Zazzy Pals Creator Wins 2014 Toy of the Year With Dog-Themed 'Canine Cardz'

Submitted press release

Suwanee-area resident and Zazzy Pals® creator Randy Bieniek is proud to announce that the company’s crown jewel kids game, Canine Cardz, recently received the 2014 Game of the Year award delivered annually by Creative Child magazine.

Creative Child awarded the 8-in-1 children’s dog-themed card game its highest yearly honor, based upon the evaluation and opinions of actual parents and educators.

Humble creator, Bieniek, says that she was blown away by the Game of the Year award bestowed upon Canine Cardz: “To receive such an industry recognized award for my heartfelt efforts to create an educational and fun game for children is absolutely thrilling.”

Bieniek, the founder of Zazzy Pals, says when she created Canine Cardz she wanted to develop a line of fun games and other products for kids based on her unique pet art. “After my elderly dog, Chelsea, passed away, I painted her portrait and experienced an eureka moment. I realized I could commemorate her and many of the wonderful pets I have met by sharing them and their true stories.” Bieniek has spent more than 20 years as a school psychologist for elementary, middle and high school children and raised four of her own kids, including triplets. This experience has given her a unique insight into the minds of children. As a professionally recognized artist and lifelong arts and crafts hobbyist, she says she developed Canine Cardz to combine her favorite interests and those of most kids: games, dogs and art.

Besides the 8 versions of the game, Canine Cardz also offers boys and girls (ages 5 and up) bonus art instruction so they can unleash their own creativity. Draw-a-Dog lesson cards, 12 colored pencils and a sketch pad are included in the portable container. Parents appreciate that the 54-card deck is housed in a plastic snap case and kids love the squeezy dog bone game pieces used for high-action game versions.

In response to the award, all Canine Cardz game sets will now proudly display the 2014 Creative Child Game of the Year logo. This designates Canine Cardz as a premier educational and enjoyable game for kids. Additionally, it reinforces reading, fine motor skills, memory, color recognition, matching and visual discrimination. “There are certainly benefits to old-school, unplugged, face-to-face games,” Bieniek adds.

Zazzy Pals (zazzypals.com) also offers a line of greeting cards featuring real-life dog and cat characters and their stories. A line of puzzles is also in development. Bieniek’s Zazzy Pals story is featured in Tamara Monosoff’s new book, The Mom Inventor’s Handbook, 2nd edition.

To meet Coconut, Lola, Doc and all the other Zazzy Pals or for more information about purchasing the 2014 Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, visit zazzypals.com.