Inspired Play from edplay April 2020

from

Dedicated to the Specialty Toy Industry April 2020

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A Face-Paint Revolution!

Face Paintoos from PlayMonster provide a faster, simpler, cleaner, less-expensive alternative to face paint.

The easy-to-use temporary designs can be applied in just a matter of minutes for long-lasting inspired play.

There’s no messy cleanup, and kids can play all day long without smudging the colorful designs on their faces. When playtime comes to an end, Face Paintoos can easily be removed with the special wipes included in every kit.

As you know, children love the feeling of getting into character. Their imaginations run wild! Girls and boys of all ages spend playtime pretending to be lions and monkeys, cats and dogs, mermaids and unicorns and other fanciful characters. This kind of roleplay and dress-up is not only fun, it builds memory and vocabulary, fosters creativity, and helps kids develop socialization and empathy. Face Paintoos makes this valuable play activity more accessible.

They come in tons of different designs to put children’s brains into high gear. They can take a trip to the jungle with the Wild Pack or spend time in a pet shop with the Pet Pack.

The Magical Pack includes fantastical creatures, and licensed packs feature popular characters. They make every day a new adventure. Face Paintoos are the perfect solution for everyday fun and special events that bring kids together.

At birthday parties, face painting can be difficult, so parents often have to hire professional artists to provide that service.

These artists are usually expensive, and the face-painting process is time consuming. Because the artist has to paint on every face, children have to wait in line for their turn. And then they have to sit still for an extended period of time while the paint is applied. No child wants to wait to have fun!

Traditional face paint may smudge after it’s applied, when

kids eat, drink or touch their faces.

It ruins the design and can be a mess to clean up. Yuck!

The easy-to-apply temporary designs of Face Paintoos can turn anyone into a fantastic face-painting artist, eliminating the need for expensive professionals. And since each design can be applied in a matter of minutes, children will spend more time playing and less time waiting. The Face Paintoos Party Pack includes 20 exciting designs from the Wild Pet and Magical packs so every child can play the way they want.

They’re less expensive and less messy than traditional face paints, and faster and easier to apply. With their variety of styles, every child can find a new face to put on.

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Just Like the Real Thing Maybe you’ve heard the name BRUDER. You think to yourself, “Aren’t those the toy truck people?” Yes we are. But there’s a little more to it than that.

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane. BRUDER was started humbly in 1926 by Paul Bruder. Working in painstaking detail using a small hand press, Paul produced brass reeds that he delivered to a local toy company. Today, BRUDER Toys are represented in 60 countries. We also happen to be the largest family-owned 1:16th scale plastic toy vehicle manufacturer in the world. The way it happened is simple: the playi ng child is at the center of every single product made by BRUDER. Playing is not an end in itself, but lets children have experiences in the adult world, engaging in development and healthy imaginative play. Special attention is paid to the well-balanced interaction of easy-to-handle play functions and models that are true to life and offer the greatest possible level of durability. Or as BRUDER likes to say, “Just like the real thing!”

In 1998, BRUDER America Inc. was formed by Beate Caso, the granddaughter of Paul Bruder. Beate and her husband Mark worked tirelessly. The pair had the foresight to see where toy vehicles were heading. They knew BRUDER was a better, safer, more engaging toy than anything else.

With the U.S. market support of specialty toy stores, BRUDER is moving closer to its goal.

Bruder truck, it’s kinda over at that point. They know it, they get it, and soon they have an entire fleet. For us, showing people that they do the same thing as the real thing gives us a value that we do not get from many other companies.”

Striving for “WOW” isn’t enough.

Being the recipient of 84 awards, BRUDER does not rest on its laurels when deciding to make a vehicle. Making a BRUDER means taking a full staff of designers and engineers to go over every meticulous detail, function, color, and feature our customers expect of us. We constantly strive to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction that is rooted in our innovation, expertise in plastic technology, and concern for the environment, using our resources based on the principal of sustainability.

Today, our toys are still manufactured in Germany and the European Union. Every toy carries the name of Paul and the humble beginnings with a hand press and a dream. In 2019, BRUDER was honored as a “Traditional German Brand” for the first time. Our Bruder dealers are key in making our dream into a reality. Our specialty toy stores remain a paramount pillar and we are adamant that this cannot and will not change.

Bruder Toys America. Family owned, family operated. Just like the real thing.

BRUDER Toys stand out.

Taka Andrews of Miller’s in Mamaroneck, New York, says, “Bruder trucks really do what the real things do. And that’s how we sell them. It makes it very easy. Once kids get their very first

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April 2020

Dedicated to the Specialty Toy Industry

Welcome to Inspiredplay, a magazine concept that helps manufacturers and publishers tell you “the rest of the story” about their products and businesses. Traditional display ads combine with insightful narratives to provide valuable nuggets you can use today to sell products and promote play.

Adverstories

Features

3

7

4

A Face Paint Revolution from PlayMonster Bruder Toys: Just Like the Real Thing

13 On-Trend Products,

Professionally Presented

by Toy Collection

14 The Ukulele for

Everyone from Kala

Art/Play Experience

16 Eco-Bricks: An Inspiring 17 The First and Only Original

MW Wholesale are Beneficial for Our Brains

Power Sales

with Hubelino

20 Toysmith’s Towers

14

26 Imagination Grows 28 Good Vibrations:

New Steel Tongue Drums from Amahi

30 Hands-On Creative

Success for Seniors from Wikki Stix

Wordplay

Let’s Talk About Something Else

by Kevin Fahy

10 Store Profile

A Place in the Sun Out On A Whimsey Toys in Belfast, Maine

22 Tips for Holding Effective

Remote Meetings

Done right, they can be better than in-person meetings.

24 Don’t Panic

Retail consultant and CPA Jennifer Rust

offers business advice to use now and post-pandemic.

3D Puzzle by WREBBIT

18 Puzzles from

from

Departments

36 38 40

42 46

For Your Business Information Industry News Retailers Recommend Fabulous Products New & True Index of Advertisers

40

31 HABA’s Toys Take Play

to a Higher Level

Brought Brightz Lightz”

32 “I Went Camping and

33 Crazy Aaron’s Land of Dough 34 De-Clutter Your Planet:

42

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Play Astro Trash

47 Fat Brain Toy Co:

A Greener World Through Evergreen Toys

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word play

by Kevin Fahy

Let’s Talk About Something Else Let me make it clear up front that I am not totally anti-technology. I know that I have gone off on a number of tirades in the past, complaining about the evil of computers, cellphones, the Internet and social media, both in the classroom and elsewhere, and have earned a reputation as something of a Luddite.

I even wrote a column a few years back in which I argued that we had developed all the technology we really needed by 1939. That premise was stretched to include other fields as well like art, music and literature. (Not medicine, however, as I hasten to point out during our current crisis.)

In retrospect it all sounds a little like “make America great again” thinking, which was not the way it was intended. Social justice has come a long way in the past 80 years, and that’s a very good thing.

In terms of technology, though, I’ll stand by my assertion that life would still be worth living if progress had stopped on the day that “The Wizard of Oz” hit the theaters. As any Rolling Stones fan can tell you, though, there is a difference between need and want.

I don’t need 21st-century technology, but there are a couple of things that I not only appreciate, but wish had been around 50 years ago. One of them is Google (I know, it wouldn’t work too well without the internet.).

This is basically a matter of laziness. When I think back on all the time I spent researching things, from high school through my first couple decades in publishing, it now seems like a gigantic waste of time. If you put it all together, it represents years of my life that I’ll never get back.

The other is a cellphone, but not

the one I have now. I could happily do without a pocket computer that wants to manage every facet of my life, but I often think of that first little Nokia that I bought 22 years ago. It was not about the internet, or photography, or getting directions, but simply about actual conversations with other humans.

Young people probably can’t imagine how much time we used to spend just trying to get ahold of each other, getting busy signals or no answers, leaving messages with other people or machines, or even looking for a phone booth (which was invariably occupied).

“Long distance” calls were so expensive as to be avoided whenever possible.

That phone would have made business a lot easier and more productive, especially when you were out on the road. It also would have facilitated social connections and arrangements, which were pretty much hit and miss back in the day.

At a deeper level, I like to think that easier communication would have made me a better communicator. I would have called my mother more often. I would have kept in touch with old friends.

Of course I know that I’m probably kidding myself. Communication couldn’t be much easier than it is now, and I still suck at it. As I told a friend the other day, social distancing is my default setting.

In any case, we can’t change the past, but I think it’s important to remember that events in the past continue to affect us, even in the application of technology that didn’t exist at the time.

That may sound like gobbledygook, but I’ll give you an example of what I mean.

In the 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush and Al Gore battled to a virtual tie, leaving the race to be April 2020 — edplay.com 7

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A message from the publisher I know that most of our readers and advertisers are still coming to work, or working from home, trying to run small businesses under extraordinary circumstances.

Publisher

J. Kevin Fahy kfahy@fwpi.com

Editorial

Director Tina Manzer tmanzer@fwpi.com

Advertising

Director Tim Braden tbraden@fwpi.com Ad Sales Representative Ashley Cavanagh ashley@fwpi.com

We are still working, too, putting together publications that connect manufacturers, distributors, retailers, sales reps and other companies that together make up the specialty toy industry.

At a critical time like this, communication becomes more important than ever, and we are a communication company. Our mission is to provide you with a place to connect, in print or electronic format, with the businesses that matter so much to your own.

We’re here for you. Let your customers know that you’re here for them as well.

Online & E-newsletter Advertising Rick Kauder rkauder@fwpi.com

Art

Production Manager Mark Stash mstash@fwpi.com Designer Christopher Cornett christopher@fwpi.com

Marketing

Director Amy Colburn amy@fwpi.com

Subscriptions

Yesenia Rangel accounts@fwpi.com

Editorial Offices

PO Box 1080, 171 Reed St Geneva, NY 14456 800-344-0559 315-789-0458 FAX: 315-789-4263 Copyright © 2020

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About Fahy-Williams Founded in 1984, Fahy-Williams Publishing specializes in magazines, directories, e-newsletters and other promotional material for a wide variety of niche markets.

Art Materials Retailer artmaterialsretailer.com

Educational Dealer educationaldealermagazine .com

Toy Times the magazine of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association

ROBEX for the Rochester Builders Exchange

Life in the Finger Lakes lifeinthefingerlakes.com

Around the Table for the Game Manufacturers Association

edplay, launched in 1994, became the first successful publication to focus on “specialty” toys and the needs of small, independent retailers.

