Trivial Pursuit™ and Balderdash™ inventors launch new board games

See Timetripper™ and Identity Crisis this Saturday Jan. 28 - Monday Jan. 30 at Canadian Toy and Hobby Fair

Attention: Arts/Entertainment Editor, Assignment Editor, Business/Financial Editor, Education Editor, Lifestyle Editor

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 25, 2006) - More eagerly anticipated for some than the arrival of the Xbox, two of the world's greatest game inventors are stepping back into the limelight to unveil their new creations at the Canadian Toy and Hobby Fair in Toronto Saturday Jan. 28 - Monday Jan. 30.

Chris Haney, co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit®, the world's number one board game, has developed Timetripper™, an exciting new trivia guessing game with a past and an attitude. At the same booth, Laura Robinson, co-inventor of Balderdash™ and a Canadian actress, is launching !dentity Crisis, a fast-paced, hilarious celebrity guessing game.

"We are extremely proud to represent these toy industry giants at our booth this year and to bring two very exciting new games to Canadians," says Fred Bates, President of Mad Hatter Toys & Games. "It's going to be a great year for gamers."

According to Haney, "With Timetripper™, baby boomers, smart Gen-X-ers, and people everywhere can have a blast guessing the year of great events of the 20th century. A handicap cube heats things up because you don't have to be exactly right with your answer. Players are amazed by memories that they might not have thought about in a long time."

Like its predecessor Balderdash™, !dentity Crisis is also based on a popular parlor game. !dentity Crisis brings teams together to guess the names of the famous (and infamous) - from Madonna to Tiger Woods, George Washington to Donald Trump. Three rounds of play become progressively more challenging and crisis cards add extra laughs.

"We've updated a concept called 'Celebrity' for modern gamers and thrown in a few curve balls to make it even more fun and exciting to play," says Robinson, who will fly in from L.A. for the annual fair. "It's a riot!"

Timetripper™ and !dentity Crisis are among 10 new games being launched at Booth 1109 to celebrate home-grown talent.

"Call it our long winters or pioneering spirit, but Canadians are renowned as the world's most innovative board game inventors, from Crokinole in the 1800's to Yahtzee, Balderdash™, Scruples™ and Trivial Pursuit®."

According to industry monitor, the NPD Group, the timing for board games couldn't be better. Board game sales rose by more than 12% during 2005, outpacing the entire toy sector.

ABOUT CHRIS HANEY: Developed over a year of intensive research and design, Timetripper™ is a new creation from Chris Haney, the co-inventor of Trivial Pursuit® with friend and fellow journalist Scott Abbott. Called "the biggest phenomenon in game history," by Time Magazine, Trivial Pursuit® has sold more than 90 million copies worldwide since its introduction in 1982.

ABOUT LAURA ROBINSON: Laura Robinson is the co-inventor of Balderdash™, which has sold over six million copies worldwide. In addition to creating the new celebrity guessing game !dentity Crisis, Robinson is a star in her own right. A regular on the CBS series "Night Heat", Robinson appeared on shows such as "Cheers" and "Frasier." She will star in the CTV/Lifetime show "Missing" next month as she launches !dentity Crisis nationally.

CONTACT INFORMATION
For more information on Timetripper™, please contact:
David Goldberg, Goldcom Communications
416-901-8795 o. / 416-357-1172 c.

For more information on !dentity Crisis, please visit booth 1109 or contact:
Faith Featherstone 416-530-7637 o. / 416-995-9817 c.

IN: ECONOMY, EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT, RETAIL, SOCIAL