Toy Dreamers

Mattel's Toy Box

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Tue, 02 May 2017 00:38:00 +0000

Having worked with the professional toy inventing community for a good part of my industry career, I have been mystified and underwhelmed by Mattel putting its product selection process on prime time TV in a show called, The Toy Box. We know that some reality TV is far from reality. Often such shows are highly staged, low voltage productions with marginal entertainment value. Mattel may have thought it was getting a Shark Tank for kids. Rather than a junior Shark Tank, Mattel is capitalizing on the dreams of "toymakers", aka inventors, in a simulated product section contest that is poorly constructed, overly scripted, and almost painful to watch.

In the real world, each toy company searching for the next mega-hit, has its own unique process to gather, judge, and select new opportunities to fit existing lines and align with a company's current market read. Traditionally, sifting through inventor ideas has been committee affairs with sales, marketing, development and other senior management staff agreeing collectively which new product ideas to embrace. Whereas getting an idea licensed may be nerve wracking for inventors, it is a huge financial gamble when a marketer attempts to launch the next toy fad.

The Toy Box show takes Mattel's bizarre selection process public as broadcast entertainment rather than serious product business. They apparently feel it is time for precocious youngsters rather than experienced adult toy people to chose what should be in future toy boxes. Choosing new ideas has always been something of a "shark tank" with the better opportunity eliminating others based on sound business judgment. Presumably, Mattel feels its well rehearsed youthful Toy Box panel of 7 to 13 year olds represents ultimate consumers. Certainly the kids are not prepared to consider serious development, costing, sales, and marketing questions common to the real world. It was amusing to me when one panelist following the script asked the anxious toymaker, "What will this idea cost?"

On another media stage, technology has entered the new toy and game selection process. Kickstarter and other crowd funding venues have become sites where new ideas are viewed by millions of eyeballs. Backers give early financial support when a pitch video hits their WOW buttons and they "gotta have the idea". Increasingly, toy marketers (Mattel included} are watching for those Kickstarter successes that can become licensed product and taken to the retail marketplace.

Whatever the selection process, be it adult committees, actors on broadcast TV, or Kickstarter pitches, hopefully toy inventors continue to bring forth and license unique and innovative ideas to industry marketers to fill future toy boxes. There is a saying in the industry, "Product is king". Toy inventors with their product ideas have long been active and vital kingmakers.

For a more detailed critique of The Toy Box Show by Blurred Reality, go to this link:
https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2017/04/toy-box-abc-review
As the show labors on with additional episodes, viewers will likely be left with the unanswered question: What was Mattel thinking by shinning network TV time on this laborious product selection process???

Donald Trump THEN and NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 21:19:00 +0000

All ostriches and every human being in the world know that Donald J. Trump was elected in the fourth quarter of 2016 as the forty-fifth POTUS. However, its likely that only elderly board game consumers and intense followers of the toy and game industry know that Trump licensed his likeness on two board games. Both were marketed by Hasbro game divisions,; Milton Bradley in the late 80s and Parker Brothers in the early 2000s.

By the most important measure of a game's success, SALES at retail, DJT's appearance on the Milton Bradley initial version could not elevate consumers interest above, "just OK". And compared to a measure of marketplace longevity against such classics as Life, Monopoly, Scrabble, CandyLand, etc., Trump The Game was a yaw!

A hardened sales rep, who at the time was not meeting management sales quotas for the game was heard to say, "It would be great if Trump was better known west of the Hudson River!" My, my, how times have changed! NOW Trump is well known far, far beyond the Hudson to all rivers in the USA. In fact, by any measure, Trump is a global celebrity!

Through the courtesy of the Springfield, MA Republican newspaper that covered Trump's only visit to the Pioneer Valley ever, on May 4, 1989, the following photos show DJT at his initial launch into the game world. I remember the hub-bub on that day in East Longmeadow, MA where the game was manufactured. The future POTUS THEN made an auspicious appearance when he dropped from the skies in his personal chopper. No one would ever have envisioned THEN that NOW he would be dropping from the skies in Air Force One!

Donald's Chopper is The Only Aircraft to Ever Land on Company Grounds

Donald Disembarks With Coiffure Disheveled by Chopper Blades

Adoring Milton BradleyEmployees Gather to Create a Huge Welcoming Crowd

President of Milton Bradley Co., and Future President of USA, Donald J. Trump

Trump Poses with Stacks of Newly Minted Games Ready for Shipment

Trump Gives a Pitch on How his Game Will be the Next Monopoly

A Thankful Toy and Game Inventor

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sun, 04 Dec 2016 22:02:00 +0000

At a time when so many seem aggrieved and ungrateful for their lot in life, it is truly refreshing to see that my co-author and long time friend, Richard C. Levy, took time at Thanksgiving to express in a Toy Book piece how thankful he is to be a toy and game industry participant. It would be very easy for Richard to direct thanks inward for all he has gained from his very active 38-year career creating and licensing so many successes.

But no, his message of thanks was in large part targeted at the many companies that stepped up and took his creative nuggets and invested resources to bring those ideas to market. And he directed gratitude at the corporate staffs who unselfishly contributed their skills to make his good ideas better.

Richard's message included acknowledgement of his lasting relationships forged with so many colleagues in the independent inventing community. Those colleagues may work in anonymity, but they ultimately are collectively bound to an industry that relies so heavily on their inventive skills to replenish new product offerings year after year.

Perhaps it was the beginning of another holiday season that got Richard to resonate his good fortune to have a career in such an entrepreneurial industry. It was clear to me that he has an unbound love for the toy industry, the people and companies that make it work, and the great country that nurtures so many marketers. As I read Richard's message, I became thankful for my small part of what he described so eloquently in his article. The link to the full Toy Book article is below:

http://toybook.com/a-time-for-thanksgiving/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-time-for-thanksgiving

Getting Larry Some Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 21:26:00 +0000

Robert Laura wrote an article in Forbes about the "gold watch" as a gratuitous symbol of 30 or 40 years employment with the same employer. He noted the time piece gift tradition originated "in the 1940s with Pepsi Company when gold was $34 an ounce versus today's market price hovering around $1350." Laura also pointed out that in those bygone days, people stayed with a company "three or four decades as opposed to current employment longevity which averages a mere four to five years.

