Under The Influence was invented during lockdown, pitched at Distoy and will now be launched by VR Distribution at Toy Fair.
A 21 year old who got bored during lockdown decided to harness her entrepreneurial spirit and invent the ultimate party (and drinking) game. With nowhere to go with her friends, Talya Kishon – daughter of toy & game stalwart Danny Kishon – created the game to play with them. It soon became so popular amongst her immediate circle that she had to make multiple copies, and then decided to develop the product with packaging and marketing for her “passion project” in the last year of her Creative Advertising degree.
Talya’s game, which is billed as the ultimate cocktail of party games, is now being launched to retail by VR Distribution, who will unveil it at Toy Fair. Talya will be on hand to demonstrate the game next to some of her own favourites like Cards Against Humanity and What Do You Meme.
She describes the game as ‘combining the best bits of every student’s favourite party and drinking games in one competitive cocktail’. The box contains 12 games that can be played by up to 10 people, with over 1000 questions – participants just have to provide their own alcohol.
Under The Influence is also being launched this year in the USA and Australia by Imagination Games.
The game is perfectly designed for social media marketing, which should help to ensure its success. The inventor believes the story behind the game – from lockdown invention to back-to-uni product testing and pitching the prototype at Distoy, to getting orders and funding the production for the USA, Australia and the UK from Kickstarter – is a ‘made for TikTok success story’. The game will also have intrinsic appeal by virtue of being designed for a specific age group by someone who is actually part of that age group.
Under The Influence is suitable to be stocked in all types of retail outlets, as it can be enjoyed both with and without alcohol.
Talya has formed a company with her father, Danny Kishon, to bring the game to market across the globe. Many Toy World readers will know Danny from his years associated with the toy & game community, both as a game inventor and heading up several successful companies.
Visit the VR Distribution stand (Stand N9) at Toy Fair to find out more. VR Distribution can also be contacted on 0330 0880 941 or sales@vrdist.co.uk.
You can watch a video of the gameplay below:
