But there’s a distinct difference between being book-smart, and being street (or intuitively) smart. We’d suggest leveling the playing field by challenging your child to a game of MASTERMIND™. Since the premise of this classic board game is to use logic and deductive reasoning to uncover your opponent’s secret code, your kids will discover that it takes more than a math textbook to successfully become the codebreaker. One of the remarkable qualities about MASTERMIND is that it’s a game that is challenging and smart for both kids and adults, and no one person has a distinct advantage over another.

Smart Games for Kids & Every Member of the Family

Now that the holidays are here, there are even more opportunities for families to gather around the table and take on some of the fundamentals that social scientists have known for years: that board games help teach life lessons about cooperating with others and also hone the social practice of following the rules.

Whether your child is beginning with the award winning board game, MASTERMIND Animal Towers, or your family has achieved Ultimate MASTERMIND status, there’s bound to be some serious opportunities for your kids to learn about detecting patterns and how to plan ahead…both valuable life lessons.  So, slip into those comfy pajamas, pour a cup of hot cocoa and let the smart games begin. And don’t be surprised if you often hear the word, “Re-match!”

While the sales of electronic games have seen a decline in revenue in the last two years, the traditional board games have remained steadfastly stoic, with sales of approximately $22 billion annually. The explanation for this can be found in one word: nostalgia. With parents footing the bill for many of their children’s diversions, the emphasis is becoming less about being immersed in a silent, one-sided duel with a non-human opponent and more about traditional values and face-to-face challenge.

Traditional Board Games:  Even Better the Second Time Around

Across the globe, parents are choosing to turn back the hands of time by introducing the next generation of players to the classic board games they played as children. It’s not surprising that parents are bringing back the classics…these tried-and-true games foster superb family interaction and strengthen family bonds. They’re also a lot of fun for both parents and kids.

Market research is reflecting what we’ve known for years: Classic board games like MASTERMIND™ are here to stay!

The rest, as they say, is MASTERMIND history. That infamous shot of Cecilia Fung and Bill Woodward became one of the most recognizable and iconic symbols of all time. Few people, though, are aware of these little-known facts:

• Cecilia’s dress was much too large for her petite frame, so one of the staff was crouched behind her in the shot, cinching the dress in at the waist so it didn’t look out of proportion.
• The original design of the cover featured a cat sitting in Bill Woodward’s lap (á la James Bond). That idea was eventually scrapped but not before the cat peed on Woodward.
• Woodward was catapulted into global recognition after the cover was released. He promoted MASTERMIND on many tours and even had the name on his passport changed to read “Mr. MASTERMIND”.

Making MASTERMIND history, thirty years later, the two icons were reunited for a photo shoot to reprise their roles. Looking remarkably unchanged, (he’s now in his late seventies) Bill Woodward confesses that he’s grateful that the original male model didn’t arrive for that now

-fateful shoot. Cecilia Fung is also grateful for the opportunity that afforded her some much-needed cash. “I was the usual impoverished student and jumped at the chance,” she said.

Dr. Goodrich’s research is directed at the design of high performance math algorithms and data structures for solving large-scale problems motivated from information assurance and security, the Internet, bioinformatics and geometric computing.  Dr. Goodrich has written a paper entitled “On the Algorithmic Complexity of the MASTERMIND™ Game with Black-Peg Results”.

This is yet another example of how MASTERMIND™ crosses the divide between fun and some serious math board game formulation. Who knew we were so radical? Well, WE did!

Test Your Math Board Game Skills

The award-winning MASTERMIND board game is a strategic challenge between codemaker and codebreaker to unlock the secret code before you run out of turns.  It requires all your logic and deductive reasoning to match wits with your opponent, unlocking the MASTERMIND algorithm. This classic math board game will test the logic of even the savviest of mathematical minds.  Challenge your friends to a rousing game of cat and mouse as the codebreaker attempts to solve the codemaker’s secret code…and prove once again that you are the MASTER of MASTERMIND™!

What could be better?  Free Board Game Coupons

By clicking the “like” button on Facebook, you can access the free coupon code for our special holiday promotion for valuable savings on selected toys and games online.

This free coupon code is available exclusively to “friends” of MASTERMIND on Facebook. By downloading the board game coupons, you will have access to the award-winning strategic game of codemaker and codebreaker. You can also participate in the MASTERMIND trivia challenge…exclusively on Facebook!

Don’t Miss the Chance for Fun Toys & Games Online Coupon Codes

By shopping now, you can purchase the ideal toys and games online with this special holiday offer. This internet coupon code is only available for a limited time, so don’t delay!

