Thursday, February 27, 2014

Lego is the Biggest Toymaker in the World.

Yep, according to this Guardian article, Lego is the biggest toymaking business in the world.

It's quite a remarkable story actually, as the once ailing corporation has made such a big turn around that it has quadrupled its revenues in less than 10 years, making it bigger than Mattel (the maker of Barbie), the next biggest rival toymaking corporation.

How has it accomplished such a feat? As the article points out, it boils down to simple profitability - Lego can take one kg of plastic that costs less than $1 and then package that plastic into sets that it then sells for $75 per kg. You have to be an idiot to fail with a business model like that.

Frankly, I'm not surprised that their profits are so high. Over at my household, we've been diving into Legos and the price of these sets is intimidating - especially for what you get. My youngest just had a birthday where she received a few Lego sets, and I have to say, as much of a fan of Legos as I am, with a soft spot in my heart based on loving them as a child, it is kind of shocking the paltry amount of plastic bricks Lego sells for $15 or $20 dollars. These sets are small, as in you don't get a lot of pieces, and the pieces you do get are tiny.

I could go on and on about why I think Lego overprices their stuff, but let's just say that they make an excellent example of toy miniaturization taken to absurd levels that I talked about in a recent post about ripoff toys.

For example, I saw my daughter struggling - even with her tiny fingers - to take a Lego composed of one single square bit of plastic that was meant to represent a piece of food and place into a slightly larger teeny tiny food bin. Anyone want to take any guesses as to how long it will be before this tiny single square Lego brick is lost forever, vacuumed or swept up or lodged in some nook or cranny in the floorboards? The set had a lot of teeny tiny single square pieces.

On a more positive note, I hope that Lego designers and marketers are getting good salaries for the value that they add to these piles of plastic! They're the true heroes here.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Toys R US and FAO Schwarz Sales



Toys R Us is having a 15% off sale this week, for both online and in store purchases.


FAO Schwarz is having a Buy 1 Get 1 for 50% Off sale for all Calico Critters items. This is an online only sale. See site for details. That Calico Critters play set looks pretty cool.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

The Lego Movie: Not So Bad.



So, like millions of other fellow Americans, me and my kids checked out The Lego Movie recently. Verdict? A qualified thumbs up - a thumbs up for sheer laughs and entertainment value, a more measured so so for being a standard Hollywood flick which doesn't get to the level of greatness.

To pick up from my last post, I was incredulous about this film, since any film so blatantly linked to a commercial product just seems like an extended advertisment and/or product placement opportunity.

And there's no doubt there's an aspect of this to The Lego Movie - it's unavoidable. But what's also unavoidable in this flick are a lot of laughs. A surprising amount.

The plot? Well, the plot isn't that clever, novel, or frankly, that interesting (it's the classic tale of a child seeking parental love and affection from a distant parent who has lost the "spirit of play"), but it does propel the story forward in a way that keeps the laughs coming.

And as I said the laughs keep flowing, from start to finish. It's the kind of humor that works for both adults and children alike. A lot of sarcasm and snark between characters that's funny and never mean. There are plenty of pop culture references, but never in a too over the top sort of way which might alienate little kids who don't get the references.

Visually, it's quite stunning. Needless to say everything is made out of 3D cgi'd Legos. I mean everything. Clouds in the sky are made out of Legos. Explosions, smoke and fire are made out of Legos. One sequence set at sea is particularly amazing as waves that are made completely out of Legos rise and fall in sort of a realistic way.

By sort of realistic I mean that none of the movement in the Lego world happens smoothly or realistically. It all happens "lego-ishly." That is, in sort of a herky jerky stop animated style which somehow seems to be correct for a world made entirely of plastic bricks.

This flick resides squarely in the cinematic terrain mapped out in movies like Wreck It Ralph, The Incredibles, and of course, the Toy Story movies. These are all movies with perfectly acceptable and commendable stories which function as premises for a series of engaging, entertaining, and "wow, cool!" visual sequences. It's hard to criticize these movies as they do what they're supposed to do - entertain - and they do it well, but at the same time, I would hold them up against movies like, say, those made by Hayao Miyazaki (Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Arietty, etc.). where the story and visual world's they take place in mesh together seamlessly in one engrossing experience.

In Miyazaki's movies, the moral of the story isn't treated as sort of an afterthought pasted on to a series of gags - in fact, in some Miyazak movies you'd be hard pressed to find any heavy handed "lessons for kids" at all. They're simply wonderful, rich fantasies that stay with you. Does The Lego Movie get to this level of movie goodness? No. Not even close.

