Learning Expressions

Blog: Kids in the Toy Business - Part III Lexi Glenn

Part III of our month-long series!

KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS

Part 3: Lexi Glenn

For the third part of our KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS series of blogs (see Part I: Maddie Bradshaw and Part II: The Aebersolds), I think it’s time to celebrate one of the newest faces on the toy scene—Lexi Glenn. Lexi was in the fourth grade last year when she and her grandmother, Donna Ramere (pictured together, left), teamed up to create the PUMPONATOR. It premiered at Toy Fair this February and all of the Learning Express stores placed orders for the spring and summer season. I asked the corporate buyer that oversees the outdoor category, and although he doesn’t have final numbers yet, he estimated that we’ve sold over 8,500 PUMPONATORs in two and half months company-wide. It’s one of the best selling summer items to come along in a long time, and it all started with a simple water balloon fight…

Last summer, Lexi (8) and her brother Austin (6) were playing out in the yard at Grandma Donna’s house. (See photos below.) They had a bunch of water balloons but Lexi was getting frustrated because there was only one hose available to fill them up, so she went searching in the house for something she could use. She came across a spray bottle, which she promptly used as her aquatic weapon against her younger brother. Then, she tried putting a balloon onto the nozzle to see if she could get water into the balloon that way. And sure enough, a little water did go in. She ran over to show her grandma her “new invention,” as she called it.

Donna was quite impressed with the idea and thought maybe with a few modifications they could really make it work. Together, grandma and granddaughter took on the project. They went out and purchased about ten different types of sprayers and pump bottles to figure out which one would work best. The design of the PUMPONATOR was based on the mechanism that was most effective, and by August of 2009 they were testing their first prototype. When it was ready, they placed their first manufacturing order for 2,000 pieces. It was a big decision for the family—taking a chance on Lexi’s idea. But boy was it the right one!

Donna recalls being overwhelmed by all the paper work that was involved in setting up the business between filing for the patent, the trademark, and establishing the company. Luckily, she had a companion. “Lexi sat right by my side,” she said. “She completed a lot of the paperwork for the trademark and also did a PowerPoint presentation of the PUMPONATOR.”

It wasn’t long before local newspapers and news stations picked up the story and generated some local buzz. The product launched at Toy Fair in February 2010. “Learning Express was a real turning point for us,” Donna commented. “With the support of the home office we had orders from over 140 stores, which helped us get off to a great start.”

These days Donna is in the driver’s seat as President/CEO handling all the day-to-day operations, but Lexi is still very much a part of her “new invention.” She gives her input about designs and color choices, and particularly likes spending time in the production area, making sure all the labels are on straight. She and her brother Austin were ecstatic when they saw the product on the shelf at their local Learning Express store for the very first time.

This kind of family business is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit. It’s a story about a small idea, big dreams, and the willingness to take a leap of faith to build something of your own. That takes a very special kind of person, and, clearly, a very special kind of granddaughter.

So what’s up next for Donna and Lexi? Look out for a larger, more powerful PUMPONATOR EXTREME due to come out in 2011.

Additional photos and videos are below. Feeling inspired? Stay tuned for the final installment in our KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS series next week!

Blog: Kids in the Toy Business - Part II The Aebersolds

Part II of our month-long series!

KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS

Part 2: The Aebersolds

For those of you that have never had the chance to walk the aisles of a vendor expo, let me tell you something… the toy industry is chock-full of family businesses. Just think of some of the major brands we sell at Learning Express—Melissa and Doug, ALEX, and Pretty Ugly are all owned by husband-and-wife teams. I think we often lose track of the moms and dads in light of the kid-inventor phenomenons (see KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS Part I: Maddie Bradshaw), but there’s something very meaningful about a family tradition that inspires a bestseller. I am speaking, of course, of Carol Aebersold, her daughters Chanda and Christa, and The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition®.

There was an old tradition in Carol’s family of welcoming a Scout Elf from the North Pole into their home every Thanksgiving. He would watch by day and report to Santa each night. The particular elf that Carol became acquainted with in her childhood was named Fisbee, and, when she was married and had children of her own, he continued to visit. The Aebersold kids (Chanda, Christa, and Brandon, pictured below) attribute some of their fondest family memories to Fisbee, and clearly the tradition is still cherished today.

In 2005, grown-up Chanda decided it was high time to share the story of the North Pole scout elf with others. She and Carol penned the Elf on the Shelf book together, teamed up with illustrator Coë Steinwart, and established their own publishing company, CCA and B, to print the title and manufacture the accompanying pixie elf. For two years now, the Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition®, has been the bestselling holiday product at Learning Express and its popularity hasn’t yet reached its peak. At the 2008 Annual Learning Express Convention, Elf on the Shelf was named the Best New Book as voted by the Learning Express franchise owners. The interactive website www.elfontheshelf.com has also won several industry awards for its innovation. In addition to games, activities, and recipes, children can explore the North Pole and register the name of their elf online to receive their official elf adoption certificate and a special response from Santa.

