions 5.25 x 5.25 x 1.5 inches. The product description actually says it's appropriate for kids age 7 and up, so if you have a younger little brainiac, I'm sure they would like this too! This puzzle/game is also a great candidate for paired gifts, such as an Escher book under the tree, an Escher bookmark in the stocking, and so on.

What: M.C. Escher Mirror Puzzle
Where: Vat19.com
How much (as of today's post): $19.95 (plus shipping)

Aquarius Card Game

I'm a big fan of "game night," and here is a game that has rules adaptable for kids as young as three years old. The ThinkGeek description calls it a "hippie version of dominoes", and I admit that the bright colors are a lot more striking than the black and white of regular dominoes! The "Element" cards have artwork of earth, air, fire, water, and space, and each player (up to five) has an assigned element that they have to match cards to. For kids 3-5, you play a simple version just matching up elements; for kids 5-6 you use the "goals" and "elements" but no action cards; and for older players you add action cards. I like that the game seems so flexible, and that families with kids covering a wide age range can still play together.

What: Aquarius Card Game
Where: ThinkGeek.com
How much (as of today's post): $14.99 (plus shipping)

Mummy Rummy Game

I came across a review for this game on the Gamewright website, and I think it looks fun. It's called Mummy Rummy, and it's a game in which players "dig and sift" for cards that complete picture sets showing ancient Egyptian treasures. "Certain cards with special power can transform the pictures, and antiques can suddenly jump from one player to another." It's a game for 2-5 players aged 8 and up.

Here's another thought: right now I'm reading the latest book in the "Theodosia Throckmorton" series by R.L. LaFevers. If you haven't heard of them, the series has three books so far, and I would describe it as a cross between Nancy Drew and Indiana Jones. Theodosia is an eleven-year-old girl living in England around 1907. Her parents are brilliant but absent-minded archaologists/Egyptologists, and Theodosia spends her time protecting her parents and their museum from the many curses that seem to be imported with the Egyptian artifacts. She's smart and spunky and proactive. So.... if you have a 9-12 year old girl who likes to read, you could put the books under the tree and the Mummy Rummy game in the stocking!

What: Mummy Rummy Game
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $8.95 to $9.99 (plus shipping)

Poker Dice

Yesterday at Half Price Books I saw a cute little mini-kit game called "Poker Dice". Instead of numbers, the dice had playing card images on them, such as the king, queen, and jack, plus suites on some sides. The kit came with a set of five dice, plus a little book of instructions, and because it was Half Price Books, it was only $2.98.

If you don't have a Half Price Books near you, other versions of "poker dice" are available on Amazon, including the set shown above, which comes with dice and a drawstring pouch to hold them. Even these are under $5! I think these would make a cute stocking stuffer for men in particular, who are so hard to buy for. It might also be fun for college students.

What: Poker Dice
Where: Amazon, Half Price Books, etc.
How much (as of today's post): $2.98 - $4.99

Monty Python Fluxx Game

You may be familiar with the card game Fluxx, but have you ever seen this Monty Python version? I hadn't until I saw it today in Barnes & Noble (where I was shopping using the gift card I got in my stocking, hooray!). It's the perfect size for a stocking and strikes me as a good stocking stuffer for men, since I think they usually tend to be more into Monty Python than women do (at least that is the case with me and my husband).

The manufacturer description on Amazon says that this version of Fluxx is based loosely on concepts from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with "guest appearances from King Arthur and all of his Knights, coconuts, a shrubbery, an unladen swallow, a trojan rabbit, a catapult, an airborne cow, the Holy Hand Grenade, and the Finger of God," and so on. Sounds like fun!

What: Monty Python Fluxx Game
Where: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.
How much (as of today's post): $15.37 on Amazon (plus shipping)

Daily Extra / Follow-up: Bananagrams

Way back in December, I posted about the Bananagrams game that I'd seen all over the place for last Christmas season: in Hallmark card stores, in department stores, in this little game kiosks they set up in the mall.... Well, now that I've actually played it a few times, I wanted to mention it again because it really is a very fun game! My husband and I went to the World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal back in August, and the hotel we were staying in gave us so many Happy Hour free drink coupons that we could have spent the entire trip tipsy. Instead, we invited our friends who were in other hotels to come over for Happy Hour. One of them brought Bananagrams, and because it requires no pencils, no paper, no nothin', we played right there in the bar while drinking wine and munching on cheese and crackers.

Lots and lots of fun. I definitely recommend playing with at least three people, though. You can play with two, but it's just not as fun.