What The Lego Movie provides is about 90 minutes of laughs and diversion. And within 10 minutes of leaving the theater, my oldest turned to me and asked, "can we get some more Legos?" Kind of says it all, doesn't it?




Friday, February 14, 2014

The Lego Movie: Maybe Not So Bad?

Legos! When I started this blog I knew I'd end up talking about Legos sooner or later, but I didn't realize I would be talking about a Lego movie. Funny that.

Right away I will admit that I have a negative initial reaction to movies with names like "The Lego Movie," and I doubt my reaction is all that special or strange.  I mean, when the name of a product is front and center in a movie's title - especially in a kid's movie - isn't it normal to think the flick is just an extended exercise in product placement and just an expensive (both to make and to see) form of extended-length advertisement? Well, that's my reaction anyway.

On the other hand, the title "The Lego Movie" also has a hip ironic read as well, right?

"Dad, can we go see the Lego Movie?"

"What's it called?"

"The Lego Movie!"

Might as well name it what everyone would call it anyway.

So my initial reaction to hearing about the film was negative, largely based on the name alone. But I'm hearing that it's a decent film.

Both the LA Weekly and the LA Times give it good reviews.

And I'll admit, this faux "bloopers" reel made me chuckle. Maybe this flick's worth a viewing?



Thursday, February 13, 2014

When Toys Become Art



Okay, so this post isn't exactly about kid toys - but I have to admit I relate to this guy's level of creative obsession. I'm no child psychologist or child development expert, but I wouldn't at all be surprised to find out that there's a connection between imaginative, creative play during childhood and the kind of intense, tenacious creativity shown by the creator of this amazing model train setup, Bruce Zaccagnino.

h/t Gawker

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

GoldieBlox: Too Cold. For Now.

This is my second post that’s critical of GoldieBlox so I just want to say right out of the gate that I'm not on some sort of crusade against GoldieBlox. Honest. It’s just that this is a new blog and I’m still finding sources for toy-related news to comment on. It just happens that GoldieBlox is getting a lot of media attention, which naturally has caught my eye. In fact, as a father of two daughters, I'm very interested in GoldieBlox and support what they're trying to do.

Jezebel has just posted a piece on GoldieBlox makes a few good points. They are: 

 - GoldieBlox don’t have a lot of replayability i.e. kids play with it a couple times, get bored, and then move on to other toys which have got more going on. 

- As a company GoldieBlox are doing a much better job at marketing their toys than they are at producing engaging and fun toys.

- GoldieBlox are expensive for what you get.

One could just make the third point - that GoldieBlox are expensive for what you get - and leave it at that, because obviously replayability and the marketing being flashier than the real product wouldn’t matter much if GB sets were dirt cheap. But the first two points do help explain why GB aren’t a great value for the money.



























My youngest daughter got the above GoldieBlox set from one of her grandmothers for Christmas, so I can speak from experience here. And our experience more or less is in line with the criticisms made in the article.

The box the toy comes in is beautifully printed with bright appealing colors (and not pink!). The toy comes with a nicely made story book that gets your kid in the mood for playing. The toy pieces themselves are well made. It’s definitely not a piece of crap toy set.

But this basic set just doesn’t haven’t much going on.

First off, the approx. $30 price tag isn't insignificant to my retired mother living on a fixed income. The toy was a significant part of her Christmas present budget for both of her granddaughters. $30 is a lot for anybody!

From there, things have played out in much the same way as the Jezebel article describes. My daughter played with it a few times and moved on. She's come back to it a few times, but just hasn't been captured by it the way she has by her Playmobil or her Keva planks. She specifically mentioned that she needs more "goldieblox" in order to get any good play going. Maybe we'll get her some for her birthday, we'll see.

My $.02  is that it’s hard to promise the world - that is, challenging the conventions of toy marketing and toy design - and then deliver. And the louder and more successful the marketing of that innovative product that you’re trying to sell, the more you better deliver on the promise.

Long story short, GoldieBlox has been very successful in marketing, and in a way that’s been both a blessing for them as well as a curse. But it doesn’t have to be a fatal problem. With the success they’ve managed so far, all the have to do is keep improving their product and I think their customers will love the company and become fans. There’s obviously an audience for this kind of toy. It’s a very engaged and vocal market. Make them something they love and they will turn around and buy more, as well as also providing all sorts of great word of mouth advertising. Keep at it, GoldieBlox, and you'll get it "Just Right."


