The Spruce Adds Castle Panic

Posted on Monday, Sep 25 2023 4:12PMMonday, Sep 25 2023 4:12PM by Anne-Marie De Witt — Leave a comment

The Spruce seal of approval next to the Castle Panic box

We’re ecstatic to share the news that The Spruce recently added Castle Panic to their list of Best Games! Not only did Castle Panic rank in The 11 Best Cooperative Games but it also was the Top Pick for Best for Families!

The Spruce is a prestigious lifestyle website that helps 385 million annual readers find the best products for their homes, from gardening, home improvement, and cleaning products to décor, furniture, and gifts. If you can find it in your home, The Spruce has a review to guide your decision making.

They research, test, and review independently, following a rigorous editorial process. So, readers can depend on an unbiased recommendation from them. Adding to their credibility is their impressive social media presence: 561K Instagram followers, 742K on TikTok, 868K on Pinterest, and 1.3M on Facebook. The Spruce doesn’t sleep on getting the word out about the amazing products they recommend. Check the main page out as well as the article that lists Castle Panic, and start sprucing up your home!

My First Castle Panic Wins PAL Award

Posted on Thursday, Mar 30 2023 6:12PMThursday, Mar 30 2023 6:13PM by Anne-Marie De Witt — Leave a comment

PAL Award seal next to the box for My First Castle Panic

We are so thrilled to announce that My First Castle Panic has won the PAL Award (Play on Words.com). The PAL Award was established to recognize “exceptional toys, games and books/media that, through their design, content, quality, and character, promote play that advances language” and is led by Erika Cardomone, MS, CCC-SLP. Erika’s training as a speech-language pathologist and her 15 years of working and playing with children has prepared her to analyze and offer keen insights on how products can support learning and communication.

When Ms. Cardomone saw My First Castle Panic, she recognized the ongoing developmental focus on the game. Her review specifies the way My First Castle Panic helps children sequence information, use temporal words (such as first, next, then, and last), tell stories, and develop language generally. She also notes how the cooperative nature of the game encourages conversation and strategic planning. You can read her full review here.

It’s an honor to be included in such a stellar group of products and to be acknowledged for the language support inherent in My First Castle Panic. We feel seen!

Castle Panic Earns Mom’s Choice Award

Posted on Tuesday, Jan 31 2023 2:25PMTuesday, Jan 31 2023 2:25PM by Anne-Marie De Witt — Leave a comment

Castle Panic® has earned the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award®. Having been rigorously evaluated by a panel of MCA evaluators, Castle Panic is deemed to be among the best products for families.

The MCA evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal, and cost.

“We are thrilled to earn the Mom’s Choice Awards Honoring Excellence Seal of Approval,” says Anne-Marie De Witt, co-founder of Fireside Games. “We know all the great things the MCA does to connect consumers, educators, and caregivers with the best products and services available for families.”

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five (5) identical samples for testing. Entries are matched to evaluators in the MCA database. Evaluators are bound by a strict code of ethics not only to ensure objectivity, but also to ensure that the evaluation is free from manufacturer influence. The five evaluations are submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final review and approval.

“Our aim to introduce families and educators to best-in-class products and services,” explains Dawn Matheson, Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards. “We have a passion to help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality and also a great value. The MCA evaluation program is designed to incorporate the expertise of scientists, physicians and other specialists; but we also engage parents, children, educators, and caregivers because they are experts in knowing what is best for their families.”

With the evaluation now complete, the testing samples of Castle Panic will be donated to schools, libraries, hospitals and nonprofit organizations.

About the Mom’s Choice Awards®

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) evaluates products and services created for children, families and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The organization is based in the United States and has reviewed thousands of entries from more than 55 countries.

Around the world, parents, educators, retailers and members of the media look for the MCA mother-and-child Honoring Excellence seal of approval when selecting quality products and services for children and families.

Learn more about the Mom’s Choice Awards by visiting their website: www.MomsChoiceAwards.com.

The Dark Titan Wins Origins Award!

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 21 2016 2:14PM by Justin De Witt — Leave a comment

Origins Game Fair was last week and it was a blast! We had a booth in the Main Exhibit Hall and ran demos of Here, Kitty, Kitty!, Dastardly Dirigibles (releasing July 6), and Star Trek^TM Panic^® (available now!). Our booth was so busy and we got to see so many familiar faces and make some new friends.

Demo of Dastardly Dirigible being played — Dastardly Dirigibles gets some pre-release demo time. Look for this title on July 6!

Kris holds a copy of Here, Kitty, Kitty! — Kris McCardel Ware, designer of Here, Kitty, Kitty! had a blast collecting cats with attendees.

We had the designer of Here, Kitty, Kitty! in the booth playing with attendees and the artist, Tony Steele, was back in the art area drawing cats on boxes for anyone who picked up a copy and asked nicely.

Star Trek^TM Panic^® received lots of attention and we had demo after demo of excited gamers devouring the latest variation in the Panic Line.

Saturday of the show happened to coincide with International Panic Day and it was fun to see Social Media explode with posts from Friendly Local Game Stores around the country hosting events in-store to celebrate the day, while we played the latest variation with attendees at the show.

The biggest thrill of the show was at the Origins Awards ceremony Saturday night when it was revealed The Dark Titan, the second expansion to Castle Panic®, was the winner of the Fan Favorite award for the Gaming Accessory category! Thanks fans!

Anne-Marie holding the Origins Award statue — Anne-Marie De Witt accepting the award for Fan Favorite Game Accessory for The Dark Titan expansion to Castle Panic. (Photo Credit: The GameBoard, LLC)

Origins Award Statue next to The Dark Titan boxes — The Dark Titan was bragging in the booth the next day.

Origins award statue — Fancy statuette is fancy!

Anne-Marie De Witt, our CEO, accepted the award on behalf of Fireside Games because Justin De Witt, the designer and Chief Creative Officer for the company, was back at home in Texas working on the THIRD expansion. You can expect more news on that game to be coming VERY SOON!

Castle Panic and the first expansion, The Wizard’s Tower, were both Origins Awards Nominees in their respective release years, so you know the whole line is good. Fans really love the toughness of Agranok in The Dark Titan and we appreciate all the support and dedication to this line you, the fans, bring every time you see us at a show or a local game store.

Thanks to all of you for making Origins Game Fair 2016 such a success and so much fun. We’ll see you there next year. And remember… Just PANIC and Play Games!

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