ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ThinkFun^®, Inc., the world's leading developer of addictively fun games that sharpen your mind, will bring Kickstarter sensation Robot Turtles™, the board game for little programmers, to the market in concert with national movements supporting code literacy and STEM education. ThinkFun is internationally known for Laser Maze^™, Rush Hour^® and Zingo!^®.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140131/NY56468 )

Robot Turtles is the most backed board game in Kickstarter history and teaches kids as young as four how to program before they even learn to read. Widely available this June for $24.99, ThinkFun is launching pre-orders today at ThinkFun.com/robotturtles in anticipation of high demand. Pre-orders will include a free Special Edition Expansion Pack that doubles game play and features new challenges, game tokens and accessories.

"Last month, President Obama came out in support of Code.org's Hour of Code, saying, 'Don't just buy a new video game. Make one.' We couldn't agree more," said Bill Ritchie, ThinkFun President and Co-Founder. "Until Robot Turtles, a screen-free option for teaching code to the critical preschool age group did not exist. This game sneakily teaches programming basics amid silly family fun."

Tale of the Turtles

ThinkFun's passion for code literacy is rooted in its co-founder's family, with Bill's brother Dennis Ritchie considered by many to be the greatest coder of all time. Dennis Ritchie was awarded the National Medal of Technology for creating the C programming language and co-creating the UNIX operating system.  ThinkFun hails Robot Turtles as a tribute to Dennis Ritchie, who died in 2011. "Robot Turtles is an important first step in ThinkFun's commitment to code literacy," continued Bill Ritchie. "My brother Dennis would have loved it!"

Robot Turtles is inspired by Logo, an educational programming language designed in the 1960s, remembered fondly for its turtle graphics. In bringing Robot Turtles to the market, ThinkFun is collaborating with game inventor Dan Shapiro, a self-proclaimed Geek Dad who wanted to give his four-year-old twins what he feels is the single greatest superpower – the skill of programming. His 2013 Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 and produce 1,000 games made history when it raised $630,000 and shipped 25,000 games. With players calling the game a "big hit," "great educational tool," "sheer genius," "10 stars!" and "very simple," Robot Turtles has proven entertaining, educational and a boon to early childhood critical thinking skills – a perfect fit with ThinkFun's mission to change the world through play.

Robot Turtles Role Reversal – Kids Boss the Grown Ups!

Kids ages four to eight play the game with a grown up, using Code Cards and Bug Cards to program their Robot Turtle to reach its matching jewel. As you advance, the game incorporates obstacles like Ice Walls and more complex Code Cards like lasers. Best part? Kids have all the control, acting as programmers to control the parent, who becomes the computer. As kids create code, parents respond with goofy beeps, bops and zaps, eliciting shrieking delight and belly laughs. Robot Turtles is played with one adult and up to four kids.  

To pre-order Robot Turtles with the free Special Edition Expansion Pack, watch a video and soak up game play, please  visit ThinkFun.com/robotturtles.

About ThinkFun, Inc.

ThinkFun is the world's leader in addictively fun games that challenge your mind and inspire creative thinking. Nearly 30 years ago, ThinkFun was founded with a dream to change the world through play. ThinkFun continues to expand on that dream every day with games, mobile apps and global education programs. To learn more about ThinkFun, go to www.thinkfun.com.

SOURCE ThinkFun, Inc.