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Lessons from Lego

April 23, 2013

It would be difficult to find a child who is not familiar with the iconic Lego building toy.  Lego is one of those ubiquitous brands that transcends cultures around the world.

Lego was founded back in 1932, the brainchild of a Danish carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen.  At first, Lego only made wooden toys.  Quality was always important at Lego, even back in those early days – the company was named after the Danish phrase for "play well".  Fifteen years later, the company expanded into plastic toys.  Lego produced its first interlocking plastic bricks in 1949.  The rest is history!

How Colors Affect Our Lives

April 10, 2013

Whether you're a retailer or consumer, are you aware of how you're influenced by colors?  It's an interesting question and more so when we apply it to gender specific products.  Recently, Kinder Surprise has created a special line of Kinder toys for girls.  Can you guess the color of the familiar foil wrapper?  If you said "pink", you would be correct.  Even the national anti-bullying campaign chose pink as their signature color for their t-shirts.  Do you know why?  It's because a Grade 9 male student in Nova Scotia, Canada wore a pink polo shirt on the first day of school and he was bullied, inferring that some kids don't believe pink is a color for boys.  Before the Industrial Revolution, boys like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wore pink and dresses until the age of 6!  Can you imagine how he would have been bullied today?

Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair

February 09, 2013

This past month, the Canadian Toy Association (CTA) hosted the 73rd annual Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair.  The show was held in Hall 4 of the International Centre, located very conveniently near Pearson International Airport.  While the show had relocated from downtown Toronto to the International Centre several years ago, Hall 4 was a new venue for the Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair.

I know Santa's address!

December 21, 2012

Season's Greetings!

It’s that wonderful time of year when we take a moment to reflect on the year and all of its happenings!

First, I would like to recognize that many of our retailers experienced some big challenges this year, especially those on the east coast who suffered from Hurricane Sandy. Our hearts go out to all of you and we wish you lots of success in the new year.

Controlling Finances at Outset Media (Guest Post)

November 04, 2012

Businesses succeed and fail for various reasons.  Earlier, in a blog post, Dave discussed Chapter 11 for Fundex.  There were many speculations online about why the company failed, including the mismanagement of paying its debts.  In any business, there is usually a CFO or a Controller.  At Outset Media, we have a Financial Controller.  Both titles act in the same capacity where one exercises a fiduciary responsibility in managing the budget, financial planning, payroll, and general number crunching.

Big-Box Stores Face Possible Death

October 26, 2012

A recent article in BC Business magazine caught my eye.  The headline boldly stated “BIG-BOX STORES FACE POSSIBLE DEATH”.

Consumer Spending on Toys and Games

October 19, 2012

In a recent news article published by the financial media company The Motley Fool, it was reported that the amount being spent on traditional toys and board games in the United States had fallen from $85 per person in 1998 to its current level of $60 per person.

Chapter 11 for Fundex

September 27, 2012

One company I have admired for many years is Fundex.  What impressed me about this company was their consistent branding.  Whether it was their logo, their packaging design, their website, their tradeshow presence and other marketing materials, Fundex kept a consistently professional appearance and appeared to live their motto “Where fun comes first!”

And with games like ‘Phase 10’, the second best selling card game next to Uno in their line, Fundex was indeed a company to watch!

Canadian Trivia is back!

September 13, 2012

Outset Media recently launched the newest installment in our series of Canadian Trivia games.  Every year we release around 5 to 10 new board games and card games, but this game is particularly exciting for me!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the history of Outset Media, I founded the company way back in 1996.  Our first game was called the ‘All Canadian Trivia Board Game’.

We are in the Smithsonian

August 08, 2012

There are those retail locations – that due to their prestigious name – are places you want your product being sold.  Last month, we finally placed our games into a Smithsonian gift store.  More specifically, ‘American Trivia Family Edition’ board game was placed in the museum shop at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum.

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