VISIT US AT BOOTH 1022
For People Who Sell Toys
May/June 2019
ASTRA Marketplace in Pittsburgh
BUILDING THE BRIDGES OF THE FUTURE
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®
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wordPlay The Whiffenpoofs by Kevin Fahy
I first became aware of “specialty” toy stores more than 30 years ago. Some of them were hybrids spun off from the school supply industry, referred to as parent-teacher stores or educational toy stores. Others were high-end chains with pedagogical-sounding names about wisdom, knowledge and learning. What all those stores had in common was their intended clientele. It was not made up of children, but affluent, educated, concerned parents. Many of those parents were unsatisfied with the quality of education their kids were getting in school, and worried that the mindless nature of mass-market toys was only making the matter worse. I felt as if I knew these people, because I grew up with them. We weren’t the Greatest Generation, that was our parents, but we were the largest (at around 80 million) and we were assertive, to put it nicely. According to Christopher Pappas at learningindustry.com, the eight primary characteristics of baby boomers are their work ethic, self-assurance, competitiveness, goal orientation, resourcefulness, mental focus, team orientation and discipline. Such people are driven to succeed, and they drive their children to succeed.
In retrospect, it’s not surprising that boomers looked at all that time kids were spending at play and saw an opportunity to accomplish something that seemed more constructive to them. So they set out to find science kits, math puzzles and word games. Had there been no educational toy stores, boomer parents would have invented them. When boomers like me reflect on our own childhoods, we usually remember a much different experience. It’s not that our Depression-era parents didn’t care about education. On the contrary, they felt that education was the magic elixir that would ensure financial security, and nothing was made more clear to me on a regular basis. But education meant school to them, and I never got the sense that they considered my play time to be part of it. Provided that my homework was done, I was simply expected to go play somewhere, preferably outdoors, with the firm understanding that I was to “stay out of their hair” and be home by dark. In a way, kids were given a lot more responsibility back then. Even when it came to higher education, my parents never micromanaged me. That I would go to college was understood and nonnegotiable, but the details (continued on page 5)
Visit us at Booth #1616
New
May/June 2019 • • • • • edplay.com 3
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For People Who Sell Toys
May/June 2019 Volume 26, No. 3
16
3
Wordplay
The Whiffenpoofs by Kevin Fahy
ASTRA Marketplace and Academy
8
The Best of Both Worlds
Some trade shows have lots of products. Some have lots of education. ASTRA’s annual event has both. Here’s what’s in store for you in Pittsburgh.
10 Be sure to visit
edplay’s advertisers!
Check out this in-booth-order list for new releases, show specials, prize drawing opportunities and more!
16 It Hasn’t Lost its Luster
Fifty-year-old S.W. Randall Toyes and Giftes, at three locations in Pittsburgh, is the city’s largest specialty toy store.
22 retailers recommend Fabulous Products
24 Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
From rainbows to dragons and dinosaurs, Sandy Ruben’s trend list is a colorful mix of fantasy, food, and animal favorites.
28 Not Mistakes, Just Lessons Learned
30 Eight Myths
About Brand
Brand strategist Lindsay Pederson offers some truths on a topic that’s too often misunderstood.
34 New & True 42 Industry News 46 For Your Business Information
52 edplay Welcomes NINE New Advertisers!
54 Index of Advertisers
On the eve of his ASTRA presentation on “mistakes we can fix tomorrow,” Phil Wrzesinski discusses three lessons he learned the hard way.
4 edplay.com • • • • • May/June 2019
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(continued from page 3) were up to me. Perhaps I would have benefitted from a little more direction, but I do have to admire their restraint. You’ll notice that word is not on the list of baby-boomer characteristics. Given our competitiveness and goalorientation, it’s not surprising that my generation got a little over involved in our kids’ leisure activities. We went to a lot more Little League games than our parents did, bought a lot more musical instruments, and, yes, brought home a lot more educational toys. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I sometimes thought that the wrong people were making those choices. I have often wondered how the parents who followed us would measure up in that regard. Would they let their kids figure out their own lives, or would they figure it out for them? Over the years my observations have tended toward the latter. Modern parents don’t just attend Little League games, they attend practice. They don’t just enroll their kids in all sorts of activities that require expensive gear, they hire coaches and tutors to give their kids a leg up. The endgame, ultimately, is to get those kids into the “right” colleges. Knowing all that, I guess I should not have been surprised by the news that came out in March, but somehow I was. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts unsealed indictments of 50 people for conspiring to rig the admissions process at a number of prestigious universities. Thirty-three of those people were the wealthy parents of students who were applying
to, or attending the universities, which included Yale, Stanford and Georgetown. The scheme, which had been going on for years, was stumbled upon by the FBI in April of 2018 as it was closing in on a crooked securities broker named Morrie Tobin. In order to avoid a long prison sentence, he told the feds that he could give them a tip on a much bigger fraud than the one he had committed. Morrie happened to be a Yale alumnus, and told authorities that he had been approached by the Yale women’s soccer coach, Rudy Meredith, and asked for a bribe to get Tobin’s daughter into the school. Tobin then wore a wire in a meeting with Meredith, after which Meredith agreed to flip on the mastermind of the whole enterprise, Rick Singer. Singer ran a company called The Edge College and Career Network, which was supposed to help high-school graduates get into the college of their choice. It did that all right, but its two most effective techniques were illegal. One of those was the inflation of scores on college entrance exams. Singer would typically get permission for a student to change test sites based on a family problem or disability or whatever. Then he would pay a ringer to go take the test at a facility where he had bought off the administrator or the proctor. The other was to bribe a coach, usually of a lesser sport like crew, volleyball or sailing, to request that a certain student receive special consideration from the admissions office. In many cases, the student in question had never even played that sport. (continued on page 7) May/June 2019 • • • • • edplay.com 5
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A BRAND OF FAHY-WILLIAMS PUBLISHING INC.
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TOY STORES • MUSEUM STORES • HOSPITAL GIFT STORES • PARENT/TEACHER STORES • ABC Toys • ABCs & 123s • Action Toys • Adam Miller Toys • Agricultural Heritage Museum • Akron Children’s Hospital • Al Hattendorf Inc. • Alfa Trains N Hobbies • Angelo School & Teacher Supplies • AOE Supply Inc • A-Plus Teaching Supplies • Ashley’s Childrens Boutique & Gifts • Avery Street Cards and Toys • Barclay School Supplies • Bayou Country Childrens Museum • Beacon-Ridge • Beaver Meadow • Bennett Home Supply • Berwyns Toy Trains • Blanchards Office & Educl Supplies • BlueSky Ithaca • Bordens Stationery & Educl Resource Cnt • Boscos • Brace Books & More Inc • Brasseur Electric Trains • Bryce Canyon Natural History Assn • Buffalo Road Character Collectibles • Calgary Zoo • Cardboard Robot • Chatterpillar Toys Gifts and Balloons • Cheshire Cat Fine Toy Shop • Childs Play • Christa McAuliffe Planetarium • Christian Learning Resource • Classic Toys • Classroom Connection Educ’l Mtrls • Colorado Puzzles • Concord Museum • Consalvi Sales Inc • Constructive Playthings • Corning Museum of Glass • Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen • Daves Cool Toys • Delaware State Parks & Recreation • Delnor Hospital Gift Shop • Deluxe Novelty • Different Roads To Learning • Dinosaur World Inc • Door County Kids • Downtown Book & Toy • East Texas Educational Supplies • Edsel & Eleanor Ford House • Education Station • Educational and Fun • Educational Outfitters • Educational Wonderland • Fat Brain Toys • Field Museum • Friends Of Dinosaur Park Assoc • Friends Of Hilltop Arboretum • Funfinity • Fun-K Sales and Marketing • GA School Supply • Gift Creations • Givens Books - Little Dickens • Glens Fair Price Store • GVS Distributors • HALLMARK CARDS • Happy Yeti Toys • Hayes Arboretum • Henricus Historical Park Gift Shop • Hillwood Museum • Hobby Express Inc • Hobby Town USA • Hobby-Sports.com • Ideas Etc / Etc again • Imagination Emporium • Imagine That Toys • Innovative USA • Intermountain Natural History Assoc • IPA Educational Supply • Islandia School Supply Inc • James K Polk Home & Museum • J-Bar Hobbies • Jennifer Nelson • Jesa Gift & Toy Associates • Jump Q Educational Books & Supplies • Juneau’s Imagination Station • Just Imagine Toys • Kaleideum • Kazoodles • Keystone Productions • Kids Stop • Kidspace Childrens Museum • Kinder Komfort • Knowledge Bound • Knowledge Tree • Kool Toys & Teaching Tools • KSM Kulics Sales & Marketing • Lakeshore Learning Materials • Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society • Lattas • Learning Essentials • Learning Express • Learning Oasis • Lees Art Shop • Lewen Gift Shop • Little Lincolns Toy Shop • Little People Hawaii • Loudoun Learning Inc • Love Letters • McWane Science Center • Midwest Resource Group • Minnesota Historical Society • Montessori N Such • Mystical Toys of Mystic • Nasco • National Aviary • National Gallery Of Art • New Zoo & Adventure Park • Newts Games & Puzzles • NJ Sea Grant Consortium • Norfolk Botanical Gardens • Northwest Railway Museum • Norton Simon Museum • Oak Leaf Collectibles • Oakland Museum of California • Ocean Star Museum Gift Shop • Oriental Institute • Orton Geological Museum • Out On a Whimsey Toys • Paddington Station • Paisley Monkey • Paperbacks For Educators • Parent Teacher Store USA • Peary-MacMillian • Arctic Museum • Purple Toads Enchanted Pond • Readers World • RI Novelty • Rosies Toys • RRF & Associates • Salt+Light • School Aids • SciTech Center Of Northern NY • Specialties Games Toys Gifts • Sportkites International • Spring Green General Store • Squirts Toys & Learning • State News • Sternberg Museum Of Natural History • Storybook Nook • Strictly for Kids • Teachers Corner/Kids Mart • Teachers Learning Store • Teachers Pet • The Creativity Institute • The Good Toy Group • The Heritage Store • The Journey Museum & Learning Center • The Learning House • The Learning Source • The Lyceum History Museum • The Nature Foundation at Wintergreen • The Pattycake Doll Co • The Sky’s the Limit • The Tardy Bell • The Teachers Lounge • The Toy Box • This & That 4 You • Timbuk Toys • Toms Toys • Tools 4 Teaching • Toyrifix • Toys That Teach • ToyWorld.com Corp • Tumbleweed Toys • Unicorn School Supply • Universal Merchandise Co • US Capitol Historical Society • US Toy Co • US Toy Company • USS Constitution Museum • Vernon Teach and Learn • Where’d You Get That? • Wintergreen Learning Materials • Yeagers Sporting Goods • Zion Natl Park Forever Project
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• ART GALLERIES • NOVELTY SHOPS • SPORTING GOODS STORES • HOSPITAL GIFT STORES • PARENT/TEACHER STORES • HOBBY •
SUBSCRIPTIONS Yesenia Rangel accounts@fwpi.com
STORES • CULTURAL ARTS CENTERS • ARBORETUM GIFT STORES • HISTORICAL SOCIETY EPY_03_MayJune_2019.indd 6
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(continued from page 5) Singer, in turn, flipped on the parents who had paid for his service, along with the coaches and test givers he had bought off. The FBI then built a case against 50 people, but that may not be the end of the prosecutions. Singer has stated that he used unethical means to assist more than 750 families with college admissions. The public outrage has been enormous. It seems as though Americans are willing to accept the fact that the wealthy have perfectly legal ways of gaining access to elite institutions. They can donate millions of dollars to a university, or hire tutors, or place their kids in prep schools, and no one raises an eyebrow. When they cheat, however, and usurp the avenues of talent and hard work that are open to everyone, look out. A large majority of the public would like to see the privileged, arrogant parents involved in this scandal behind bars, and that wish may well be granted. What strikes me about the whole thing is the widely reported assertion that most of the students didn’t know that anyone was cheating on their behalf. The daughter of a famous actress even said that she didn’t really care about going to school. Maybe we could raise kids who could sort out their own college admission process. We could start with letting them choose their own toys.
