The Definitive Childrens Game Geek List -- School Age list
Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
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The Back Alley gets no respect.
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OK, so there really isn't any such thing as the definitive kids game geek list, but I sure wish there were. I spent the last weeks looking over all the games with at least 30 ratings (plus a few more) that were listed as "children's games" here at BGG.
Now, I fully realize that the data is sketchy. Many games that are surely kids games (e.g. Don't Break the Ice) aren't listed as such. Many others that are not kids games (Avalon Hill's tactical hunting game Yellowstone, Montgolfiere, Smart Mouth, some Pirate game from Hilary's Toy Box, plus many more) are listed as such. And then there are the Monopoly editions that are hit and miss (Simpsons is kids, but LotR isn't--neither should be). Some people even think Bang! is a kids game. But I'm not looking for opinions, just hoping to look for games where the manufacturer was targeting, specifically, youngsters. Not adult games that make good games for kids.
So, I tried to whittle down the list to remove games that seemed not to be purely directed at children. I also eliminated any games listed in the databases as for children but also listed as either "war" or "trivia," so I could eliminate wargames that grognards might relegate to status of childish along with ditching "educational" games of trivia.
I discovered that the world of childrens' games here on BGG is woefully lacking. There really needs to be a couple of different categories for kids' games: Pre-school (roughly under age 6) and School Age (that'd be 6-14 or so). And games that are good for kids, but not directed to kids, shouldn't be in either grouping (like, apparently, Razzia).
Anyway, awhile back, Dale Stephenson came up with a nifty geek list to discover which party games have the most fans ( http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...). He pointed out that party games, like childrens' games, are ill-suited for the one-rating-fits-all system here at BGG. See, for wargames or sports games or blind bidding games, people who really dislike those genres simply don't play them and don't rate most of the games of that ilk. Not true for party games--everyone plays party games, whether they like to or not. His theory was that those who rate such games with a 7 or above are the true fans of "party games," so his geek list calculated the raw data amongst fans of only that type of game. To him, a rating of 7+ is equivalent to a “thumbs-up” in the new BGG parlance.
Well, I took a similar approach with Childrens' Games. I removed all votes below 7 and checked to see which games had the highest averages amongst fans of the game--presumably, those who either like to play kids games or rate them from the point of view of a child. This geek list is the result of that tedious process.
So, I recalculated over hundred games based only on the ratings of 7 or more. Games with too few ratings of at least 7 were smoothed (yep, that Bayesian thing at work), so that Monkey Madness, Jack Straws, and Railroader didn't look like the best kid games ever. For those with inquiring minds, "too few" is defined as 14 for pre-school games and 21 for school-age games.
In this list, I'll present the games for school-age children. Like with the other list, I don't care if your 3rd grader just loooooves Die Macher. Bully for him or her. But that game isn't designed to be a kids game, so it doesn't belong on this list. I'm trying to keep this to the targeted audience--kids who aren't spawned from game geeks. You know, average, normal kids. 
If you know of other great candidates that are really, really designed specifically for kids, please add a general comment so that I can calculate their numbers and add them to the list. But remember, don't include adult games that work well with kids--I want only games designed for children as the primary audience. Those I don't feel fit in will be deleted.
And to make a long intro even longer, each header line includes a note at the end called “FORM.” This is Tim Benjamin’s statistically accurate method of calculating a game’s total worth along three attributes: popularity (lots of votes), quality (ratings), and consensus (standard deviation). I have included the “kiddie FORM” rating for each game (with the rank in parentheses) just to show which games are foremost in the minds of kiddie gamers. Not necessarily the best, but the best of the ones you’ll hear about on the streets. Take if for what it’s worth—another data point.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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1) Fireball Island - 7.848, 56 ratings of 7+ (138 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 37th -- FORM: 58.7 (30)
I can't say that I recall this game. It seems to have come out somewhere around the time of the Indiana Jones first installment, so I guess that's where the idea came from. Otherwise, it looks a lot like other old American games where a dropped marble is the randomizer for who is pushed back to the start (like that old haunted witch mansion game from the 1970s).