I've also noticed that there are imitators waiting in the wings for this Christmas season -- at least two games in little apple-shaped pouches (Appletters and Scrabble Apple), and even a green pear-shaped game called Pairs in Pears! Me, I think I'll stick with the bananas for a while.

I won't bother listing where to buy this, because you're going to see it everywhere this holiday season. I even saw a Spanish version on Amazon!

Gloom Game

Here's a game you can play any time of year, but that seems especially apropos in October! Subtitled "The Game of Inauspicious Incidents & Grave Consequences", Gloom is a game in which you seek to have the most horrific events happen to you, and if a happy event comes up in the deck, you try to impose it on one of your opponents. In flavor it's very much like Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events", and it's fun for adults as well as kids. What's also neat is that the cards are made of plastic that are transparent in strategic spots so that you can pile cards on top of one another and some elements of the cards underneath are still visible and in play. It's really quite clever. We occasionally have friends over for games night, and everyone enjoyed this one. The recommended age is 8 years and up, and that sounds about right to me.

The original Gloom game comes in a little box that's about as wide as two decks of cards, and there are also expansion sets (one deck each) available: the Unwelcome Guests (think Typhoid Mary) expansion, the Unhappy Homes expansion, and so on. You can easily find these online or ask at your local game store. The original game has a suggested retail price of $24.95, but it's available on Amazon for $16.90 plus shipping.

Go forth and be miserable!

What: Gloom Game
Where: Amazon or any game store
How much (as of today's post): $16.90 (plus shipping)

Baseball Vintage Game Tin

Continuing with my Father's Day posts this week.... what says "father" more than baseball? If your husband is a fan, this vintage baseball game tin is a clever little gift, and it would be especially fun coming from a daughter or son who can then play with Dad. (It might also make a good travel game down the road, no pun intended.)

In fact, you could put together a little baseball-themed Father's Day gift basket or bag, with this game, a baseball cap, and tickets for a family outing to a ballgame. Even if you don't have a major league team close by, look around for a minor league or even a college game near you. (And if you don't particularly care for baseball but your husband does, wouldn't it be a very generous gift for you to accompany him to a game?!)

What: Baseball Vintage Game Tin
Where: Fat Brain Toys website
How much (as of today's post): $9.95 (plus shipping)

Family Games Night: Mille Bornes, Waterworks, Spoons, and Spit

Without getting too preachy about it, I want to say that I strongly believe in family games night. It was important back when I was a kid, but nowadays, when a lot of kids immediately retreat after dinner (assuming the family eats together) to their bedroom for the iPod, computer, or television, it's really important. Also, I don't have kids so I'm hardly an expert, but I have to imagine that it's easier to start this kind of tradition when the kids are younger, before it's not "cool" anymore.

Obviously, most games won't fit inside a Christmas stocking, but I fondly remember two games from my childhood that are still available and that might fit in a stocking. The first is Mille Bornes, which according to the Babelfish translation website is French for "Thousand Terminals". It's a game in which each player is taking an imaginary road trip with the goal of traveling 1,000 miles. But your opponents try to sidetrack you by sending stoplights, flat tires, and accidents your way. Amazon lists it as for ages 8 to 12, but I've enjoyed it many times as an adult. The box is 1.5 x 5 x 6 inches, so it would take a wide-mouthed stocking to hold it, but it might work.... As of today's writing, it's available on Amazon for only $10.79.

The other game was originally from the same company, although I think the manufacturers of both games have since changed. This one is called Waterworks, and it's similar in that you lay down cards and your opponents put other cards on top of them. This time, you're putting down pipes that turn, branch off, or go straight, and the other players try to stop your water flow by putting down leaky pipes on top of your good ones. The bad news is, Amazon is listing this game at $63.99 from a Marketplace seller, which is ridiculous, of course. The good news is, it turns out you can get a Card Game Classics Tin for $25.99 (also from a Marketplace seller) that contains cards and rules for Waterworks, Mille Bornes, Pit, and Canasta, all in one place. (Canasta... that's another one we used to play.) This one is too large for a stocking, unfortunately, but it's still a nice gift idea. And it's possible the price for Waterworks will come down, or that it will be reissued again.

However, you don't have to go even this "fancy" to incorporate games night into your family's stockings. You can always put a generic pack of playing cards in a stocking. But don't just leave it at that -- print out and put in the rules for Spoons, or the rules for Spit and put them in the stocking too. These are two card games that are simple enough for kids too young for canasta, but quick-moving and fun for adults. Spit is also an excellent sitting-on-the-floor at the airport kind of game. If you're traveling for the holidays with kids, you just might need something like that!