You can e-mail Kevin at kfahy@fwpi.com. May/June 2019 • • • • • edplay.com 7
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ASTRA Marketplace & Academy
The Best of Both Worlds S
ome trade shows offer aisle after aisle of exhibits. Others provide hours of practical workshops. ASTRA’s annual Marketplace & Academy, scheduled for Sunday, June 9 through Wednesday, June 12, has both. With nearly 450 exhibitors this year and more than 30 hours of education, Marketplace & Academy 2019 delivers a hands-on look at exciting new products for the fourth quarter, and dispenses the latest tips and tricks for selling them. For instance, the expert-led workshop “Conquering the New World of Marketing Musts” on Sunday, June 9, teaches retailers how to combine traditional marketing methods with new ones to effectively promote their products and stores. “Voice search is still in the early stages but its use is on the rise, as more and more consumers turn to their voice assistants to find a business or a product,” says the session’s description. “It means big changes in the way you write copy and marketing content. You’ll come away knowing social media best practices, the secrets of email marketing, and how you can conquer the new world of voice search.” Presented by Rieva Lesonsky from GrowBiz Media, it’s one of 23 different workshops and breakout sessions that day that are conveniently organized in five different tracks: Business Operations, Children & Play, Industry Trends & Relations, Sales & Marketing, and Financial Management. Later on Sunday, five store managers from across the country will share their insight on hiring, retention, training and promotion during a breakout session called “I Need to Speak to the Manager.” It promises to illuminate ideas for adjusting to hiring trends, curating an application process, creating a training process, and understanding customer engagement. Retailers who attend will have the
opportunity to dialog openly about their experiences – both successes and failures – and network with other managers. Moderated by Nick Guffey from The Toy Store in Topeka, the panel includes Cliff Moss from Fundamentally Toys in Houston; Kira Mattheson from The Toy Box in Amherst, Massachusetts; Leah Pickering from Kazoodles in Vancouver, Washington; and Elisa Moricone from The Learning Tree in Prairie Village and Leawood, Kansas. On the exhibit floor the next day, retailers will enjoy a new themed zone called “Play from Day One” that showcases products that support play from birth through adulthood. The area will be divided into five categories that reflect the five major developmental domains: physical, communicative, cognitive, social/emotional and sensory. Also making its debut in the exhibit hall is “New Players Park” where more than 50 small manufacturers – first-time exhibitors – will introduce their products. Like the Launch Pad at Toy Fair, it is bound to be a popular space for retailers looking for never-seen-before products. On Wednesday, June 12, Yancy Strickler, cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter, will deliver the keynote. His pioneering crowdfunding company has helped artists and creators bring more than 100,000 new, creative projects to life. Strickler’s ASTRA presentation will focus on ways to grow a business by harnessing the power of creativity. He has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People, was listed in Vanity Fair’s New Establishment, and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. “Like Yancey Strickler, many ASTRA members share the experience of starting or building businesses, which requires out-of-the-box thinking and the willingness to approach business challenges through a creative lens,” says Kim Mosely. “We are eager to learn from his insights.” To see what edplay advertisers have in store, turn to page 10. For more information about the show, visit marketplaceandacademy.org.
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Schedule Friday, June 7
8 a.m. – 5 p.m....................................... Pre-Conference Workshop: Certified Play Expert Day 1
UGEARS.US
Saturday, June 8
8 a.m. – 5 p.m....................................... Pre-Conference Workshop: Certified Play Expert Day 2 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.................................................... Registration 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.......................................................... Exhibitor Setup 1 – 5 p.m............................................... Community Service Project 6 – 8 p.m...................................................................... Meet & Greet
Sunday, June 9
7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.......................................................... Registration 8 – 8:45 a.m.................................................. Continental Breakfast, New Member/First Time Attendee Breakfast 8 a.m. – 5 p.m......................................................... Exhibitor Setup 9 – 10 a.m...............................................................Opening Session 10:15 – 11:30 a.m......................................... Expert Led Workshops 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m......................... Networking Lunch & Learn 1 – 3:15 p.m......................................................... Breakout Sessions 3:30 – 5:30 p.m............................................................... Kit Session 3:30 – 5 p.m....................Certified Master Sales Representative Workshop 7 – 10 p.m.......................................................... Welcome Reception
Ukidz LLC • www.ugears.us • Elk Grove Village, IL 847-224-9776 • info@ugears.us, BOOTH #1445
Monday, June 10
7 a.m. – 6 p.m...................................................... Registration Open 7:30 – 8 a.m............................................................ Breakfast Buffet 8 – 9:30 a.m......... Annual Business Meeting & Awards Presentation 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m...........................................................Trade Show 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m......................Community Service Backpack Stuffing 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m......................Lunch on the Trade Show Floor 5 – 6 p.m....................................................... Game Night Reception 6 – 8: 30 p.m.................................................................. Game Night
A Classic Revamped!
Introducing Updated Magna-Tiles® Packaging Magna-Tiles® Clear Colors 32-Piece Set has a brand-new package for better merchandising. The deeper box can now stand up on its own for a stronger presence on the shelf. Visit Valtech LLC at ASTRA in Booth 816 to see the new packaging and more!
Tuesday, June 11
7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m..................................................... Registration 8 – 9:15 a.m...........................Continental Breakfast and Share the Fair Continental Breakfast 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m...........................................................Trade Show 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.................. Lunch on the Trade Show Floor 4:30 – 6 p.m...................................................................Happy Hour
New package!
Wednesday, June 12
7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m..................................................... Registration 8 – 8:30 a.m................................................... Continental Breakfast 8:30 – 10 a.m........................................ General Session & Keynote 10 a.m. – 3 p.m...............................................................Trade Show 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.................. Lunch on the Trade Show Floor 2 – 2:30 p.m.....................................................Raffle Prize Drawing 3 – 10 p.m.........................................................Exhibitor Dismantle
www.magnatiles.com 708-246-7209
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stand up on its own for a stronger presence on the shelf. Visit Valtech LLC at ASTRA in Booth 816 to see the new packaging and more!
Visit Our Advertisers at
New package sales@loogguitars.com
ASTRA MARKETPLACE Booth NP1
Booth 645
Booth 816
Djeco Valtech, Magna-Tiles www.magnatiles.com The 2019 launch of DJECO-US Come see what Magna-Tiles 708-246-7209 brings more than 170 new items has in store for 2019! New products from the designers and artists of the include an 85-Piece Magna-Qubix Booth NP17 Paris-based children’s lifestyle brand. set with a storage solution, Magnaciao! baby and Hoopman! The new catalog is a must-see! In Tiles Light Table for in-store product Ciao! baby is a new exhibitor at addition to the silhouette puzzles and display, and NEW Magna-Tiles Clear ASTRA. They’re excited to show art kits you already love, discover the Colors 32-Piece Set packaging that you their original portable highchair new baby range, umbrellas, play tent, stands on the shelf! and the NEW Hoopman! portable tattoos, face stickers and more. Test See the ad on page 9 basketball hoop! Their motto, the latest art kits at the ART BAR! “Products that let you go!” speaks to See the ad on page 14 Booth 822 today’s busy families. They can’t wait Learning Wrap-Ups to meet you! Stop by to see their See the ad on page 32 Booth 716 unique and innovative products. Romanoff Products Inc. See the ad on page 20 See the ad on page 14 Booth 848 LOOG Guitars Booth 135 Booth 717 Loog, the award-winning kids’ guitars Duncan Toys played by The Rolling Stones, John Madame Alexander It’s been 90 years since Donald Mayer and others, will unveil its It’s a new world at Madame Duncan saw his first yo-yo new lineup at ASTRA. There are Alexander. The New York-based return in California. To celebrate, five new guitar models, including design team has created new products Duncan is offering ASTRA members the sleek Loog Mini Electric (with that inspire empathy, embrace many show specials, including onboard amp and speaker), plus new diversity, and encourage creative 25-percent-off your entire order when accessories and a new app that makes play. A new ownership team brings you purchase from three different learning music as fun as playing a best-in-class marketing, customer categories. Duncan Toys offers a range game. See them in action and take service, and fulfillment. Madame of skill- and activity-based toys, from advantage of their show specials! Alexander offers quality dolls that boomerangs and brain games to USBSee the ad on page 20 create meaningful, enduring, inspiring charged fighter planes. Stop by for a relationships. Visit the booth to learn free anniversary yo-yo! more! Booth 1019 See the ad on page 17 See the ad on page 19 The Good Toy Group The Good Toy Group is celebrating Booth 624 its 20th Anniversary! They provide Booth 803 Looney Labs digital and print catalogs and Magformers LLC Stop by to hear about Looney Labs’ marketing services to members in the Magformers will introduce new, latest licensing partnership, the specialty toy industry. Their goal is amazing Transport Sets and add new newest type of Fluxx card (Dangers), to continue to offer an outstanding shapes to their lineup. They will also its most recent educational game, and toy selection, personalized catalogs, introduce new DOLCE Plush, Tilebox exciting plans to promote your store impactful buying programs and and Clicformers items. Stop by to on Small Business Saturday. Don’t relevant business strategies that help check out their new packaging and forget your Little Groot promo card! members be successful. price points that are perfect for your See the ad on page 45 store. See the ad on page 11 COME SEE US AT ASTRA BOOTH #624 ! See the ad on page 37 Booth 639 Time Timer See the ad on page 7 Chalk of the Town See the ad on page 54
ASTRA 2019 Marketplace & Academy Pittsburgh, PA June 9-12, 2019
Who can
10 edplay.com • • • • • May/June 2019
resist stacking Unicorns and Clouds? EPY_03_MayJune_2019.indd 10 ty lty Sp Specia Special Edition: Contains 7 Cont
Booth 645 DISCOVER 171 NEW ITEMS
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COPYRIGHT 2018 ROMANOFF PRODUCTS I
ce on the shelf.
orral. ache.
oth 816 more!