All that said, this game is beloved by kids and kids-at-heart, according to the numbers here on BGG. Maybe that's because it's targeted to the older echelon of school kids? On the other hand, the opinion is divided enough (standard deviation, in stat speak) that this rates only #30 by the FORM calculation, so it may be a good game, but not well known or commonly perceived as good.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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2) Book of Classic Board Games - 7.819, 47 ratings of 7+ (87 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 8th -- FORM: 53.1 (35)
Looking at the picture here, I may have gotten this one as a gift a long time ago. Because it's by Sid Sackson, it will have those high ratings due to his pending canonization ("Saint Sid" has quite a ring to it). Anyway, I'm not sue it belongs here, but someone listed it as "childrens game" and I haven't yet submitted a correction to fix that. Should I?
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
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The Back Alley gets no respect.
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3) Apples to Apples Junior! - 7.746, 63 ratings of 7+ (114 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 5th -- FORM: 75.2 (18)
I'm not much of a fan of the grown-up version of this game (how different can they be?). But I can see how kids would enjoy the randomness of it moreso than adults do. Nonetheless, I'm guessing that the high rating here is more based on the parents liking the original, not based on how kids would rate this edition.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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4) Which Witch? - 7.719, 17 ratings of 7+ (55 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 45th -- FORM: 28.2 (54)
Witch, thy name is Niche. The few who rate it 7 and above seem to remember this game fondly. But the FORM rating doesn't mean it's a good mainstream game.
Now this game gets much better marks than Ghost Castle, which was apparently a rip off. I mentioned playing this in Cousin Teresa's "playhouse" in the Ghost Castle entry. Now, her playhouse was set off at the far back corner of their yard (so, about a half-acre away from the house proper). And it was a free-standing one-room house about 500 square feet with a covered area outside that was twice the size of the "playhouse." Is that odd? Is that an odd memory? Should I be talking about Which Witch?
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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5) Kapitän Wackelpudding - 7.692, 26 ratings of 7+ (75 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 25th -- FORM: 46.1 (42)
I've played this twice and enjoyed it none. I even watched a live-action version of it in a swimming pool. That wasn't any better, just slower. Maybe kids would enjoy it, but I don't think I would have when I was of a lesser age.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
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The Back Alley gets no respect.
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6) Guess Who - 7.686, 40 ratings of 7+ (263 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 57th -- FORM: 56.1 (33)
I never played this as a youngster. Of course, if it came out in 1987 like the database says, I couldn't have done that. But I think I would have really liked it. Maybe when my kids reach school age, we'll have to check it out. Problem there is that we game geeks think that our school kids should cut their teeth on Adel Verpflichtet, rather than Hangman and Guess Who.
Note: those who don't think this is so great give it an average rating below 4.5, which is very low for this group of games. So, don't expect to enjoy playing this with all adults.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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7) Eiertanz - 7.668, 61 ratings of 7+ (86 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 4th -- FORM: 84.5 (15)
I've seen this played once. That was enough for me to know two things: 1) I don't want to play it and 2) I don't need to see it played again. But for those who have children who are so hyper that they need to be running around the kitchen table during would-be boardgaming sessions, maybe this is the one for you.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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8) Kupferkessel Co. - 7.641, 215 ratings of 7+ (291 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 2nd -- FORM: 142.2 (5)
I've seen this one listed by a lot of people as a good kids game. I have no reason to doubt it. When our kids are older, I should look into it. Box says for ages 8 and up, so that puts it firmly into the school-age category. But is it really just a good game kids happen to be able to play?
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
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The Back Alley gets no respect.
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9) Weapons & Warriors - Castle Siege Game - 7.62, 25 ratings of 7+ (116 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 44th -- FORM: 50.5 (38)
Looks like Advanced Crossbows & Catapults to me. Why not just go outside and play with a slingshot or BB gun?
I have a theory here, but it won't necessarily be taken well by some. I think some of these gadget games that hurl things designed to destroy the target are secretely cherished by adult males. Call me a bigot if you will, but that's my guess.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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10) Hare and Tortoise - 7.62, 565 ratings of 7+ (911 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 6th -- FORM: 239.3 (1)
Not sure this belongs on the list. It's not listed as a "children's game" in the database, but most people seem to think of it that way. I think it's just a good "family game," and isn't really all that great without kids involved. Anyway, it's surprising that this Spiele des Jahres winner rates lower than Dorada when you remove all the thumbs-up votes (the 7-and-above lot). In fact, it's also behind Kupferkessel & Co, Mole in the Hole, that Eggdance thing, and Apples to Apples Jr, too.