As the industry evolved, complete with its own trade association (ASTRA), edplay’s number of annual issues increased from four to six. The addition of a website and monthly enewsletters made it a seamless, yearround promotional package.

More than 25 years later, the edplay brand remains a trusted favorite among toy manufacturers and retailers alike.

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The Issue

decided by Florida. Whichever way the sunshine state ended up, so would the race, but unfortunately nobody could figure out what that was.

Out of nearly 6 million votes cast, the two candidates were within a few hundred votes of each other one way or the other. The problem was that the voting was so close statewide that it triggered automatic recounts, but there were no firm rules on how to conduct those recounts.

Back then, Florida was using punch-card ballots. You had to fit your ballot onto a template, and then use a stylus to punch holes next to the names of the people you wanted to vote for.

Ordinarily the ballots were read by machines, and the day after the election the state conducted a complete machine recount.

That recount rendered the tally even closer, prompting the Gore campaign to request a manual recount in four large counties that had large Democratic majorities. That’s when we went through the looking glass.

When people started looking at the paper ballots, they discovered that the intention of many voters was a matter of opinion. The little piece of paper punched out by the stylus, known as a “chad,” was not always punched out cleanly. That resulted in the famous hanging chads, dimpled chads, pregnant chads, and so forth. How could anyone determine whether a voter had changed his mind, or realized he was punching the wrong name or just lacked the vigor to push the thing all the way through?

The winner could be decided either way, depending on whatever rules were established for validating votes. At this point the Florida secretary of state, a Republican named Katherine Harris, decided that the machine count should stand and moved to certify the results.

Harris was overruled by the Florida Supreme Court, which ordered that the entire state returns be recounted, by hand. Then the Bush campaign appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided in a 5 to 4 vote that the recounting would stop, and that the machine count in Bush’s favor would stand. The whole process had taken six weeks.

God only knows what all the ripple effects of that decision have been over the past 20 years, and I couldn’t begin to guess. I do know what one of them was.

Due to the vagaries of handling paper, like losing it, damaging it, miscounting it or whatever, there was a popular outcry against old-fashioned voting systems. Here we were in the middle of an explosion of electronic technology that was revolutionizing every facet of our culture, and yet we were counting scraps of paper like monks in a medieval monastery.

Elections are run by states and local districts, not the federal government, so everyone went off in their own direction, trying to out-tech everyone else.

It yielded a patchwork of electronic systems, at great expense to taxpayers.

Fast forward 20 years, and we arrive at the Iowa caucus this February, which was conducted by the Iowa Democratic Party. High tech these days means anything that can be done with a cellphone, so the IDP paid $63,000 to a company called Shadow Inc. (for real) to develop an app on which the 1,700 precinct captains were supposed to report their results to headquarters.

Shadow is a relatively new company which had never done a project on this scale. To make a long story short, the app didn’t work. They did have paper ballots to fall back on, but since they didn’t expect to use them they didn’t

have a good system in place to count them.

By the time they figured out who won a week had passed, along with the New Hampshire primary, and it was almost meaningless. This was after a year of intense campaigning and advertising in the state by more than a dozen candidates.

It will be interesting to see how the Iowa debacle will affect the movement toward sophisticated electronic voting processes. Because of Iowa there has already been a backlash against paperless systems, but there was a very big reason to be wary of technology to begin with.

As you may have heard, worrisome actors such as Russia have taken a keen interest in our elections. That they will try to influence voters is not in doubt, but what if they could influence the vote counting? Not a pretty thought.

I am not totally anti-technology, but if something is really important to you, I suggest you keep it on paper.

That’s the medium I write on, and I intend to continue.

I know we have other issues on our minds right now, but how we manage the elections this fall is a big deal.

You can e-mail Kevin at kfahy@fwpi.com.

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A Place in the Sun

Out on a Whimsey Toys in Belfast, Maine, operates in an ornate 100-plusyear-old building on a busy downtown street corner. “There are so many cool things about this space,” says storeowner Deb Hall. “It lends itself very well to being a toy store.”

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by Claire Sykes

Among her favorite features (and her customers’ too) is an old bank vault with thick cement walls. It’s obvious that the cement was made with sand from the seashore nearby – there are shells embedded in it. By envisioning the area through the eyes of her small shoppers, Deb turned it into a cave where she displays plush dragons, spiders, snakes and impulse items.

A tent invites kids to hang out.

Going into the store is a magical experience, but on March 19, Out on a Whimsey advised its customers to order online through Facebook Messenger. “We will help you find the perfect item and arrange for either pickup or local delivery,” said a Facebook post. “We will also be doing private appointments for our customers to shop for what they need. Thank you so much for all of your love and support and together we will make it through.”

Since everyone deserves a bit of whimsical inspiration right now, we thought we’d join Deb Hall to give you a store tour.

edplay: What are some of the other cool things about your space?

Deb Hall: This building was originally a Masonic Temple, and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The architecture is very elaborate and people are just drawn to it. It’s right in the middle of downtown, on the corner of two busy streets with a traffic light.

We operated in a 1,000-square-foot space here for 15 years, alongside some law offices. In 2017, a developer bought it and the lawyers moved out. We moved into their space, double the size of ours. It was a bank in the 1960s.

Our landlord replaced the walls and ceiling and added pendant lights and fans. Painters even did a faux finish on the interior front door casing so it would match the natural mahogany of the original windows. The beautiful hardwood floors were refinished, and the original big front doors, found in the attic, were installed. They’re painted purple!

We are able to use tall fixtures and display large products thanks to 15-foot-high ceilings.

There’s so much joyfulness in this space. We have the whole corner with windows that face High Street in the front and Main Street on the side. They fill our store with natural light and grab the attention of people walking by on Main Street.

How do you inspire play in your space?

Because we have more room, there are stations all around the store where children can test drive the products. One 10by 12-foot play area includes a Melissa & Doug Star Diner Restaurant Play Set and the Fresh Mart Grocery Store. They help teach kids to take turns and to play with children they may have never met before.

We have no problem opening a box for customers and

Clockwise from top left: the “cave” – its display changes often; 15-foot ceilings call for tall displays; the baby section; the new location in Blue Hill

using it as a sample. Some of our bestsellers are the ones kids have played with in the store!

It’s important to us that they try out our products. That way, they and their parents see how well they’re made, that they’re likely to hold their interest and help develop skills. Our baby section is full of samples. In our art-supplies section, pens and paint are available for kids to use. A sign invites them to “Make a Masterpiece” and we hang up their artwork for display.

Who are your customers?

Seventy-five to 80 percent are local families. We see them at least once a week on their way to a birthday party. They call ahead and we have a gift for them that’s wrapped up and ready.

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A Place in the Sun Growing up on an island not far from Belfast in the 1970s, Deb Hall spent a lot of time hanging out at her grandparents’ lunch-counter/candy-and-variety store. What an influence it had on her. She started her own retail business when she was 17, selling locally made pottery and art to wealthy tourists on the island’s summer resort community, Dark Harbor.

Since its founding in 1888, Dark Harbor has hosted prominent families from New York, Philadelphia and Boston.

Deb left Maine to attend college in Florida, to study

We also see people who have to drive a ways to get here. There aren’t that many toy stores in this neck of the woods – the closest is 20 miles south in Camden, Maine. There’s no Target or Walmart within 45 minutes of us.

Belfast, a small city with 6,700 residents, is one of several historic seaport towns in Midcoast Maine. The area is busy with tourists and a stop along the way for people heading to Acadia National Park.

You recently opened a second store.

Yes, in Blue Hill, 35 miles east of here. The community is touristy and similar to Belfast, but not as big. It’s on a peninsula with lots of fishermen and retirees. They needed us – before we moved there last October, people had to drive an hour to find something to buy for a child. My landlord suggested the second store. He thought Main Street in Blue Hill needed more diversity.

I’d been thinking of opening another location for about a year, so I told him I’d like to try. I already had the product and some displays. We asked our vendors for more displays, and two weeks later we opened.

It’s about 1,000 square feet, and there’s no room to expand. The building is older but not historic. It used to be a diner/restaurant, which has worked out pretty well. We host gaming groups there on Saturdays – Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons – and they like the tables and chairs.

horticulture, which she calls “another big love of mine.” But retail kept calling her. So did Maine. In 1979, she returned and opened a gift store in Belfast. After a few years, during the “country living” craze, she got into wholesaling. She hired a few people to sew little cloth bunnies, cows and dolls, which she sold to gift stores around the country.

In 1995, Deb partnered with a friend to open a gift shop. Then in 2016, when her son Bryant graduated from college with a degree in entrepreneurship, he wanted to open a toy store. Deb asked him to work with her at Out on a Whimsey, and it officially became Out on a Whimsey Toys.

The space isn’t as beautiful as our Belfast location, but people are happy we’re there. There’s not a lot of extra space for play areas, but the grocery store is set up and baby toys are out to play with. Like our other store, anyone who wants to play with a toy can try it out.

I couldn’t have done it without Brandy Cardenas, our store manager here and now in Blue Hill. She’s worked in the toy industry for 15 years, mostly at Timbuk Toys in Denver, before moving back to her hometown in Maine.

She just has incredible knowledge.

When she first came into the store, we hit it off right away. I could see her passion for toys. She just loves what she does and she’s very good at it.

Is she your sole employee?

My son Bryant, who joined me here in 2016, is the manager of the Belfast store and we have two other employees. A college-age gal, Moriah Pinckney, comes in a few hours a week; and Scot Cannon, a professional mime and singer, comes into the store on weekends. He demonstrates our most popular toys. Scot will stand outside with a larger-than-life plush penguin and wear a bright orange floppy hunting hat, for instance, or he’s got a photographer’s vest on with puppets in all the pockets.

For the summer, we hire four more part-time people, so we have nine people altogether.

June through October is busy because of tourists – July and August in particular.

December is the busiest month.

Who are your competitors?

Of course we’re up against Amazon, but I don’t see a lot of price-comparing from the locals. They want us to succeed.

The tourists aren’t embarrassed to say they can get something cheaper online.

We can’t compete on price with Amazon, so we don’t even try.

But we can compete by helping shoppers find the perfect purchase and then wrapping it up beautifully. We have dozens of papers and ribbons to choose from. They can’t get that from Amazon.

Will you open more stores?

I don’t think so, although I’ve thought about the Bangor, Maine, area because there are only a couple of toy stores there. But it’s a bigger city and that feels stressful to me. I like the smaller towns where you know people.

I’m 61 and in four or five years I’ll let my son take over the business. Maybe I’ll travel some, though we have chickens and a dog that keep us close to home.

And then I’d like to garden.

You’ve been in business now for 25 years. Do you have any words of wisdom for toy retailers like yourself?

