Out of the Toy Box

February 23, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

In my last blog entry, I spoke about three products I saw over the course of my visits to the Dallas, Hong Kong, Nuremberg and New York toy shows. What they all had in common were that they were truly paradigm busters. Not in how they deliver play but in how they will affect the very way we do business.  

This is number two in the series and it focuses on "iPix" from iToys. To put it simply, "iPix" is an iPod for cartoons....Read More

February 20, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (5)

Over the course of my visits to Dallas, Hong Kong, Nuremberg and the just completed New York Toy Fair I have been looking for products that change the way we do business. I was not concerned with play value per se (I will leave that up to others to discern) so much as innovative business models. In short, I wanted to see products that gave me a peek at the way we may be doing business in the coming years. 

I believe I have found three. I will cover each of these in a separate blog.  The first up is Tracksters from 10Vox Entertainment. ...Read More

February 18, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

This year’s Toy Fair surprises. Buyer attendance is down yet most manufacturers I have spoken with, and I have spoken with quite a few, feel it has been a good, solid show. 

In analyzing why that may be, I am focusing on the following:

• Many manufacturers came in with low expectations. As a result

February 15, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

This should be a very interesting four days for Toy Nation. We are going to be getting everyone in one very big room at one time and as a result we should get a feel by the end of the week what kind of a year our citizens think it is going to be. 

I am going to be tracking several things:

Paradigm shifters

Times of turbulence are when breakthrougs occur.  I am going to keep an eye out for products that I think may define how business is going to be done.  I have seen three products in the last six months, one in Dal...Read More

February 12, 2009 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

Every year at this time I get a keen sense of anticipation knowing that our tribal get together, Toy Fair, is about to commence. In my mind’s eye, I look out into the distance and can almost see them coming, flying their tribal flags: The Toy and Game Inventors, Designers, Packagers, Publicists, Manufacturers, Retailers, Advertisers, Journalists, Agents, Sales Representatives, Consultants and more.

They will gather on the floor of the Jacob Javits Cen...Read More