CCA and B continues as a family-owned business with Carol and Chanda traveling extensively during the winter season for book signings and other appearances. Chanda also manages the marketing and new product development (the company released a new item earlier this year called A Light in the Night™, which we will feature in our Holiday Catalog). Her sister and business partner Christa serves as the company’s co-CEO.

“It’s truly a joy and a blessing to come to work every day with my mother, sister and even sometimes my dad,” Chanda said. “Each day presents a new adventure, and we are all loving every minute of it.”

This kind of story is what I really love about the toy business—families coming together to build something that has meaning. Many Learning Express stores will host author book signings later this year so contact your local store for information.

For more photos and videos, see below. Feeling inspired? Stay tuned for next week’s installment in our KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS series!

Blog: Kids in the Toy Business - Part I Maddie Bradshaw

This month on the blog we’re going to do something a little unusual. A whole series of posts on ONE topic. “And what topic could possibly be so interesting?” you may ask. Good question. This idea was something that a number of Learning Express storeowners suggested, and it wasn’t long before I got really excited about the idea. Thanks in advance to the wonderful manufacturers who went through the trouble to answer my questions and track down photos! Here goes…

KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS

Part 1: Maddie Bradshaw

If someone mentions kid-inventors in the toy industry these days, chances are they’re talking about Maddie Bradshaw. In 2006, ten-year-old Maddie was just your average tween going into the fifth grade in Dallas, Texas. Today, she is the President of a multi-million dollar company.

Like most of her classmates, Maddie wanted to decorate her locker with something unique—something that would make a small statement on the two feet of real estate she would call her own for the year. When she didn’t find anything she liked, she decided to create something herself using the bottle caps from her uncle’s old-fashioned coke machine. She sketched a black and white abstract portrait of Albert Einstein (one of her inspirations) inside the cap and attached a magnet.

It wasn’t long before her friends caught on and started requesting their own custom designs, which inspired Maddie to take it a step further. She created a lanyard necklace with a metal pendant to attract the bottle cap magnet. SNAP CAPS®, the original interchangeable bottle cap jewelry, was born.

The part I find most remarkable about this story actually has nothing to do with Maddie’s innovation, which, as I think anyone would agree, is a force to be reckoned with. Instead, it’s her ambition that I find truly impressive. The idea that a ten-year-old kid had the gumption to walk into the Learning Express toy store in Dallas and ask if she could sell her jewelry there is a bit mind-boggling, but that’s exactly what happened. She boldly went where no kid had gone before.

Maddie approached Kathryn Cook (see photo, right), one of our contributors here on the blog who owns the Learning Express store in Dallas. She agreed to put SNAP CAPS® on consignment. Within two hours, all fifty necklaces were sold out. The news spread across the Learning Express franchise like wildfire. The product was golden, a bestseller from day one, but it was the story behind it that was really compelling.

SNAP CAPS® are now sold in over 2,500 stores across the country, including all Learning Express locations. Maddie still creates all the original artwork and although, for obvious reasons, she can no longer completely manufacture the SNAP CAPS® by herself, the product is still handmade in the USA with help from over thirty employees. In the past couple years Maddie’s jewelry has been featured on national television and at the Teen Choice Awards.

At the helm of the company, M3 Girl Designs, is Mom (Diane) the CEO/COO; younger sister Margot, the Vice President and Assistant Designer; and, of course, Maddie herself, President and Head Designer of more than 400 bottle cap styles and counting.

So what happens when a kid “makes it” in the toy biz? Maddie says she’s just trying to be a “normal” teenager at this point, keeping up with school, competing on the lacrosse and swim teams, etc. But when she’s not doing all those normal things, she’s drawing new artwork for SNAP CAPS®, finishing up her first book about starting a business (Maddie Bradshaw’s You Can Start a Business, Too! available this November), and making promotional appearances across the country. (We were thrilled to see her last month at our Learning Express Convention. At last year’s event she was awarded Most Innovative New Toy and Best New Product for Girls 5+ as voted by the Learning Express storeowners.)

Learning Express has been so honored to be with Maddie from the very beginning, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.

More photos and videos, see below. Feeling inspired? Stay tuned for next week’s installment in our KIDS IN THE TOY BUSINESS series!

Maddie, Mom (Diane), and Margot

Maddie and Margot with Fans

Maddie and Margot at the Teen Choice Awards with Actress Jennifer Stone (Wizards of Waverly Place) and actress Debby Ryan (The Suite Life on Deck)

Tween Tycoons (NBC)

The View