Don’t worry about the Amazons, Walmarts and Targets. Don’t worry about the other toy stores around you.

Do the best that you can for your business. And be friendly, with a sense that business is always great and the day is always sunny. After all, the most enjoyable things you can sell are toys.

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On-Trend Products, Professionally Presented

Toy Collection offers stock catalogs, flyers, and custom pieces for stores that want to reinforce their brand and outreach in the community.

We make it easy by offering professional design, special vendor terms, mailing services, and a trendy product mix.

Strength-in-number benefits are reaped by all when retailers and manufacturers work together with the common goal of impacting business.

We offer flexible options and can find a solution to work with most any retailer’s budget and goals. Stores can choose to use one of our marketing pieces or all of them.

Plus, we are a full-service design house, which allows us to offer custom options. We manage the process of list rental, mailing services, and drop shipments. The Toy Collection offers market protection around participating stores to ensure each store stands out in its neighborhood!

The flyers and catalogs are designed to increase sales and find new customers, along with catering to your current ones. The shared expertise within the Toy Collection family of participating stores and vendor partners gives everyone involved a powerful edge in the Specialty Toy Category!

Contact us today for more information: 866-237-0189 fax 866-480-2347 info@toycollection.com toycollectionretailer.com.

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The Ukulele for Everyone!

Kala doesn’t make toy ukuleles. It’s a company that makes real ukuleles for the toy market – and that’s important for your business.

High-quality, entry-level musical instruments provide value for your customers.

In 2016, at Toy Fair in New York City, we recognized a real need for an actual, playable ukulele in the toy market. Our ukuleles are made with real strings and real tuners, and they are made to stay in tune. When someone has a great first experience, they will continue to learn and, at some point, upgrade or buy another ukulele.

To provide even more value, Kala offers learning materials at little or no cost to your customers. They can learn to play right out of the box! With every purchase of a Kala ukulele, they have access to free online lessons and our free app with tuner, with the option to subscribe to learn more than 2,000 popular songs.

Kala is the world’s largest ukulele brand, so selling our instruments benefits your store in two ways.

1. Brand recognition – we are an established, well-known brand in the music industry.

2. Instrument quality – selling a quality ukulele means happier customers and fewer returns.

The ukulele is a hot seller in toy stores – a trend that is here to stay. Many young people pick it up to emulate popular artists from around the world who have made the ukulele their main instrument.

The most effective way to sell ukuleles is to let your customers see it, touch it and hear it. Make sure shoppers can reach them! Get the instruments out from behind the counter and down off the top rack. If you are worried about small

children, put the ukuleles on a shelf that tweens, teens, and adults can reach, but also have at least one as a floor model for everyone to touch and play. A kite store in Southern California displays a Kala on a string outside its door. It hangs at waist level so that people walking by can stop and play it.

We are happy to work with you on how-to-sell ideas, and we offer a variety of wonderful, creative display options. When you order from us, we will help you brainstorm display solutions and let you choose from our selection of POP displays.

Kala ukuleles are for everyone. They are small, portable, and easy to take anywhere. It is not uncommon to see them being used in preschools and classrooms and with parents and kids together. Children can start learning as young as 3 years old, and teenagers and adults love them, too. They make a great musical, educational and brain-powered gift for anyone on your list! kalabrand.com, hello@kalabrand.com 877-853-3853

14 April 2020 — edplay.com

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INTRODUCING KALA’S ALL NEW, SOLID COLOR & GRAPHIC TOP, WOOD UKADELIC® UKULELES.

In our quest to always be one step ahead, we are bringing the best affordable ukulele to the market.

• Window Retail Packaging • Aquila Super Nylgut ® Strings • Black Drawstring Bag w/ Ukadelic Logo • Dealer Exclusive MAP: $29.99-$39.99

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An Inspiring Art+Play Experience Beautifully crafted Eco-bricks from Once Kids, distributed The Lazy Dog & Co., are made from FSC-certified wood.

Their smooth, blank surfaces are perfect for decorating and personalizing with markers, paint, stain, colored pencils and crayons, plus any other crafting media parents and their kids can imagine. They can even be carved!

Coloring and building with the bricks helps kids develop fine motor and visual-spatial skills, plus logic, creativity, and environmental awareness.

Eco-bricks are compatible with similar scale plastic construction blocks, but they’re not plastic. They’re an eco-friendly and durable alternative. They fit together as well as the original interlocking block sets because of their precise design.

Developing natural, heirloom-quality toys that are safe for the environment and non-toxic for children is a specialty of Once Kids.

(Once stands for Organic, Natural, Charitable and

Eco-friendly.) The wood they use is grown and harvested sustainably according to the highest environmental, economic and social standards.

Each year, 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans. More than 80 percent originates from land-based sources. To help clean the oceans, Once Kids donates 1 percent of the sales of their products to the Trash Free Seas Alliance of the Ocean Conservancy.

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The First and Only Original 3D Puzzle!

WREBBIT is the inventor of the original 3D jigsaw puzzles introduced 30 years ago.

Since then, the company has remained at the forefront of innovation.

More than 30 million units of Wrebbit3D jigsaw puzzles have been sold around the world since the early 1990s.

Today, they continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of millions of people everywhere, especially puzzle fans (kidults, teens and adults) looking for hours of fun and entertainment. Wrebbit’s focus on bigger-size models really tests the talents of diehard puzzlers who find the challenge exciting.

Designed and made in Canada in the company’s justin-time facility, Wrebbit3D puzzles use unique foam backing technology for tight-fitting pieces and sturdier 3D-assembled puzzles. They are easy to handle and offer the highest quality in design and illustration.

Since 2016, Harry Potter fans have had the opportunity to build several models from the Wizarding World. In 2019, Wrebbit introduced puzzles depicting favorite landmarks from the blockbuster “Game of Thrones” television series, as well as scenes from “Downtown Abbey.”

Today, 34 different models, including 15 from these top licenses, are sold in more than 45 countries around the world.

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Puzzles are Beneficial for Our Brains

Retailers report that sales of puzzles in all shapes and sizes are soaring. They keep kids and parents occupied at home in a healthy way.

Working a puzzle is relaxing and soothing and helps children develop basic skills such as shape recognition, concentration, goal setting, patience and a sense of achievement.

The Scratch and Sniff puzzles from MW Wholesale provide a delightful sensory bonus – smells! In addition to inspiring play, they help develop visual and scent recognition, small motor skills, and problem solving and critical thinking for kids age 5 and up.

With 70-plus pieces, they’re engaging to put together.

The silly, 14 by 19-inch finished scenes are a treat. The Sweet Smells Bakery puzzle features vanilla, chocolate and strawberry scents, while the Fruity Pool Party version offers banana, strawberry, and pineapple. Blue Raspberry, Grape, and Cherry characterize Jelly Jammers. (MSRP $14.95 each) For kids ages 3 to 5, floor puzzles provide extra fun with adorable designs and shiny foil accents. The pieces are thick and sturdy with unique shapes for curious minds.

One puzzle is about 2 by 3 feet assembled – great for classrooms and at home. A storage box with a handle makes them portable.

(MSRP $13.95 each) 18 April 2020 — edplay.com

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Toysmith’s Towers Power Sales “Toysmith Toy Towers provide instant pickups and add-ons. They are a definite must for any toy retailer, ” says storeowner Christine Osborne.

“We have used them for 30 years and the profit continues to soar exponentially each year,” explains the founder of Wonder Works Toy Stores in Charleston, South Carolina.

“Margins are extremely high and Toysmith keeps the displays fresh and new. What more can a retailer ask?”

If you’re not familiar with Toysmith’s flagship Toy Tower program, it consists of modular merchandising displays filled with impulse toy favorites. The displays can be found in retail spaces of all kinds, from specialty toy shops to game and gift stores. The Toy Tower program has been around for years and there are good reasons for that.

First, Toy Towers has proven to be a strong-margin and high-turnover program year after year. On average, a tower turns 3.4 times per year! It offers high profit margins of 50 to 70 percent, and returns that can generate $3,000 in incremental profit per tower per year.

Second, it’s a proven merchandising solution that will maximize your available space. One attractive modular unit contains items that cover all core play patterns. The durable displays are versatile and customizable to accommodate a variety of retail spaces (including yours!), whether you have a large area or only 2 square feet. A single tower only requires a 1 by 2-foot space. Multiple towers can be placed in endless configurations and locations, from an island to an endcap.

Third, the fixture’s clear acrylic material allows for a visually stunning array of toys in all the colors of the rainbow, enticing customers to find moments of spontaneous joy.

The Toysmith portfolio features more than 600 prod ucts that can be placed in a Toy Tower. These items pack a lot of play value and are cool, simple, and intuitive. “The Toysmith product team is always searching for the next trend in product themes, formats, and packaging,” explains Kendra Brandenburg, the company’s director of product management. “That means we keep our Toy Towers fresh with new on-trend products.”

Are 600 items just too many to choose from? If so, Toysmith has you covered. It launched the Toy Towers Kit program this year, designed to fast-track impulse buying and merchandising for its customers. The kits include a carefully curated assortment of best-selling new and ontrend impulse products. The pre-selected mix is shipped with one of the three most popular Toy Tower display configurations: single, double, or quad. Choose your Toy Tower Kit and watch your impulse profits climb.

The Toy Towers program offers successful impulse merchandising solutions, even in the most limited of spaces, and encourages spontaneous moments of joy each and every day. For more information, please call 1-800356-0474

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Tips for Holding Effective Remote Meetings

by Tina Manzer

Since social distancing became our way of life, there has been a surge of virtual meetings among people who normally communicate face to face.

Businesses, civic and church groups, friends, families and neighbors are using platforms like Zoom and Google Hangouts to come together to make decisions, solve problems, or strengthen relationships. Done right, online meetings can be even more effective than in-person meetings. A study conducted by Harvard Business Review revealed that 86 percent of participants in a remote meeting reported as high or higher levels of engagement as in face-to-face meetings.

But there’s catch: facilitating engagement is difficult, and not every leader of a meeting has that skillset.

“Poorly run group discussions are a serious concern even in normal times,” says Howard Tiersky, author of Impactful Online Meetings: How to Run Polished Virtual Working Sessions That are Engaging and Effective. “In times like these, they can be disastrous. It’s crucial that leaders get meetings right, right away.”

Here are a few of Tiersky’s tips that you can apply in your next virtual meeting – whether it’s with employees, vendors, customers or service providers.

