Toyology: The Science of Fun!!!

ToyFest West: Now with More Vegas!

brandon @ toyology — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:46:50 +0000

With the 2013 NYC Toy Fair in the rearview mirror, it’s time to set our sights on the next big toy show coming up on the horizon: ToyFest West! This year welcomes a big change to the show – a new location. In a whole new state! Yes, the Southpoint Hotel and Casino in shiny Las Vegas will be the new home to the show, which was previously held in Long Beach, and before that our beloved Pomona. Ah, Pomona…good times.

Check this Southpoint place out:

ToyFest West moves to the Southpoint Casino in Las Vegas!

Looks pretty nice, right? Do I even need to mention they have a 32 lane bowling alley? You’ll know where to find me after the show. The new venue and extracurricular activities the Las Vegas area offers are an added incentive to get out to this wonderful show hosted by WTHRA (Western Toy and Hobby Representatives Association). It’s the second oldest and second largest show of it’s kind, so if you’re a retailer, it’s a must-attend show. Especially if you were “snowed” out of Toy Fair this year.

The important details: The show runs Sunday, March 10th through Wednesday, March 13th. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Registration is free and you can sign up for the show here.

Toyology will try to repeat our award winning booth presentation with, by my count, about 5000 square feet of booth space to showcase the latest and greatest from the premiere toy, gift and game vendors we work with. We hope to see you there!

Summer Must-Have: Shwings – wings for your shoes!

brandon @ toyology — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 00:00:26 +0000

Yeah, that’s right. Shwings are wings for your shoes and you need ‘em! It’s the first day of Summer and I’ve got the cool scoop on the hottest new accessory. Whether you’re a tot, teen, or even an adult, you can find a pair of Shwings (or two or three) that suit your style and give your shoes a fun, eye-catching look. Easy to use with practically any kind of shoe, just lace or strap Shwings on to your shoes and step to the front of the line. You’re a trend-setter now. Pick a few colors and layer them up, go both sides of your shoe for maximum effect, or create your own unique ways to rock Shwings. Any way you lace or strap them on, you can’t go wrong.

Visit the Shwings website for a preview of Shwings Nation and to see the initial styles available, then head over to their Facebook page and give them a like.

Currently available in 12 colors, these are available to retailers now, yes now, so if you’re interested in having these in your store (you will sell lots), contact us right away and we’ll get you set-up with everything you need!

Square Shooters supports Autism Speaks in April

brandon @ toyology — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:03:01 +0000

I’d be excited to talk about Square Shooters simply for the fact that it’s one of the most unique and enjoyable games you’ll find on the market today, combining two essential gaming elements everyone loves – cards and dice – into one innovative play experience. Through a patented process they’ve transferred a full deck of cards on to a set of dice, which allows players to roll hands. Yes, the world’s first deck of cards on dice! You can get started with the Square Shooters brand game, then start putting new twists on classic games like Poker and Rummy, and eventually you’ll be creating totally new games altogether. See how cool:

But this post goes beyond the games to call attention to a special campaign they are running for the month of April to support Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism advocacy and science organization. For the month of April, Square Shooters, now a national program sponsor, will donate $1 for every “like” Square Shooters receives on Facebook. Let me make this easy, visit their Square Shooters Facebook page and Like them. Do it now!

Company owner Tom Donelan has a personal connection with autism and you can read more from Tom at the autism support page on the Square Shooters site. Here’s a great video of Tom summing up both the game and their involvement with Autism Speaks:

Please take a second or two to help them with a “Like” so they’ll have a nice, hefty donation total for the month!

New Name, Same Great Show: ToyFest West in Long Beach

brandon @ toyology — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:05:35 +0000

We’ve got a big toy show happening soon and it’s got a new name: ToyFest West! Formerly known as the Western States Toy and Hobby show, this year’s event will be going down March 24th through March 27th in lovely Long Beach. You don’t want to miss it – so many great lines exhibit at this show and give you an opportunity for direct hands-on interaction with their products. There’s also a Gala reception, the always popular game night, and a “Best of the Fest” presentation by ASTRA that’s open to any retailers attending the show. Again, you don’t want to miss it!

ToyFest West Long Beach 2012

Learn everything you need to know about the show here at the new “ToyFest West website.

Toyology will have our usual block of booths brimming with fun toys and people, so we hope to see you there!

Laurie Hyman of Green Toys wins Entrepreneur of the Year award from Women in Toys!

brandon @ toyology — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:27:14 +0000

A huge congratulations to Laurie from all at Toyology for taking home the Entrepreneur of the Year award given to her by the Women in Toys organization at their 8th annual awards show held back in February. Here’s a full list of award winners from the special event. A co-founder of Green Toys, an amazing toy line that continues to knock our socks off with each new step, Laurie is certainly deserving of this award.

