Cardinal

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Founded in 1948 by entrepreneur Les Berger, Cardinal is one of the oldest toy companies in America. The brand has long been committed to making challenging, family-friendly, and affordable games and puzzles. Cardinal has hundreds of licenses with major content owners, so its products are able to feature characters from the latest TV shows, movies, and other properties. The brand is also committed to maintaining a long list of evergreen games that will never go out of style. The brand has been awarded several industry honors, including LIMA International Licensing Awards, TOTY Awards, People's Play Awards, and Vendor of the Year awards from Toys"R"Us and other distributors.

Cardinal Industries has a global reach, and its products are distributed via channels across North America, Europe, and Australia. Joel Berger, son of the company's founder, is still in charge of Cardinal today and oversees its operations at the brand's headquarters in Long Island City, New York. In early 2015, it was announced that Cardinal would be acquired by Spin Master, Ltd.--another of the nation's top toy manufacturers. Spin Master has announced that it is excited to extend Cardinal's legacy of excellence while honoring the entrepreneurial spirit that built the brand almost 70 years ago.

Babies & Kids Merchandise

Products

Cardinal's array of toys includes several different types of games and puzzles. Signature games are based on both classic and contemporary licensed properties. Card games, dice games, and trivia games integrate the details of popular films and TV series. Many of these products are specifically derived from the content of these properties, which makes each one unique. The brand's card games can be divided into two general categories. Trading card games are ongoing opportunities for players to collect different cards that they can then integrate into game play. The company also produces licensed versions of Uno and other popular card games that include favorite characters.

Though Cardinal began venturing into puzzles relatively recently, it is currently the number one puzzle retailer in the country. Though it makes plenty of traditional puzzles featuring various properties, the brand has also innovated newer products like collage puzzles, lenticular puzzles, 3D puzzles, and more. These products vary wildly in terms of difficulty, and you'll find puzzles that appeal specifically to kids, as well as several products made for adults.

Swap.com's Rating of Cardinal

In an age when the vast majority of toy companies are transitioning to electronic games that take advantage of new technology, Cardinal remains steadfastly committed to manufacturing classic games and puzzles. The brand seeks to ensure that kids today can still reap the benefits of these products, which include critical thinking, spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, social interaction, and more. These types of products transcend age limits and can truly be enjoyed by the whole family, which makes them excellent activities for children and adults to partake in together. On the whole, we give Cardinal 5 stars out of 5.