New package! ogguitars.com
Booth 1036
Z AT E G Y
Booth 1221
100% compatible with bricks from other manufacturers
Endless Games Hubelino High quality product made in Germany Come see Brian Turtle and From the age Visit of 4 the Hubelino booth to ABA USA ed by H Distribut toy Kevin McNulty at Endless Awarded STEMexplore their 100-percent Games in booth 1036 to see compatible, made-in-Germany all that’s new and exciting marble run system. Hubelino including The Floor is Lava, is exclusively distributed by Traffic Cop, AKA, Lucky Lotto, HABA USA. Password, and more! See the ad on page 47 See the ad on page 25
Stow. Stack. Sort. Store. info@HABAusa.com
Align 4 tiles in a row to win
www.HABAusa.com
The award winning strategy game for the entire family
Hubelino and the Hubelino® Logo are registered trademarks of the Hubelino GmbH. The displayed products are designed by Lippert Studios, Berlin. Design patents are issued for all products. © 2019 Hubelino GmbH
00-828-9587
Toy Collection /CSI Inc. (Catalog Solutions) See the ad on page 5
ROMANOFFPRODUCTS.COM Booth 1138 ROMANOFFPRODUCTS.COM
MW Wholesale With play-based learning in every product, Mindware meets the demand for educational toys and games. Its brands include KEVA, Q-BA-MAZE, Dig It Up, Science Academy, Paint Your Own, Color by Number, and Extreme Dot to Dot. Their family games have awardwinning titles: Qwirkle and Q-bitz. Peaceable Kingdom’s wholesome, high-quality games, diaries and more nourish social-emotional and cognitive development, and inspire cooperation and kindness. See the ad on page 15
Booth 1214 HABA You want to feel good selling the toys you sell. You also want to make money. Mostly you don’t want to be blind-sided. HABA USA offers you all three. Visit us, and we’ll show you all the ways we put “specialty” back into the specialty toy market. See the ad on page 26
Perfect for game nights!
Booth 1316
Aeromax Aeromax is celebrating 22 years of award-winning toys and dress-up. Our internationally recognized “Get Real Gear” and “My 1st Career Gear” are quality, authentic dress-up for kids of all ages. We have pull-back shuttles and cars, and many flying toys for inside and outside play. From little ones to grandparents, it is loads of fun for everyone! Our products get kids away from electronics to use their imagination. See the ad on page 50
MSRP: $19.99
To Orderor for more info email Kurt@FamiliesPlayForever.com TM
Booth 1321 Crayola See the ad on page 51
MARKETING PRINT DIGITAL SOCIAL MEDIA
Booth 1324 Schleich USA Inc Schleich will display nearly 30 new figurines and playsets that will launch during the second half of 2019. The first 25 visitors to place an order of $2,000 or more at the booth will receive a Holiday Window Display, complete with Schleich’s new Large Horse Stable with House and Stable (total value $250). See the ad on page 48
INTRODUCING
© 2019 The Good Toy Group®
Booth 1121
TM
ty-RIFIC! Twen ASTRA Marketplace Booth #1019 Heather Smith Heather@TheGoodToyGroup.net 401-284-0610 GoodToyGroup.com May/June 2019 • • • • • edplay.com 11
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Booth 1333
®
Folkmanis Inc. Folkmanis has been the leader in specialty puppets since 1976. They classic toys that captivate Welcomearetomagical the New World the imagination and spark natural of Madame creativity.Alexander With designs from wild to whimsical inspired by nature and literature, award-winners Madame Alexander’sthese beautiful dolls encourage ones to lovevalue and and provide little superior play nurture, teaching them empathy heirloom andquality. kindness.Be the first to see new designs for fall 2019, and take Visit us at ASTRA booth 717, and advantage of athe ASTRA find out why it’s new world at show Madame Alexander! special. See the ad on page 43 www.madamealexander.com Retail enquiries call 833-MADAME A (833-623-2632)
Booth 1342
MAKALA BoothDOLPHINS 1344
Scholastic Teacher Resources Dolphins don’t hide under the water, they come to the surface andofentertaining to breathe andAdd play andeducational splash. Many people dream social KALAUKULELE.COM interaction with these friendly creatures, maybe becauseTeacher it seems items with Scholastic that Dolphins don’t take themselves too seriously. A Makala® Resources’ wide array of high-quality, Dolphin Ukulele is a reminder of the fun and colorful personality of a dolphin. Create your ownand dolphinarium award-winning fun products. with a ukulele that sounds great and comes in a Stop by to receive a sample Learning variety of colors! An exceptional value Puzzle or Learning Mat valued at to get anyone playing. $14.99 and enter to win a $100 gift ty-RIFIC! Twen basket. New accounts with a $250 order receive free freight. ASTRA Marketplace Booth #1019 See the ad on page 44
-lc.indd 1
In the world of sea animals Dolphins are the extraverts.
1346
Turing Tumble Experience hands-on coding with Turing Tumble. The ASTRA Best Toys for Kids winner and TOTY Finalist was also named Best Overall STEM Toy by Smithsonian.com. Stop by to see this marble-powered computer in action, and receive an exclusive ASTRA-conference promotion: 50 percent off shipping with a minimum order of two cases. See the ad on page 50 12 edplay.com • • • • • May/June 2019
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Booth 1539
Fairy Finery Fairy Finery will showcase its topquality, made-in-the-USA dress-up costumes. Discover its famous cape collection, dresses, hats, wings, and skirts for dragons, knights, Robin Hoods, pirates, and wizards. Look for our coordinating 18-inch doll clothes. The award-winning designs encourage creative play for both girls and boys and will please your customers! Look for great show specials, too. See the ad on page 29
Madd Capp Games Madd Capp’s poster-sized, half-cut puzzle displays are showstoppers – in their booth at ASTRA Marketplace and at point-of-sale in your store. Big and beautiful, the animal-shaped halfcuts, like the finished jigsaw puzzles, are as unique as they are compelling. Show Special: one FREE half-cut with every order of 12 puzzles. See the ad on page 29
Booth 1433
Wrebbit Puzzles Inc Internationally renowned for its Wrebbit3D puzzles based on the Wizarding World (Harry Potter) and Game of Thrones franchises, the iconic 3-D puzzle maker is now bringing you the Downton Abbey 3-D puzzle. It’s a must for all fans; available just in time for the muchanticipated September release of the Downton Abbey movie – a follow-up to the popular television series. 543 RA: BOOTH #1 US AT AST EARKETING PRINT DIGITAL SOCIAL MEDIA See the ad on page 31
eather Smith Heather@TheGoodToyGroup.net 401-284-0610 GoodToyGroup.com Booth
Booth 1347
Fat Brain Toy Co. Be sure to stop by the booth where Fat Brain Toy Co. will be featuring exclusive, ALL NEW releases including Spinny Pins and more! Fat Brain Toy Co. is once again the generous sponsor of ASTRA’s opening night reception. This year, we will be hosting an amazing party at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park! This event is not to be missed! See the ad on page 56
Booth 1445 UGears US | Ukidz LLC Visit our booth to see how assembled models work, check out the new releases, and discover prototype models. Explore special show offers and don’t forget to ask for a sample (by mentioning this editorial). See the ad on page 9
Booth 1514 eeBoo eeBoo is the American toy industry’s quintessential womanowned specialty brand bringing together people of all ages through thoughtfully designed games, toys and gifts. Visit their booth to see what’s new and to learn more about their new jigsaw puzzle line, eeBoo Piece & Love. See the ad on page 55
Booth 1543 Kala Brand Kala Ukulele is the world’s largest and most recognized brand of ukulele. Kala is known for quality, value and choice of selection— there is something for everyone! Every instrument includes access to educational materials making it easy for anyone to start learning the ukulele. See the ad on page 27
Booth 1616 Sentosphere USA Sentosphere’s products are designed and produced in its own factory in France. Supporting the specialty toy market, Sentosphere doesn’t even sell to the mass market. They have low minimums, ship quickly, and have great products that enable children to express their artistic senses while still allowing them to have fun. See the ad on page 3
Booth 1632 Wikki Stix You could win free freight for a year! Come try your hand – lots of great prizes and opportunities await you at the Wikki Stix booth! Plus, get an update on this year’s National Unplugged Play Day, September 28th. See how you can participate and help generate traffic going into the critical fourth quarter. See the ad on page 18
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A Classic Swing
AdventurePARKS.com
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Coordinate. Contain. Corral. Cache.
COPYRIGHT 2018 ROMANOFF PRODUCTS INC.
(continued from page 12)
Booth 1720 EDC Publishing See the ad on page 49
New and exciting products are available for 2019. Come check them out! See the ad on page 33
Booth 1734
Booth 2117IL Ukidz LLC •Koplow www.ugears.us • Elk Grove Village, See the ad on page 54
Tiki Toss
Booth 1820
Toss product for the tabletop! Visit their booth to check out NEW Desktop Editions, Head 2 Head Tiki Toss/Hoops and a brand new board game, Tiki Toss Adventure Island. Can you master Tiki Toss and be the hero? See the ad on page 46
847-224-9776 • info@ugears.us, BOOTH #1445 2019 brings a new line of Tiki
Stow. Stack. Sort. Store. 1-800-828-9587
INFO@ROMANOFFPRODUCTS.COM WWW.ROMANOFFPRODUCTS.COM
ASTRA 2019 Marketplace & Academy Pittsburgh, PA June 9-12, 2019 Booth 645 DISCOVER 171 NEW ITEMS
PlayMonster Stop by to check out the ASTRA finalist Mirari myStorymaker, Kid O Origami Color Changing Boats, Stratego Original, Pass the Pup, and Butts Up games. See the ads on pages 2 and 41
Booth 1932 USAopoly Stop by for USAopoly (The OP)’s newest lineup. The folks behind award-wining Telestrations have expanded its family-friendly party games with four more soon-to-be hits: Blank Slate, Furry Foodies, Astro Trash and Dungeon Academy! Check them out and be sure to ask about their show special and demo program. See the ad on page 21
Booth 2124
Booth 2111
Booth 2210
MukikiM LLC Stop by to see new additions to the Rock and Roll It Collection, including the Rainbow Xylophone and Bongos. New Hyper Runner Stunt cars will spin your head and blow your mind. TracerBot robots toe the line with their optical sensor. See new outdoor toys from Wicked … there is no rest for the Wicked! Visit Game Night featuring The Genius Square! See the ad on page 53
Families Play Forever LLC A must-stop! Their bestselling ZATEGY game is available with free shipping. See the new, fun tile colors coming out soon. It’s no secret that Zategy is the new hit game that belongs to every game night. Align four colors in a row and get instantly addicted to this fun-filled family strategy game! See the ad on page 11
The Lazy Dog & Co. Stop by to learn about their unique brands! Experience the magic of Light Stax illuminated construction blocks. See Clockwork Dreams, their new whimsical wooden automaton kits. Check out TICO mini bricks’ new blind-box series, and have hands-on fun with Pixie Crew’s pixelated accessories. Free demos, FFA, and other special offers available! See the ad on page 52
Booth 2115
www.djeco-us.com hello@djeco-us.com
Amahi Ukuleles Music is one of life’s greatest joys. Help spread the joy of music to children by coming to the Amahi Ukulele Music booth.