One profession where the gold watch standard should remain in vogue is the professional toy and game inventing business. A surprising number of the legendary inventors certainly meet the criterion of sustained dedication to their job of creating new playthings. One example is Larry Jones, founder and driving force behind Westlake Village, CA based Cal R&D Center. Jones is nearing five decades in the business since he opened a studio in the 70s using his industrial design talents to license new toys to industry marketers.

Says Jones, "I founded the Center on the premise that kid's toys should challenge their curiosity as they provide entertainment while creating smiles and laughter. I liked the idea that my working with toys was all about play which meant to create them, we could play 99 percent of the time. At Cal R&D, I have followed the words of Mark Twain who once said, "in all of his vast experience, he had never seen one shred of evidence anywhere that supports the notion that life is serious." " I've woven that thinking of not always being serious into my business of inventing new playthings."

The state of California has always been a hotbed for toy invention and Cal R&D has been a key stop for knowledgeable toy marketers in search of the next mega-hit. That relationship between Cal R&D and toy industry marketers has resulted in an avalanche of new playthings. Jones estimates that he has licensed some 350 products and been granted well over 80 patents. Among his successes were Cricket, the Animated Doll, Micronauts, which lived in the world of action figures, Data Race mini-auto racers, Microvision, the first interchangeable game cartridge system for hand held games , and Bucky the Wonder Horse, a long time favorite of preschoolers.

Jones remains actively searching for the next fad toy whether the result of his own "out of the box" thinking or in partnership with other inventors. He has adjusted to the many changes in the industry over his five decades in toys, games, and start-ups. He has also branched out into other industries that are welcoming to inventors and has found success particularly with confection marketers. Jones offers much advice in three books he has published on the topic of invention. His quick tip to inventors hoping to find success today is..."Everyday you wake up, you may get advice that is different! But the simple truth is that you must be very active and learn all you can about the industry and its people. Keep learning! The more you learn, the more times you will hit the target's bulls-eye with your ideas."

In an industry that touts "product is king", independent inventors have long been kingmakers as they originated all those new products. Those toiling using the strengths of their creativity for three, four, and in Jones' case nearly five decades deserve a little gold be it a watch or some other special trinket. Perhaps the Toy Industry Association should reinstitute the old tradition of the Pepsi Company and recognize the longevity of a special group of toy inventors. The industry would have been a much less dynamic business without them.

Slow News Day in Western Massachusetts

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sun, 28 Aug 2016 18:02:00 +0000

Newspapers today have the difficult job finding "all the news fit to print" to fill their pages for readers who like home delivery. Now with the advent of digital news, they have the added need to fill the screens of their subscribers who like delivery on electronic gadgetry.

The need for news by MassLive, the Springfield Republicans digital feed got me a slot about, The Toy and Game Inventor' Handbook and my former career with Milton Bradley and Hasbro Games. I loved the headline reference grounding me as a "former Longmeadow resident", the idyllic suburban community which is home to many Springfield area doctors, lawyers, Mass Mutual execs, and one or two Cartimundi managers (current owners of the former Milton Bradley manufacturing facility in East Longmeadow, MA). Longmeadow was a wonderful place to live while I worked at MB, Hasbro Games, and wrote the Handbook.

http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/08/toy_and_game_inventors_handboo.html#incart_river_index

Play for the Millenials

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 19:57:00 +0000

In the mid-1980s, there was a category of extremely popular games that enjoyed brisk annual sales. Those games were recognized in the industry by several different names; party games, social interaction games, conversation in a box, or most fittingly, adult games. This boxed entertainment targeted baby boomers over the age of fifteen with game play intended for social gatherings of adult friends. Contents, theme, and play structure were aimed at adult interests. One of the most popular games of that era was Scruples.

No other inventor capitalized on the popularity of this category more than Brian Hersch. His LA based studio seemed to originate hit after hit after hit including Outburst, Taboo, Oodles, SongBurst, ScrutinEyes, Mad Chatter, Malarky, and others. Hersch and Company was the creative drive behind Platinum editions of Taboo, Outburst, and Scattergories in the 90s.

Says Hersch, "Our adult party creations were lubrication for rusty social skills. Some games were filled with edgy, often naughty fun for baby boomers. I got several reports where trade buyers asked the marketers to make some tweaks in content before placing big orders. Any new game had to get through a buyer before it could reach end consumers so on occasion the final edit was done by a very unlikely source!"

Whether because of buying choice saturation or the re-emergence of rust to baby boomers' social skills, the adult category seemed to plateau. But enter the millennial players today whose game interests have changed dramatically as evidenced by the recent popularity of Cards Against Humanity. Brian Hersch, always the "marketing-meister", has observed the emergence of this new demand for liberal game content. He is launching a very adult content based variant of Outburst on Kickstarter, called Midnight Outburst. Game geeks may see some of the same physical game components as original Outburst, but the content is giving the millennials the type of edgy play they want in social adult games.

Hersch concludes, "This generation is discovering just how well a game can facilitate social interaction. Millennials do not have the past sensitivities to language and content, and they certainly want content free of the meddling edits by conservative trade game buyers!"

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2066439224/midnight-outburst-not-your-dads-party-game?ref=nav_search

Our Handbook Makes Forbes "Best"!

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 12:41:00 +0000

This blog post contains some unexpected and exciting news about The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook. Richard C.Levy and I always hoped that the Handbook, when originally released by Penguin/Random House as a How-To or Self-Help book, would be acclaimed as a compendium of topics important to novice inventors with dreams of creating breakout toys and to anyone active in the toy industry. Now available on Amazon in it's 3rd edition as an e-book, our hopes have been confirmed by an unexpected source. The Handbook has been selected as #2 on Forbes List of Best Books recommended by 2016 Shark Tank Entrepreneurs.