Build social bonds

Meetings are held to share information, brainstorm solutions, coordinate activities, and assign tasks. But in order to work well together, remotely located people need to build social bonds. It’s more important now than in “normal” times, because everyone feels very isolated and disconnected.

“The more you can build a sense of community right now, the better for everyone’s emotional health and work performance,” says Tiersky, who suggests that more frequent virtual meetings may be a solution. “A well-run meeting can actually be a bright spot in an otherwise dreary and depressing day.”

Establish the mood up front

When they arrive, attendees are coming from a wide range of emotional “spaces,” some of them negative. Take control of their mindset and mood by encouraging casual conversation before the official start time. Avoid awkward silence dominated by a side conversation between just a few of your group on the line.

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“If you were face to face, you’d start out by chatting about sports or vacation plans,” says Tiersky. “You can’t NOT acknowledge the pandemic – it wouldn’t be authentic. The trick is to keep topics around it as positive as possible. Don’t let it overrun everything. You might ask if anyone has a funny story to share, or if they’ve seen creative ways their community is pulling together or giving back.”

Keep your purpose front and center

Make sure you know what that is ahead of time. Before you hold a meeting, identify your “why” and stay on message.

You might say, “Today’s goal is to plan a schedule for the next 30 days. We can take turns answering the phone, picking up mail, and accepting shipments. It’s important to maintain relationships with our vendors, customers and community so we can transition quickly and easily to ‘business as usual’.”

Have people introduce themselves

It’s necessary when people don’t know each other, but even if they do, it’s helpful if individuals can provide a 60-seconds-or-less presentation about the headline in their life right now, advises Tiersky. “This can be an interesting exercise, especially in extraordinary times.”

According to a study by Slack, a chat room app for entire companies, workers who share a funny or embarrassing story about themselves with their co-workers produce 26-percent more ideas in brainstorming sessions compared to workers who didn’t.

Keep the cameras on

Turn an audio call into a video conference, and expect a 200-percent-plus improvement in the effectiveness. With their cameras on, people remain engaged because they know what they’re doing is visible to everyone else. These days, most of your participants will have sufficient bandwidth, and nearly all computers have cameras.

Strategically sequence activities and announcements

The first item on your meeting agenda should be a restatement of the purpose of the meeting. After that, strategize the sequence of your activities.

• If there are any “elephant in the

room” topics, deal with those early

or they will be a distraction.

• If you have a fun or exciting

announcement to make, you may

want to hold it until the end. Let the

participants know it’s coming, but

keep the outcome a surprise to create suspense.

• If an agenda item is intense or may create some heated discussion, put it in the middle. Get people warmed up and feeling productive first and then hit them with the challenging topic.

Find creative ways to keep people engaged Polls: many online meeting platforms

have the ability to issue multiple choice polls and then show a graph

of participant responses. The same

can be done with chat questions.

Presenters: make everyone a

presenter, even if you simply ask

them to read a slide to the group.

Breakouts: breaking people up into

smaller groups to do work creates

more participation. Several of the

major online meeting platforms

including Zoom and Google

Hangouts now offer breakouts.

Assign a task to everyone

It’s possible for one person to present content, facilitate questions, ensure the meeting stays on time, and take notes, but why? There are others who can take on some of these responsibilities. Seek to distribute the roles of facilitator (responsible for running the agenda), presenter (responsible for sharing specific units of content), timekeeper

(watches the clock and alerts facilitators and presenters how to adjust their speed and content), and the note taker (documents the meeting).

“If you have a standing meeting, it can be rewarding to rotate these roles to different members of the team for each meeting,” says Tiersky. “Or, you may discover that someone ‘finds their home’ with a particular role and wants to play it on an ongoing basis.”

Gear up with a good headset

If you will be participating in or leading online meetings with any regularity, Tiersky recommends purchasing a headset that you plug into your device’s “aux” port. It will make your voice sound both clearer and richer and will eliminate more of the background noise. Furthermore, if you are using a laptop and plan to type at all during the meeting (for example to take notes), microphones embedded into laptops amplify typing noise, which can be distracting to those on the call (and make it sound like you are multitasking even if you aren’t). This problem is largely eliminated with a headset.

Keep your background visually clean and professional

Pay attention to what is behind you in the shot. Ensure the background is neat and professional. Alternatively, some tools such as Skype for Business will blur the background or allow you to automatically insert a substitute background. Avoid very bright areas such as a window on a sunny day as it may put you in shadow.

Avoid accidentally sharing sensitive documents or revealing a messy desktop

“If you’re going to be sharing your screen, close extra open applications, confidential documents, email, or other material you would not want to reveal,” says Tiersky. “If you have one of those desktops with 10,000 random icons on it like me, either clean that up or maximize the presentation screen so the audience will not see that mess.” (continued on page 46) April 2020 — edplay.com 23

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Don’t Panic That’s what Jennifer Rust, CEO of retail consulting firm Creative Profit Planning, is telling her clients.

A CPA for 30-plus years, Jennifer is also the former owner of a juvenile specialty store. It was her “dream job,” she says, and after operating it successfully for eight years, with the help of a financial coach and retail mentor, she became one herself.

“I help retail stores see more profit in their business,” Jennifer explains. “My clients are all over the country and represent several different verticals, although most are in the baby, kids and toy store arena. That is home for me. I go to the trade shows, I know the vendors, and I know the stores. That gives me a tremendous amount of value as a consultant/coach to those stores.”

Jennifer was a speaker at last year’s Marketplace & Academy, where she offered retailers five steps for finding the hidden cash in their businesses. Recently, on March 23, she was one of six panelists on a COVID-19 Conversation Circle hosted

by ASTRA. The discussion centered on the impact of the pandemic on our businesses. A few days later, we talked to Jennifer about what retailers should do right now, and what lessons they can take away from this to make their businesses stronger. edplay: What are you hearing from your clients?

Jennifer Rust: They’ve closed their stores to shoppers, and the uncertainty about what’s next is their biggest concern. They’re asking if their businesses can survive the shutdown.

I’ve helped each one plan, re-plan and plan again as the situation evolved – first to address a sales decline, then to help them decide to close or stay open, and finally to address their needs when closure was mandated. The plan is different for every store, but having a plan helps to give the business owner some control and alleviate everyone’s panic.

What are some of the things your plans addressed?

My main objective was to keep them at least cash-neutral for 30 days. I worked with them to develop a roadmap they could follow and share with their staff.

First we looked at their financial statements to figure out what their absolute minimum expenses were going to be. We had to figure out what payroll was going to look like. In some cases, everyone was laid off and just the owner was working.

In other cases, stores decided to keep their web team working.

Then we made some assumptions. We assumed that their landlords would either abate or waive their rent for the next 30 days, and that their credit card companies would waive interest for the month. We made the same assumption about their loans. In some cases, they could defer principal payments.

We looked at every upcoming expense and cash outlay they had and determined how we could eliminate or reduce it for a period of time.

From there, we determined what they would need to do in sales to cover their expected cash outlay and keep them cash-neutral for those 30 days. If they were not going to sell at all, then we needed to know how quickly they were going to burn through cash and where it was going to come from.

I found that once we completed and reviewed their plan, and they had a clear roadmap to follow, it helped to give them some peace of mind. It gave them and their remaining team members sales goals. From there they were able to put a marketing plan in

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place to follow the goals, taking it one day at a time.

What are some of the strategies, marketing and otherwise, that seem to be working?

The stores that were able to pivot to social selling are doing quite well, particularly those that had an already established community. They’re reaching out to customers via social media, email and phone calls with creative events, like virtual Easter basket shopping or virtual car-seat information sessions.

They are offering things like virtual shopping appointments, curbside pickup, and shipping options. Many sell via Facebook Live with a new offering to highlight daily.

Are consumers shopping right now? Yes they sure are; they’re desperate to keep their kids busy. I work with a group of bicycle stores that are seeing sales they would normally see only at Christmas. Parents are buying bikes for their kids and for themselves, so they can all get outside.

There are many things stores can do if they’re nimble enough to change.

What should stores be doing right now?

Know where they are financially. Their financial records should be contemporaneous, and they should know how to read them.

They should formulate a plan. Inventory planning is part of what I offer my clients so of course I think every store should have an inventory plan. The stores that have a plan – for inventory, for buying, and for cash flow – can make decisions immediately based on whatever circumstances present themselves.

Storeowners should know what products they have coming in and when to expect them. They can stop orders if they need to, or they can cut them down. If deliveries are showing up at the backdoor because a storeowner doesn’t know what she ordered, she can’t make plans or changes.

An inventory planner is not something that only big stores can afford. There are many small stores in my tribe, and they will tell you that they could not be successful without inventory planning. It saves them tens of thousands of dollars. In times like these, it keeps them in business.

Storeowners should be communicating with their employees about what’s going on and what they should expect as best they can. They should communicate with banks, landlords and vendors as well, preferably via phone (not email) to ask for payment deferments or abatements.

Every retailer should file a claim for business interruption insurance. Every policy has an exemption for the outbreak of an illness, but that could be overturned down the road. It’s total speculation on my part, but after 9/11, the government ruled that the wartime exemption clause in insurance policies did not apply, and businesses got paid.

If a retailer applies, and the exemption is overturned eventually, they may be eligible to get those funds. They should apply, get their letter of denial and hold onto that.

They should stay informed about assistance available from the federal government; from their states, too. Different states have different programs.

They need to understand the Family Leave Act and how it may impact their business and their employees.

What are some of the takeaways for retailers post-pandemic?

Keep reaching out to your community! Creating customer loyalty should be ongoing.

Now is the time to begin collecting customer contact information, and adding a loyalty program if they do not already have those procedures in place.

Learn how to use social media effectively so they can act quickly when their business survival depends on using it to reach customers.

Retailers should make it easy for stores to buy from them. I believe the shutdown may lead to more online buying than ever before, and that shoppers may want to continue supporting their local stores.

There are going to be stores that don’t make it. There are going to be empty storefronts, and favorite stores that will go away forever. I hope that it makes consumers think twice about buying from big-box and online stores.

The stores that survive this pandemic will be stronger, and have a better understanding of different sales channels. They will better understand the needs and wants of their community.

They should practice clienteling, and work to establish strong relationships with their customers. Examples of things they might do would be to use their point-of-sale system to generate lists of customers that they know like specific things.

They can call those customers when new, similar products come in. They could ask, “Would you like to FaceTime with me so I can show them to you? Or, can I send you pictures?”

This is not a new advice, but it has become more important than ever.

The aftershock of the pandemic is not going to go away immediately. Our stores may reopen, but people may be hesitant to shop like they used to. Retail storeowners must figure out what the new normal looks like for them, and adapt their business to fit that model. That would be my biggest piece of advice for doing business post-pandemic.

