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Retailers Recommend Fabulous Products Retailers RecommendSeptember/October 2011by Anya Harris
Laura Turman of One Two Kangaroo Toy Store in Shepherdstown, West Virginia
“The Sassy Pet Packs (1) stuffed animals by Douglas sell well for us. Little girls ages 3 to 5 like them because they’re cute. “The Charm It! Charm bracelets (2) by HighIntenCity do well. They’re popular with girls ages 4 to 12 because they are collectible and affordable. “The new Uglydoll Citizens (3) have been top sellers. They’re a limited edition geared for kids ages 6 all the way through college. “Playmobil consistently sells well here. Knights (4) and Playmobil 123 are both strong. “The little Rody horses (5) fromTMI Toymarketing are also good sellers. Redmay be themost popular color. People generally buy them for a child’s first birthday. They’re very cute.” Ginny Coon of Imagine That! In Corning, New York “Spooner boards (6) are very popular. I ordered my first round at Toy Fair. I asked to have them shipped in April, and when the weather broke and the rain stopped, we nearly sold out. People really seem to enjoy them. “I play the DVD sometimes to give shoppers ideas, and one of each size is out in the store for the kids to play on. They just get it. We make sure to tell them that it’s great on a grassy hillside, on the pavement, in the snow and in the water. “We took a Spooner Board to aYMCA-sponsored healthy families expo in May. Out of all the outdoor play items we brought with us, the Spooner was in use nonstop. So, for my second order, I bought the display and 18 of each size. “A local occupational therapist told me that she discovered it a couple years ago and today has all her patients on it – adults and kids. “I like the price. I like the colors. The fact that it has a lifetime guarantee and it’s made in the USA doesn’t hurt.” Melinda Gardner of Ted’s Toys in Cincinnati, Ohio “The Woboba Pro (7), the ball that bounces on water, is great for all ages. I think it’s popular because of the technology behind it. I don’t know of anything else that does what it does, and people are just fascinated by it. “Shoppers have also been buying Auto Bingo cards (8) like crazy. We sell a variety. A lot of people have been buying them for long car trips. They are produced by Regal Games but we get them through Best of Best. They bring back memories, and parents and grandparents want kids to share in the fun. “The Pumponator (9)mainly appeals to boys, although girls buy it, too. It comes in pink! Everybody loves balloons, both water and air, and the Pumponator blows up both kinds. It’s great because it’s also portable. “The OgoSport OgoDisc Mini (10) has been selling well. It gets kids to unplug from electronics and get out for exercise and fresh air. “Djubi (11) is another active toy that has been popular lately. It reminds people of lacrosse. We play the promotional DVD in the store, and that’s really what sells it. It gives shoppers ideas for tricks. “The Perplexus Epic (12) from PlaSmart attracts fans of the original Perplexus. “LockerLookz (13) just came in, and they have been selling very well with tween girls.An e-mail we sent to our customers has resulted in a lot of them coming in to see them – and buy them. “It’s a product that hasn’t been done before. Moms love it because they get to help their daughters with planning the design, and the girls like it because they get to show their style. It’s funky and contemporary. People are impressed with the chandelier that really lights up. “Gibbon slacklines (14) are another neat product. I’ve noticed a lot of them set up in people’s yards. I looked into them when a friend of mine asked for a fun way for her son to get more exercise. You set up the slackline low to the ground between two trees, then you balance on it. It’s not a tightrope; it’s wider and it has a grip texture. The Funline (and most of the other products fromGibbon) come with everything you need, including the ratchet to tighten it up. It’s just amazing all the tricks you can do. Like the Djubi, its promotional DVD really helps sell it. Without that, people don’t really get it.” |
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