Forbes List link: http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eglg45hljgh/the-toy-and-game-invento/#7bf1a48a6194

Forbes asked those Shark Tank entrepreneurs to recommend some good reads about business and the key takeaways. An example of strong support for the Handbook came from Mark and Lisa Burginger, founders of Qubits Toy, Inc. The Buringer's said, "Two toy industry veterans offer an authoritative guide to toy and game licensing, providing everything an inventor needs to know about bringing a concept to market. This book is chock-full of real world examples. inspires by example and teaches you to trust yourself and your instincts. One of many important tips is to remain a kid at heart and never give up and never grow up."

Those of you that have downloaded the Handbook already, thanks. If you have an idea for the next hot toy or game, this book is a blueprint for that possible leap to the market.. Or if you're just looking for a good book to read, the Handbook contains some fascinating and charming history of the toys and games that were a part of all our lives.

Surfing for Games

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 19:16:00 +0000

The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook contains many suggestions by top toy sages on how best to keep up with industry trends. One common tip repeated by these in-the-know toy people was, "get out into retail frequently and see what's on the shelves." It's all there; playthings with latest entertainment licenses, product displayed by categories, attractive merchandising and packaging, marketers who dominate space, and a mix of new toys and games with the classics.

Any itinerary to Toyland's retail aisles should obviously include regular stops at Walmart, Target, Kmart and TRU. To be all inclusive, specialty retailers are a must stop too since unique and likely higher end playthings, often ignored by big box outlets, populate the aisles.

Add to brick and mortar visits, quality time surfing the wonder and convenience of internet websites in search of industry happenings. In the 3rd edition of the Handbook, we concocted a new section called the Websitary (coined by the contraction of website and glossary). It is a listing of websites we felt, at the time of publication, would likely be of interest to toy people. As an e-book, we were able to make these sites interactive.

Today, digital toy industry info abounds on the computer. If your thing is games, check out thegameaisle.com The site is maintained by inventor and active blogger, Kim Vandenbroucke who posts frequent reviews of games new to the market. In her blogging, Kim uses a special mix of skills from her industrial design training, experiences at a former Chicago invention house, and independent creative work from her design business, Brainy Chick. kimvandenbroucke.com.

Says Kim, "It behooves toy people to know what the competition is up to, what looks to be doing well, and what has flopped. In the seven years I've been blogging, the game arena has changed so much! Paying close attention to the market has been a fun adventure for me. I've played tons of games. I'd like to think blogging to the industry has made me better at designing toys and games while shining a light on the market for my audience"

Another blog that offers a wealth of information on the game side is Purple Pawn. purplepawn.com
The site's stated mission reflects the commitment to the industry's game segment. "Purple pawn is a site about life, as seen through the prism of games." And by admission of Executive Editor, David A. Miller and his staff, "Purple Pawn covers everything cool, sick, famous. infamous, down and dirty, up and coming, cultural, or just plain weird in the world of people and analog games". Those promises sound to me as though Purple Pawn should be another regular blog stop in getting a pulse on the latest games populating Toyland.

Sir Frances Bacon wasn't a toy guy, but he is attributed to have said, "Knowledge is power". Enjoy building your industry knowledge through all those store visits and by surfing the web.

A Very Friendly Robot

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 17:51:00 +0000

Long, long ago, I had the memorable experience of heading Playskool's R & D Department for several years when it was located in Chicago. Actually, it was more of a D & D Department (design and development) since little "research' was done in Chicago. "Research" was handled at Milton Bradley's corporate offices in Springfield, MA.

Each year. D & D was to create new preschool playthings with input from Playskool's Marketing Department. Unquestioningly, the most successful project launched during my time in the Department was to replace a clunky, mechanical action Computer with "something new and more exciting".

That "something new" assignment lead to Alphie The Robot; a friendly looking space age character full of beeps, hoops, music, LEDs, and play modes powered by a 9V battery. Unbeknownst to us at the outset of the project in 1977, that original Alphie would enjoy sufficient longevity to become an early preschool brand and appear in nine ideations over its market life from the introductory year of 1978 until 2011!

The "toy gods" looked favorably on the project from day one. An all-star team was assembled to make Alphie happen. There were many key players including:

Michael Meyers who had just joined Milton Bradley as Vice President Corporate R & D after successful product years at Child Guidance and Marx toys. Mike pushed his premonition that Star Wars, then about to burst onto big screens everywhere, would make "space" toys a hot commodity. His years heading significant R & D projects made him the perfect liaison between MB's budding electronics group and Playskool's design specs for Alphie. Mike's important sidebar contribution was the serendipitous suggestion to name the then nameless toy after his pet cat, Alphie! Suggestion given; suggestion trademarked!

Paul Lapidus managed the talented Playskool designers who were tasked with creating an appealing space creature acceptable to preschool mothers and the internal corporate panel of critical observers. Through the years, Alphie would get several design "makeovers" and dimensional changes, but it was the toy's initial form and functions that won the hearts and minds of the toy trade and huge numbers of consumers.

Greg Hyman and Larry Greenberg had just been retained by Mel Taft, Milton Bradley's Sr. VP Corporate R & D to consult on the company's electronic projects. The timing was perfect. There couldn't have been two more co-operative and knowledgeable external partners. Taking Playskool specs for the toy's functions, Hyman and Greenberg's first step was to provide a "prove-it" breadboard and when approved to then layout the circuitry on a PC board that would become Alphie's microprocessor "brain" in production. Though Greenberg passed unexpectedly in 1992, Greg Hyman shepherded all eight subsequent Alphie electronic ideations as the friendly robot grew into a major Hasbro brand.

http://www.museumofplay.org/blog/play-stuff/2012/04/the-path-to-toy-invention-greg-hyman/

From that tip-off assignment for original Alphie, Greg Hyman went on to co-create and license over 120 state of the art toys including notables like Major Morgan, Talking Barney, Baby All Gone and Tickle Me Elmo. Documentation on much of Greg's toy invention can be viewed at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. http://www.museumofplay.org

Through a generous gift from Hyman and Greenberg to the Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI, Alphie appears on a plaque in an examining room to offer a friendly, welcoming face to little tykes daily.