No surprise that this game is #1 in FORM, meaning that it's the best game in terms of availability, quality, and lack of wildly divergent opinions. It's had so many more votes than any other game on this list that it was almost assured of the #1 FORM slot.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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11) Klondike - 7.616, 43 ratings of 7+ (90 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 26th -- FORM: 93.7 (11)
Another find that I think I'll have to look into when the kids are older. Panning for gold with a real silvery dish and marbles representing gold and gravel. Sounds like a lot of fun, but I think it'd have to be much older kids to handle the dexterity elements.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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12) Halli Galli - 7.595, 63 ratings of 7+ (170 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 32nd -- FORM: 71.2 (19)
The box says "6 and up," so I guess it's a kids game. Funny, all the pictures on the 'geek seem to show adults playing it. So, do adults consider it a party game? A drinking game? I dunno. Seems a little too much like an educational game to me. You know, in the way Fizz Buzz is educational.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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13) Mole in the Hole, the - 7.588, 50 ratings of 7+ (116 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 3rd -- FORM: 80.4 (16)
Looks like the box says "8 and up," so it's a kids game. Funny thing: I've been introduced to a lot of games on these two geek lists that are obviously designed for kids, but they were presented to me as just good games from Germany. I wonder if there is less of a stigma against kid games in Germany than here.
Anyway, I liked this one as an adult. So if my kids like it (give 'em a few years), that'll just make it better.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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14) Sub Search - 7.571, 13 ratings of 7+ (73 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 40th -- FORM: 25.6 (56)
Secret information. 3-D Battleship. I don't mind Battleship, so I'd probably enjoy this one somewhat, though I'd probably prefer the 2-D game.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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15) Under Cover - 7.56, 250 ratings of 7+ (523 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 15th -- FORM: 156.8 (3)
This game is so underappreciated that it isn't even listed as a children's game here on BGG. I can't find an image of the back of the box. If it says 14+ or something like that for the age (hell, even if it says 10+), I'll consider it to be an "adult game." Until then, I'm logging it as a kiddie game. And a good one at that (but I really like secret identy games).
And if Great-Grandma Gertrude asks for a good game for a third grader, this might be the ticket, what with that strong FORM score.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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16) Magnificent Race, The - 7.554, 26 ratings of 7+ (59 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 34th -- FORM: 51.4 (37)
Is this based on the old cartoon from the 70s (or maybe earlier)? I remember the name "Dastardly Dan" from that show (along with "Penelope Pitstop"). Anyway, it looks like a fun, old-school game.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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17) Key to the Kingdom - 7.548, 19 ratings of 7+ (163 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 58th -- FORM: 40.1 (44)
I know nothing about this game (though I may actually own it). Looks too fantasyish for me, but others will surely take a shine to it. For those who don't give it a thumbs-up, it rates very low in the list (56th out of 69).
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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18) Midnight Party - 7.545, 134 ratings of 7+ (274 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 16th -- FORM: 123.9 (6)
This game sounds like a lot of fun. I may even own it (my brother had it for his son, and I may have gotten it somehow). Otherwise, I know nothing more than what I can read here on BGG and that sounds interesting.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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19) Rat-a-Tat Cat - 7.541, 96 ratings of 7+ (213 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 19th -- FORM: 102.9 (10)
If our kids get the hang of card games (I have a theory that some just never do come to enjoy card games), then this one may be necessary.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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20) Reiner Knizia's Amazing Flea Circus - 7.533, 30 ratings of 7+ (100 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 18th -- FORM: 50.3 (39)
Looks cute. That's all I can say, as I'm otherwise unfamiliar with it. On the other hand, Knizia's adult press-your-luck game Zirkus Flohcati is outstanding.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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21) Dino Hunt - 7.5, 35 ratings of 7+ (171 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 52nd -- FORM: 61.8 (27)
I so want to remove this from the list, but with no personal knowledge, I can't say if it's explicitly targeted at kids or not. See, the words "Steve Jackson Games" and "children" just don't mix in my mind. If you folk tell me that this is surely NOT a kids game, I'll strike it from the record and feel much better. Also, for people who don't rate it highly (most people), it rates #52 amongst these school-ager games.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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22) Amazing Labyrinth - 7.492, 284 ratings of 7+ (732 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 9th -- FORM: 173.5 (2)
There seem to be no shots of people playing this game. Not one cute kid playing it. So, does anyone play it? I did once, but not with kids as I recall. A top 10 game amongst those who don't rate it 7+ (I know that sounds odd, but what I mean is that when you remove the "good" ratings, it's the 9th most well-liked game from this list). And if it weren't for Hare & Tortoise, this would have the most thumbs-up votes (284).
