Dec 24, 2010 15:30:13

7-year-old's board game 'Animal Adventure' becomes a huge Christmas hit

A nine-year-old Scottish boy created the board game

'Animal Adventure' two years ago when he was seven by modifying an old advent calendar (a calendar in which you open a small window containing a sweet or toy each day until Christmas). The game has since been commercialized and is being sold at the long-established department store Harrods alongside classic games like ' Monopoly ,' making it a hit product during this year's Christmas shopping season.

For details, see below. BBC News - Harrods sell Tillicoultry boy's game invention

timesofmalta.com - Schoolboy's board game a huge hit

Scott Ballantyne, 9, from Tillicoultry , Clackmannanshire, converted an advent calendar into a board game two years ago while he was off school due to illness.

Scott has always loved to invent things, but Animal Adventures was a big hit with his family and friends. His mother, Tricia Ballantyne, saw him constantly improving the game over the course of months, creating new versions for Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and other special occasions. She knew there was something special about this game, and began working to commercialize it.

This zoo-themed game is suitable for players aged 4 and up and can be played by up to eight players. It's a Sugoroku-style game in which the objective is to visit all the animals before the time limit (zoo closing time) and the first player to reach the goal is the winner. As the game progresses, players can open small windows like an advent calendar to win prizes, doubling the fun.

The product, priced at £24.95 (approximately 3,200 yen), was first sold at London's luxury department store Harrods this fall, and due to its popularity, it was also made available on Harrods' online store on December 1st. According to a Harrods spokesperson, this is probably the youngest product designed by a designer that Harrods has ever sold. Scott was originally scheduled to be invited to the London store before Christmas to see the 'Animal Adventure' on display, but due to bad weather, his visit has been postponed until next year.

package.

Following the success of Harrods, 'Animal Adventure' is now sold at major toy retailers such as Toys'R'Us , as well as in shops in Scott's hometown of Tillicoultry. Karen Mackay, buyer at Sterling Home Store in Tillicoultry, said: 'We're always looking for new and innovative products, and as this game was invented by a local boy, Scott, there couldn't be a more fitting new product for us.'

Scott Ballantyne, who visited the Chicago Toy Fair at the end of November, said, 'It's been a really great experience having so many people play my game and seeing it lined up on store shelves. It's like a dream come true that just two years after I first made it, it's become a product and is on the shelves at Harrods alongside games like Monopoly and Clue.'

Scott is currently working on a new chess-based game with a space-age theme, and his mother, Tricia, believes that inventing toys could be a lifelong career for him.