An Ultimate Toy Maker

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 16:03:00 +0000

Maker Faires have been described as "part science fair, part county fair, and part entirely something new". You can add to that description, "part toy fair". The Faires are "gatherings of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, authors, artists, students and commercial exhibitors of all ages". Add mass marketers and trade buyers to that demographic mix and a Faire rivals Javits or Nuremberg. These well attended Maker Faires can be found globally with over 100 affiliated events around the world each year. A recent Faire in San Mateo, CA, now in its tenth year running, drew over 150,000 makers and kids over a weekend!

Bob Knetzger, a professional toy designer and inventor for over forty years saw the connection between his creative skills and interests to those of many hobbyists and toy lovers in the Maker Faire audiences. In his career, Bob built many prototypes and models to demonstrate his and partner Rick Gurolnick's ideas at Neotoy in their attempts to license new toy concepts. Among those many concepts was the wildly popular line of Dr. Dreadful toys. His experiences were more than enough to get Maker Media to publish his fascinating book: MAKE:FUN! Create Your Own Toys, Games, and Amusements.

In MAKE:FUN!, Bob lays out the tools and step by step plans for turning everyday materials into clever toys, games, and amusements; some of which have recognizable relationships to successful commercial originals. The book contains 40 highly illustrated projects that show how to use simple electronics, mold and sculpt plastics, and assemble toys that demonstrate scientific principles and how many popular playthings work.

Among my favorites is the Mad Monster Candy Snatch Game. Perhaps the attraction to Mad Monster is that Knetzger uses the principles of the classic Operation Game to make a clever candy dispenser. Rather than withdrawing plastic pieces from Cavity Sam, a steady hand with the forceps earns a candy treat! Touch the Mad Monster in an attempt to extricate a piece of candy and he flashes, crackles, and says: "You make the Monster mad--You lose!" There is no candy treat for a shaky hand.

Hobbyists with a love of toys and desires to make them will find MAKE:FUN! a must have publication. Perhaps some budding inventor in search of a creative spark will springboard Bob's meticulous plans for the forty projects into a totally new toy. For Bob Knetzger, that would validate his long held contention that original ideas occur "when two old things bump into each other to make something new". It's a book that fits neatly into any toy inventor's library. http://www.makershed.com/products/make-fun

A Very Special Toy Inventor

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sat, 28 May 2016 19:18:00 +0000

Ralph Baer, inventor of Hasbro's Simon, the widely popular electronic memory game introduced in 1979, passed in 2014. While some may remember him as the creator of Simon, the world will remember him as the "Father of the Video Game". It is likely that title got the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History to make Ralph and his workshop part of their national story and a focal point of the Year of Innovation in the Museum's Innovation Wing.

Ralph has good company in the Museum among the likes of SC Johnson, inventor of the Ziplock Brand bag, Kirk Christiansen, inventor of the Lego block, Clarence L. Fender, inventor of the electric guitar, Earl Tupper, inventor of Tupperware, and of course, Thomas Alva Edison, inventor of the incandescent electric lamp.

Longtime industry friends, Richard and Sheryl Levy made a recent visit to the Smithsonian to view the tribute to Ralph. It made Richard recall the day speaking with Ralph on the phone when the Smithsonian was at Ralph's home in Manchester, New Hampshire collecting elements for the Museum exhibit. "They are collecting everything that is not nailed down," whispered Ralph into the phone. "I have some stuff hidden under the staircase so they don't take everything."

"You cannot miss the Smithsonian exhibit" reports Richard. "It is the first exhibit you see as you enter the West Wing. Without doubt, the Smithsonian curators put tremendous value on Ralph's contributions to American innovation." And consumers to this day continue to see the unique play value in Ralph's Simon game nearly forty years after its introduction.

Phil Orbanes, Vice Chairman of Winning Moves Games, remembers Ralph as "a down-to-earth genius". Orbanes met him the year after Simon exploded onto the games' scene. "Unlike so many boastful inventors, Baer took success in stride and treated everyone he met as an equal." Speaking of Ralph's inventive skills, Orbanes said, "Once he got an idea, he could build it. In the early years that meant using a soldering iron to create the circuitry. But in time, he taught himself to program EPROMs (chips) and even build plastic cases and related parts to see his concepts come to life. He was an inventing marvel. Nothing deterred his enthusiasm for a new idea."

Originally a native New Englander, Ralph spent months in his later years in the land of the Sunshine Santas (that concentration of inventor talent in south Florida), where he was able to visit frequently with the Levys and discuss among other things the state of the toy industry, and of course, invention.

Ralph was among some 80 professional toy and game inventors we profiled with their personal advice and tips in the The Toy and Game Inventors Handbook. You can see his pithy remarks in that publication.

If the Smithsonian exhibit in D.C. doesn't work for your travel schedule, you can see Ralph's work memorialized at The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY.
http://www.museumofplay.org/

Toy Industry Jargon

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sat, 14 May 2016 21:10:00 +0000

Every industry has its own jargon. When businesses communicate, they often intersperse acronyms and words inherent to their specific industry. Most likely, an industry's jargon may be so limited in use that the words do not appear in an authoritative language reference like the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

In The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook, we included a glossary of 475 words that we felt were common and basic to the toy industry. Since we are in a "fun" business, we took the liberty to write definitions more playful and whimsical than those that would meet the stringent standards of dictionary editors. Here are several examples of industry jargon. Our definitions are in italics:

Dog: (with all respect to the ASPCA and my beloved 16 year old Tibetan Terrier, Denver, who is one sweet dog)
A product that's dead at retail

Lawyers: (guardians of the industry)
The only people who consistently make money and turn a profit

Yawn: (a bad omen signaled by the viewer during an inventor's pitch)
A boring product idea

I recently came up with a new word, "inventortainment". To me the word characterizes inventor pitch time in today's world now that showing a new idea is often broadcast to marketers/backers on video screens versus former confidential one-on-one private meetings between inventors and company representatives.

