This year marks the twenty-fourth anniversary of Learning Express. In 1987 Sharon, our Founder and CEO, opened her first store, and in 1990 the first franchise location was purchased. What that means is that an entire generation of kids has grown up in the Learning Express family.
Every year the Learning Express home office offers a scholarship opportunity to the college-bound children of our storeowners. This year, the applicants had to answer the question:
If you could choose one person (famous or not)
to be a spokesperson for Learning Express,
who would it be, and why?
For this week’s blog, I thought I’d share a few of the answers. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
When I think of Learning Express Toys, the first word that comes to mind is—fun. When one first walks into any of the stores, you get a whimsical, joyous feeling that can easily brighten anyone’s mood, no matter what age. If I were to decide on a spokesperson for Learning Express, I would choose one who could perfectly express youthful character. I believe that my ten year old sister, Maddie, would be an excellent choice for a Learning Express spokesperson. […] Maddie is crazy about the scene at Learning Express. Every weekend she is determined to go down to our store in Rye, slap on an apron, and get busy investigating the store. […] She loves the idea of helping customers pick out the best toy, as well as testing out each and every one. She’s a natural when it comes to product knowledge. […] For a representative of a toy store, one needs an individual who is lively, energetic, charismatic, trendy and young. With that said, look no further, my sister Maddie would be the ideal representative for Learning Express Toys.
(Annie, Rye NY)
I have the clearest memory of myself waiting anxiously on my living room couch for my personal invitation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was irrelevant that I had shown no predisposition to magic or that Harry Potter was a complete, albeit brilliant, work of fiction. I was 11, and like my beloved Harry, I would be going to Hogwarts. […] However, my failure at becoming a witch is not the topic of discussion here, but rather the ability of one character to ignite the imaginations of all generations, whether 10 or 100. As the magic and adventure of literature sparks the imagination and excites the mind, so do educational toys. I am aware that Learning Express cannot actually use Harry Potter as their spokesperson—doing so would [result in] a lawsuit of the gravest nature. My point is that childhood is nothing short of magic. Only as a child can one’s imagination take you to outer space, forbidden forests, and magic castles, all within the safe confines of your home. And with the help of a few good props (toys) and a book or two, a child’s adventure can be transformed from the mundane to the epic.
(Cali, Teaneck NJ)
The measure of any good teacher, whether human or inanimate, is the ability to relate their material in a way that is understandable to the learner. […] Given that Learning Express is a company devoted to the goal of providing children with constructive toys, it would be most fitting that the best spokesperson for Learning Express should be a well-spoken individual who embodies these same virtues of fun, community, and learning. One such individual who truly understand our youth as the key to the future is my older brother, Gray. […] Blessed with plentiful childhood learning opportunities that many do not receive, my brother has now made it his profession to give others the same chances. Just as he finds a way to teach his pupils in his daily life, I have faith, based on my firsthand knowledge of his character, that Gray could teach the greater community about Learning Express and the educational virtues that it embodies. I believe that Gray would make a great spokesperson of “Learning through Fun” because he would not just be saying it: he wholeheartedly believes in it and works for it every day.
(Zach, Newton MA)
If I could choose one person to be a spokesperson for Learning Express, I would choose a young, unknown child actor. […] Over time, the spokesperson, or spokeschild, will become synonymous with the company and influence an entire generation of children to become Learning Express children and fall in love with the store that fosters their creative sense of wonder.
(Michael, Wayland MA)
If I could recommend any one person to be a spokesperson for Learning Express, I would choose former First Lady Laura Bush. Before her term, she was an elementary school teacher, then a librarian up until her marriage to former President George W. Bush in 1977. As First Lady of Texas she implemented the initiative Take Time for Kids, an awareness campaign to education parents and caregivers on parenting, along with several literacy campaigns. As First Lady of the United States, she continued fighting to promote literacy and also pulled together programs to aid early child development. Learning Express puts forth their best effort into improving children’s childhoods through educational play which allows them to grow into strong, successful young adults. I feel like Laura Bush would be a perfect choice because of her dedication to the enrichment of children’s lives, especially in the educational field. Her goals and those of Learning Express are very similar in a way that people can appreciate.
(Rachel, Exton PA)
Thanks for reading!