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It Hasn’t Lost Its
Luster by Claire Sykes
M
ost people only dream about their dream job, figuring they’ll get to it someday. Jack Cohen of Pittsburgh wasn’t going to wait. Fifty years ago, at age 23, he “woke up” from his mechanical-engineering job and decided to do something fun. After spending long hours each day creating “pointless” sketches and mathematical equations in a little windowless office, he and his wife Linda bought a Mister Softee ice cream truck for $3,500. Six months later they had earned enough money to rent an empty storefront in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. “Why not sell toys?” they asked themselves. With a family that grew to four kids – kids the couple had trouble finding good toys for – they went to the Toy Building in New York and got as many catalogs as possible. Then they visited one toy store after another to learn how to sell toys, and decided one thing for sure: their toy shop in Pittsburgh would be like no other. From the beginning, the Cohens focused on traditional toys over trendy ones. They called their store S.W. Randall, inspired by All three S.W. Randall stores are their children’s names: located within the city, partly because S for Sherry and the Cohens are longtime residents, Stacy, W for Wendy, and partly because Jack believes city and Randall, their shopping is still convenient for most son James’ middle people. While many downtown stores have closed, the rivers, bridges and name. great views are still there, notes Jack.
At one point, there were seven S.W. Randall locations. Today, they have three: the original Squirrel Hill store, one in the city’s Shadyside neighborhood, and their flagship location on Smithfield Street in downtown Pittsburgh. It fills a five-story building that the Cohens own, and it’s just blocks from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where ASTRA will hold Marketplace & Academy in June. “If ASTRA attendees come in, we’ll take them up to the third floor in our antique, 80-yearold elevator that one of us will operate,” promises Jack. “It’s even got a crystal chandelier. We’re old school, you know.” S.W. Randall is the city’s largest specialty toy store. We wondered if anything had changed since we interviewed Jack 10 years ago. Recently, we asked him for an update. Here’s what we found out.
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What kinds of customers are you serving today, Jack? Downtown, they’re mostly office workers, conference attendees and tourists. And celebrities! Ron Howard has come in, as has Brittany Spears’s mother with her bodyguard, Anne Hathaway, Zoe Saldana, Judd Hirsch, and many others over the years. Our Squirrel Hill store attracts families who live in the neighborhood; Shadyside, too. It’s in a trendy suburb. But we see shoppers from all over the city in our stores. Once they come in, they always come back. Then there are our customers on Amazon. They’re looking for unique items that they can’t find anywhere else, like metal toys, discontinued games, classic card games and puzzles. We sell a lot of puzzles. When did you start selling on Amazon? Why did you start? We’ve been on Amazon for about eight years now. We could see that people were shopping on the internet more and more, and we thought that the time was right for us. We used to have our own e-commerce site, but it generated only one or two sales per month. Today it’s for information only. When we got on Amazon, we were making 10 to 20 sales a day, and sending out more than 150 boxes, often during the holidays and to locations all over the country. But it’s getting harder because more and more people, and other businesses, are doing the same thing on Amazon that I am.
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Follow the historic Smithfield Street Bridge straight to S.W. Randall.
What are they buying? What are your bestsellers? We sell a lot of Magic the Gathering and Pokemon cards. We hold tournaments in our Squirrel Hill and Shadyside stores. Also big are puzzles, squishy toys, yo-yos, Japanese skill toys, board games, card games, and classic and new games. We sell tons of model kits – cars, boats and planes – plus paint and glue. We’ve always done well with nice chess sets, tin toys, electric trains, horse figures, dolls, nesting dolls, music boxes, and perfume bottles. Old Fisher Price toys – ones that they’re remaking today – are great sellers. We sell a lot of things you can’t find in other toy stores.
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In our downtown location, our largest store and the one generating the most sales, we stock gifts. So many gift stores in the city have closed! We carry watches, jewelry, fancy boxes, figurines, glass sculptures, beaded animals, music boxes, jewelry boxes, and high-end chess sets. Where do you get ideas for new products to bring in? I go to Toy Fair every year and to NY NOW every February and August. I’ll go to ASTRA Marketplace next month because it’s just a few blocks away. All the reps come into our store anyway, and customers tell us what they want. We also scour
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trade publications, the internet, and online forums to see what’s trending. Your team does a great job with Facebook. Do social media generate sales for you? We use Instagram, too, and that’s been great. As soon as something new comes in, we post about it and all of our 85,000 followers instantly know it’s in stock. For instance, we recently posted pictures of a new Japanese skill toy that came in, along with a new model to build. Within five hours, customers were buying them at $60 apiece. That never would have happened
Everyone talks about
The Third Floor “I was shopping today for a book of paper dolls, and though the doll floor is closed in the summer, one of Randall’s faithful associates took me up there in an elevator straight out of Gatsby, complete with a crystal chandelier,” says one customer review. “That in itself was worth the trip, but so was the book of paper dolls that I purchased for a mere 4 bucks (pretty sure it’s worth more like $40).” Then there’s this: the store is often a stop on “Haunted Pittsburgh” tours. “Staff members tell of seeing a lady’s apparition
®
on the third floor with the dolls,” reports The Globe, the student newspaper of Point Park University, “Customers have reported ‘cold spots,’ feeling a ‘presence,’ and feeling like their energy is being drained.” “The toy store is said to be the home of multiple different apparitions,” agree students at Duquesne University. “The staircase up to the third floor has been described as ‘a portal to another dimension,’” says The Duquesne Duke. Good thing we’ll be taking the elevator.
Welcome to the New World of Madame Alexander Madame Alexander’s beautiful dolls encourage little ones to love and nurture, teaching them empathy and kindness. Visit us at ASTRA booth 717, and find out why it’s a new world at Madame Alexander!
www.madamealexander.com Retail enquiries call 833-MADAME A (833-623-2632)
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INTRODUCING The David L. Lawrence Convention Center is within walking distance of the Smithfield Street store downtown.
without Instagram. Our store managers post a few times each week or month, depending on what’s going on, about special promotions we’re running and our tournaments. In the last 10 years, business has increased. I can’t complain.
ASTRA BOOTH NP17
S
MEET
EW LOOG L-N GU AL
AR IT
TH E
Kim Strong • 502-241-5515 kstrong@jamberlygroup.com
M A
48 #8
AS T R A
PLACE, BOO ET TH RK
sales@loogguitars.com
What is the biggest challenge in retail today? Just staying in business is a challenge! A lot of stores in downtown Pittsburgh are gone. On our street alone, we’ve lost Barnes & Noble, Macy’s and other department stores – but the city’s rivers, bridges and great views are still here. When we were making plans to open, we wanted to see if there was enough foot traffic in front of the store. We stood here and counted how many people walked by and in an hour, we counted 6,000. But those days are gone. It helps today that we own a couple of the properties – that was one of the smartest things we’ve done. How do you overcome that? Selling toys today is no harder or easier than it’s ever been. The only difference is that now our biggest competitor is the internet. So we work harder. We have to really impress people when they come in to keep them coming back. We explain the importance of shopping local. We point out
that with us they can see and touch a product, so even if it costs a few dollars more to buy from us, it’s worth it. We’ll take the time to show them how a game is played. What’s next for S. W. Randall Toyes & Giftes? I still love coming to work. People come in happy and they leave happy. There’s something about toys that puts them in a good mood; maybe it reminds them of their childhood; growing up. I’ve known a lot of my customers for years and they’re still happy to see me! If they’re having a bad day, just being in the store changes their whole attitude, even if they don’t buy anything. They love the atmosphere. We’re not going to open any more stores. Three is enough. Next year is our 50th anniversary. We’ll have to do something to celebrate! And what’s so special about the third floor? It’s full of collectible bears, dolls and accessories, and it’s only open two selling seasons a year: Christmas and Easter. During the holidays we feature lighted villages from Department 56. It sparkles. We sell year-round on the first two floors. They’re 3,000 square feet each. We store stock in the basement and the fourth and fifth floors.
e
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retailers recommend
4 toysmith.com
Fabulous Products by Tina Manzer
1 marshmallowville.com
3 innovationfirst.com
2 waboba.com
Hannah Kisling from The Toy Store in Topeka, Kansas “We brought in the Dog Gone Ball Blaster (1) from Marshmallow Fun in time for Easter. It blasts out tennis balls up to 50 feet. Many of our customers are dog owners, so we featured it in a Facebook post and sold a lot of them. It’s no-slime – you don’t have to pick up the ball with your hands when the dog brings it back. “The post also included the Woof Pack (2) from Waboba. The packaging is fun and holds two balls and a flying Discuit. For cat owners, we recommended Hex Bugs (3) from Innovation First. “Now that the weather is nice, kids are coming in to buy Spring Rings (4) from Toysmith. Each set includes two discs, a rubber ball and a splash ball. The discs are little springy trampolines for tossing the balls back and forth.”