Inventortainment is not yet part of the toy industry jargon. But someday, if the word gains widespread "toyspeak", it may even reach a place in those authoritative consumer dictionaries. After all, every year, Merriam-Webster adds hundreds of newly minted words and acronyms that have gained popular usage in the English language.

So if you help to "jargonize" my word around the toy business, it may pass the high standards of dictionary editors. Here is the full definition: inventortainment: (n) an inventor's pitch effort of an innovative concept to marketers or backers in hopes of gaining a licensing agreement or the financial support to commercially develop the proprietary idea.

A sincere "thank you" if you add my new word to your jargon.

What is Inventortainment?

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Wed, 04 May 2016 19:59:00 +0000

"Life's a Pitch"!! That's the title of Chapter 7 in The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook (Inventors Handbook) where we advise readers on "how to" license ideas to toy industry marketers. Inventors hope that their idea is the next mega-hit and marketers hope for the next WOW! product that will leap off toy aisle shelves or through Amazon screens. When inventor meets marketer to show a new idea, it's "pitch time", but oh my, how the modus operandi in toy world today has changed.

At one time, the traditional inventor new idea pitch was done across a table in a face-to-face meeting. Inventors would come to a company's offices or the company would send emissaries to the inventor's place of business. A hands-on demo was de rigueur. But with the emergence of new media techniques and with detached global licensing participants often viewing a pitch, digital demos are more common. Skype, Face Time, video conferencing, or a private channel YouTube video all make the inventor-marketer contact impersonal. What was once a very confidential and private pitch has become widely disclosed on screens everywhere.

Add to this paradigm shift in new product pitch time the broad, public screen exposure of concepts on Shark Tank, Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and the like. In fact, a You Tube pitch often gets archived to become a basic form of consumer promotion when the product is marketed. Check out Swingy Thing Pitch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE1_R2vWVaA

Yet the inventor's goal remains the same; to secure a license or financial backing that gets the idea to market. Today, the pitch has become, in some cases, a form of entertainment for a wide populous of viewers. Pitch time has become show time. The inventor and idea are on center stage providing a unique form of inventortainment to an influential audience that can make or break the future of the new idea. Today, we can add inventortainment to toy industry jargon.

Toy & Game Agents

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 21:19:00 +0000

There are literary agents, sports agents, secret agents, and a whole host of government agents. My all time favorite fictional agent from early days of TV was Agent 86. I loved that this whimsical agent could communicate through the bottom of a shoe long before the current ubiquitous iPhone.

When writing The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook, we detailed the important roles of toy and game agents: evaluating marketability of an idea, connecting ideas with potential marketers, and representing all facets of an inventor's interest in negotiating a contract. Inventors and agents become true business partners in the creative process. These are just a few of the popular products in the toy industry licensed by agents.

Here is a link to a longtime, active agent. Marra Design Associates www.marradesign.com
See The Toy and Game Handbook for a more complete listing of agents.-

Co-Author Meets Co-Author

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Tue, 29 Mar 2016 14:35:00 +0000

Always good to see co-author, Richard C. Levy, anytime, anywhere to rehash issues covered in the third edition of The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook . I particularly enjoy annual meetings in his south Florida "war room" with its impressive floor to ceiling display of toys and games he has licensed during his long, active career.

If we miss meeting in the Sunshine State, New York Toy Fair offers opportunities to exchange "state of the industry" perspectives in the aisles of Javits. For the past two Toy Fairs, I have enjoyed Richard's Be Terrific appearances in onsite interviews.

Richard's 2016 NYCTF interview: https://youtu.be/w6fdD0Slu_A

Richard's 2015 NYCTF interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cG_jH2PIHY

Monkeying Around

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 15:57:00 +0000

Card games have always been a favorite form of play. As a youngster before days of nonstop TV cartoons, electronic enhanced board games, and current finger twitch pad play, I was drawn to endless rounds of Old Maid and Go Fish. Little did I realize then that card games were attractive because they had few complex rules, fit into a pocket, encouraged socialization, and were cheap.

Through the years I made much use of standard playing card decks with all the classic games that could be played applying unique rules to four common graphic suits. My attraction to card play continued as marketers introduced now classie games like UNO and Phase 10. It has extended through Hasbro's brand extensions of famous board games transformed into card play. I knew Scrabble Slam was far different than the iconic tile original, but I enjoyed slamming those cards.

Use of playing cards to create new games is not being overlooked by inventors today. This is especially true in the world of Kickstarter launches. The backer support from online game shoppers for Exploding Kittens http://www.explodingkittens.com and Cyanide and Happiness www.kickstarter.com/projects/cyanideandhappiness is legendary in the world of crowd funding. The formula appears to be an appealing pitch of compelling card play wrapped into cool graphs plus a catchy name, and BAM!, sufficient backers are hooked to make the new card game reality.

Among the latest entries vying for Kickstarter support is Bonobo from David Yearick, who has had among toy and game successes, Djubi and Tribond. www.GoBonobo.com Interestingly, he has woven the presence of a friendly primate icon into his new card play. Seems if Kittens and Cyanide can be themed onto new card play and Old Maid and Fish were popular in the past, no reason not to use chimpanzees as icons on cards for a whimsical, new, fun game.

Inventing an aMAZEing Game

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 20:06:00 +0000

As co-author of two toy and game invention books, it's rewarding to hear from an inventor who has actually read them and implemented some of our suggestions on how-to license new playthings. So when Andy Geremia made an e-mail connection, I was all ears....excuse me, rather all eyes.

Geremia, is actually a high-tech "locksmith", albeit using keyless locks. His day is a world filled with security entry devices and video surveillance systems. At night behind his own secured doors, Geremia has used his playful and inventive spirit to create several self-marketed outdoor games and now the unique new board game, Maze Racers, a game that had a boost by winning a crowd-funding contest sponsored by Big Leap. http://www.bigleap.org

Motivated by the Big Leap win and filled with advice from self-help invention books, including The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook, Geremia set out to find a marketer for his maze game. He put into practice all he read in books. www.CerealBoxMaze.com

Armed with the press release about the contest and filled with commitment and perseverance to commercialize the concept, he began contacting game companies. Within a month, Geremia had three prototypes out and two months later, he had a signed agreement with Fox Mind to unveil Maze Racers at NYC Toy Fair 2015 http://www.foxmind.com.