Tile Chess

Here's a new twist on a very old classic: Tile Chess, or a variation of chess in which the tiles themselves, representing the play pieces, make up the ever-changing dimensions of the "board". In another twist, Tile Chess can be played by up to six players simultaneously, although you can always go the two-player route if you're so inclined.

Although I haven't played this myself, I've seen it in a gamestore and it's definitely small enough to fit in a good-sized stocking. The Amazon page lists the product dimensions as 8 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches. (I'm not good as visualizing sizes without a reference, so I always look at an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper to compare and try to visualize how big the largest dimension is.)

In any case, this would be a great stocking stuffer or gift for older kids, teens, college students, or adults who like chess and games in general.

What: Tile Chess (Steve Jackson Games)
Where: Amazon Marketplace Sellers, Steve Jackson Games website, or local gamestore
How much (as of today's post): $8.06 to $14.95 (plus shipping)

Charlie & Lola Go Fish Game

I can't remember if I've mentioned it here before, but even though I have no children, I adore children's books, and actually own quite a few. Charlie and Lola came to my attention about two years ago; it's a series of books about a boy named Charlie and his younger sister Lola, who as Charlie says is "small and very funny." Lola is full of imagination and gets into all sorts of misadventures, and Charlie is very patient with her. My favorite book in the series so far is But Excuse Me That Is My Book. Charlie and Lola go to the library, and Lola is distraught to find that someone else has checked out her favorite book! I also love the small-child way that Lola phrases things, like "snow is my favorite and my best" and "I will never not ever eat a tomato" (both of which are titles of other books in the series).

The stories are fun, and the illustrations are equally memorable. Lauren Child, the series creator, uses collage illustration and does lots of fun things with the text, like sending it in spirals across the page. The series has also spawned an animated television show, although that may primarily be shown in the UK. There are also some spin-off products, which brings me to this Charlie & Lola Go Fish game. With the box only a little over 5 inches on its longest side, this should easily fit into a stocking, and it also would work well as a paired gift, with a Charlie & Lola book or two as regular, non-stocking gifts. (Hint: remember bookcloseouts.com, which I talked about not too long ago? Go there and search for "Lauren Child" under author -- you'll find some Charlie & Lola books at bargain prices. If you have a preference, though, make sure to pay attention to which are hardcover and which are softcover.)

If Charlie & Lola turns out to be a hit with your kids, there's other merchandise available as well -- a store-wide search on Amazon for "charlie lola" should do the trick.

What: Charlie and Lola - Toys - Go Fish Game
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $4.48 (plus shipping)

Bananagrams

Can you believe it? We're at the one-week countdown until Christmas! So, this week I'm going to try to feature stocking stuffers that you can still get in time for Christmas, hopefully without spending 4x as much on shipping as you did on the actual item! So, the items need to still be available via standard shipping, or easily obtainable in person.

Such as this Bananagrams game. It's priced a wee bit higher than is ideal for stocking stuffers, but it does look like fun. It seems to be sort of a free-form Scrabble: instead of a board, players create individual crosswords while trying to use all their tiles. I found this first at the Bas Bleu website, but it can be found all over the place, including Amazon and those game kiosks they set up in the malls at Christmas time. Although I would definitely consider this for kids (fun + educational), it would be appropriate for word lovers of any age. It could also be that fun gift that peeks out of the top of the stocking.

What: Bananagrams
Where: Bas Bleu, Amazon, or game stores
How much (as of today's post): $14.95 to $16.95

Dice for Farkle

Never heard of Farkle? Neither had I, until a friend we were visiting showed us how to play. All you need are six 6-sided dice and a piece of paper on which to keep score. (Those of us young enough to sit on the floor can even play it in airport waiting areas.) It's a quick, fun, easy game, in which the person in the lead can end up on the bottom in an instant.

Now, dice.... Not all dice are 6-sided these days, especially since Dungeons & Dragons was invented. Go into any game store and you'll find dice galore. But even the traditional six-sided dice have come a long way, with lots of new novelty approaches. A quick search on ebay using the phrase "six-sided dice" found all kinds of neat variations, including a set that pretends to be made of bone (for that pirate authenticity, arrrghhh!), a set with flamingos on one side, and a really cool set of dice within transparent dice (pictured above). All of these are currently available from ebay seller "g2ch".

Oh, and here are the rules for Farkle, by the way. I think it's easier to have someone explain it to you than to read the rules, but either way, it's really quite simple. I bet you can come up with some neat variations using the dice-within-dice set.

What: Six-sided dice within dice
Where: Ebay (seller = g2ch) or game store
How much (as of today's post): $2.99 (plus shipping)