As a former retailer, Jennifer has lived and breathed what toystore owners experience every day. In her accounting practice, she has shared in many financial challenges with diverse small businesses and showed them the path to resolution. To reach Jennifer about helping your store, visit creativeprofitplanning. com or join her group for retailers at facebook.com/groups/ kidsandtoystorechiefs/or her manufacturer group at facebook. com/groups/toyandkidsstuffmanufacturers/

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Imagination Grows with Hubelino Since 2008, construction toys from this family-owned business in Germany have been inspiring the tinkerers and thinkers of tomorrow.

They are 100-percent compatible with popular building-block systems offered by other manufacturers, and are exclusively manufactured in Germany.

Company founder Stefan Amels, in cooperation with a Berlin-based design studio, created Hubelino based on the wellknown plug-in modular system. Hubelino’s product worlds turn existing brick building toys into an exciting and expandable construction toy.

The original Hubelino, a Duplo compatible system, was launched in the U.S. in 2018. Designed specifically for children age 4 to 8, it vastly expands the play life of Duplo-sized bricks by providing turns, funnels, launches, drops, colorful balls, exciting run elements, accessory expansion sets and additional bricks.

Today we are excited to showcase the new Hubelino Pi marble-run sets and accessories for older children. Using smaller building bricks, the system combines creative construction fun with daring marble tricks for kids age 8 and up. The steel marbles perform high-speed, action-packed stunts on intricate marble-run racetracks that kids build themselves! Pi is a true STEM toy that presents the power of physics in a fun and engaging way.

Like the original Hubelino, Hubelino Pi is compatible with the blocks, figures and themed worlds of other leading playbrick manufacturers and offers endless construction possibilities.

Brand new in the Pi product line are magnetic cannons. Called Gauss Cannons, they are coiled launchers that allow children to explore magnetism and kinetic energy in a way that entertains and engages. Shooting the steel marbles up the tracks defies the law of gravity! The untamed power of magnetism makes complicated pathways and intricate tunnel systems action-rich.

In October 2019, the Hubelino Pi product line was awarded the prestigious German Spiel Gut seal by the committee of children’s play + toys e.V. (Arbeitsausschuß Kinderspiel + Spielzeug e.V.). Independent experts examine toys and games for children aged 0 to 14 according to practice-relevant principles, and then the seal is awarded to products that

meet the criteria. According to the committee, a “good toys” supports the development of children by exceeding expectations, inspiring imagination, and offering a variety of play opportunities. It is also environmentally friendly, safe and high-quality.

Hubelino will set your specialty toy store apart from its competitors and give your customers a reason to come back again and again. Sets are in stock at HABA USA, Hubelino’s exclusive distributor in North America, for immediate delivery. Free demos are given with qualifying orders. Please check with your HABA USA sales representative for more details – visit habausa.com, email info@habausa.com, or call 800-468-6873.

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100% compatible with popular building block systems.

Awarded with the spiel gut Seal.

Hubelino and the HubelinoŽ Logo are registered trademarks of the Hubelino GmbH. Detailed information about product design can be found on our website. Design patents are issued for all products. Š 2020 Hubelino GmbH Exclusively distributed by HABA USA 4407 Jordan Road, Skaneateles, NY 13152 USA Mail: info@HABAusa.com Phone: 315-685-6660

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Good Vibrations Steel Tongue Drums, the newest line of musical instruments from Amahi, won “Best in Show” at the National Association of Music Merchants annual convention in January.

The new product was described as “an indestructible instrument that would be easy to sell to parents because the sound won’t drive them crazy!” The drums come in four unique tunings and sizes: 6, 8, 10 and 12 inches, with a MAP of $69, $89, $129 and $159 respectively. Each one comes standard with a padded carrying bag and set of mallets. Color options include black, bronze, matte green and glossy red or blue.

Made from high carbon steel, they stand up to rugged play. The sounds they make are more like chimes, which to some are more pleasant than the sounds of traditional drums.

“The steel tongue drum is a relatively new musical instrument,” explains Amahi Sales Rep Amanda Brock. “It was created in 2007 and originally made from an empty propane tank. The tank is turned over and the ‘tongues’ are cut in varying lengths to create the desired pitch.

“Before coming to market with this product, we noticed that many of the steel tongue drums available were expensive, making them out of reach. We found ways to manufacture them to reduce the costs substantially, and thus offer them with a very affordable price point.”

They don’t require any musical

knowledge or special skills, says Amanda. Steel tongue drums are easy for any child or adult to play, and they’re ready to go right out of the box.

“Even very young children can use the mallets – or their fingers or hands – to make a sound right from the start. Most of the four unique tunings are pentatonic scales, which means that you pretty much can’t play a wrong note.”

Children can play steel tongue drums by themselves to explore their own ideas and make up their own songs. “Kids who are already familiar with numbers and letters can also play popular children’s tunes with the help of online materials. Each drum comes with stickers labeling each note of the scale with both a number and letter. Learning to play ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ can be as easy as showing them to play 1, 1, 5, 5, 6, 6, 5.”

Creating music has many benefits and contributes to brain development. “We believe our drums inspire creativity and activate imagination. At the same time they create a sense of focus and calm. Steel tongue drums help develop fine motor skills – creating the sounds use small movements in fingers, hands and wrists.

“They are also fun for adults to play, and can help to develop a stronger bond between children and parents,” Amanda concludes.

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Hands-On Creative Success for Seniors Primarily known as products for children, the Wikki Stix line of colorful, wax-coated “stix” is adding kits this year specifically developed for senior citizens.

Armchair Fun for Seniors was created to provide engaging entertainment for those solitary times seniors often deal with, at home or in assisted living and nursing home facilities.

Seniors with limited mobility are too often relegated to reading or watching TV. With this new product, they have something hands-on to do that is simple, satisfying and successguaranteed. Armchair Fun comes with a sturdy lapboard, so Wikki Stix doodling and creativity can be enjoyed in the comfort of a favorite chair or even a wheelchair.

The same characteristics that make Wikki Stix ideal for preschoolers make them an excellent product for the senior crowd. They’re bright and colorful – easy for older eyes to see – and soft and pliable – easy for arthritic fingers 30 April 2020 — edplay.com

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to manipulate. They’re also endlessly reusable and totally forgiving. They encourage fine motor skills, visual-spatial skills, logic, creativity, concentration and focus – beneficial for any age!

So, in addition to the myriad products Wikki Stix offers for kids, here is an activity idea that truly spans the ages of 3 to 103!

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Taking Play to a Higher Level When it says HABA on the outside, you can expect something fantastic on the inside, including legendary quality and safety.

We test to levels higher than required by law. But we also delight in giving kids and families the unexpected, like additional levels of play and learning in every product we sell.

Take our new bath books, for instance. They make bath time fun and keep kids on the water longer. They also include a color-changing feature that reinforces the effects of hot water on cleaning.

You’ll find more levels of play in our wooden toys, too.

Kullerbü (right) is a vehicle railway system that’s also a large-scale marble run. Creative Stones, the 3-D arranging game, is not only a mosaic toy, but also a block-building set.

With all the free play they encourage, even our board games provide additional levels of value.

Because of all that creativity, HABA toys and games get used over and over again.

Fred Rogers said that play is a child’s job. Toys are the tools children use to do their job. At HABA, we want to equip children with the best tools possible – tools that help them grow and develop while they are having fun.

HABA´S MAGICAL BATH BOOKS

Color with water! A little water makes the white pages turn into a colorful story. Great EASTER basket toys!

$250 FFA HABA USA · info@HABAusa.com · www.HABAusa.com · 800-468-6873 USA_Edplay_20HE0103.indd 1

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Making memories with lights!

When the sun goes down, the family fun is just beginning.

Brightz outdoor and bike LED accessories encourage active play and keep the party going all night long.

brightz

For more information please contact info@brightz-ltd.com

“I went camping and I Brought Brightz Lightz!”

by Andrew Pinciotti, Graphic Designer

“Once upon a time, I spent a weekend camping with friends and family. Our entire campsite was transformed into a glowing paradise thanks to Brightz.”

“We started by firing up the grill to cook my famous barbecue chicken. After dinner, a group of us decided to go for an evening “glow roll.” As the sun was setting along the winding trail, our bikes lit up from wheel to frame with our tool-less, battery operated, Wheel Brightz, Cosmic Brightz and Cruzin Brightz LED lights. Making memories never looked so good.

“Back at the campsite, we started a fire to roast some marshmallows. Close by, our beverages stayed ice cold in a glowing cooler, illuminated by Cooler Brightz. The radiating light turned our basic icebox into a classy refreshment station that we couldn’t miss in the dark. Teams were chosen for a game of cornhole –

so were the many colors of Toss Brightz. They sprayed colored light all over the boards and we were able to play well into the night.”

At Brightz, we hear many stories about the ways our accessories excite kids and adults into riding their bikes again. We love having fun together, and our diamond-bright LED lights help us do that, anywhere and any time of day.

Our family-owned and operated company enjoys making the world a brighter place, one light at a time.

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Welcome to the Land of Dough

Known for creating the best putty on earth, Crazy Aaron’s has once again reinvented a childhood classic.

Made on Main Street right here in the USA, Land of Dough play dough is designed with all the same care and attention as Thinking Putty for a unique and wonderful play experience that has no equal.

Handcrafted from all-natural ingredients, compostable glitters, and organic essential oils, Land of Dough playing dough features plant-based colors and a signature calming scent comprised of lavender, lemongrass, and chamomile.

There’s a world of wonder to experience inside every cup.

Land of Dough Cups are inspired by classic themes and magical places. With varieties like Double Dinosaur, Princess Pink, and Space Galaxy, they’re a perfect way to capture imagination.

Luxe Cups are extraordinary by design. Featuring a variety of interactive motifs, this collection dials up the play value with multilayered dough colors, charming patterns, and fun surprises that are sure to delight.

An innovator and world leader in the next generation of creative play, Crazy Aaron’s has been making genuine Thinking Putty and other creative products for more than 20 years. From unbelievable effects to awesome accessories, and from DIY sets to games, Crazy Aaron’s products bring joy, wonder, and fun to people of all ages. Using high-quality materials and ingredients, Crazy Aaron’s products are all made in the U.S. with the help of exceptional individuals challenged with intellectual, physical, and other disabilities.

Land of Dough and Thinking Putty offerings are available in dozens of colors and varieties, including seasonal selections and limited editions.

Welcome to a land of enchantment, a land of discovery, a land where the only limits are imagination. Welcome to Land of Dough.