We’re thrilled (and lucky!) to work with Laurie, Robert, and the rest of the Green Toys team, and hope you’ve taken time to appreciate the fantastic line of toys they’ve developed. To learn more about the Green Toys brand, here’s a quick snapshot of what you need to know:

Green Toys

And you can hear more of the story direct from the creators:

You can vote to help decide new Squishable designs!

brandon @ toyology — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:23:59 +0000

Squishable is constantly churning out fantastic new designs for you to grab and squeeze, but did you know you can take part in the process? Absolutely! Head on over to their voting page to see a nice long list of potential Squishable candidates, like Arctic Fox, Walrus, Chinchilla, Loch Ness Monster, Mammoth, Puffin, Yeti, Skunk, the mighty Jackalope and so many more. You better believe I’ve been placing votes on my favorites! Don’t worry Nessy, I’ll get you up to the top!

Too bad they can’t make them all, so they need your help: vote, vote, vote! When it’s time to create some new critters, they’ll tally the votes and the prospective ideas with the most will get sent on to the design/prototype stage to see if they’ll join the large, round, wonderfully fuzzy world of Squishable. I’d hope Simon Cowell was involved in the process somehow…cue English accent, “Llama, I like your potential, good style…I’m going to say yes. You’re going on to Hollywood!” Simon Cowell or no Simon Cowell, it’s pretty darn cool that you an be so closely tied to a company’s production process, don’t you think?

Smart Tangoes USA launches new website!

brandon @ toyology — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:43:02 +0000

Smart/Tangoes USA has just launched a brand new website and it’s a great showcase for their product line, giving you a chance to learn more about their exciting games and magnetic construction sets.

Not familiar yet with the Smart/Tangoes name? Well, that’s probably because they’re quite new in this form, but take a look at the site and I’m certain you’ll find some of the products familiar. Smart Games, from Belgium, has been a leader in creating IQ-challenging, brain-bending logic games in the European market and are now sold in over 80 countries. Wildly-popular Tangoes (by Rex Games), a modern spin on the ancient Chinese tangram puzzle, are a staple in most toy stores already. I personally never travel without one of the magnetic travel tangoes sets in my bag! Both award-winning companies decided to join forces to offer one of the most unique assortments of games available to the US market in 2011.

What’s great about these games, is that while they are a blast to play, they really make your brain work, and that mental exercise is a good thing! Considering they offer games for 3 years old and up, kids can get a jump on building their mental muscle when they play with Smart/Tangoes.

And I haven’t even mentioned SmartMax yet! These over-sized magnetic construction sets, one of my personal favorite items of 2011 and the 2010 Toy of the Year in the Netherlands, brings the wonder of magnetics and construction to the youngest of kids with sets age-graded 1 and Up! The large pieces are easy for small hands to manipulate and piece together, providing a rewarding and creative building experience.

Please visit the new site, check out some products, watch some videos, and let us know what you think!

**If you’re an interested retailer, please note we represent this line only in our Northwest states of Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Idaho. We’d be happy to help you there!

Neighborhood Toy Store Day is this Saturday, Nov. 12th!

brandon @ toyology — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:47:34 +0000

This Saturday, November 12th, (not even two days away!) over 260 specialty retailers across the US and Canada will be participating in Neighborhood Toy Store day to “launch the holiday shopping season with community-minded fun”. It’s gonna be awesome! ASTRA, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, who organizes this annual event, has a dedicated Neighborhood Toy Store Day website with great information and most importantly, a nice list of participating retailers by state so you can find out where you can head with the kids to partake in the fun and festivities. Also be sure to peruse great holiday gifts from the finest specialty toy companies around and squeeze in some early shopping so you check that off your list.

If you’re still not convinced, take a quick read through their 10 reasons to shop locally, and you’ll see just how important your support is. I know in this day and age of internet retailing, with those juicy discounts and free shipping, it’s easy to overlook your local toy store, but please don’t. Nothing can replace the wonder and excitement children experience when walking through the doors of a toy store – it truly is magical and something all kids should get to enjoy time and time and time again.

Hip to Be Square with Buckycubes!

brandon @ toyology — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 22:37:31 +0000

It’s official, I know what I want for Christmas…Buckycubes! The brains behind Buckyballs have just introduced the brand new Buckycubes and I’m pretty certain these things will be as wildly popular as they Buckyballs. Just check out some of these shapes you can make:

Oh, still images can be so boring! Here’s a proper introduction:

Can’t wait. Visit the Buckycubes website for a full preview of this awesome new magnetic construction toy!

My biggest question: how will the buckycubes and buckyballs work together??? Guess I’ll just have to experiment and find out firsthand on that one. The things I will create (insert mad scientist laugh here)!

As always, if you’re one of our existing retailers and like what you see, get in touch with your rep and we can get you all the wholesale ordering details you need so yu can be sure to have these on your shelves for the holidays. If you’re an interested retailer new to Toyology and located in our sales territory, feel free to contact us and we’ll be in touch before you know it.

Seattle Gift Show August 2011

brandon @ toyology — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:08:28 +0000

Things are underway at the Seattle Gift show and the first day is off to a wonderful start. Busy, busy, busy. Floor to ceiling, wall to wall, our showroom is jam-packed with fun and exciting products, a lot of which are brand new and on display for the first time!