Funnybone Toys – the Art of Card Games

This Colorado-based company is the brainchild of people who are passionate about how we connect through play and how good design plays into that connection.

Making a color splash in the world of game-making, Funnybone Toys™ launched three fun and thought-provoking card games in 2012. Visually stunning works of art, Array™, CUBU™ and Spectrix™ engage game players and store-owners alike with vibrant color and stunning graphics.

Our games use good design to stimulate creativity and give your brain a workout.

Funnybone card games are designed to be enjoyed by players ages eight to adult –and everyone seems to learn something by playing with them, regardless of age. Younger players can develop an appreciation of color and hue –and older players want to keep them in a place where they will be seen by everyone -because they are meant to be played!

Good Design. This winter, the company is introducing Disruptus™, a game described as “designed to open every mind.” Funnybone Toys can be found in specialty toy and game stores, museum stores, book stores, gift stores and resorts throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Australia, with projected growth in Latin America this year.

Funnybone Toys is created as a true combination of form, function and beautiful, minimalist design, and the design team -headed by a renowned TED Conference presenter on type and design- wants people to actually see, enjoy and appreciate the art in their games.

President Julien Sharp is passionate about the success of U.S. small businesses and their collective power to provide jobs. Once a cruise director and entertainer, Julien intends to build close relationships with small businesses as extensions to the core members of the Funnybone Toys team. She is a recognized expert; her book How to Design and Launch an Online Networking Business was published in 2009.

In the future, Funnybone Toys may include a line of active/outdoor toys, medical- and human body-related toys and games, and games that focus on increasing cognitive functions and/or manual dexterity. I can’t wait!

Another KidStuff PR client! Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Denise Richards loves the Ba

Actress and author Denise Richards signs on to endorse The Original Baby.

Denise Richards may be a popular actress and author, but first, she’s a mother of three. And she discovered the Ba –made by The Original Baby– about a year ago, when she adopted baby Eloise.

I couldn’t help but be drawn to the design. It was this color-popping, cool and easy-to-grip addition to Eloise’s standard bottle that made it fun for her, and easy for me because she is in control -as a baby.

Denise and Eloise appear with the Ba in a recent video and pictures shot by renowned photographer Yu Tsai for The Original Baby. “Working with Yu Tsai was a very real experience. He captured us -Eloise and me and the way we interact, our relationship,” Denise says. “It was an experience with my baby, and it was captured, beautifully.”

Compatible with most baby bottle brands, the Ba’s design encourages the simple steps of grasping and feeding as early as three months old. It is also designed affordably, retailing at just $14.99.

Founded in 2011, Portland, OR-based The Original Baby makes the Ba, which was initially invented by rock-n-roll dad Travis Hendricks, who wanted something to help his daughter better hold her own bottle. Travis sought the help of three other dads –a designer, a lawyer and a single father- in producing The Original Ba, recipient of multiple awards including the 2012 RedDot Design Award -one of the world’s largest and most distinguished design competitions- as well as the Bronze IDEA 2012 Award.

Committed to designing unique, functional products, this innovative company is now working to improve other important baby accessories including utensils, pacifiers, bottles and others.

These self-proclaimed dad-preneurs are creating products to make life a little easier, and a lot more fun, for both parent and child.

Thanks Lisa Orman, for introducing me to The Original Baby!

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

The New Must-Have Bike Gizmo

The longer, warmer days of spring herald in bike season, and every hot-rodder is going to want this.

For kids who love to pedal, the hottest way to personalize their wheels is the Kool Rider, a clip-on accessory that mimics the sound of a speeding motorbike. The card and clothespin trick of old has morphed into a very sophisticated blend of performance polymers from DuPont. The results are irresistible -the flappers hit the bicycle spokes, producing a sound similar to those made by motorbikes. According to the company, the clamp force and spring action remain intact no matter the weather or season.

It’s so easy to put on and sounds great.

-Randy, San Diego CA

Kool Rider co-founders Howard McClurd and Troy Spencer have been friends since they were five-year-old boys. “We offer kids everywhere this clip-on accessory that’s a cinch to put on and truly durable. We tested the Kool Rider on one bike for 250 miles and it barely had a scratch!”

All my friends have it and we have our own bike club.

-Daniel, Dallas TX

For a bigger sound, clip on two. Ideal for girls as well as boys ages six and older, this clever add-on makes a two-wheeler go from ho-hum to at vroom with the authentic sounds of a motorbike. Each Kool Rider box includes one quick clip-on unit, plus kids receive the extra-customization option of long-lasting, colorful stickers, which are included. Simple to use -just clip the single unit on each wheel. To maximize that “Big Motor Sound,” simply clip on two!

Made in the USA. The New Jersey-based company utilizes developmentally disabled adults to assemble the units and packaging before shipping to retailers. Howard and Troy say that by working with DuPont, the unique and special select blend of high performance polymers produces a pleasing, accurate sound and tone. A smaller Little Kool Rider for beginner-type bikes is in the works for later this year.