Ellie Tate from Wonder Works toy stores in South Carolina “Spy Rover (5) from Odyssey Toys is an all-terrain car with a camera attached. It’s perfect for sneaking into small spaces and spying on siblings. You watch live-stream video and control the car from a cell phone. We think this cool new R/C is going to be a huge hit with kids of all ages, including adults. “Hearthsong’s Rainbow Sprinkler & Water
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5 odysseytoys.com
6
hearthsong.com
7
8
kahootztoys.com
ilovetenzi.com
9
playtikitoss.com
10 Slide (6) is the cutest giant inflatable sprinkler and matching water slide. Both are made of heavy-duty vinyl so they can stand up to fun all summer long. It’s the ultimate in backyard play. “Y’Art (7) from Kahootz is one of our favorite new craft items. It combines the ease of coloring with the textured look of textile art – like color-bynumber with yarn! As kids “color” with the Y’Art pen, the yarn magically clings to the Y’Artboard. The process is oops-proof for little hands.
ambosstoys.com
“Pairzi (8) from Carma Games is simple enough for the youngest players but versatile enough to entertain teens and adults for hours. “Tiki Toss Desktop (9) from Mellow Militia is a portable version of the classic hook-and-ring game. We’re recommending it to customers buying gifts for dads, college grads, and teachers. “The super durable and sturdy Primo Ride-on (10) from Ambosstoys is a kid-powered ride-on toy modeled after classic Italian scooters.
e
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Spectrum Opposite Ends of the
wildrepublic.com
by Sandy Ruben
W
schleich-s.com
Counting Down the Hits 1) UNICORNS
13) DRAGONS
2) DINOSAURS
14) AVOCADOS
3) SPACE
15) RETRO VIDEO GAMES
4) SLOTHS
16) GALAXY/STARS
5) SEQUINED
17) PANDAS
6) LLAMAS
18) 80’S NOSTALGIA
7) RAINBOWS
19) PRINCESSES
8) FLAMINGOS
20) NARWHALS
9) BABY SHARKS
21) FAIRIES
10) GIRL 22) HORSES EMPOWERMENT 23) ELEPHANTS 11) MERMAIDS 24) CANDY 12) SPA
25) HARRY POTTER
habausa.com
e are nearing the end of the unicorn craze. The good news is that you should be able to sell most of the unicorn items that you have in your store, but buy selectively going forward. I would recommend buying new and slightly different takes on the theme, and ordering in minimum quantities. In response to our most recent survey, 54 percent of our respondents did not select unicorns as their number-oneselling theme, and there has been no consensus yet on what will replace it. So, continuing for 18 months straight, unicorns have the top spot, maybe for the last time. Dinosaurs have lumbered up our list to arrive most recently at number 2. Toys with a dinosaur theme have sold great in all parts of the country, but I think storeowners could do more to capitalize on their popularity. By creating a special section – featuring all of the dinosaur items you carry in one place – you’ll have a much greater opportunity for cross selling. Sloths and llamas remain strong. The funny thing is, when I looked at the survey results, few stores do equally well with both. In other words, if sloths are selling well at a store, it’s likely that llamas aren’t and vice versa. Overall, sloths swung to fourth place while llamas stumbled to sixth. We’ve also witnessed a sharp
drop-off in the themes that were popular a year ago. It includes superheroes and robots on the boy side, and narwhals, princesses and fairies on the girl side. New to our Top 10 list this time is Baby Shark. Its progress will be interesting to watch. While many folks believe that the songbased theme will be a short-lived craze, I have been reminded that there’s a new Ugly Doll movie coming out. Who knew that Ox, Lucky Bat and Wage would stay popular this long? Sales of “comfort food” tactile and plush items are on the rise, especially “sweets” including ice cream, candy, s’mores and “friendly fruit.” Avocados had a nice long run, didn’t they? But they seem to be over, dropping from sixth to 14th. Look for donuts to take the lead in the comfort food category. Rainbows have burst upon our top 10 list, but for a theme coming in at number 7, I’ve not seen a big, colorful presence in stores yet. I’m not sure if it’s due to vendors being slow to respond, or retailers hesitating to order. On the other side of the “big presence” spectrum are dragons. In my travels, I have found retailers eager to buy dragon (continued on page 26)
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(continued from page 24)
objects and there are quite a few to choose from. Based on my sales on the road, I anticipated that dragons would be among our top five this month. Maybe they’re bigger in the South, but dragons only made it to number 13. The landing of the first humans on the Moon occurred on July 20, 1969. The 50th anniversary is right around
the corner, and the event has generated extensive publicity. That, in turn, has driven sales of anything and everything space related. Lastly, we continue to see the surge of the mighty flamingo. Hitting our top 10 list for the first time, this friendly wading bird has emerged as a fast-growing toy theme.
Special thanks go to the retailers from all over the country who participated in our survey. 5 Little Monkeys (California) • *Play (Chicago) • Big City Toys (Alabama) • Dancing Bear Toys (North Carolina) • Geppetto’s (California) • Happy Up (Illinois) • Island Treasure Toys (Maine) • Learning Express Alpharetta (Georgia) • Learning Express Ann Arbor (Michigan) • Learning Express Lake Zurich (Illinois) • Learning Express Lexington (South Carolina) • Shenanigans (Virginia) • Totally Thomas (California) • Toys Unique (Texas) • Timeless Toys (Virginia) • Wonder Works (South Carolina) • Nana’s (Florida)
CO
Sandy Ruben is the owner of Sandy Ruben and Associates, a rep group in the Southeast. If you, or someone you know, would like to participate in his bi-monthly survey, email sandyrubeninfo@gmail.com, or call 843-696-4464.
ASTRA A ial $250 FF Show Spec #1214 Visit Booth
Who can resist stacking Unicorns and Clouds?
Inventive Playthings for Inquisitive Minds
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HABA USA · info@HABAusa.com · www.HABAusa.com 19.03.19 10:30
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#1543 H OT BO A: TR AS AT US E SE E M CO
MAKALA DOLPHINS In the world of sea animals Dolphins are the extraverts. Dolphins don’t hide under the water, they come to the surface
KALAUKULELE.COM
to breathe and play and splash. Many people dream of social interaction with these friendly creatures, maybe because it seems that Dolphins don’t take themselves too seriously. A Makala® Dolphin Ukulele is a reminder of the fun and colorful personality of a dolphin. Create your own dolphinarium with a ukulele that sounds great and comes in a variety of colors! An exceptional value to get anyone playing.
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Not Mistakes, Just Lessons Learned
by Phil Wrzesinski
T
he famed physicist Niels Bohr once said, “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” By his definition, there are very few true experts out there because there are always more mistakes to be made. Fortunately, Detective Chief Inspector John Luther (from the BBC drama) gave us another path: “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.” I’ve made my fair share of mistakes and learned some lessons the hard way. I’ve also spent a life studying the mistakes of others and the lessons they learned. When ASTRA asked if I would do a presentation at the upcoming Marketplace & Academy titled “Three Mistakes We Can Fix Tomorrow,” my biggest fear was trying to choose which three, out of the many, to discuss! If you stop by the ASTRA booth in Pittsburgh on Monday and Tuesday mornings, June 10 and 11, you will get my top three mistakes and lessons that apply to retailers, vendors, and sales reps alike. I had several more on my list specifically for retailers. Here are three I wish I had learned about earlier rather than later.
MISTAKE #1 The word “no” Retailers get bombarded with questions all day long. The two most common are, “Do you have this?” and “Can you do that?” All too often the easy answer is “No.” Specifically, all day long we would hear, “Do you have the (insert hot-TV-advertised-mass-markettoy-that-no-one-has-in-stock-because-the-manufactureris-trying-to-create-a-false-craze product)?” “No, we don’t.” The problem with “no” is that it is a deal killer. The customer asks a question. You say no. They walk out the door empty-handed and unhappy. The transaction is over before it even started. The more often you say it, the sooner the customer stops asking and goes somewhere else. So instead of saying no, think of those questions as openings. They give you the chance to engage the customer in conversation. Instead of saying no, you could ask a question. “Is that item on someone’s wish list?” “What are you looking for in that item? “What are you trying to accomplish?” They all open a dialog that will help you better sell to the customer.
28 edplay.com • • • • • May/June 2019
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Unique animal-shaped 100-piece jigsaw puzzle.
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MISTAKE #2 Talk Too Much, Listen Too Little Of all the mistakes I’ve made, this is the hardest I’ve had to overcome. You know the scenario: you ask the customer one question and then wait for your moment to pounce with the answer – often cutting off the customer before she was finished. You do it because you’ve heard the story before. You do it because you know the answer and want to buzz in like it’s a game show before the time runs out. In your life you will spend far more time listening than you will reading, writing, or even speaking. Yet there is no formal training on listening skills during your elementary-school years. The closest is when your teacher yells, “Listen up!” to the classroom as she explains a lesson for the third time. (continued on page 50)
TOTALLY JAWS OME!
PA
Another option is taking a deep breath, saying no, and then following it up quickly with “Can I show you an alternative?” “Let me show you what we do have.” “We don’t sell that product because ________. Let me show you something better.” Some customers will be on the hunt for that one specific item and no alternative will do. Others are just asking for it because it was something their friend or family member recommended. They will be open to other suggestions. If all you say is no, you’ll never know which is which. Everyone leaves empty-handed. One more thing you should do with all those requests for specific items: write them down. Have your staff keep a clipboard and list every product a customer requests that you don’t have. Call it your “No List.” At the end of the day, look it over. If you are getting several requests for the same item, you might want to consider carrying that item. Your customers think you have that item. That’s why they ask. Instead of going online and finding exactly what they wanted, they went to you first. Sometimes your “No List” will uncover a whole category of toys you should be selling because your customers perceive that you already do sell them. The same is true for your services. If a customer asks if you can do something, the best response is to say yes and figure out how to do it.
VE
Please visit us at the ASTRA Marketplace, Booth 1539
R A WA
RD
NEW!
LiL’ Rooster
NEW!
LiL’ Llama
Visit www.maddcappgames.com or call toll free 1-855-246-6233
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Eight Myths About
Brand
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about brand, a subject that’s not only misunderstood, but also undervalued. Brand strategist and author Lindsay Pedersen debunks some myths that could be holding your business back.
B
rand B
rand is one of the biggest drivers of your business’s success. At least it should be if it’s clear and well defined. It should be the filter through which you make all business decisions big and small. It should be your North Star. That may be a lot of “shoulds” but, unfortunately, too few companies let brand lead the way. Because many leaders don’t truly understand brand, they either dismiss its importance or pass it off to someone unqualified to shape it thoughtfully. Needless to say, brushing off brand is very bad for business. “Brand is what breaks through the chaos of a million messages and persuades consumers to buy,” says Lindsay Pedersen, author of Forging an Ironclad Brand: A Leader’s Guide. “It has the potential to be extremely powerful, but none of its potential will be realized if decision makers don’t understand what brand really is – and what it isn’t. “There are certain very pervasive myths that spring up around brand,” she continues. “We must confront these myths and knock them down if we are to make decisions that unleash our competitive advantage and ultimately drive sustainable growth.”
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MYTH: Brand is only a business’s name or a logo. TRUTH: Name and logo are merely expressions of brand. Many equate brand with name and logo only, which is understandable because name and logo are the
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most visible and concrete expressions of brand. The name identifies the brand with words while the logo does so with image and color. While both are overt expressions of brand, they are not brand in its entirety. Not even close!
