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A hit with my 6 yr. old grandson!

Spilsbury Product Review

Light Up Basketball

**** A hit with my 6 yr. old grandson!

By DJG from Central Texas on 12/4/2006

Pros: Fun

Best Uses: Children, Fun, Home

***** Excellent quality

By Aunt Laura from Lincoln RI on 12/4/2006

Pros: Fun

Best Uses: Children

Product was much better than I expected. I ordered several light-up balls and liked them so much I placed a second order. This is my "cool" Christmas present for all my nieces & nephews this year.

Read all Light Up Basketball reviews

13 Time Zones, But Who’s Counting?

We go to Hong Kong every October and January to find a lot of the unique products that we feature throughout the year. I just got back from the latest buying trip to Hong Kong and thought I would share some thoughts with you.

First off – it’s always a treat to leave the cold, fall weather of Chicago in mid-October and immediately (well, after a 15 hours flight) be transported back into summer. Daily highs in Hong Kong in October are 85 degrees – and it doesn’t really cool down much at night. So Lisa and I (the other merchandise/buyer here at Spilsbury) take all of our summer clothes with us and revel in the last days of warmth we will feel for awhile. The minute you step off the plane, it’s summer.

The warmth is great, but the 13 time zone difference can be a little daunting to get used to. Usually the first couple of days end fairly early as we adjust to life across the International Dateline. It’s a little more challenging that flying from New York to LA.

After we get our bearings we attend two trade shows – the International Electronic Show and the International Toy and Gift Show. Both shows have a majority of Asian vendors who manufacture toys and gifts in China. We import about 20% or our products and source the rest domestically. The whole importing scene is an absolute must if you are going to survive in selling these products. You, the consumer, have gotten used to the Wal-Mart and Target pricing of everything – so if I started featuring products that were 30% higher priced, I think Spilsbury would become a less desirable destination for toys and gifts. I know this can be a sensitive subject, but the consumer is voting with their pocketbook and imported products have not been shunned by most people buying toys, game and gifts. So, we buy and manufacture some of products in Asia.

The Hong Kong Convention center was originally built to launch the turnover of Hong Kong back to China from Great Britain in the late 90’s. The grand ceremony was held there and since that time, the convention center is the central hub for international trade shows, much like our major convention centers here in this country. However, unlike many of our convention centers, it is designed in the shape of a turtle and is situated for the best “feng shui” placement into the landscape.

The Hong Kong Convention Center from the South China Harbor

An interior shot of the Hong Kong Convention Center

Feng Shui has gained widespread popularity in the United States and around the world. Originating in China more than 2,000 years ago, it has quickly become a favored living skill that has been incorporated seamlessly into architecture, interior decor, building development and home living. Feng Shui is not directly based on any religion or mysticism. For those who use the formula schools of feng shui, it even seems like a mathematical science.

So, the convention center has no sharp edges, is very rounded and open and is situated on the China Harbor in an exact, precisely calculated way.

I don’t feel any different in the building – I’m always running around at trade shows and don’t feel any calmer or “centered” at the feng shui convention center, but it is a very beautiful building!

The interesting development that is just starting in China are wage hikes for factory workers. The factory worker is gaining in stature as thousands of factories have been built over the past few years to keep up with demand. All of a sudden, factories are scrambling to find workers, workers are not willing to travel as far to find a job and the laws of supply and demand are dictating that the power of the Chinese worker is increasing. What this means for imported goods overall is an eventual increase in price. As China becomes more and more manufacturing based, it feels like what happened to this country during WWII and beyond as we experienced a huge and unprecedented manufacturing boom – that is, until we started outsourcing jobs overseas. Nothing stays the same forever. My thought has been – who will become the next China?

Trends in the market for next year – lots of scrapbooking stuff. Punches and papers and letters and books. I love the idea of scrapbooking, but don’t know when I would have the time to do – maybe on the 14 hour flight back from Hong Kong. Lots of IPod accessories, not much new in Suduoku (is the trend over?)- but we did some really cool stuff for Halloween. I’m not telling, it’s going to be a surprise!!! We will be going back in January to the truly big convention featuring all toys and games and we find a lot of new products for Summer and Christmas at that time. So stay tuned for more updates from the other side of the world……

Pirate Soul on The Today Show...

