THINKFUN NEWS

Parents' Choice, the nation's oldest nonprofit guide to quality children's media and toys, recently shared it's list of top mobile apps that promote fun and learning on the go. We are very proud that our Solitaire Chess mobile app was included on this list and has been honored with a Parents' Choice Gold Award!  Here's what the reviewers at Parents' Choice had to say:

 

In a Chicago ABC News segment on Mother's Day gift ideas, parenting columnist Meredith Sinclair recommends Chocolate Fix by ThinkFun.  A calorie-free way to treat mom to something special!

 

Published in Retailer Magazine

Friday, April 1, 2011

 

Stephanie Oppenheim of The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, which conducts independent reviews of kids' toys, points out that our nation’s children are falling behind in both math and science as compared to other nations. The US ranks 25th in math and 21st in science out of the top 30 industrialized nations (according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development.) This is reason enough to brush up on these skills!  Stephanie has compiled a list that includes top-rated logic games that target the areas of math, science, geography and task-completion.  We are honored to have two ThinkFun favorites, Zingo!

ALEXANDRIA, VA: MARCH 31, 2011 – ThinkFun cofounders and Alexandria residents Bill Ritchie and Andrea Barthello were honored at the 11th Annual CARE Awards (Commonwealth Academy Recognition for Educators Awards), held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town. Also honored were Alexandria educators Mercedes Huffman and Katie Theobald, as well as Commonwealth Academy alumni who had recently received undergraduate degrees. Political pundits and former Commonwealth Academy parents James Carville and Mary Matalin hosted the evening. Mayor William Euille and Councilman Rob Krupicka were also in attendance. The evening was a testament to the critical difference that strong partnerships between community, family, and public and private schools can make in the success of our city’s youth.

ThinkFun's Smart Mouth game has been selected as one of the top toys to receive the 2011 Playonwords.com PAL Award (Play Advances Language) for promoting language development! With the help of kid toy testers, language expert, Sherry Artemenko carefully selects the top toys and books that engender play that advances language.

Since early language proficiency correlates with later performance in school and influences emotional, cognitive and social growth, choosing the best toys and books is critical to practice and develop these skills!

For a complete list of 2011 PAL Award winners, please click here!

When ThinkFun gave custom Converse sneakers to employees for the holidays, we had no idea how popular they'd be!  Now you can get YOUR feet in on the fun!

 

These custom Chuck Taylor All Star kicks for men and women can be ordered directly from the Converse Website via the following links:

ThinkFun's Rush Hour game was featured in an NBC Nightly News segment on treating returning veterans with brain injuries. Over the years we have heard from many therapists who use our games to help patients rebuild cognitive and fine motor skills, and we are proud to know our mind challenging games are being used to help returning troops!

ThinkFun is thrilled to announce the release of our newest app – Solitaire Chess!

Simple to learn, impossible to master, addictively fun – ThinkFun’s Solitaire Chess is a logic puzzle based on the rules of chess, and now you can take this hugely popular game on the go!  400 brand new challenges ranging from easy to expert will challenge chess newbies and experts alike.

We are extremely proud that two of our newest games, Solitaire Chess and Math Dice Jr., are nominated for 2011 Toy of The Year awards by the Toy Industry Association! These awards are the "Oscars" of the toy industry, and to be nominated is an enormous honor!

 

Many thanks to those of you who voted for these two great games, winners will be announced on February 12th and we hope to have great news to share with you then!

Thank you for your support!