According to David Capon, president of Fox Mind, Maze Racers fits the company's narrative perfectly. "It is exciting and intuitive, simple to explain, stimulates players' creativity and dexterity, and delivers fun". What Capon saw has been validated by a steady early trade sales pace and recent recognition as a Top 10 Game for 2015 by Dr. Toy. Top Games 2015.

Since pitching the game to the trade at Toy Fair 2015 in the Fox Mind booth, Geremia has embarked on a one man PR crusade to build word-of-mouth support for his game. Says Geremia, "I will attend any game convention within two hours of my CT home to promote Maze Racers and have exhibited at the Maker Faire in RI and the Boston Festival of Games."

Actually, Geremia exceeded that travel radius to make an appearance at Gen Con 2015 where "four stations of Maze Racers were played steadily by adults and kids seven hours each day of the show". In addition, Fox Mind has committed to exhibit at Chitag, the Chicago Toy and Game Fair, on November 21st and 22nd. Getting out and demonstrating Maze Racers is another step through the marketing maze to make Maze Racers popular with today's game players.

Mr. Monopoly Mascot

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sat, 29 Aug 2015 18:18:00 +0000

Mr. Monopoly, aka Rich Uncle Pennybags, is one of the most endearing and enduring icons in the toy and game business. His formal top hat, tux, and perfectly coiffed mustache have been around for decades as the brand representative for Monopoly. He was created in one dimensional form to represent the wealthy money man who would dole out big bucks and rewards to eager board game players.

Today, the world is full of walking, talking, animated bigger-than-life brand icons often called mascots. They seem to be everywhere from professional sports arenas to institutions of higher learning to mass media screens. You see them interacting with fans, leading cheers from the sidelines, or on TV entertaining audiences with the beloved Big Bird, Barney, and others. No trip to Disney Land or Disney World would be complete without skipping along with Walt's costumed creations that have been instrumental in selling tons of toys and games.

Being one of these costumed icons is not for the faint of heart. Behind--or rather inside--Big Bird was Carroll Spinney who spent over four decades in anonymity making the giant Sesame Street character work. How Big Bird Costume Works For anyone thinking that there is a future animating an iconic figure, best they find out details of the difficult life inside an oversized mascot's costume, http://howtobeamascot.com/tag/how-much-mascot-costume-head-weigh/

Chuck Long, had a 38year career as game salesman for Milton Bradley and eventually Hasbro Games after MB merged with Parker Bros. He had a much simpler and direct route to his limited engagements as the Hasbro iconic figure, Mr. Monopoly. The costume required little other than top hat and tux. Whitening hair and a mustache transformed him into the personna that by 1995 got him gigs at retail customer sales meetings, store openings, and even corporate and international Hasbro sales meetings. Chuck Long became an expert on Monopoly history and fun facts even autographing his altered identity onto Monopoly games bought by customers.

Chuck Long remembers one memorable appearance as Mr. Monopoly about three years ago, "It was at a Power of Youth charity event held at Paramount movie studios in Hollywood. There was some buzz about Mr. Monopoly being there. But the real attention was given to a celebrity that may not have even been an avid Monopoly player. What I am sure of is that the celebrity of Monopoly, the game, has been around in the business longer than Bieber's popularity in pop culture. He'll have to perform many more years to catch-up to Monopoly." Words spoken like a true game salesman who happens to be a Mr. Monopoly look-alike!

Hello, Cartamundi...Goodbye, Milton Bradley

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 23:48:00 +0000

Cartamundi created a bit of an industry buzz by purchasing Hasbro's manufacturing facilities in Massachusetts and Ireland . Consensus thinking of business watchers seems to be it is good that the 1.1 million sq. foot East Longmeadow, MA factory and 350 employees are back with a management that has a "production mentality".

When I joined Milton Bradley decades ago, that recently opened MA "manufacturing" facility was an efficiently run operation with a great mixture of 1800 workers and state-of the-art machines plying ink to paper and chopping cardboard. In the '70s, then CEO James J. Shea Jr. took great pride in his "fully integrated manufacturing operation where raw materials came in Door 1 and left through Doors 44 to 64 as finished games packed in standardized shipping cartons". Such were the golden days of manufacturing at the world's No.1 game company.

In the mid-eighties, Hasbro acquired MB. A popular saying around the East Longmeadow office was "they"are marketers, "we"are manufacturers. I always thought that saying was a bit asinine. At the time, "we" were selling $500,000,000 in manufactured games. Didn't those sales require some marketing savvy? I felt that popular "we/they" saying could easily have been, "they" have toys and "we" have games thus eliminating the functional marketer/manufacturer designates.

There I was a member of the "manufacturer' team, albeit in the East Longmeadow office, but I didn't work in bib overalls and carry a lunch pail. Actually, company office dress code for male staff called for button down shirts w/neckwear and wing tip shoes. On the other hand, many of our new owners/colleagues, the Hasbro "marketers" had relaxed attire of open collar business casual more suited to production line workers. ( I also recall some male "marketers" even sported fashionable facial hair barred in the East Longmeadow dress code.)

Fast forward to today. Hasbro, the "marketers" are masterfully piecing together toy and game brands into expanded platforms with strategic ventures allied with key entertainment licenses. The "manufacturers" in east Longmeadow will continue to do what they have done for so many years...manufacture the best quality board games and puzzles in the world, not as Milton Bradley but rather as Cartamundi.

Is Donald Trump an "ism"?

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:54:00 +0000

During my corporate days working with new products and inventors to find a mega-hit, (or at least a game that would justify a multi-million dollar TV promotion budget), there were certain directives offered by the Marketing Department to guide the new product search. I dubbed those directives, "isms". "Isms" were usually light on specifics for a new product's form but rather more suggestive of what to avoid in a game theme as envisioned by our marketers. After all, they had the research on game consumers' pulses as the basis for these "isms".