MYTH: Brand is only advertising. TRUTH: Advertising is a tactic to express brand. “Leaders often conflate brand with brand marketing, à la ‘Mad Men,’” says Pedersen. “Since advertising is shouting your business’s message and what you stand for, advertising is quite literally an expression of brand. But advertising alone is not brand; any more than a texted announcement from me to my friends is all that I am. Brand influences everything. It’s not merely a single, temporary tactic.” MYTH: Brand is only for businesses with large media budgets. TRUTH: Your marketing budget and brand strategy have little to do with one another. Brand gives you resonance regardless of the volume at which you can afford to shout. MYTH: Brand is irrelevant for businesses that use performance marketing tactics. TRUTH: Brand strengthens all marketing tactics. Businesses may eschew traditional advertising and instead elect to generate demand through performance marketing tactics such as search engine optimization, search engine marketing, email marketing, and digital re-targeting. That means that if you link brand
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with traditional advertising, it will become collateral damage. But performance marketing tactics indicate to your customers what you stand for, and so those, too, are expressions of brand. “When brand informs performance marketing,” says Pederson, “these tactics can amass clicks and sales in the near term, and also accrue brand affinity and enduring growth in the long term.” MYTH: Brand is spin. TRUTH: Brand prevents the need for spin. Of course, some brands are just a hollow shell of lies, but that is not because they are brands. That is because they were developed thoughtlessly and likely in the absence of customer empathy and integrity. By committing yourself to building your brand with authenticity, you inherently avoid spin. An ironclad brand doesn’t have to use spin. It finds the intersection between what truly serves the customer and what truly serves the business, and then transparently communicates and builds toward that. “Remember that brand lives in the hearts and minds of customers,” says Pedersen. “Spin cannot change this.”
MYTH: Brand is only for businesses in certain industries. TRUTH: Brand works for businesses in all categories and of all sizes. Because the biggest national advertisers tend to be consumer packaged goods companies and behemoth technology and telecommunications brands, many small-business owners consider brand to be exclusive to those industries specifically. In fact, if people in your industry don’t do advertising on a national or global scale, you may believe that brand strategy isn’t something you should be doing. But the businesses that most need a brand strategy are the ones that cannot afford big television media campaigns or global digital ads. MYTH: Brand is only for business-to-consumer companies, not business-to-business companies. TRUTH: Brand is for businesses that have relationships with human beings, whether B2B or B2C. The idea that branding is not for B2B companies may stem from consumer businesses like Clorox, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever that used the
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Eight Myths About Brand
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power of the brand in the 20th century to great and visible success. But it is another false dichotomy. Both B2C and B2B serve human beings, so brand is relevant to both. Whether they buy as a representative of a household or of a business, human beings are in a relationship with other human beings. Brand facilitates and reinforces that relationship. MYTH: Brand is not for “businesses that make or sell products.” TRUTH: Brand and product work together, not separately. Leaders who argue that their business is a “product” company often dismiss brand, and miss its meaning. Product is an essential part of brand. In fact, product is such an integral brand expression that Pedersen considers it the least forgiving of brand’s many expressions. “No amount of excellent messaging, promotion, or sweet-talking will compensate for a poor product,” she says. “Further, while product is vitally important, it is the means, not the end. Customers don’t care about your
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cool product. They care about what they get as a result of your product – what’s in it for them. You should care most about that, too. Building an ironclad brand strategy puts what customers care about into sharp relief for everyone.” Brand is immense and overarching, concludes Pedersen. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that it is useful in only one of its roles. “Challenge yourself to reject the brand myths you’ve heard in the past,” she says. “The truth is powerful, and when you put the energy into understanding and utilizing brand to its fullest extent, you will reap the rewards.” Lindsay Pedersen is a brand strategist, board advisor, coach, speaker, and teacher known for her scientific and growth-oriented approach to brand building. She developed the Ironclad Method for value-creating brands while working with billion-dollar businesses like Starbucks, Zulily, and and IMDb, as well as with many burgeoning startups. For more information, visit ironcladbrandstrategy.com
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New True From Endless Games, makers of The Floor is Lava game, comes Traffic Cop. It’s a new version of the classic game where one player is the traffic cop and everyone else tries to cross the street safely. It features 36 Intersection Tiles, Stop Sign Spinner, and a Yellow Traffic Cop Vest. For ages 5 and up. 732-414-2213 bturtle@endlessgames.com
The Large Horse Stable with House and Stable is the latest addition to Schleich’s very popular Horse Club franchise. Featuring a wide variety of functional elements and moving parts, this highly-detailed and imaginative playset also offers several figurines including Quarter Horse Cayenne and Hanoverian Stallion Jupiter. schleich-s.com, orders@schleich-s.com
With simple adjustments to its tail, Duncan’s new light-up Dragon Hawk flutters, climbs, and dives to provide lifelike bird flight by day and light-up hawk flight at night. Each 20-minute charge delivers an hour of flight time. Switch to one of two power settings, shake the body back and forth to activate the motor, and away it goes! USB charger included 1-800-457-5252, duncantoys.com
The Air Pogo from Adventure Parks is “the most-awarded swing ever!” With a 2-1/2-foot bounce, it swings, twists, twirls, flies, floats, jumps, and springs above the rest! adventureparks.com
The Kala Learn to Play Ukulele Starter Kit is a complete ukulele learning experience for everyone ages 3 to 103. It comes with a high-quality Kala Soprano Ukulele, free online lessons and tutorials, a free app with tuner and songs included, and a tote bag. The packaging is for in-store presentation. kalabrand.com/ltp-s
Unleash your inner playful puppy with eeBoo’s new board game, Puppy Fuffle. Two to four players move around the board trying to collect as many treats and toys as they can to be top dog. If you don’t win a round, don’t worry. Every dog has its day. Samantha Bodamer at 212-222-0823 samantha@eeboo.com
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The Timber Tots line from Fat Brain Toy encourages imaginative play and discovery for kids ages 2 to 6. Each set is packed with activities. The Magic Treehouse is the centerpiece, complete with a working elevator, swing, garage, and iconic pop action. It includes a carrying handle, five chairs, two beds, a bench, table, car, and two characters. 800-335-5621, sales@fatbraintoyco.com
Click and create your own adventure with Magformers’ AMAZING Rescue 50Pc Set! Build a fire station and fire truck, add wheels and fire accessories. This set comes with 24 magnetic pieces, two characters, emergency vehicle accessories and much more to keep the city safe. For children age 3 and up 1-734-667-1673 info@magformers.com
Gravity is a child’s favorite play toy, and the HABA USA Kullerbu Parking Garage elevates gravity play to a higher level. What goes up must come down. When you add in vehicles, children will play for hours, and they’ll never know how much they’re learning. Your customers will love this toy instantly. 800-468-6873, habausa.com info@habausa.com
You’ll need quick hands and a quicker wit to play Astro Trash, an exciting new game from USAopoly (“The OP”). Displace multicolored bits of space debris to clean up your cluttered planet. Nonstop dice rolling and trash dumping amount to fun in a race to score three Trash Trophies and win! For age 6 and up usaopoly.com
With this creative kit from SentoSphere, kids can create their own bath bombs! A subtle mixture of cosmetic products enriched with almond oil and glycerin can be compressed into different mold shapes. Once it has hardened, the creations can be used for a delicately colored, scented and sparkling bubble bath! sentosphereusa@comcast.net
Zategy from Families Play Forever is an award-winning strategy game for the entire family. Game play is short (5 to 10 minutes) and simple: align four tiles in a row to win. Block others while advancing your own game. For 2 to 4 players age 7-plus, Zategy is perfect for game nights with family and friends. kurt@familiesplayforever.com
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New True The makers of the ciao! baby portable highchair offer portable products for families on the go. Hoopman! promotes active play and lets little kids play like big kids. The folding frame requires no assembly and comes in a convenient carry bag. It weighs less than five pounds and meets all safety standards for children over 3 years old. 502-241-5515 kstrong@jamberlygroup.com
Delight the dog lover in your family with the sweet Labradoodle puppet from Folkmanis. Just animate its mouth and head to fall fully in love with this remarkably realistic pup-pet. It’s a new best friend just full of playful personality. Folkmanis Puppets are an essential ingredient to every toy box, every childhood, every generation. For ages 3 and up 800-654-8922, info@folkmanis.com
The WINTERFELL WREBBIT 3-D 910-piece puzzle is the second of two Game of Thrones 3-D puzzle models launched by Wrebbit earlier this year. It’s just in time for the eighth and final season of the acclaimed HBO series and the perfect gift for Game of Thrones fans 14 and up. 855-787-8842, sales@wrebbit3d.com
Pull it back and watch it go! The little Silver Aero car from Aeromax has speed, high performance and durability. It works best on a hard surface but will go on low-pile carpet, too. The three-pack includes three styles of cars with red, black and blue helmets. Recommended for ages 3 and up aeromaxtoys.com
Fractiles-7 is an awardwinning magnetic tiling toy and an effective alternative to screen time on an electronic device. With diamond-shaped tiles, its magical geometric art fascinates kids and adults alike. Sets come in three sizes; two contain an activity board. Great for travel, at home, or at school. 303-541-0930, https://youtu.be/NHN4b8nK0Bo
According to Time Timer customers, the 20-Minute and the 5-Minute Time Timer PLUS make a perfect pair for activities and transitions. Younger kids, who have attention spans from 5 to 20 minutes, use both. Seeing the patented colored disk disappear makes time concrete for them. Older kids and adults use the two together to increase focus. These shorter durations keep people of all ages on track. timetimer.com
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New True With the new TICO Blind Box Sea & Zoo Series from The Lazy Dog & Co., you can build your own adventure with TICO Mini Bricks, the world’s tiniest building blocks! Each blind box contains one of several zoo or sea creatures. Which wild animal will you end up with? Collect them all! 201-771-0039, thelazydog.co
The new Loog Mini Electric is a three-string electric guitar with onboard amp and speaker. Like all Loog guitars, it comes with flashcards and an educational app that makes learning music as fun as playing a game, and gets kids playing songs on day one. LOOG Guitars – an awardwinning line played by The Rolling Stones, John Mayer and others. sales@loogguitars.com
Magna-Tiles 28-Piece House Set from Valtech, a 2019 Best Toys for Kids Finalist, comes with reusable silicon stickers, magnetic stairs, doors, and other unique shapes to add to any architectural design. All building plans can be modified to unlock a world of imagination by changing the stickers and adding favorite toys to the mix! 708-246-7209, magnatiles.com
Time Breaker is new from Looney Labs! This light family game is a chase across time to catch a chrono-criminal. Navigate the time stream to catch the Time Breaker and bring them back to Time Repair Headquarters. Along the way, visit some of humankind’s greatest accomplishments, past and future. 301-441-1019, retailers@looneylabs.com, looneylabs.com
Madame Alexander has expanded its top-selling My First Doll line with a new gender-neutral mint color option. A perfect first doll for newborns and older babies, this soft and cuddly 12-inch doll has a fabric body and molded hands and face. (The dolls are shipped in a window box.) sales@madamealexander.com 1-833-MADAME A
Super Capes for Super Kids from Fairy Finery are reversible and made in the USA from top-quality washable satin. Encourage creative play for girls and boys with this great cape collection! 888-377-4511, fairyfinery.com
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Hubelino action sets are ideal for exploring our five different, special elements. With each action set you can either build a small marble run or integrate the special element in your existing Hubelino marble run. info@habausa.com, habausa.com
The customizable and reusable Be Kind Advent Calendar from MW Wholesale (Peaceable Kingdom) includes 35 tokens with prompts for acts of kindness. Select 25 kind acts for the month and add them to the calendar. It comes with extra tokens to make your month of kindness unique year after year. For ages 6 and up 800-274-6123, info@mwwholesale.biz
MukikiM Toys has added the Rainbow Xylophone and Bongos to its Rock and Roll It Collection. Both toys include a built-in speaker, several sound styles, demo tunes, a record and playback feature, plus audio-in to play MP3 songs and audio-out for headphones or external speakers. Roll them up and take them with you anywhere. For ages 4 and up Robert Sheets, National Sales Manager, 414-395-7850
Kid O’s playful take on the classic origami boat provides a secret surprise at bath time. In warm water, the hulls unexpectedly transform into bright new hues. The colorful fleet is both a science experiment and vibrant visual cue to water temperature. Comes in a pack of three different colors, each measuring approximately 5 inches. For ages 1 and up 1-800-524-4263, playmonster.com
Discover how computers work with Turing Tumble! See what Smithsonian Magazine has named the “Best Overall STEM Toy.” This creative and educational game lets players age 8 to adult build marble-powered computers to solve logic puzzles in a fun and interactive way. Turing Tumble uses only high-quality parts in an easy-to-learn format. turingtumble.com
From the creators of Let’s Find Out magazine come two series of high-interest science and social studies book sets! Perfect for small groups, these books from Scholastic feature gorgeous photos, rebus pictures, patterned text, high-frequency words, and consistent print placement. Sets correlate to Guided Reading Levels B–F. Karol Kulikowski, kkulikowski@scholastic.com
What could be cuter than the Animal & Sea Life Activity Paks from Wikki Stix? Or more fun on Christmas morning? Here are two, fun, made-in-the-USA stocking stuffers at super-special pricing with an October ship date. Order at ASTRA Marketplace Booth #1632, 800-869-4554, info@wikkistix.com
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New True The new Flight Starter model from UGEARS is a mechanical launcher for three light-flying airplane models (included), and works with paper airplanes. The all sci-fi design is implemented in the Ugears’ iconic skeleton steampunk style that allows you to look inside the working mechanism, which you get to assemble.