Handcrafted in USA All-natural Ingredients Plant-based Colors Compostable Glitters

Organic Essential Oils Eco-friendly Packaging Rehydrates for Extended Use Air Dries for Sculpting

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“Declutter Your Planet!”

It’s the rallying cry that launches environmental do-gooders on a fun and frantic race.

They report to the tabletop for Astro Trash, an original, award-winning, non-stop dice-rolling game by Usaopoly (The Op)!

The game is designed for three to five players age 6 and up, and it’s fun for the whole family.

Thanks to a sanitation spacecraft gone haywire, a collection of debris has been released into the vast universe, covering once inhabitable worlds with disruptive litter. The object for each player is to displace these colorful, free-floating pieces of trash from his or her mat so that it can be either incinerated by the Sun or disposed of by another player. Players rapidly roll the dice and follow the directives to clear their planet of the pieces being flung at them by neighbors to their left and right who have their own sets of dice! It relies on quick wits – all players work simultaneously to be the first one to clear their pieces off the board!

Astro Trash is a ton of fun and very easy to demo. There are three different dice each player will roll.

• The direction die, which shows L (left), R (right), the Sun (middle), and ? (any direction) to determine where the trash will be sent; • The color-coded die, which corresponds with the kind of trash a player can dispose of; and • A third die that indicates how many pieces – 1, 2, or 3 – will be passed off of the active player’s planet.

Players roll the dice, perform the action and repeat. They keep rolling until all pieces are off their planet to claim the trash trophy and win the round. They play until someone wins all three trophies; thus winning the game.

Astro Trash is fun for all who play. It’s quick to learn and enjoyable for both parents and kids. From playing this game, kids develop hand-eye coordination and learn good gaming values, like playing fair and being honest (no one oversees which pieces are being passed based on the dice). They also learn to quickly process the information from the dice to then pass the trash in different directions.

We encourage players to play standing up – the game can become quite intense with all the fast-paced dice rolling!

It is a blast to see how excited kids get with the high-speed dice-flying nature of this game. Put it out on a demo table in your store to quickly get people playing and having fun.

Debris, or not debris? There’s only one way to find out!

Choose Astro Trash for your next game night!

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for your business information Trend Shifts May Impact “Normal” (as in “Back to Normal”)

In a discussion of the ways consumers’ behavior has changed during the pandemic, Social Media Today highlighted the importance of recent online engagement trends.

“Consider how they can be utilized in your own promotional efforts, or even just to get a handle on how your communities are feeling and what they’re looking for,” wrote blogger and author Andrew Hutchinson. “That way, you can tailor your offerings according to need.”

All of us are witnessing – if not participating in – the increase in online shopping. Here are a few of the other trends Andrew spotted.

• Online communities are filling the void caused by loss of community connection, at a time when people need to feel connected the most. Facebook has pushed its “groups” usage for a while, and more than 1 billion Facebook users are active members of groups already. “The interesting consideration stemming from

these virtual meeting spaces is how they will extend beyond the social-distancing period.”

• “Many workplace experts have already noted that the forced shift to working from home will likely alter the way businesses approach their operations after the pandemic,” he notes. “The increased engagement in virtual work groups could make them even more significant and connective elements, and valued tools for support and assistance.”

• Video interaction has exploded.

Events that are traditionally social and external are being streamed online. Dance club DJs, for instance, are streaming their sets to get feedback because all of their venues are closed. DJs on livestreaming service Twitch have been featuring independent electronic musicians rather than celebrities, which is giving increased exposure to lesser-known artists. “This

could lead to further behavioral shifts beyond this isolation period to define the next generation of digital content consumption.”

• The number of minutes spent by readers on news sites has increased by 46 percent compared to the same time last year.

“The world that exists on the other end of the current pandemic, whenever that may be, will likely be very different from the one before it,” Andrew wrote.

“In many ways you would expect, and hope, that things will go back to normal, but it is worth noting trends and shifts like these, and considering what they might mean for digital consumption as we move ahead.”

Walmart Hiring Surge Comes as Unemployment Claims Skyrocket

In mid-March, Walmart Inc. pledged to hire 150,000 hourly workers, increasing its work force by 10 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of March 26, it had hired 25,000 new employees and presented offers to thousands more in an effort to keep its shelves stocked and checkouts staffed, reports Bloomberg. By eliminating formal interviews and written job offers, and empowering store managers to make verbal offers right away, the retailer has compressed its hiring process into three hours compared to the normal two weeks. According to Dan Bartlett, executive vice president of corporate affairs, applicants include highschool and college students, along with those let go from jobs at restaurants and hotels.

The number of American service workers filing for unemployment benefits continues to escalate as employers

deal with the drop of consumer demand. Meanwhile, Target Corp. says that its comparable sales of everyday essentials including food and beverages, have risen more than 50 percent compared to the same time last year, reports Bloomberg.

Walmart should give its part-time associates more hours instead of hiring new people, says Stacy Rowback, an associate at the Walmart in Gloversville, New York, and a member of United for Respect, a labor-advocacy group that has targeted Walmart and Amazon. “The new hires are there to do our job for us,” she told Bloomberg. Bartlett insists that adding hours for existing employees is a priority before new hires come on board.

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Brands Jump In to Class Up Your Quarantine

“Working from home” takes on new meaning when people can actually see your home. Zoom and video conferencing apps like it have a lot of people scrambling pre-meeting for a room with a view that does not include dirty dishes or unfolded laundry. “The coronavirus outbreak and its resulting era of quarantine has us all beaming unfiltered versions of our homes out to the masses; bosses and clients included, ” notes ADWEEK.

Zoom, arguably the most popular video platform these days, helps solve a problem we didn’t even know we had until a few weeks ago, the magazine reports. It gives each user the option of choosing a virtual video backdrop. It offers a library of choices that range from boardroom scenes to skylines, but it also offers users the opportunity to use their own images.

Rather quickly, brand marketers got on board to get ahead of the demand for suitable images.

Fashion Retailer Makes PPE

Nordstrom, the largest employer of tailors in North America, is sewing more than 100,000 masks for distribution to health-care workers. Participants include members of its alterations teams in Washington, Oregon, California and Texas.

The masks will then be given to tailor partner Kaas Tailored for sanitization before being distributed to Providence Health & Services, a not-for-profit healthcare system that operates hospitals in six states.

Nordstrom is one of many retail operations and fashion firms helping to supply personal protective equipment, reports Footwear News. Neiman Marcus Group is working with Jo-Ann Fabrics to make masks, gowns and scrubs; and designers are converting their supply chains, ateliers and factories to make medical supplies. Athletic powerhouses Nike and New Balance are beginning to make mask prototypes.

Nordstrom has shut down its stores in the U.S. and Canada, and is planning to furlough some corporate employees for six weeks, says Footwear News. From April to September, Erik and Pete Nordstrom will forfeit their salaries.

Behr Paint offers Behr Your Background, a library of stylish room designs that you can download for free.

Furniture and home decor retailer West Elm also offers a range of backgrounds (rustic log cabin spaces, chic living rooms) that can be downloaded direct from its Instagram account. Restaurant review site The Infatuation offers a backdrop selection that pays homage to food.

“There’s also a vanity filter called Touch Up My Appearance, which helps you look like you haven’t just rolled out of bed or peeled yourself off the couch,” adds ADWEEK. “The feature could become increasingly useful as the lockdown drags on.”

The Great Coronavirus Retail Reset: Advice for Getting it Right from The Retail Doctor

Here are a few suggestions from Bob Phibbs’ blog on March 31. To read his full post, visit retaildoc.com.

• “Instead of looking at how much your business is down, celebrate the fact that you have a business at all.”

• “Shoppers have to feel good when they return. No, they have to feel awesomely, even fabulously, thrilled at going to your store. They’ll be open to more humanity. They’ll have had enough fear.”

• “The great shame would be to go back to little interaction and taking shoppers’ wallets for granted. If that happens, this time to pause, reflect, gird your loins, reset, and fight for your business will have been for naught.”

• “Take care of the customers who find you. Brand their butt with your brand and the product, service and most of all, the feeling they get from interacting with you. In a few weeks you can look at the trends and notice it is all trailing upwards. But for now be of service and be grateful.”

• “Be of service now.”

• “Hone the craft of retail.”

• “Train every associate to create an exceptional experience.

That’s because pretty soon in the future, you’ll have the propensity to say, “I’m too busy to train.” You’ll return to the least necessary actions to feel good about yourself. At that moment, you’ll return to a path other small businesses and national chains are riding into oblivion.”

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industry news The website of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, astratoy.org, is posting a wealth of information designed to help its members do business and stay healthy during the coronavirus shutdown. Among the resources available from its Corona Virus Update Page are ideas for reaching out to customers, advice and encouragement from ASTRA board members, and podcasts that offer practical business ideas retailers can act on now.

In addition, the association is sending digital messages that offer words of encouragement, and recommendations on staying afloat as customers stay home. “This pandemic is impacting our industry in wildly different ways, in many cases based almost entirely on our geography,” wrote retailer Amy Saldanha from Kiddywampus in Minnesota.

“We see businesses with record sales, many that are shut done entirely, and every possible combination in between.” In her post on March 30, she also offered these recommendations.

“Contact your landlord, credit card companies, vendors, Small Business Administration, unemployment for your employees and state resources. Take action now to figure things out.”

ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy 2020 has been canceled due to concerns about COVID-19. The next Marketplace will be held June 6-9, 2021, in Minneapolis.

Registration costs for attendees will be refunded to the original payment method used by June 30, 2020. It may take up to two weeks to appear on a credit card statement, said marketplaceandacademy.org. Attendees were given the option to donate their fees to the ASTRA Foundation by emailing foundation@astratoy.org by May 31.

By April 3, hotel reservations made through Experient Housing were canceled on each attendee’s behalf. Attendees who did not receive an e-mail cancellation confirmation can call Experient: 800-424-5249. Attendees who booked outside of the official hotel block, not through Experient, should contact their hotel directly.

“Ultimately, the safety and health of our community is our number-one priority,” said a statement on the website.

“In guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Protection on large gatherings, it became clear that cancelling the show was the best decision going forward.”

ASTRA can be reached at info@astratoy.org or 312-222-0984.

“Take this time to focus, uninterruptedly, on your business. Tackle that “if only I had the time” list, including improving your website, figuring out social media, setting up a YouTube channel, mastering open-tobuy, and figuring out the best ways to reach boomers.”

Opening its doors for the 71st time, Germany’s annual Spielwarenmesse this winter hosted 63,500 independent retailers and buyers from 136 countries. Numbers were down from 2019 (66,876), and linked to fears surrounding the coronavirus.