The Pirate Soul Book author Pat Croce was interviewed on "The Today Show" Friday 11/17 at 9:45am by Al Roker. Something you might want to checkout if you are interested in the book.

About the book:  Discover the Golden Age of Piracy and life on the high seas!
In this beautiful book, authoritative text about real pirates is complemented by fantastic 4-color art and over 30 fun and fascinating 3-dimensional features. Pirate Soul: An Swashbuckling Journey Through the Golden Age of Piracy, by Pat Croce, includes a working period compass, full-size replica Jolly Roger, fold-out treasure map and much more.

Christmas is Coming, The Geese Are Getting Fat…….

The above phrase was a sing-song jingle my mom used to sing around the holidays.  The ending of that was “won’t you please a penny in the old man’s hat.”  I think.  My parents were born during the Depression, so I have a lot of weird phases floating around my head courtesy of mom and dad.

In any event, Christmas is coming and that means you have to figure out what to buy all  the people on your list.  Hopefully you like some of the people on your list, which at least makes spending some of your hard earned money a little easier to do.

If you shop online, you can check out many cool sites and products – don’t settle for a gift card for EVERYONE!  I always buy a few myself (my kids actually request them, maybe because of past bad choices), but it shows more thought and care to actually buy a present, don’t ya think?  You just need to click away.

Lot’s of board games, DVD games and outdoor games are reasonably priced and fairly safe (can you go wrong with a specialty version of Monopoly?)  People still play games at family gatherings and parties – buy something YOU want to play.

Hand-held games are great for road and vacation trips and the younger set – anything electronic is a must once you are past age 4. Plus, don’t forget all of the great humor and gag gifts for the person on your list who has all of the good stuff already – don’t try to compete, go the other way – go downscale and crack them up!

I send food to my older relatives – they love those pears and apples.  But don’t forget the mistletoe (we have a very unique version that will be a hit of the any party!)

Time to start thinking, so that you can start buying and then you can eat your big, fat Christmas goose on Christmas Day. (didn’t everyone stop this tradition after Dickens ruined it for everyone in A Christmas Carol?)

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah – just remember, they all require gifts and sell some cool ones!

20Questions Everything You What to Know...

If you are a 20 Questions fanatic you will love this article I found all about 20Q.

Rules

The game of 20 Questions can be played with two people or with a group of people. At the start of the game one person is designated the answerer and rest questioners. The answerer chooses an object for the questioners to determine and the questioners take turns asking the answerer questions in order to determine it. Traditionally, questioners may only ask questions that can be answered with a yes or no and the answerer may only answer yes or no to questions asked. The answerer must be truthful when answering questions and not try and mislead the questioners. After hearing the answer to a question questioners can take turns guessing the object. If a questioner correctly guesses the object that questioner becomes the answerer for the next round. If none of the questioners are able to correctly guess the object another question is asked. Traditionally, questioners have up to 20 chances to ask questions, hence the name "20 Questions." If none of the questioners are able to determine the object after 20 questions the answerer remains the answerer for the next round.

During play there may arise questions that the answerer is unable to answer either because the answer is not known or because the question does not have a definitive yes or no answer. If the answer is not known the answerer should answer "I don't know." It is important that the answerer not try and guess the answer, which could end up misleading the questioners. If a question does not have a definitive yes or no answer the answerer should answer "I can't answer." Consider this example: The object the answerer has chosen is a baseball and a questioner asks the question "Is it bigger than a baseball?" While the answer to this question is technically no, a baseball is not bigger than a baseball, such an answer would be misleading.

When playing with novice questioners it may be desirable to allow the answerer to answer questions with additional answers such as "Irrelevant," "Sometimes," "Maybe," "Probably," "Doubtful," "Usually," "Depends," "Rarely" or "Partly". Allowing additional answers reduces the penalty on questioners for asking bad questions.

The game of 20 Questions is about having fun, the rules are not written in stone, whichever rules you choose to use everyone should agree to them before the start of the game.

