Rubik's Cube Toy by Winning Moves

If you are a child of the 80's, like myself, you will remember the Rubik's cube. Love it or hate it, it was and is an icon of puzzle toys. I will have to admit that I cannot recall ever solving the cube. I did take one apart with a screwdriver and reassemble it, but I don't think that counts. My brother did solve it. He bought the book that shows you how. I think I may still have that book. I digress.

The Rubik's cube is still one of the world's most popular and recognizable puzzle toys, and for good reason. It is small enough that you can take it with you almost anywhere. It is only one piece, so you can play with it anywhere as well, and not have to worry about missing parts or losing parts. It has tremendous replay value for a person who loves to solve puzzles. Even if you have figured out how to solve it, you can keep practicing and working at it and finding shortcuts to increase your speed.

My nephew acquired a Rubik's cube recently and, of course, figured out how to solve it. My boys spent some time with him and became enamored with the puzzle. Now we have the 4X4 cube in our store, which is just a bit more complex. We got it for my nephew for his birthday. He loved it and solved it frighteningly fast. It was fun to watch all the cousins at a recent family gathering all trying to solve the various Rubik's cubes around the room. Maybe I will pick one up and try to solve it myself. You can do the same at Town Square Toys.

-Brian

Rush Hour Toy by ThinkFun

I love this game. You have to maneuver your car out of the traffic gridlock. There is only one exit. You can't pick your car up, but must slide it back and forth only. Similarly, you can only slide other cars and trucks out of the way, you can't just remove them. (Many times, on the way home from the office, I wish I could just remove some cars and trucks!) Anyway....

It sounds easy, but it can be mind crunching and complicated. The game has cards which conveniently hide in a little drawer and tell you how to set up the board. Then, you have to figure out and plan your escape. There are dozens of puzzles and varying levels of difficulty.

The best part for me is watching my kids figure out the puzzles. I can almost see the gears turning inside their heads as they try and try again to figure out the solution. I think that this game does a fabulous job of stretching their logical and spatial skills. You should definitely try it out.

-Brian

Toymaker Spotlight: Mellisa and Doug

One of our favorite Toymakers is Melissa and Doug. We carry a ton of their toys. Actually I think we carry several tons! They have some of the coolest wooden toys and puzzles; the toys you remember as a kid, those all-time, classic toys. They really believe in the toys that they make and produce, and they are a great group of people to work with.

-Brian

Here is a little bit more about Melissa and Doug from their website:

Twenty years ago, we started our company in the garage of the home where Doug grew up — we had to be careful not to disturb Doug's parents who were still living there! Thanks to your support, we've been able to move into a real office down the road, a building that actually has separate ladies and men's bathrooms! Our philosophy has remained the same over the years–to make each and every customer a happy and permanent member of the Melissa & Doug family, while offering products with tremendous value, quality and design. We've always welcomed customer suggestions, and we continually strive to make improvements to our products. We're honored by the faith you place in us and view it as our responsibility to continue to earn your trust in the years to come!