As you may or may not know (or care), many of the great games that we own and that we are talking about on this site are designed by Germans. Germans seem to love their board games more than any other group, I think. Every year, there is a gigantic convention in Essen, Germany at which designers, publishers and the general public mingle and play new games together.
Once per year, the Kinderspiel des Jahres award is given out to a new children’s game. Many of our favorite games have won this award in the past and this is a good starting point when you are searching for that next game you would like for your children. Each game is also linked to Boardgamegeek.com, which needs some discussion as well, but that is for another time.
It is nice to see what won the current year, but your chances of getting it are slim. If you can find someone who has imported it, great! Just be ready to pay a few bucks. Instead, if you are new to gaming or to buying games for children, explore the past winners. You will have a better chance at getting the game, it will probably even have rules in English and you won’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get it.
Here is the current list of Kinderspiel des Jahres winners and links to the ‘Geek:
| Year | Winning Game | Designer |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Wer war’s? | Reiner Knizia |
| 2007 | Beppo der Bock | Klaus Zoch & Peter Schackert |
| 2006 | Der schwarze Pirat | Guido Hoffmann |
| 2005 | Das Kleine Gespenst | Kai Haferkamp |
| 2004 | Geistertreppe | Michelle Schanen |
| 2003 | Viva Topo! | Manfred Ludwig |
| 2002 | Maskenball der Käfer | Peter-Paul Joopen |
| 2001 | Klondike | Stefanie Rohner and Christian Wolf |
| 2000 | Arbos | Martin Arnold and Armin Müller |
| 1999 | Kayanak | Peter-Paul Joopen |
| 1998 | Chicken Cha Cha Cha | Klaus Zoch |
| 1997 | Leinen Los! | Alex Randolph |
| 1996 | Vier zu mir! | Heike Baum |
| 1995 | Karambolage | Heinz Meister |
| 1994 | Loopin’ Louie | Carol Wiseley |
| 1993 | Ringel Rangel | Geni Wyss |
| 1992 | Galloping Pigs | Heinz Meister |
| 1991 | Corsaro – Irrfahrt im Piratenmeer | Wolfgang Kramer |
| 1990 | My Haunted Castle | Virginia Charves |
| 1989 | Gute Freunde | Alex Randolph |
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