Magformers’ Dolce Safari Adventure offers four amazing toys in one! The baby monkey with its cute bell fits snugly into the lion. Now the lion goes inside the cute hippopotamus. All the toys fit into the large green Elephant with many activities to teach your child to explore and learn. For babies 0 months and up 1-734-667-1673 info@magformers.com
Kids can create and play back more than 100 different stories with Playmonster’s Mirari myStorymaker. Their story takes shape with fun sounds and expressive voices when they press one icon from each section: “hero,” “adventure” and “happy ending.” Pressing the Mirari logo triggers a lovable giggle and the narrator. Parents can record the child’s name so the narrator will announce the story’s author! For ages 12 months and up 1-800-524-4263, playmonster.com
Shake, rattle and roll! With the new Colorful Parade Painting with Marbles set from Djeco-US, kids ages 3 to 6 can discover fun with colorful paints, marbles, paper silhouettes and a plastic box to shake it all up! Twenty-four art projects to create, admire, and give as gifts. 301-895-3790 hello@djeco-us.com
Amahi Ukuleles’ UK555C is its most exciting new model in 2019! It features a beautiful flamed maple, rainbow gloss finish, optional electronics in concert size and standard tenor size, as well as the famous Aquila Super Nylgut strings. 1-888-262-8471 autumnschear12@gmail.com amahiukes.com
I AM LiL’ Llama is the newest addition to the Madd Capp Jr. Puzzles line for kids age 5 and older. The poster-sized, animal-shaped, 100-piece jigsaws feature bigger pieces sized for smaller hands. Fun Facts (did you know that llamas spit when they feel threatened? Yuck!) are included. Collect all 13! 855-246-6233, orderinfo@maddcappgames.com
OrdeChallenge r now oyour opponent and go head 2 head with r vis it us aline Menthis new tabletop Toss! t ASfrom tiobrand n this TRATiki Maset ad forthese rkeuptpinlac Beautifully packaged Frewooden e in Boo e Shipgames pinit’s th 2117. g otime seconds and break down just as fast when n etontire o r d er! put it away. The line provides multiple, fast-paced game options for the whole family! orders@playtikitoss.com, 800-409-7098
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industry news In 2020, LEGO will launch Braille Bricks. They will feature studs used for characters in the Braille alphabet, along with printed characters that allow sighted people to read the bricks. The new project is aimed at helping blind and visually impaired children learn Braille in a playful and engaging way. Fewer kids today are learning to read Braille as the result of audiobooks and computer programs notes Philippe Chazal, treasurer of the European Blind Union. Only 10 percent of visually impaired children in the U.S. are learning to read Braille, according to a 2009 study from the National Federation of the Blind. In England, 1,077 children were learning Braille in 2017 out of an estimated 21,900 visually impaired children in the country, reports CNN. Studies have shown that Braille users are often more independent, have a higher level of education, and have better employment opportunities. “We strongly believe LEGO Braille Bricks can help boost the level of interest in learning Braille, so we are thrilled that the LEGO Foundation is bringing it to children around the world,” Chazal says. The final set will include approximately 250 bricks that cover the complete Braille alphabet, numbers from zero to nine, math symbols, and “inspiration for teaching and interactive games,” reports CNN.
Braille Bricks will be totally compatible with existing LEGO bricks. The Danish Association of the Blind originally suggested the concept to the LEGO Foundation eight years ago. More recently, in 2017, the Dorina Nowill Foundation for the Blind in Brazil also proposed the idea. The company developed prototypes with both organizations, a LEGO spokesperson told CNN, as well as with the British charities Leonard Cheshire and Royal National Institute of Blind People, and the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted. Ultimately, the Braille Brick sets will be distributed free of charge to institutions through these partner organizations. Braille Bricks are being tested in schools right now, in Portuguese, Danish, English and Norwegian. Spanish, French and German versions will be tested later this year. Morten Bonde, senior art director for the LEGO Group, is losing his sight to a genetic eye disorder. He says, “Experiencing reactions from both students and teachers to LEGO Braille Bricks has been hugely inspirational and reminded me that the only limitations I will meet in life are those I create in my mind. “I am moved to see the impact this product has on developing blind and visually impaired children’s academic confidence and curiosity already in its infant days.”
of her past while battling the Rubie’s Costume Company shapeshifting Scrulls. has joined forces with Marvel “Captain Marvel” stars to produce officially licensed Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, costumes, masks and accessories Jude Law, Ben Mendalsohn, and for “Captain Marvel,” the first Lashana Lynch. female-led superhero movie in Each of the costumes in the Marvel cinematic universe. the Rubie’s collection reflects The film takes place An essential ingredient to every toybox, every childhood, a lifelike representation of the before any of the events of the every generation. See a whole world of puppets at unique characters portrayed on Avengers movies have occurred. www.folkmanis.com or call 1-800-654-8922 for a free catalog the big screen: the cosmic Kree It features Air Force pilot Carol superhero, Captain Marvel, Kree Danvers, who transforms into mentor Yon Rogg, and the shapea super-powered Kree warrior. shifting Skrull Nuro. They are With the help of agent Nick available in child and adult sizes. Fury, she uncovers the truth
ASTRA Booth #1333
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“Princesses and unicorns have always been popular with young girls, but I think we will be seeing a lot of Captain Marvels this year,” notes Rubie’s Executive Vice President Howard Beige. Rubie’s is the world’s largest manufacturer of Halloween costumes and accessories. The company specializes in the creation, design, manufacture and distribution of costumes, makeup, wigs, mask, hats, prosthetics and accessory items. (continued on page 44)
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An essential An essential ingredient ingredient to everytotoybox, every toybox, every childhood, every childhood, every generation. every generation. See a whole See aworld wholeofworld puppets of puppets at at www.folkmanis.com www.folkmanis.com or call 1-800-654-8922 or call 1-800-654-8922 for a free forcatalog a free catalog
ASTRA ASTRA Booth #1333 Booth #1333
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industry news
The industry was saddened to learn that Beau James, managing director of KidSource, died on April 9. In a message to ASTRA members, association President Kim Mosely wrote this: “Beau was an icon of our industry. To some of us, he was the original MIB (Man in Black). Others knew him as the ‘doll guy.’ With a career spanning more than 40 years, he built his iconic reputation from his early days at International Playthings, then the distributor of Sasha dolls by Trendon Ltd., and continued in his tenures with Madame Alexander, Gotz and Corolle. He
was known as one of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the specialty toy business. “Shortly before his passing, we were honored to present Beau with the 2019 ASTRA Lifetime Achievement Award. On behalf of the ASTRA Board of Directors, we are grateful that we had the opportunity to let him know how much he has meant to so many.” KidSource is a U.S.-based distribution company that brings European brands including Quercetti, Viking Toys, Mojo, Majorette and Dickie Toys into the U.S.
In March, Michael Keaton joined Toysmith as CEO. Formerly, he was president of Schleich North America after spending 13 years in senior leadership positions at the LEGO Group. Michael is also on the board of directors of the Toy Association in the U.S. and the Canadian Toy Association. Toysmith brands and products are sold to toy retailers, teacher stores and school supply dealers, museums, zoos, aquariums, national parks, attractions, theme parks, gift stores, specialty catalogs and internet retailers.
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Learning Express Toys in Westborough, Massachusetts, has opened a new Fashion Angels Shop. The store-within-a-store features tween girls’ lifestyle and activity products including kits, fashion sketchbooks, DIY crafts, licensed products, fashion accessories, room décor and beauty care products. The concept helps further Fashion Angels’ mission to empower tween girls to become confident and stylish young women. It provides them with experiences that encourage them to believe in themselves, express themselves, to be happy with who they are and proud of what they can do.
Wonder Works toy stores based in Charleston, South Carolina; and Awesome Toys in Westport and Stamford, Connecticut, have partnered with Melissa & Doug to launch brand-new experiential play zones aimed at pushing children of all ages towards more hands-on and open-ended playtime. Experiential play is not only important to childhood development, it is also a traffic driver for specialty toy stores, and crucial to their success in a changing retail climate, says Wonder Works owner Christine Osborne. That’s why the team at Melissa & Doug, together with the retailers and professional designers, created immersive, imaginative, tech-free
play zones for stores. It gives an opportunity for the stores to easily offer their customers a platform for experiencing hands-on play.