For inventors, "isms' were cautionary flags on what not to design into their new ideas. A wonderfully unique new game could be judged unsalable and rejected during the marketing selection process simply because the inventor stumbled onto an "ism" and unknowingly designed it into the new game idea.

Examples of "isms"from those years included: "Pirates won't sell". This "ism" prevailed in the days long before Johnny Depp starred in the popular Disney's series, Pirates of the Caribbean. The "ism" "Space won't sell", was wiped away by George Lucas as he created a toy licensing cash cow with his cinematic magic in the Star Wars block busters. An "ism" that may still prevail is "Clowns won't sell". Perhaps clown appearances in too many horror movies makes them less desirable as playthings.

Fast forward to more recent times when I had a neat co-development opportunity on a politically themed game somewhat similar to a former party game titled, "WWJD". Before progressing too far, I ran the idea by a highly respected and experienced game sales executive. Yikes, his reaction was yet another "ism" - "Politics won't sell". It seems a trade buyer's political party bias and the divisive topic of politics for U.S. voters were enough "ism" specifics to squelch the idea.

Today with non-stop news surrounding the 2016 POTUS campaign, we have the surprising emergence of a controversial personality who has made past appearances on mass-market games. Donald Trump was central to the theme of Trump: The Game released in1989 and again in 2004. The strength of his billionaire status and his Apprentice TV show were enough star power to get him onto games that did not deal with politics, Both were more related to Monopoly where acquisition and negotiating of properties generated mega-wealth. Who better than billionaire developer Donald Trump on a board game to let players fantasize about basking in billions? The games did not sell particularly well, and experienced only mediocre ratings from boardgamegeek and gamersalliance. They had short lives and quietly faded from retail store shelves.

Now with Donald clamoring around the prime time political scene, will a toy marketer ignore the "politics-ism" and give Trump another chance in the world of play? Perhaps Trump on board games was not the right fit. President Trump: The Game might make a provoking adult party game. Maybe Donald is better suited to non-game categories. A bloviated gobbledygook spewing action figure seems appropriate. Or a Dashboard Donald novelty with AC air ruffling his iconic mane might find a place on cars everywhere.

Trump's entry into the POTUS political arena will be a true test of the "politics-ism". In Donald Trump's world, that test will be whether "HIS Politics will or won't sell" to a market much bigger than the one for toys and games.

My recollections of the Milton Bradley 1989 Trump: The Game introduction:

• Great NYC Toy Fair media buzz surrounded Donald's Game. . .

• Showroom exhibit was magnificent, energetic, and eye-popping. . .

• All showroom personnel were instructed to talk-up the game. . .

• Some Mid-west customers unfamiliar with Trump caused sales concerns. . .

• Donald's chopper delivered him to our E. Longmeadow office for short visit. . .

• Marketing colleagues started wearing Trump's iconic red ties. . .

• Several colleagues tried to emulate Trump's coif..I kept my close-cropped G.I. style. . .

• Game had strong trade sell-in, weak retail sell-through...didn't become an MB classic!

Not Your Father's Lego

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 00:45:00 +0000

According to NPD, 2014 retail sales of construction toys were $1.85 billion dollars with a significantportion coming from long popular Lego sets. Construction toys as a category in 2014 were up 13% over the previous year. With digital play increasing over use of traditional toys and games, it is encouraging to see that basic construction toys are steadfastly popular with kiddos where they cause imagination and hands on skills to build dimensional physical objects.

The creators of Boxly, a new construction toy using oversized corrugated panels, did considerable market research on existing construction toys before they decided to invent a product far from Lego but nonetheless a plaything that fits into the same industry category. For the three Stanford University design engineering students, their product originated as part of a class assignment rather than as a random idea for a commercial venture. It was their decision to create a toy that would meet children's inquisitiveness and imagination in simple self-directed creative play. The playful band of three designers said on their website, " We believe creative play has the power to develop confidence and independence through hands on exploration." website

Boxly is a collection of single ply corrugated panels which uses uniquely designed connectors duringplay. The creators knew they had a viable construction toy after viewing hours of successful and engaging fun play by their ultimate consumers-- young children. When product prototypes were put into the hands of kids, there was no "adult assembly required"; the kids did the assembly and played and played and played all by themselves.

To produce Boxly for a broader audience, the design team turned to a funding effort on Kickstarter. Says Sasha Spivak, one of the three designers, "We are ecstatic to exceed our funding goal during the thirty day campaign on Kickstarter. Raising $31,425 confirmed that there are backers who share our vision for our new construction toy". The designers are now transitioning to producers and marketers of Boxly as they fulfill commitments to KS backers as well as fill new orders coming from the online store on their website. Looking at their pictures on that website, you see a team of three creators who will bring energy and enthusiasm to their efforts to carve out a place for Boxly in the construction toy market. Welcome to the toy industry, Boxly creators!

Changing With the Times

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 16:12:00 +0000

In the mid-1990s, ThinkUp was a recognized source in Hasbro Games' search for new opportunities. It was often scheduled into "show times" during sweeps to see toy inventor ideas in NYC. ThinkUp was and remains a creative, Philly-area studio with all the development skills to represent new ideas in illustrations, CAD designs, and looks-like/works-like playable models.

Jerry Cummings, the chief thinker at ThinkUp, knows the 100 to 1 odds against getting a mass-market toy or game idea licensed. As a talented artist, designer and inventor, he takes on the annual speculative challenge of creating toy and game ideas, ever hopeful his next creation will become an industry mega-hit.