In terms of exhibitors, 2,843 companies from 70 countries displayed products compared to 2,886 last year.

Taking a closer look at the visitor numbers, 66 percent (62 percent last year) travelled to Nuremberg from abroad.

The UK and the U.S. posted the biggest increases. “We keep coming back because there’s simply no other show that connects so many prospective partners,” said Alexandre Pariente, CEO of Safari, a Spielwarenmesse exhibitor for more than 25 years. Another U.S. company, Mattel, used the industry event to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

The show highlighted three trends: “Toys for the Future,” “Digital Goes Physical,” and “Be You!” Besides tolerance and inclusion, the trends focus on the connection between digital and traditional toys, and environmental awareness. “The Spielwarenmesse perfectly reflects our philosophy of sustainability, which will play an even stronger role in the industry in the future,” says Alain De Rauw, international sales director of PlanToys.

“Amplify your business’s personality online with ‘throwback’ posts. They will remind customers of great past events in your store that you can’t wait to host again.

Our stores are known for being happy, joyful and magical experiences. How can we share those feelings with our customers when they need it the most? We are connectors in our community. Even if we can’t sell, we can still connect.”

“Doing what we can to stay in our best physical shape is crucial. Make sure you are eating well, hydrating, getting enough sleep, exercising.”

“Remember what books, podcasts and videos inspire you and make sure you work some of that into your day.”

“As we gradually get through this (and we will), consider what our customers need and want from us, and what we can do right now to put our businesses in the best position when they open back up.”

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Schleich USA, the American arm of the German manufacturer based in Schwäbisch Gmünd, is celebrating the company’s 85th year. Known throughout the world for its detailed, high-quality and realistic animal figurines, Schleich and its products are facilitators of open-ended play.

In a new marketing campaign for 2020 called the Power of Imagination, the company is collaborating with toy photographer Mitchel Wu to remind adults just how sensational and fantastic a child’s imagination can be. Wu’s images for the campaign, introduced at Toy Fair, depict details dictated by kids during open-ended playtime with Schleich products.

“They help break down the barrier between what parents see and what their kids experience,” explained Annie Laurie Zomeraand, comanaging director of Schleich USA. “While adults might only see kids moving figurines around a play space, kids are imagining dinosaurs that help them with their homework, and bears that do backflips in outer space.”

A highlight of Schleich’s anniversary year will be the release of a limited-edition golden lion figurine, available in select stores during the August-September promotional period. Its golden color and glittery mane represent the value of the brand.

In 1935, Friedrich Schleich founded the company and had early success with a proprietary character called Jopo. Licenses with Walt Disney and the Smurfs followed. Since the 1980s, the company has been focusing on its animal figurines.

Toy Fair’s New York host, the Javits Center, has become an emergency health care facility with a 2,500-bed capacity.

As the city struggles with the COVID-19 virus, the Manhattan expo center will house patients with health-care needs unrelated to the disease.

“By not housing COVID-19 patients, Javits avoids other considerations that would need to be made,” reports Marketwatch. “For patients with infectious diseases, healthcare facilities need ‘negative pressure’ environments that keep airborne germs from spreading to other regions of the building.”

The iconic tradeshow venue has been outfitted with four 250-bed medical station kits, each equipped with beds and medical supplies supplied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Health and Human Services Department. Rows of clusters of 16 makeshift rooms – eight rooms back-to-back – are enclosed with white walls and a curtain.

“Model rooms on display during a briefing contained a foldout chair, a lamp, a side table with a potted plant, a trash can, and medical equipment,” said MarketWatch. “Power outlets are being distributed so patients can charge their phones.

Facing the loss of walk-in customers due to COVID-19, Wonder Works in the Belle Hall Shopping Center in Charleston, South Carolina, has reinvented its shopping experience using immersive reality. Customers can explore the aisles of the store’s largest location via a virtual tour created by local company H3 Photography. A link to the tour is available at wonderworkstoys.com.

First shared on Linked In on Monday, March 23, the experience boasted 10,000 interactions by the following day. The store is offering no-touch curbside pickup and porch delivery. It is accepting telephone orders from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.

Wonder Works and its owner Christine Osborne have been on the cutting edge of retail trends and experiences for nearly 30 years. Last March, two of its stores debuted the country’s first interactive, imaginative play centers from Melissa & Doug; and in 2018, Wonder Works revealed the first-ever Mattel store-within-a-store.

“The Javits Center is equipped with several amenities that make it a useful location for housing hospital patients,” the article continued. “Not only was it sizable and empty, it provides caregivers private areas in secure rooms that already exist.”

It seems like only yesterday that the center teemed with more than 100,000 toys and games and tens of thousands of toy professionals. Its Crystal Palace entrance welcomed exhibiting companies from 30 countries including many that were absent last year, including Bolivia, Finland, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, New Zealand, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.

In 2021, Toy Fair will again be held at the Javits Center, Saturday, February 13 to Tuesday, February 16.

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retailers recommend

1 fatbraintoys.com

2

buddhaboard.com

mukikim.com

InnyBin (1) from Fat Brain is a next-gen sorting box. It gives kids the freedom to explore and experiment with shapes and textures. We love that it is frustration-free and open ended.

The Genius Square game (2) from Mukikim was a surprising bestseller for us in the fourth quarter. It seems to be a perfect gift for hard-to-buy-for people. We had a demo displayed on a game table, and nearly everyone who played bought one ‌ or four!

Buddha Board (3) is a perennial favorite. Painting with water only means no mess! It is extremely soothing for times like these, and encourages the idea of living in the moment.

The UFO Drone (4) from Leading Edge is a hot seller right now. The new self-flying, hand-controlled drone is extremely easy to fly using simple hand motions and 360-degree sensors.

3

leadingedgenovelty.com

by Christine Osborne, Wonder Works Toy Stores in Charleston, South Carolina

4

choosefriendship.com

5

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galexieglister.com

Anything from the ’90s and everything ‘VSCO girl’ are trending right now.

The Friendship Bracelet Kit (5) from Choose Friendship fits perfectly into that category. This updated version includes a device holder so kids and teens can follow along on the app while creating designs.

We’re obsessed right now with Galexie Glister (6) It’s a safe, nontoxic body glitter and a blast to apply on your skin or in your hair. It’s totally mess free and washes off super easily.

The Disco Swing (7), another kit from Swurfer’s new line of swings, is a classic rope swing with three-in-one function. Kids can sit, stand or climb. It’s a local company for us, and we know they offer superior quality.

Kids can’t get enough of Hatch ’n Grow (8) from Toysmith. They’re simple, magical, and a great-selling impulse item.”

Silly, interactive animals are a huge hit!

The Egg Laying Hen (9) from HearthSong plays “The Chicken Dance” while she lays three eggs and bounces around. Kids just can’t seem to get enough of dancing animals.

Soccer meets badminton with Kickit (10). The game concept has existed for centuries, but Eli Dent from Charleston recently took it to the next level with fun and exciting results.

hearthsong.com

10

7

6

swurfer.com

8

toysmith.com

9

kickit.net

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new & true 1

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Fractiles is a fun and simple magnetic toy and a unique STEAM tool. It comes with brightly colored tiles in three different diamond shapes. All their angles are compatible with the number 7. That’s why the patterns created with them on the black magnetic board are always beautiful.

Fractiles is a math and science learning tool, an alternative to screen time, and a fun activity among family members and friends age 6 to 106.

They are made entirely in the USA, and are safe for children and the environment. They build beneficial skills and provide geometric education and play. Find out more at our new website. fractiles.com

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1. Modarri’s new line of Monster Trucks have mixand-match parts. Thanks to the Modular Building System made popular by the Ultimate Toy Car, the trucks have retained screws that won’t fall out.

They loosen with the hex tool provided to swap out one part (or many) for another. The M1 Space Invaders Truck has more than a dozen interchangeable parts: the chassis, hoods, fenders, frame, tires and rims. Two other sets are available to create mashed-up designs using parts from all three! Designing and building cars is fun at any age, says Modarri. Sharing parts and exploring new creations creates quality time with family. modarri.com

2. Kala’s Learn to Play Color Chord Ukulele Starter Kit offers a complete learning experience for ukulele.

It includes a high-quality plastic Kala Soprano Ukulele with four basic chord markers, free online lessons, a free app with tuner and songs, and a tote bag.

Attractive packaging is a bonus for in-store display. The soprano ukulele is the smallest and most common size with the shortest scale length and tightest fret spacing. This version includes an inlay with fret position markers for beginners. Made of ABS composite plastic, it’s water resistant, durable and easy to clean – perfect for students, parents, and teachers ages 3 to 103. kalabrand.com

3. Tweens, teens, college co-eds and preschoolers have loved and smooshed huggable MooshMoosh plush ever since it debuted two years ago. The variety of characters are good company and provide comfort as pillow pals, bedtime buddies and cuddle companions wherever they are needed. “Their super-cool shape and design make them more socially acceptable than the plush animals associated with childhood,” said Exceptional Parent Magazine in their Toy & Gift Guide 2019. New this year are eight “Squared” animal and fantasyinspired characters, including star-studded Stella, an energetic lion with a festive rainbow mane.

All Moosh-Moosh are 100-percent polyester and machine washable. moosh-moosh.com

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4. Puzzle Doubles! Create A Scene Castle and Neighborhood from The Learning Journey invites children to swap pieces and use their imagination as they put together the puzzle. The single-story home can become a three-story mansion with windows for seeing a cat, a princess or a friendly face. The pieces are sturdy and the charming homes and landscapes provide comfort.

With more than 60 pieces, this puzzle measures 3 by 2 feet!

Puzzles are popular with parents and kids at home. They provide a safe, healthy, and therapeutic outlet without the use of an electronic screen. Puzzle Doubles! is not just “one and done.” With endless combinations, it will keep kids occupied for hours. tlji.com.

5. The Rainbow Discovery Mirror from HABA for babies 6 months-plus provides multiple skill-building elements and features to discover as they play. The ring is easy for babies to pick up from surfaces and hold onto, a motion that helps improve hand-eye coordination and grip strength. Its variety of textures and colors can improve babies’ sensory receptors. The pieces and shapes surrounding the ring are securely attached for safe exploration, and the ring itself is soft for teething.

It’s easy to attach to a playpen, crib or baby carrier – even a favorite pacifier thanks to its hook-and-loop fastener. info@ habausa.com habausa.com

6. Relative Insanity See What I Mean? from Playmonster offers photographic evidence that your family is crazy. In Jeff Foxworthy’s new game, the Judge displays one of the hilarious Photo Cards. Players roll the die to see if they caption it using a punchline, “What happened next?” or “What would granny say?” Whichever one it is, the caption will be really funny!