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for your business information
Turmoil in U.K.’s Toyland In a March 16 article, after The Early Learning Centre (ELC) chain of 229 toy stores in the U.K. sold for a fraction of its price 10 years ago, The London-
based Financial Times outlined the struggles of toy retailing in the U.K. “Even Hamleys, the world’s most famous toy store, has suffered,” it reported. Pointing to figures from the market research firm Local Data Company, the article noted that about a quarter of the U.K.’s nursery goods and toy shops – almost 500 stores – had closed since 2012. Competition, “from supermarkets to Amazon,” and the increasing popularity of technology toys over open-ended wooden train sets and traditional games were listed as reasons for the decline. The purchaser of ELC is Gary Grant, founder of The Entertainer.
Order now or visit us at ASTRA Marketplace in Booth 2117. Mention this ad for Free Shipping on entire order!
It’s the U.K.’s largest independent toy retailer with 163 stores. Grant remains unfazed by the market’s upheaval, he told the Financial Times. “We had a stellar year last year, opening 16 new stores.” And he plans to open more. Since 2009, on the heels of Woolworths’ collapse in the U.K., The Entertainer has almost quadrupled its number of U.K. toy stores. There are two other “winners” in the U.K. toy market, said the article. Among them is Argos, the current market leader; and Smyths, the privately owned Irish toy retailer that moved into some of the stores vacated by Toys “R” Us.
Orders@playtikitoss.com 800.409.7098
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Visit us at :
ASTRAs Marketplace Booth #1221
100% compatible with bricks from other manufacturers High quality product made in Germany From the age of 4 Awarded STEM toy info@HABAusa.com
ted by Distribu
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www.HABAusa.com
Hubelino and the HubelinoŽ Logo are registered trademarks of the Hubelino GmbH. The displayed products are designed by Lippert Studios, Berlin. Design patents are issued for all products. Š 2019 Hubelino GmbH
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for your business information Shopping, from X to Z According to the latest research, today’s kids, teens, and young adults – consumers who are roughly between the ages of 7 and 22 – interact differently with stores compared to their older siblings and Gen X parents. In other words, Gen Zers love shopping in brick-and-mortar stores, reports Bloomberg News. An International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) study reveals that around 95 percent of them visited a physical shopping center in a three-month period in 2018, as opposed to just 75 percent of Millennials and 58 percent of Gen Xers. What’s more, three-quarters of them said that it was a better experience than shopping online. It defies the assumption that younger consumers, the ones who have grown up in a digital world, would rather shop virtually than physically. Missing that message proved to be the undoing of teen-store staples like Charlotte Russe, Wet Seal, and Claire’s,
notes Bloomberg. “Failure to adapt to changing trends to stay relevant can crush a business,” the article observed, adding that regional mall vacancy rates are at 9.3 percent in the U.S. But stores that get it are thriving. Here are some examples of the ways they’re keeping up. They embrace cell phone use Gen Zers admit they spend a lot of time on their smartphones. Nearly six out of 10 say they are guilty of overuse, according to the results of a recent survey by Bloomberg and Morning Consult. The payoff can be huge for stores like Forever 21 that celebrate it rather than fight it. The fast-fashion retailer rewards phone-in-hand shopping by offering customers 21 percent off if they snap a picture of themselves in a Forever 21 outfit, and post it with designated hashtags. Shoppers just have to show the cashier their post. Macy’s is another example. In an effort to provide a more entertaining and Instagram-worthy experience
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for Gen Z shoppers, the old-guard department store introduced “Story,” a colorful, themed store-withina-store in 36 of its locations. “Story is filled with knickknacks like hot dog-shaped pet toys, purses that charge phones, and self-help books on how to cure hangovers,” says the Bloomberg article. As Jeff Gennette, Macy’s CEO, pointed out, those items are ones that “nobody needs” but are “going to want,” once they see them – in the store or on some Gen Z shopper’s post. They don’t treat secondhand clothing as second rate Gen Z shoppers like to get a good deal and according to Thredup’s 2019 Resale Report, one in three Gen Z shoppers is expected to buy secondhand this year. It’s part of the reason Neiman Marcus recently bought a minority stake in Fashionphile, an e-commerce company specializing in pre-owned luxury handbags and accessories. According to
Bloomberg, the high-end department store plans to open five to seven in-store showrooms in the next year for customers who want to receive a quote on used items they want to sell. In an interview with Bloomberg, Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy Van Raemdonck said, “The customer who participates in buying secondhand products is younger. That’s usually the first time they enter the luxury market, and we aim to introduce them to Neiman Marcus – and, ultimately, to transition them to buying products of the season at Neiman Marcus. It’s clearly a recruitment effort.”
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Not Mistakes, Just Lessons Learned (continued from page 29) One technique I used myself and with my staff to overcome this problem was repeating back what the customer said. “So, you’re looking for a toy for your 5-year-old grandson because he’s ‘dumb as dirt’ and you want something that will finally help him learn calculus like his younger sister?” Three amazing things happen when you use this technique. First, you give your customer the
chance to clarify what she said. “No, not calculus. He’s still working on trigonometry. Do you have an abacus that isn’t too babyish?” Second, you give yourself more time to consider your answer. By repeating back what the customer said, you are now hearing the request twice. You are also giving yourself more time to develop an answer. How many times have you said, “If only I had thought about it just a little more!” If you’ve said it more than once in your life, use this technique. It will give you the “just a little more” time that you need. The third and most important reason for repeating back what a customer said is trust. In the world of teambuilding, the stepping stone that leads to trust is caring. When you take the time to listen closely, repeat back, and get clarification, you are telling your customer you care about her and her problem. She is far more likely to trust your answer after that than if you just blurted something out before she finished talking. That level of trust is especially helpful when you’re trying to sell an alternative to the hot toy she requested earlier. MISTAKE #3 The wrong question at the cashwrap Have you ever noticed how the customer shopping in your store transforms into someone completely new at the cashwrap? She was in no hurry as she browsed your aisles; no sense of urgency as she peppered you with questions about STEM and Montessori-based toys. She took her time to carefully study every box to make sure the packaging
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of her gift had zero dented corners or wrinkles. Then she shows up at the cashwrap and sighs loudly, as though she is going to miss a flight to Jamaica if you don’t check her out this instant. Shopping mode is quite different from paying mode. Shopping mode is leisurely. Paying mode is urgency. Yet the mistake we make to this newly transformed person in paying mode is to ask at the counter, “Did you find everything?” While it seems like a helpful phrase, it’s really dangerous because it turns your customer into an instant liar. When you pose this question to someone waiting to check out, more often than not she will answer “Yes!” even if she didn’t find everything. · She won’t say no for fear that you’ll stop what you’re doing to try to find the item she couldn’t find. · She won’t say no because she already learned from another clerk that you don’t have the item, and doesn’t want to explain it all again. · She won’t say no because she doesn’t want to be reminded that she must go somewhere else to get what she wanted. (And you don’t want to bring up that frustration for her all over again, anyway.) · She won’t say no because she doesn’t want to hold up the line forming behind her. · She won’t say no for fear you won’t do anything at all; the worst response she could imagine. The time to ask that question is earlier, when she is still in shopping mode. One easy way is inquire, “Who else is on your list?” The next thing you know, you’re helping her find toys for Uncle Bill and Aunt Sally. At the cashwrap you are too late. The answer will almost always be yes even when it isn’t. You turned your customer into a liar and you’ve missed the opportunity to sell her toys for Aunt Sally. We all make mistakes. It’s what we learn from them that really counts. When you can learn from the mistakes of others, though, that’s when the real magic happens. I look forward to seeing you all in Pittsburgh for the ASTRA Marketplace and Academy. If I’m not in the HABA USA booth, I’m probably in the ASTRA booth talking about the three really big mistakes we all make – but can fix tomorrow!
The national sales manager for HABA USA, Phil Wrzesinski is a former retailer who spent 24 years running one of the most successful independent toy stores in America. In his spare time, Phil uses the lessons he’s learned in a lifetime of retail to help others find their success. You can learn more about Phil at PhilsForum.com.
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Welcomes Nine New Advertisers! Michael Schear, president of Amahi Ukuleles, thinks that children in public schools aren’t learning to play the recorder anymore; they’re learning to play ukulele. He suggests that retailers carry a variety of models because people like to collect them, and to make the display easily accessible since a ukulele is often an impulse purchase. See the ad on page 33 A Chalk of the Town T-shirt was recommended as a perfect first-dayof-school item by Popular Science
last year because kids can draw on them and erase them, just like a chalkboard. “Buy a single shirt, and suddenly your kid has the perfect top for Spirit Day, Valentine’s Day, Taco Tuesday, and any other day he or she is feeling particularly expressive.” See the ad on page 54 Jamberly Group, marketers of the portable ciao! baby go-anywhere highchair and Hoopman, a foldup basketball hoop for toddlers, is dedicated to bringing unique
products to life. It offers solutions for families on-the-go with small children. See the ad on page 20 eBoo is a boutique toy manufacturer specializing in useful, beautiful and well-made educational games and gifts. Many are based on old-fashioned formats that eeboo reinvents with cheerful artwork and contemporary design. See the ad on page 55
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Families Play Forever was founded by a family in Hamden, Connecticut – and they love to invent games together. “After playing our games for a while, we wanted to share them with our friends and other families to enjoy, laugh and learn,” they said. “Countless new games are still on our minds and waiting to be shared with your family.” See the ad on page 11 Learning Wrap-Ups, a hands-on, self-correcting manipulative, was invented 36 years ago by a fourthgrade teacher. Millions of students later, they remain effective practice tools for math, vocabulary, sight Word/ESL, geography, Spanish and
music theory; plus early childhood, middle school and high school science. See the ad on page 32 Loog Guitars began as a concept for a Master’s thesis project. “Our main goal is to offer a product that is unique and well-designed,” says loogguitars.com. The wood is sourced from responsibly managed forests, and the quality and safety standards meet or exceed government regulations. See the ad on page 20 In 2012, Madd Capp Games debuted at ASTRA Marketplace with “Checkers, Dog Lovers Edition.” Since then, the company
has added more board games, card games and jigsaw puzzles. The founders are committed and passionate entrepreneurs who love creating moments where the entire family can come together for fun. See the ad on page 29 Tiki Toss from Mellow Militia is an easy-to-play – and extremely addictive – hook-and-ring game. It’s a classic enjoyed by lovers of other classic party games including corn hole and ladder toss. Crafted from 100-percent bamboo, Tiki Toss comes with easy setup instructions and all the hardware. See the ad on page 46
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ASTRA Booth #2111
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www.chalk-of-the-town.com 54 edplay.com • • • • • May/June 2019 Wear It! Totes available for fashion & creatvity on the go! EPY_03_MayJune_2019.indd 54
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PIECE & LOVE
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Playviators
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