Recently added articles from Playthings:
Investing In A Style Guide.
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Maureen McHale How a simple tool can build business Times are tight and we're all looking for ways to cut expenses. Skimping on or skipping the creation of a style guide might be tempting, but it's a big no-no. Whether your property is top at the box office or ...
Top 10 Design Tips.
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Suzanne Mills-Winkler Designing to meet today's new price point Today's economy has presented many of us in the toy industry with new challenges to deliver compelling yet lower-cost products to market. Now more than ever, we need to find new and innovative ways to ...
Cost of Confusion.
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Randall Horn 'Me too' toys crimp the industry's creativity I created the first Zobmondo!! "Would You Rather" Game back when I was in business school. Instead of taking a high paying corporate job, I decided to try my hand at the entrepreneurial dream and started ...
Top Tot Properties.
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Nancy Zwiers Timely trends in preschool properties Preschoolers are passionate about their properties ... so which are tops with tots today? Strategic marketing and brand invention firm Funosophy Inc. recently conducted its annual preschool trend tracking survey ...
Show 'n' Tell.
Jun 01, 2009 ... By Cliff Annicelli Property pushers put their latest opportunities on parade at this year's Licensing International Expo American Greetings Properties American Greetings Properties, New York, comes to this year's Licensing Show with a lineup that includes ...
Banking On Brain Boosters.(Industry overview)
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Karyn M. Peterson New puzzles, brainteasers keep a category relevant and reliable Out of all the tried-and-true, time-tested toy categories, puzzles and brainteasers may well have one of the largest fan clubs. There's something for everyone when it comes to ...
Small Biz's Bailout.
Jun 01, 2009 ... By J. Tol Broome Jr. 2009 Recovery Act promotes SBA lending When President Barack Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in mid-February, the stimulus bill brought about several positive changes for Small Business Administration ...
Selling Safety to Shoppers.
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Malcolm Denniss Teaching retail customers about toy safety In all the commotion over toy safety problems related to vendor issues--such as design flaws and manufacturing defects--consumers frequently overlook their own role in the safety story. The ...
Higher Learning.
Jun 01, 2009; ... By Richard Gottlieb Marketing games through the public library When I was in the third grade, and getting beaten up after elementary school was a fairly routine part of my day, the public library was my sanctuary. Passing by it on my way home from school, I would ...
Backyard Buys.(Directory)
Jun 01, 2009 ... Staff Minneapolis, Minn. Wonderment Little Farmer gardening tools. Schylling Children's Garden Tote w/tools. Toysmith Nature Quest Butterfly Net. Toysmith Explorer Net. Schylling Bug Bungalow, Critter Cabin ...
Hope Flickers On.
Jun 01, 2009; ... Cliff Annicelli, Editor-in-Chief Despite loss in labeling delay, momentum's building for business The most recent development in the ongoing drama that is the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act came a few weeks back with the decision by the U.S. Consumer Product ...
Girl Powered Gifts.(Buyers guide)
May 01, 2009 ... By Karyn M. Peterson Book-plus and novelty kits to dazzle and delight No category of children's book is more at home at toy and gift stores than the so-called "book-plus" and novelty collections that more publishers are developing each year. They run the gamut from ...
Boosting The Bottom Line.
May 01, 2009; ... By Karyn M. Peterson Impulse & novelty toys help retailers stay afloat in a trying economy During times of prosperity, impulse and novelty toys primarily serve as a supplemental category for retailers, diversifying the merchandise mix and keeping a store's cash-wrap ...
What Works For Virtual Play?(Viewpoint essay)
May 01, 2009; ... By Scott Traylor Questions to ask about Web-enabled toys When toy companies talk about new toy products, there's often a lot of discussion around a toy's play patterns. What is it about the toy that resonates with a child? What play patterns will the toy tap into? ...
Territorial Ambition.(Engage! Expo)(Column)
May 01, 2009; ... By Richard Gottlieb It's time to ally with the virtual world industry I was, for the second year in a row, speaking at Engage! Expo, the virtual worlds conference in New York. As I looked out at the audience, I noticed that there were almost no familiar toy industry ...
Cut Costs, Not Corners.
May 01, 2009; ... By Maureen McHale 'Invisible' tricks to trim packaging expense Times are tight and everyone is looking for ways to cover increased production costs and safety testing. At the same time, now more than ever, your product needs to jump off of the shelf in order to ...
Toy Safety: Retail's Responsibility.
May 01, 2009 ... By Malcolm Denniss By identifying repeat problems, stores can help cut recalls When it comes to toy defects or safety infractions, it is in every retailer's best interest to take steps to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself. A flaw discovered in one toy may very ...
Green, Games& Gifts.
May 01, 2009 ... Staff Seattle Dragon's Toy Box Wooden toys . Plan Toys, Maya Organic Ruckus . Funstreet Killer Bunnies . Playroom Entertainment Settlers of Catan . Mayfair Games Carcassonne . Rio Grande Games ...
Attitude Adjusting.(Editorial)
May 01, 2009; ... Cliff Annicelli, Editor-in-Chief Manufacturers can learn a lesson from the Great Recession Like many people, I've been thinking a lot about business these days. It's hard not to in this recession when suddenly all of the machinery that propels the economy, and one's ...
D.I.Y. Delights.(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2009 ... Cliff Annicelli After a 1 percent sales gain in 2008, toymakers are looking to further jump-start their arts and crafts offerings this year with products that stand out from the traditional mainstays of what is a very traditional category. Their timing ...