Lego-nerds, poli-sci lovers and architectural buffs will adore this playful representation of the United Nations Headquarters. Just one of the models available in Lego’s landmark series, the building shows how two heads are better than one, as the final design merged the box-like structure proposed by Le Corbusier with the more open layout submitted by Oscar Niemeyer. The result is the iconic Turtle Bay property, now ready for assembly, disassembly and reassembly, all in the comfort of your own living room.
Fit for the cardshark, magician, or amateur player, this delightful deck will add an extra element of fun to even the most elementary game of Go Fish. These festive cards showcase delightful hand-illustrated interpretations of your fave fauna. Added bonus? The cards themselves are derived from sustainable materials, and for every deck purchased, $1 will be donated to to the World Wildlife Fund, benefiting global conservation efforts.
The classic Bananagram Game includes 144 letter tiles stored in a zip banana case for easy carrying. Like Scrabble without the board, players use tiles to form individual crosswords then race to grab more tiles and rearrange already laid letters into new words.
Nothing says boredom-be-gone like a handle of bourbon and this American-made Belgian Dart Set. Said to have originated in Flanders in the late 18th century, Volgelpik, the first Belgian dart game, involved pegging a taxidermied bird with a needle affixed to its beak into a wooden board. This bronze and basswood primary-colored board of today functions as much a stylish wall hanging as it does entertainment, and elegant feathered birch wood darts recall a rich era in the evolution of this ever-loved activity.
Assemble your own bracelet pattern with this “all ages” offering from classic toy creator Lego. Customizable in a way few other watches are, it’s fun, light and also functional.
From creative bike accessory line, Charly—a name which means “bicycle” in Japanese—this classic thumb-flick bell is as decorative as it is useful. Designed to look as if covered in wrapping paper, this elegant ringer is ready to make some noise.
Anki Drive takes slot car racing to an entirely new level—and it’s certainly not a kids-only toy. Using iPhones as controllers, kids and adults alike can race their friends, or better yet, their artificial intelligence-enabled opponents, who totally own the race track. The more you play against them, the better they’ll get at beating your tactics. Just charge the cars and unroll the track for racing anytime, anywhere.
Backgammon is the oldest known board game, dating back to 3000 BC, and Frederick & Mae restore those classic roots with a beautifully crafted travel edition that looks as stunning on the coffee table as it is ready to take on the road.
Shapeways, the Etsy of 3D printing, offers over three million custom-designed products from community members. Bestow the person who is hard to please with a Shapeways gift card, where he or she can shop for everything from bicycle cufflinks to a typographical chess set or even an inception totem, which are all printed on high-end 3D printers.
Brooklyn trio The Principals gives the classic game of dominoes contemporary form with Bare Bones, an attractive double 6 set cast from concrete. Each set of bones is made in their Greenpoint studio and comes with a screen-printed cotton bag sporting the rules.
From centuries-strong Faber Castell is this high quality kit, which includes washable finger paint, paper, an apron and trays—everything needed for hours of finger painting fun, all storable in a can.
Allow children to express different aspects of their creativity with these reusable kits from Zolo, which each include 25 thematic play-sculpture pieces to use in inspirational activities and construction challenges for ages 5 and up.
A unique interactive online adventure, Journey for PS3 is by far one of the best games of 2012. It’s also the first video game soundtrack to be nominated for a Grammy. You will be immersed in gorgeous Miyazaki-esque environments and share an experience with others like never before.
Produced by Geoffrey Parker and Bentley, these elegant backgammon sets draw on the venerated design traditions of both luxury brands, from the hand-bound leather casing to subtle Bentley branding stamped on each game piece.
