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What Makes a Great Toy?

Recently, I was visiting a neighbor, when their child approached and asked me a question that I had never considered. Leave it to children to formulate the very best questions.

The question boiled down to, "What is -- or makes -- a great toy?"

Sounds simple enough. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there isn't anything simple about the question at all.

At the time, I answered by sharing examples of great toys with the child, but, still, that didn't really answer the underlying question.

After some thought, I now have an answer, several really, that at least begins to satisfy. I hope the answer to the child's question will also go some distance in satisfying you, the reader, as well. Perhaps you could let me know what you think by leaving a comment below once you have absorbed this article.

Your ideas may help me to do a better job with the answer to this question the next time I'm asked.

When speaking of a great toy, I admit that I have biases.....

Continue reading Comments (5) Thursday, 10:33 pm | February 4th, 2010

BrickSpeak Featured in College Doctoral Study

This week, ToysPeriod was informed that Linda Christas College has taken a liking to the BrickSpeak LEGO brick audio speakers that were recently released as part of the ToysPeriod Spirit of Christmas new product introductions, 2009.

The Linda Christas College doctoral study tentatively titled Lego, For Richer or Poorer, is an analysis of the Lego Group's history, primarily aimed at understanding the factors that led to the amazing 80 years of popularity Lego has enjoyed, and the challenges Lego faces both in the present and future.

As anyone who has spent any time online in the ToysPeriod shop knows, we Toy Techs have always been impressed with the classic Lego sets produced primarily during the 80s. In addition, ToysPeriod carries original Swedish-made Brio wooden railway, hard-to-find scale model railroad items, and other top of the line toys from the past, all produced with an eye to quality and traditional family values.....

Continue reading Comments (0) Sunday, 9:10 pm | November 1st, 2009

Taking LEGO Modeling to the Second Floor

As Lego enthusiasts, we are well aware that modeling has been required ever since designers first began receiving inspiration, and builders delegated the task of bringing these artistic visions to life.

During the past three decades, Lego modelers have created miniatures of the US Capitol Building (see photo at right), the Taj Mahal (see photo, lower left), and an impressive array of other monuments aimed at glorifying man, and occasionally his gods.

With the recent release of the Lego architectural series, we have entered upon a new era, joining the most imaginative modelers the world has ever seen with the finest modeling tool ever invented.

However, even with man's impressive modeling history, with all the effort expended, there remains something missing.

For example, it is one thing to construct a model of Mark Twain's home (photos of real domicile and model). It is quite another to capture the essence of what makes the building important to the visitor.

In the case of homes, those few structures that have achieved the status of protected historical sites were so designated because of the power of the lives that ran their courses within them. Without great hearts to lend electricity to the structures, the dwellings, left to themselves, would have remained so many bundles of sticks, and so much mortar, destined for the wrecking crews once reasonable functional lives had been exhausted.....

Continue reading Comments (0) Thursday, 11:05 pm | August 20th, 2009