Strategy

While the role of the answerer might seem easy, there are some factors that an answerer should consider before choosing an object. It is important that an answerer be able to answer yes or no to as many questions as possible. For this reason an answerer should take into consideration his level of knowledge when choosing an object. An answerer should also consider whether the object should be a class of objects or a specific object. Consider this example: An answerer is considering choosing a car as his object. The answerer must decide whether the object should be cars in general or a specific model of car. It is important that an answerer have a clear picture of the object in mind at the start of the game so as to avoid changing it during play.

The goal of the questioners is to reduce the trillions of possible objects to the one that the answerer has chosen. Therefore, the best strategy for questioners is to ask questions that eliminate as many of the remaining objects as possible each time. Consider this example: Questioners have learned that the object the answerer has chosen is a living human that is famous. Knowing this, the next best question for a questioner to ask would be whether the living famous human is male or female.

Variations

Due to its worldwide popularity and timelessness, the game of 20 Questions has spawned many variations. One such popular variation is "Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?" In this variation a questioner is able to ask the answerer at the start of the game whether his chosen object is an animal, vegetable or mineral. This is the only time during the game that a questioner can ask a none yes or no question. After the question has been answered the rules are the same as the traditional game. When playing this variation it is helpful beforehand to define the terms "animal," "vegetable" and "mineral," as not everyone may have the same opinions as to what objects belong in which category. A similar popular variation is one in which the answerer chooses an object from a category agreed upon before the start of the game. Popular categories include Music, TV & Movies and Sports. The rules for this variation are the same as the traditional game, the only difference being that objects must be chosen from the agreed upon category.

20 Questions in the 21st Century

In 2004 the toy company Radica Games introduced the 20Q, a electronic handheld version of 20 Questions. The 20Q takes the role of the questioner and you the answerer. Once you have chosen an object and started the game the 20Q will first ask you whether your object is an Animal, Vegetable, Mineral or Other. The 20Q will then ask you a series of 20 questions which you can answer with the Yes, No, Unknown and Sometimes buttons. After the 20th question the 20Q will attempt to guess your object. An artificial intelligence powered by an advanced neural-network (a electronic version of human brain) gives the 20Q an uncanny ability to correctly guess almost any object you can think of. The 20Q has won numerous awards including the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year.

Since it's introduction in 2004, Radica has released three new versions of the 20Q: The 20Q Deluxe, 20Q Big Screen and 20Q Challenge. The 20Q Deluxe has the same functionality as the classic 20Q, but has been redesigned to be more ergonomic, with larger buttons and a larger and brighter LCD screen. The 20Q Big Screen has both an improved design and additional functionality. The Big Screen sports a more "pocketable" design, an even larger scrolling LCD screen for easy reading, a grip for more comfortable playing and a color changing body that changes colors as it gets closer to guessing your object. The Big Screen's functionality additions include an even larger database of objects, an additional "Rarely" answer button and an "Undo" button. The Big Screen also does not wait until the 20th question to attempt a guess if it thinks of one earlier. The 20Q Challenge is a multi-player table top version of the 20Q. The Challenge's 360 degree spiral dome display and large buttons insure everyone can see and play. The Challenge has the same additional functionality as the Big Screen.  Full article at http://www.20questions.com/

Who doesn't love the Bean Bag Toss Game?

Cornhole Tournament Craze May Have Cincinnati Roots

Reported by: A.P.
Web produced by: Neil Relyea

The projectiles are lighter than horseshoes and safer than yard darts, but the idea's the same. Players try to hit a target several paces away. The Ohio phenomenon that is catching on nationwide is called cornhole, or corn toss, because players try to throw cloth bags filled with corn into a goal.

"It's easy to play, you don't have to dig a pit, drive stakes or tear up your lawn," said Mike Whitton, founder and president of the American Cornhole Association. Beanbag games in various forms have been around for decades. Local players say the corn bag game originated in Cincinnati -- specifically the city's west side, where Whitton grew up -- although many lay claim to it.

Portable goals have let the backyard game travel to tailgate parties, bars and college campuses, and a cottage industry has sprung up supplying boards, bags, clothing and paraphernalia.

The American Cornhole Association claims to be the arbiter of the game, sanctioning tournaments and "official" rules of play.