Then, everyone else chooses one of their Caption Cards to play and the Judge picks the funniest, second funniest and, if it applies, a Black Sheep (a baaaa-aaad caption choice)! For age 14 to adult. playmonster.com orders@playmonster.com 800-524-4263

7. Chalk of the Town’s 2019 holiday sales increased 400 percent over the same season in 2018 thanks to the increasing popularity of its washable chalkboard surfaces.

Kids and adults are expressing their creativity with products that range from a round fabric patch to a tote bag. Each features a surface to decorate with water-based chalk markers. The design won’t smudge when dry, but it can be erased and redesigned over and over again for age 4 to adult T-shirt Kits come with a marker, emoji stencil, erasing cloth and 100-percent cotton T-shirt. Choose from three chalkboard designs and a range of colors and sizes. chalk-of-the-town.com

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new & true

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Elapsed-Time Dice from Koplow Games are simple, skill-building learning aids that help teach a difficult concept. In a fun way, they help kids in grades 2 and up understand how much time has passed, or will pass, between two different events.

Elapsed-time dice are among the 1,200 different standard and polyhedral dice offered by Koplow Games. The company’s extensive educational line includes a variety of different math dice plus math manipulative dice verbalized in several different languages. Elapsed Time Dice come in three sets: four jumbo (29mm) 12-sided dice including a yellow pair for a.m. and a white pair for p.m.; and a set of jumbo yellow a.m. dice only, and a set of p.m. dice only. info@ koplowgames.co, 1-800-899-0711

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8. Isolating at home can make kids feel pressured.

When they need a break from “wash your hands, do your schoolwork, turn off the television,” escaping to their own private fort for a while can be healthy, says child development expert Maureen Healy. Forts provide a sense of security – difficult to attain right now. The AirFort is a great solution. It inflates in less than 30 seconds by attaching it to a fan. It’s messfree: no cushions, blankets or pillows are needed. It folds into a small carrying case when kids are done, and it also travels easily on road trips or to a friend’s house. airfort.com

9. Here’s a way to evoke nostalgia among parents and grandparents shopping in your store. Monchhichi, the adorable plush monkey, is back.

Born in Japan in 1974, it was licensed by Mattel in the U.S. until 1985, and then distributed worldwide by its original Japanese company. Today, Aliquantum International (AQI) is distributing Monchhichi to the North American Market.

A manufacturer, distributor and licensee, AQI maintains offices in California, Ohio, Japan and China. Over the years, Monchhichis have become a symbol of respect and friendship – the perfect gift for all occasions. It’s been a stylish pop-culture icon since the 1980s and your customers will love it. 888-250-5888

10. Inklings are colorful and quirky soft toys for babies paired with graphic infant novels.

Their textures and noises from crinkling to rattling provide sensory stimulation. Inklings come from the idea that a tiny spark in a child’s imagination can create something wonderful and unique. The story that accompanies each Inkling shows how that single spark can create a caring imaginary best friend.

Inklings are genderless and the children who imagine them are diverse. Characters include: Ollie the Oddball Oddbird, Wobby the Wild Eared Wala, and Gus the Toothy Tusked Rus. “As long as you have your imagination, you’re never really alone.” inklingsbaby.com, info@ inklingsbaby.com

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11. “Since our toys focus on the healthy development of children, we want to make the environment they’re growing up in healthy as well,” says Geomag World about the launch of its new green strategy. The company worked for years to increase the sustainability of its production process, and now it’s introducing products made from 100-percent recycled materials.

New Geomag World Classic and Panel Collections use magnetic rods, panels and bases made from 100-percent recycled plastic. Also made from 100-percent recycled plastic are the sets’ new, durable, on-the-go storage containers. The cardboard packaging is created from recycled materials. geomagworld.com

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12. Characters from Scooby Doo and DC Comics are new to the SqueezyMates licensed toy and collectible line from Party Animals.

The slow-rising, fun-to-squeeze foam figures may include Scooby’s friends plus select monsters and villains. Batman, Superman, Lex Luthor, Green Lantern and many more heroes and villains will become part of the DC Comics SqueezyMates family. Party Animals in Westlake, Ohio, has manufactured professional and collegiate sports and entertainment licensed toys, flags and decor for more than 30 years.

The company behind the popular TeenyMates offers more than 1,000 products licensed by Warner Bros., the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, and MLS, plus 50-plus colleges. partyanimalinc.com ales@partyanimalinc.com

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13. The new Power Blox Light ’N Flight from E-Blox takes brick building fun to a whole new level.

Using the E-Blox patented battery module, LEDs, motor module and conductive parts, kids can build 3-D circuits directly into their structures to bring them to life with lights and motion. Structures include an airplane or helicopter with flashing lights and spinning propellers, an air boat with a spinning fan, and a double-fan shooter that launches two fans high in the air together. E-Blox is directly compatible with other brick toy sets, and requires one 9V battery (not included). jim@myeblox.com

14. WOKI Bot joins Play Vision’s line of Xstrem Bots. Billed as “my first coding robot,” WOKI was designed for children age 5 and up.

It reads colors and then responds to them with different actions. Using the 81 tiles that come with WOKI, kids can create different mazes and then help the robot solve the challenge using colored chips. STEAM toys resonate with parents, says The Toy Association. Sixtyseven percent of whom believe they encourage math and science development in young children.

The Computer Science Teachers Association agrees, saying that basic coding needs to be taught to young students, just like the basics of electricity and gravity.

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Tips for Holding Effective Remote Meetings

(continued from page 23)

Sharpen your presenting skills

Use story: talking in bullet points puts people to sleep,

so find a way to make your content into a story.

Keep it brief: look to the meeting outcomes to determine what the audience really needs to know and present only that.

Vary your tone: change up your pitch, rhythm, and volume.

It will make your presentation more interesting to listen to.

Use body language: This can help you tell your story.

Record your meetings

One highly valuable capability of web conferencing platforms is their ability to automatically record meetings for playback later. It’s useful for participants who may have to miss the meeting, and others who want to capture all the action items. “I often listen to missed meetings at 1.5 times speed on playback for greater efficiency,” says Tiersky.

Use “chat” to help facilitate discussion

The “chat” function on your online meeting platform can serve as a queuing system when people need to speak. Ask them to type “I have a question” and wait to be recognized by the facilitator. That way, everyone can see how many participants wish to comment.

Wrap things up with a polished completion

Leave time for at least a two-minute “ending” during

which you remind everyone what the objectives of the meeting were and to measure progress against the objectives.

If the team fell short, indicate what the plan is to address the remainder. Thank the participants and especially anyone who presented or made a particularly big contribution, and ask the rest of the group to thank them as well. Applause is perfectly appropriate.

“As a result of the coronavirus, the concept of ‘business as usual’ has gone out the window for most organizations,” concludes Tiersky. “But it gives us all an opportunity to learn more about virtual meetings and the ways to make them most effective. In the long run, it will help strengthen your business or organization and prepare it for the future.”

Howard Tiersky coauthored Impactful Online Meetings with Heidi Wisbach. He is also the founder of two companies that enable large brands to win in the digital world. His clients have included Verizon, NBC, Nutrisystem, Viacom, the NFL, Facebook, Spotify, and more. Visit impactfulonlinemeetings.com for access to helpful supplemental resources

ADVERTISER INDEX Company Page Website

Company Page Website

Amahi Ukeleles

28

amahiukuleles.com

Koplow Games

44

koplowgames.com

Brightz

32 brightz-ltd.com

MW Wholesale

18

mwwholesale.biz

inside front cover

playmonster.com

7

sentosphereusa.com

The Lazy Dog and Co.

16

thelazydog.co

Toysmith

20 toysmith.com

Bruder Toys

4

brudertoys.com/en/usa/dealer

Crazy Aaron Enterprises Inc.

33

puttyworld.com

CSI Connect Marketing Inc.

13

toycollectionretailer.com

back cover

fatbraintoyco.com

Fat Brain Toy Co.

Playmonster Sentosphere USA

Fractiles

42 fractiles.com

USAopoly

34 theop.games

HABA/Habamaass Corp.

31

habausa.com

Wikki Stix

30

wikkistix.com

Hubelino GmbH

26

hubelino.com

Wrebbit Puzzles

17

wrebbit3d.com

Kala Brand Music Co.

14

kalabrand.co

46 April 2020 — edplay.com

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4/6/20 5:27 PM

A Greener World through “Evergreen” Toys?

by Mark Carson, President & Co-Founder, Fat Brain Toy Co.

Well-known toy industry journalist Richard Gottlieb recently penned an article titled “The Plastic Problem; a modest suggestion.” As I read the article, sentence after sentence, I found myself nodding my head and audibly affirming “Amen Richard! Amen!”

The main thrust of his article concerned the growing unease around the use of petroleum-based plastics in toys and their negative impact on the environment. While few can dispute this point, he goes on to make the argument that the issue isn’t so much about the plastic in toys, but rather the quality of the toys in which the plastic is used. We could not agree more.

From our company’s inception, we’ve been squarely focused on a less popular area of the toy market: the “evergreen” toy. Just as an evergreen tree retains its beautiful foliage year-round, so, too, does an evergreen toy retain its usefulness season after season. Much of the toy market, and especially the mass market, is enraptured with the next big thing – the very antithesis of an evergreen product. The hot toy du jour makes a big impact for a very short period of time, and then simply fades away as quickly as it came.

But where do these fad toys go? To the landfill.

Contrast that with the quality and sustained appeal of an evergreen toy, which will grow with your child and get

passed down from sibling to sibling and, in some cases, even generation to generation. In this scenario, we’re reducing the amount of plastic in the landfill by the very nature of creating toys that aren’t disposable.

This is a key point that requires two distinct parties to play their own role. First, toy manufacturers need to take the lead by putting more focus on the long-term usefulness of a toy, versus their tendency to chase the next big thing. Second, consumers need to begin adapting their own buying habits and look at toys as an investment in their child’s development rather than an impulse purchase to keep their child entertained for a few moments.

As it relates to Fat Brain Toy Co., I take great pride in the fact that our very first product, Dado Cubes, still remains a consumer favorite after 14 years on the market. And it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to learn that many of those first sets sold 14 years ago are still in use today. Similarly, many of our best sellers like Squigz and Tobbles have been in our range for seven years or more, two to three times the industry average.

As the key conduit between manufacturers and consumers, we’re grateful for your continued patronage and support of the evergreen toy movement.

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