Nominees for Toy of the Year were announced on November 12, 2018. Included in the category of Game of the Year is the new travel game, Dr. Biscuits’ Radical Road Trip–60 Fantastic Games to Play in Your Car by industry newcomers Barry & Jason Games and Entertainment. It is only the second game from the two-man company since they started the side hustle in their garage-cum-headquarters in 2015.
Barry McLaughlin and Jason Lautenschleger arrived on the party game scene after their 20 years of comedic collaborations evolved into hosting Live Comedy Game Shows. It was following one such event that the two knew they were in business.
“We were hosting games at the Hollywood Improv–getting people up on stage to compete in these creative challenges–and the positive energy was infectious. We knew we had to get our first game, Game Night in a Can, out into the world,” recalls Lautenschleger.
Funded on Kickstarter in 2015, Game Night in a Can went on to retail success and can now be found in hundreds of independent toy stores and larger retailers like Barnes & Noble. Their next venture was obvious–if only to them.
“The overwhelming response to our non-digital focus on games confirmed our path,” explains McLaughlin. “We saw a glaring need for better entertainment options in the car to get families off of electronic devices.”
With Radical Road Trip Barry & Jason took the spirit of Game Night in a Can and created 60 games to play in the car. It is an in-car experience unlike any other in which players can:
- Play a game of H-O-R-S-E using the radio
- Call a friend and get them to meow like a cat, by only meowing
- Send a postcard (included) to the White House from anywhere on your trip
- Enjoy wildly imaginative games like Flip Dingus, My Compliments to the Jeff and RonJon Chico BonBon
Dr. Biscuits’ Radical Road Trip is available at specialty retail stores and on Amazon.com.
The TOTY Awards will be held in New York in February and the public can vote for their favorite toys at www.toyawards.org.