Print Article | Email to a Friend

Shirley Reilly from Let’s Play in Hillsboro, Oregon

“One of our best sellers is a game from Tomy called Screwball Scramble (1). We’ve been carrying it for about eight years, and it used to be called Snafu. Players use the plastic knobs and buttons to guide a little metal marble through the maze. They can set a countdown timer to make the game more challenging. It’s really inexpensive; I think it’s about $20 now. We have it out on a play table and kids love it. Once they play it, they have to have it.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“The Music Maker (2) from European Expressions is a cool product. It’s also known as a lap harp. It’s a big triangular, wooden instrument with strings. To play it, a child just has to slide a songsheet between the wood frame and the strings, and then pluck the string above the printed note. People can buy packets with different songs to play. It’s great because you can instantly play a song, without even practicing. Little kids can bang on it, and it still sounds nice. We have one open in the store so customers can try it out.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“We’ve been carrying the flipbooks from Fliptomania (3) for about a year now. They’re just like the flipbooks people used to make in school, but they’ve got really nice colored pictures. They make great, inexpensive gifts; they’re only $4 each. We keep them right on the counter, and they’ve been selling like crazy.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Leslie Hanson from Bright Futures in Greencastle, Indiana

“The puzzles from Findit Games (4) are a newer product for our store, and they’ve been doing really well. They are tubes filled with plastic pieces. Hidden within the pieces are small objects that people have to find. The objects are listed on top of the tube so players know what they’re looking for. It’s kind of like Where’s Waldo.

“I’ve been carrying the Findit puzzles for several months now. I started selling them after a teacher came in and asked about them. She said they’re great concentration toys for kids. Plus they make a good travel toy.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Karen Norwood from Hay House in Macon, Georgia

“TJ International makes beautiful embroidered tapestries (5) called Oriental Carpet Creations. Their product line includes makeup bags, mousepads, coasters and eyeglass cases. The eyeglass cases have been especially popular; customers love the fact that they can also be used as cell phone cases. People buy the other items in the line to dress up their homes. I think the tapestries remind visitors to Hay House of old-fashioned carpets. It’s a good fit in our shop since Hay House was built before the Civil War and is run as a museum by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“Candy (6) has been selling well in our shop lately, especially the kind from Graffiti Zoo, which is a company out of Conyers, Georgia. They make chocolate candies that are shaped like little animals and have the most adorable names. Espresso Geckos, Pagoda Pandas and Almond Armadillos are just a few of them. I think the cute names are what people like best about them. They come in milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate and have a hint of flavor, like orange or raspberry, but they’re not too sweet. They sell for $2 each, and we keep them right at the counter. They’re a great impulse item.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Ronald Hon from Comic Carnival in Indianapolis, Indiana

“We’ve carried the Star Wars miniatures (7) from Wizards of the Coast for about two years, and we just got in the bounty hunters, which are the newest addition to the collection. They are pre-painted, plastic miniatures of the Star Wars characters, and players can use them to battle each other in a war-type game. Many of our customers already have the main characters, so the bounty hunters will add to their collection and create a new level of play.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“Wizkids introduced a new expansion set to its MechWarrior line called Wolf Strike (8). The MechWarriors are small, pre-painted figurines. Players imagine themselves controlling the Mech, and each one has different powers, such as the ability to fly. We’ve been carrying the line for about three years. The new Wolf Strike will make games more exciting. Plus, these products always have nice packaging, and they’re well made.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Steve Goldman from Nifty Cool Toys in Salt Lake City, Utah

“Coocoo the Rocking Clown from Blue Orange (9) is a basic balancing game. Coocoo is a brightly painted, wooden clown that wobbles from side to side, and players have to balance wooden rods in his arms without letting him topple. It’s an easy game, but I think both kids and adults can enjoy it. It’s fairly new; we’ve only been carrying it for a couple of months now. We have a demo of the game out for people to try, and it’s done really well. Kids and parents get excited about it.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

“We’ve been carrying the Beamo flying discs (10) for several years, and they’ve done well year after year. They’re like a giant Frisbee, about 2 feet across, made out of a soft fabric. They fly easily through the air, and little kids can use them as a hula-hoop. The material isn’t ruined when it gets wet, so kids can take them to the beach or out in the rain.”