HABA USA’s catalog is literally an inch thick. Each year the company comes out with several new products releasing around the time of Toy Fair, six of these in “mid-spring” and one of these — an upgrade to a classic HABA game that’s fun for all ages — in the fall.
We start off with Paul and the Moon ($35), a cooperative memory game for 3-8 year olds. Paul moves around a pond, skipping from stone to stone. When he stops, the player tries to match the symbol on his stone with one on a face-down star. A match? We add a fairy to the ever-growing ladder to the moon. If everyone can complete the ladder, the players win!
Three smaller box games will also be available this spring: Flower Fairy Dominoes, Cat & Co. Meow Meow, and Princess Mina: Junior Rummy (all $8). The Junior Rummy game is a lightly-themed rummy deck with princesses, stars, and numbers. Meow Meow is similar to UNO, with cute animals and colored backgrounds dictating the card following play. Flower Fairy Dominoes? A simple domino-card game with a flower garden theme.
The Princess Mina Jewel Matching Game ($12) is another memory game with jeweled artwork, but when a player matches the gemstones, they get to thread the tiles onto a necklace which can be worn after the game has ended.
Also available in mid-spring is Lumina, the Search for Lightning Bugs ($20). Moving around an island, this youth-oriented push-your-luck game where you play cards illustrating your next move. Move to a location with a lightning bug? Catch it — if it’s the fifth one in your collection, you win.
Lastly, this fall will see Rhino Hero Super Battle ($30) hitting North America. Think Rhino Hero, but larger: more heroes, more buildings, more… fighting? Yes, there are spider monkeys on the loose and other heroes to bonk: Giraffe Boy, Big E., and Batguin.