Is this game as common as dirt? Does everyone have a copy? I ask because of its #2 position in both total votes and FORM. It's a very steady game in regards to ratings, if middleish in the pack, but has a lot of votes.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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23) Rivers, Roads, and Rails - 7.476, 13 ratings of 7+ (95 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 55th -- FORM: 30.2 (52)
I had a chance to buy this recently, but when I saw that it's not about rivers, roads, or rails, and is rather just a donimo-ish game, I passed. Abstracts in the kid world. Yuch.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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24) Sinking of the Titanic, The - 7.476, 11 ratings of 7+ (70 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 36th -- FORM: 20.1 (63)
I played this one (also at the Gathering, where it seems I've played a lot of kids games. Hmmm.). I enjoyed it, even if it was a bit macabre.
Look at that low FORM. The decision is quite split. There's a huge disparity between the ratings between 7 and 10. Lots of hand-wringing when rating a game about trying to swim to safety after your boat capsizes--even if you have to push a few kids out of the way to save your neck.
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Randy Cox
United States
Clemson
South Carolina
1024x768 works just fine - Don't Wide the Site!
The Back Alley gets no respect.
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25) Pig Pile - 7.471, 42 ratings of 7+ (152 total ratings). Thumbs-down rank: 35th -- FORM: 79.2 (17)
This game sounds kind of Uno-y. Some cards cause chaotic things to happen. Probably won't investigate it further.
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. He just wants to play.
Lake Saint Louis
Missouri
I have a couple of comments. First, rating kids' games is really, really hard. I rate all my games from my point of view, using the method advocated by the Geek, which is basically how likely I am to suggest or play a game. I qualify that as, "In my average situation," which is usually with adult gamers. But I've got two little ones (6 and 2) and when I'm playing with them, my suggestions change a lot. This makes it really tough for me to rate kids' games.
Second, and I think this is more important - a lot of the games you have on this list, especially the ones that are higher up, are games that I think target kids, but that adults tend to enjoy. There are a lot of us that like the idea of rolling that marble down Fireball Island, for instance. Does this mean it's the best game for a kid? I don't know. It seems more likely that what you have here is a list of games that are made for kids, but that adults might enjoy on their own.
I don't know, I'm just sort of babbling.
I think the only way to really know which games are the "best" kids games are to take only those raters who are kids, and have them rate the games based on the standard criteria. Adults rating kids' games is not likely to generate any meaningful data, no matter how you parse it.
Greenville
South Carolina
I don't think it's just a "numerical exercise" -- I think it's approaching targeted-to-kids games from a different angle (this particular angle being "how highly is this game rated by people who like this game"). Sometimes, seeing things from a different angle can lead to insights -- personally, I've adjusted my ideas about which games I might try with my kids based on these lists, so they've been informative (aka helpful) to me.
Honestly, I'm failing to see the point of your continuing to assert your low opinion of this list. You don't find it helpful (you say to-MAY-to); others do (they say to-MAH-to). There are lists that you find more helpful than this, so clearly, those will be the ones for you to look to -- better yet, you could create or add to one that fills your bill. Problem solved!
Sacramento Area
California
Igloo Pop
In Chula Vista
California
In Chula Vista
California
Additionally, thanks for a list that takes us all beyond Sorry, Monopoly, and Chutes and Ladders. Also thanks for a list that focuses on kids as a target (BGG Jr)...isn't that how we all started before we choked on Atlantic Wall or fell in love with ASL?