“Games make great gifts for the holidays, and they truly are a fun way to get the whole family interacting.  We received two games from Pressman Toy, which have given our family some more face time, both during school and in the evenings…

It’s a great game for Jacob, in that it makes him think and deduct and really exercise his mind to find the right code or even to set up a great code that will fool the other player.  It’s something that’s fun to do during school when he might be in kind of a funk and just needing a bit of fun to get out of that funk.  I can actually turn it around and use it with Jaden in different ways too, such as creating patterns with the colored pegs and having him finish the pattern.  We can also sort colors with the pegs, count the pegs, etc.  It’s an easy game to take and use with a toddler, coming up with alternate ideas for learning…

Animal Mastermind Towers is another game we received, and this game is also fun for both boys…I also found it fun to use with Jaden as a sorting activity, as a stacking activity (he loves to stack the tiles in the towers), and even as a matching activity.  He loves animals, so he loves to see this game come off the shelf…

I definitely recommend both games, as they’re affordable and would make great gifts for the holiday season.  They’re games that are both fun and educational.  There are several different versions of the Mastermind games, including travel games too…”

Read the full review at the MamaBuzz blog.

Learn more about these games and other MASTERMIND code breaker logic games.

Time to Play just announced the nominees for the second annual People’s Play Awards, and MASTERMIND Animal Towers is one of them!

Time to Play is a playful destination website which provides information, entertainment, and services on what’s fun for children and their families.  Their team of experts search the world for the best and most creative toys in the industry, giving readers a wealth of information and the easiest way to find the toys that are perfect for them.

MASTERMIND Animal Towers is a fun game for all the animal lovers in the family.  Children will have the time of their lives stacking their furry friends to create a code that can only be broken through deductive reasoning and strategic thinking.  Animals friends you will be playing along with on your journeys include: lions, hippos, fish, sheep, alligators, bunny rabbits, pigs, frogs, monkeys, giraffes, elephants, and penguins.

When kids are having fun, they learn more quickly, and Animal Towers is tailored towards being both educational and entertaining.   This game can be played at three different levels, increasing the challenge and promising to make game night, more fun than ever.

So if you love MASTERMIND Animal Towers and want to tell the rest of the world, click the button above and use your logic and strategy skills to vote!

Voting is open from now through November 29, 2010 and the final results will be unveiled in a special live webcast on December 3rd.

MASTERMIND is featured on the ABC News networks Hottest Fall Toys list.  The Toy Insider Mom, Laurie Schacht, describes the Animal Towers game for kids, as a “classic strategy game” that has “gone vertical for little kids”.

In this kids version of the MASTERMIND strategy game, the codemaker creates a code using the animal tiles, and the codebreaker asks yes and no questions, using deductive reasoning to break the secret code.  The best part is, the game grows with the child, allowing them to increase the number of tiles as they become more developed in their logical thinking.

To top it all off, Animal Towers is now an award winning board game, being decorated with a 2010 Top Fun Tillywig Award.  It is a game both for fun and learning, making MASTERMIND Animal Towers the perfect gift for your little ones.

“If you want to be sneaky like me and get your children to increase their matching skills as well as their logical thinking and deductive skills, – the best way is with toys.  Of course not just any toys.  The toys you will want to investigate are the ones that will challenge them while they are having fun.  The Animal MASTERMIND Tower is perfect for the 6 yr and older.  If your child enjoys matching games, he/she will enjoy this one…

I have to tell you that my little guy loves matching games and when he saw this one, he was thrilled.  He was able to challenge his older siblings to several MASTERMIND games.  Now your child can do the same.  What no siblings? No worries, mom and dad can join in on the fun and you will be helping your child expand the necessary skills to achieve greatness.

The best part is that it involves animals and what child doesn’t like animals?…”

To read the full review, visit Dr. Mommy Says Blog.

Find out more about MASTERMIND Animal Towers and other code breaker logical games.

A couple of weeks after BlogHer, my MASTERMIND game arrived in the mail. Bug, the almost 8 year old, was really excited, and he immediately began begging to play. I was a little concerned about his ability to understand the game, but we opened up the game to play anyway.

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Our Experience Playing MASTERMIND

The first game with Bug was a bit difficult. To show him how it works, I had him be the Code Maker the first few times. After he saw how I narrowed down the code, he wanted to try being the Code Breaker.

At first I would give him hints to help him figure out the code logically. After two weeks, he’s got the game down, and he’s never taken more than 10 tries to figure out a code!

My daughter caught on to the game quickly and is pretty good at playing, too. Now the kids have fun playing together!

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My Overall Opinion

MASTERMIND has quickly become a favorite game in our household! I like that it gets the kids away from computers and the Wii, and I love that MASTERMIND teaches logic skills. The kids don’t even realize they’re learning! We’ll be using it from time to time as part of our homeschool day.

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To read the full review, visit the Freelance Homeschool Mom blog.