ThinkUp has maintained the best of its design talents from pre-digital days and added new skills for today's world: the creation of "pitch" videos. Video captures product features consumers see and can measure a potential marketing licensee's interest and commitment before model making. Even with 3-D printing, making a fully functional replica of an idea is time consuming--and expensive. http://thinkup1.com/how-we-do-it/

ThinkUp has expanded beyond licensing proprietary toy and game concepts into other consumer product categories as well. And the studio will digitize product concepts for other inventors, create marketers' promo videos, or even take pixel magic into playful animations with unique characters. A ThinkUp venture called My Pixel Kids uses those animation skills in a YouTube series of classic nursery rhymes. Five Little Monkeys

Says, Cummings of ThinkUp's transition and expansion from its early days of b-boards and model making," We work very closely with clients to minimize false starts or late stage rejection of concepts. Speculating exclusively on what might be the next hot toy or game in our studio only to have it rejected in a marketer's selection process just didn't seem to make full use of our creativity. We still love our own proprietary toy or game ideas, but we are not averse to helping another inventor or marketer create a success. We take delight in using our skills in any successful effort and not just limiting ourselves to a ThinkUp idea to get all the glory--and rewards".

Words from the Wise

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Fri, 29 May 2015 15:49:00 +0000

The original edition of The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook, included "profiles" of some eighty creatives, who could enter "occupation-professional toy inventor" on any application. These were high achievers in the speculative, high-risk world of licensing ideas to industry marketers. Time has taken some of these incredible talents from the industry like Ralph Baer, acknowledged "father of the video game business", and Fred Kroll, who pushed roller carts filled with new toy and game "opportunities" around the old 200 5th Ave. NYC Toy Center for sixty-six years! (Fortunately for Fred and Hasbro, Hungry, Hungry Hippos dropped off one of those carts!)

In our third edition ebook, some profiles have been altered but much of the advice and perspectives from eighty pros continue to ring true. For any inventor, who hopes to create new playthings, thoughts from these old pros on what makes great toys and games and what sparks their original ideas are invaluable. They live the life captured in quotes of Thomas Edison, "Have a great idea, have lots of them" and "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." Inventors profiled in the Handbook averaged thirty ideas annually. (That's a lot of ideas and a lot of perspiration!)

Recently, several pros offered prospectives on challenges facing toy inventors today. Mary (Game Bird) Ellroy and Hank Atkins feel that "larger companies seem focused on brands rather than unrelated concepts no matter how good they are". Tim Moodie acknowledges, "the loss of larger game companies reduces likely licensees for his ideas." He shares Mary Ellroy's view, "that opportunities are emerging with new, interesting marketers". All three agree, "that new toy and game ideas need to compete with gadget play", and they favor "adding electronics or some novel technology if possible."

There is timeless cautionary advice as well. Seeing the advantage of now popular crowd-funding, Ken Evoy, Canadian licensor of many playthings, counsels,"Never mortgage the house. It is much safer to find venture capital. The worst thing is to spend your money on 10,000 pieces, sell a few thousand, and have the rest end up in your garage." Hank Atkins opines that a single license will not generate sustainable royalty income, saying, "Don't give up your day job." And co-author Richard C. Levy, with over 125 original concepts licensed and approaching 40 years in the business of fun and games advises, "Never give up, never grow up." To meet the challenges of inventing today, it makes sense for creatives to mix into their thinking several dashes of sound advice from the wise--and successful--pros.

Cat Paw! Toy on Letterman Goes Viral

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 20:48:00 +0000

Some of you may not have seen Anna Kendrick's reaction to the Cat Paw toy on the David Letterman late night show. Her rather risqué' comments in this video clip went viral resulting in great PR for this new toy! If you missed it, check it out here.
https://vimeo.com/114815744

Guess who invented it? None other than Richard C. Levy, my co-author of The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook. In past NYC Toy Fairs, Richard and I gave numerous anecdotal presentations on the TIA's Creative Factor programs about toy and game invention and licensing new product ideas. At Javits 2015, Richard went solo in an interview with host, Michael Artsis of Be Terrific, offering fascinating snippets to chronicle his long and successful career in the toy and game industry. Artsis seemed mesmerized, yet playful, as Richard described his career in the professional inventing community punctuated with demonstrations of not only Cat Paw, but his other latest creations, Dirty Words Game, and The Electronic Waving Flag.

Richard's Be Terrific interview shares his thoughts on the creative process used by the author/inventor respectfully dubbed Mr. Outside in the introduction to the Handbook. Throughout his long and fascinating career, Richard has been an inventor creating outside the corporate walls while thinking outside the box as well! See his amazing story here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cG_jH2PIHY

Kickstarting Fitness

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Weingartner) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:59:00 +0000

Michael Volkin appears to be more of an inventrepreneur than a "professional" game inventor (though he admits to having read, The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook). He has had successes on Kickstarter to fund his unique games. His specialty games harken to the adage, "necessity is the mother of invention".

Volkin's games grew out of his real-life needs to "gamify" what he confronted while fulfilling his patriotic duties in the U.S. Army as a "company fitness trainer". By his own admission, he "accidentally invented" his line of games as he tried to make the grueling work of military fitness more fun.

Today, Michael Volkin has retired from the military, and is a best-selling author and entrepreneur with over 20 years of fitness experience. He is considered the foremost authority on basic training, the subject extensively covered in his various books and described on his website, Ultimate Basic Training. Volkin was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for the fitness programs he developed for the troops while stationed overseas. The core training approaches he designed are found in Strength Stack 52 and HIIT the Game, both products embraced by fitness conscious backers in their successful Kickstarter launches.

Volkin chose to use the Kickstarter model to get to market and forego traditional paths common to many toy and game inventors who license ideas to marketers or who personally exhibit at New York Toy Fair, just as 287 first-timers did this past February. Michael Volkin connected with enough fitness backers to reach funding goals and launch his products. However, a key question remains to be answered. Can a product reach more consumers through placement at thousands of retail outlets after successful sales pitches to 10,000 buyers at Jacob Javits Center or by using digital pitches to "backers" on Kickstarter?

The success of any product depends on reaching the maximum number of users! I asked Michael about his reasons for using Kickstarter to launch his products. He stated, "For me, it's an easy way to announce to the world not only the features of your product, but your intent on how you plan to roll out the product. People who back your product become evangelists for you, they root for you, they post reviews of your product, and they help build an early customer base."