It grew out of a scoring dispute at a family picnic and now has more than 3,500 members, Whitton said. It's Web site sometimes gets 300,000 hits a month. Cincinnati is the core, but I ship hats and (game) sets everywhere," Whitton said. "Many sets are going to North Carolina and Florida, but it's also spreading west, to Nebraska and Oklahoma, at a fairly rapid clip."

The simple premise of the game is to throw a bag filled with corn into a six-inch hole in a wooden ramp 30 feet away. A bag in the hole scores three points, a bag left on the platform scores one.

Although not a drinking game by definition, alcoholic beverages often are consumed. The Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.sponsors tournaments, and offers a virtual version of the game on its Web site.

Christy's Bierstube, Rathskeller and Biergarten, which caters to University of Cincinnati students, installed a game court because regular customers asked for it, said co-owner Christy Windholtz. It may be bringing in new business "because it gives people something to do," she said.

Players span all ages, but teams that compete in leagues at Tommy's on the River, a bar and restaurant adjacent to a Cincinnati marina, tend to be twentysomethings. "Many of them are people who work at P&G (the Procter & Gamble Co.) or Sara Lee, people who have been transferred into Cincinnati and don't know many people so they play sports to meet people," said Donna Frey, a bartender at Tommy's, where beach volleyball is another popular pastime.

Cincinnati Sports Leagues, a private company, operates the corn toss and volleyball leagues, along with flag football, softball and other sports. About 15,000 under-35s participate, said co-founder Joff Moine.

"It's safe, it's fun and you don't get dirty," Moine said of the game. Players must be 21 because some teams are sponsored by alcohol vendors.

"We cater to young professionals just out of college," Moine said. "About every three or four weeks, we have a happy hour that about 300-400 people attend."

A ready-made board can cost about $150, but several Web sites have do-it-yourself directions. Dozens of eBay listings offer customized boards and bags with logos of professional and college teams.

"A friend and I make them on the side," Moine said. "With Christmas coming up, we've got about 20 orders."

The game is so popular around Cincinnati that nearly 400 teams competed for the $2,000 first-place prize in the Cornhole Classic in February, and organizers are planning a Holiday Cornhole Classic for Thanksgiving weekend.

"We were extremely surprised. I knew it was popular, but not this popular," said Matt Dunne, general manager of U.S. Bank Arena. "We have to limit it to 400 teams because we only have room for 40 courts on the arena floor."

Entry fee is $65 per team. Beer is extra.

Moine claims to be responsible for introducing the game to Myrtle Beach, S.C., while on vacation. Students take the game with them to college. "My little brother just graduated from Ohio State, and he says students take their OSU boards to their tailgates," said Moine, who is from Columbus. "It's picking up there, at Miami University-- anywhere in Ohio. It doesn't seem to be very popular outside the Midwest."  The game has taken root at the University of Kentucky . You can't go up and down the street without seeing boards and bags," said Del Proctor of Lexington, Ky. , president of the local Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter. "I have some family in Cincinnati, and they've been playing a couple of years. It seems to have migrated down here through the students." Although the game is not very physical, Proctor said players have become more active because of it. "It gets people away from PlayStation and Xbox," Procter said."

MotoXRC Stunt Motorcycle Bike Video

Looking for a really cool remote control stunt bike this holiday season? I have a 7 year old nephew that would love this for Christmas and I just might have to get it for him.

It is a great gift and something a super energetic 7 year old kid would love to play around with.   You have to check out the video. The bike does extreme stunts and tricks and the entire time the rider holds.

Let us know what you think.

Tara in Marketing

It gets kids to wash!

Spilsbury Product Review:

Product: Money Soap
Money Soap
From: Dan
Rating: 5
Summary: It gets kids to wash!
Location: New Jersey
Review: This money soap is awsome for kids my daugter got a 50$ bill in hers and my son got a 20$ bill they where so happy and so was i because it got them to wash thier hands.

From another time and place...

From another time and place, it’s hard to believe that anyone could even sell a game before the advent of TV advertising.  A little nostalgia on a hit game from 40 years ago and how TV became the only way to sell a toy.

Check out this article from Knucklebones Magazine.

Part #1 from article Download grade039.pdf

Part #2 from article Download grade040.pdf

Online Sudoku - Test your skill today..

Test your Sudoku skills today.

Link to game

Good luck!