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

FAO Schwarz Sale




Newsletter News: FAO Schwarz has got an online only sale going on. Save 25% off all FAO Schwarz brand toys. According to the newsletter, the sale last until Feb. 15th.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Birthday Season Approaches!

Well, Christmas has barely ended and already it seems like every weekend one of my daughters has a birthday party to attend.

Statistically speaking I guess the summer is supposed to be peak birthday time, but compared to the lack of birthdays in December and especially January, the uptick in birthdays feels like a real influx. If past experience is any guide, we'll be very ready for the birthday party calendar to mellow out by the time the school year ends.

It's all good fun, and we love celebrating with our friends and showing them we care. Showing them we care leads to the topic of this post: birthday presents.

What are you getting your child's friends? What are the kids in your world requesting for presents? Do you have any special tips or tricks for preparing for a flood birthday parties? Do you buy the same presents for all the kids in your children's circle, or do you try to find that perfect gift for each child?

I hate to say it, but our family is more last minute than we wish. I've often thought about taking a special trip to the toy store or maybe making a special online mail order to stock up on presents, but as good as these ideas are, I've never quite had that level of follow through.

We'll return to this topic as birthday season gets into full gear, but for now you'll have to excuse me - I have to order some birthday presents for an upcoming party!

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Look Out, Velociraptor!



Not many dinosaurs have the name recognition and instant notoriety that Velociraptor has. Thanks to Jurassic Park, a whole generation of kids have come up terrorized by idea of the speedy carnivore.

If you're someone, or you know someone, with Velociraptors on the brain, then you might be interested in this plastic Velociraptor dinosaur figure made by Safari Ltd. It's a great dinosaur figurine, sculpted in a dynamic hunting pose and hand painted in colors that are quite possibly realistic for how the terrible lizard might have actually looked. Pair this one up with the Safari Triceratops dinosaur toy that we mentioned last week, and  you have the makings for some dramatic dinosaur combat!

Available at a low price from the Wild Animal Store, a great source for animal figures, animal replicas, and animal toys.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Ripoffs in Toyland

Not to be a downer, but I had a few thoughts today about how too many toys are mostly about ripping off parents, and not so much about delighting children.

These thoughts were inspired by cleaning up, believe it or not. I was organizing one of the kid's toy shelves, and I wanted to move some books from one shelf to another, including a new boxed set of books the girls received last Christmas. You know, one of those book series that are sold as a group, usually in a nicely packaged box that the books are kept in. So I reached for the box, barely touched it, and the whole thing sort of fell over, the books fell out, knocking over other toys and books in the process.



I barely touched the box! Putting everything away, I realized that what had happened is that I had reached for the box assuming that it would be a sturdy paperboard box, the way most boxes for books USED to be. Instead, this particular box was very flimsy and barely held the books it contained upright. So when my hand sort of clumsily, oafishly (I admit I'm a clumsy oaf) brushed against it, the box couldn't contain the books inside and they fell out all over.

To put it another way, the box for the books was cheaply made, thinner than usual paper stock, somewhere between paper board and a heavy card stock. Why was it made this way? To save money for the publisher and increase the profit made on the boxed set.

Don't we see a lot of this these days?

Here's another example. During a shopping trip to Target last Christmas, I went to check out different playsets that my 5 year old daughter might enjoy, My Little Pony playsets in particular. I was hoping to find a boxed set of all the main characters. I was prepared to pay around $20 or $30 for such a set, if I could find one.

I was disappointed to find only one set that frankly, felt like a big ripoff that I couldn't buy. For about $25, all I could find was a set of tiny little "sparkly rainbow" versions of the main MLP characters. If it wasn't this set shown here, it closely resembled it:


Now, I'm no fool. I've been around the block a few times and I've bought toys like this. Sure, kids are small, their hands are small, and perhaps their love of MLP is so strong that they will be perfectly content to play with these teeny tiny representations of their favorite MLP characters. 

I want to emphasize again that these toy ponies are tiny. Very small. Like an inch and a half high. They're not much to play with and needless to say they're begging to get lost. And we parents are asked to pay around $20 or $25 for this unsubstantial package.

And that's the point, isn't it? We know, and the toy makers know, that our children really really want these toys, no matter how small or overpriced they are. In fact, our kids are mostly oblivious to things like size and price.

This kind of miniaturization is a trend. It is based on the idea that the smaller the toys are made - without lowering the price of the toy - the more money can be made. And parents can be trusted to keep paying, because they want to get kids toys that they love, no matter the quality.

/Rant off for now, but I gotta say, I find this trend annoying.