New Hallmark Games Designed for Family Time Together Win Awards

Innovative children’s products meet need for free play and family time together

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 15, 2009) — Hallmark Cards announces that the company recently received three Dr. Toy awards for its new Together Time collection of family activities, the company’s first foray into children’s products designed to emphasize and encourage family interaction:

• Best Picks for New Children’s Products for 2009: “Pizza 31,” a classic 31 card game with pizza-shaped cards that come in a pizza-delivery-shaped box, and “Don't Break the Chain,” a memory-sequencing game in which each player draws a card and has to complete in the correct order the action on his or her card in addition to the actions other players have performed.
• Ten Best Games for 2009: “Play With Your Food,” a TV dinner-shaped game that includes everything from fun food trivia to silly charades. Categories include Use Your Noodle (brain teasers), Ham It Up (elicit silly actions and responses), Mixed Veggies (a variety of open ended conversation starters) and Easy as Pie (simple questions).
For 19 years, the Dr. Toy awards have offered a comprehensive, international, product-evaluation program that provides details about top-quality products for educational skills, developmental benefits and high play value. Last year, more than 60 million consumers visited the web site to get buying information from Dr. Toy's Best Products Awards Programs.

“The Dr. Toy awards underscore Hallmark's efforts to help families connect,” notes Product Manager Mary Schoepf. “The reputation of the Dr. Toy awards is helping to build consumers’ confidence in our products.”

The products in the collection encourage group participation, making it relatively easy for anyone to participate, and are not time intensive. The “Together Time” line consists of 32 activities and three books all intended to give adults fun, focused time with the children in their lives.
Designed to be enjoyed by all members of the family, the toys and games can be played at different levels. Most of the products are designed for children three years and older, offering younger children the ability to participate with adult guidance.

Hallmark Together Time products are available exclusively at select Hallmark Gold Crown® stores and range in price from $7.95-$29.95.