“We’ve seen some customers start out as kids, then come in as boyfriend and girlfriend.” — Linda Tsukamoto, Puzzle Zoo
Since 1993, Puzzle Zoo has been tempting pedestrians on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade to release their inner children and buy something cool. Find out why by watching interviews with kids (below) and seeing the toys the store carries (scroll down to see all the videos). You can also see the storefront, windows and interior by clicking on this brief intro video.
Starting out with puzzles only, the store expanded its inventory to include toys of all kinds and then broadened its reach to encompass five other branches in California and Texas. Founder Jay Demircift and his brother Sean pay close attention to customer requests when deciding what toys to bring in. On the April afternoon when TDmonthly Magazine’s video crew visited the flagship store, customer mix varied from newborns on their first strolls down the aisles to gangs of teens and young adults ogling the designer toys.
Manager Linda Tsukamoto told TDmonthlythe local customer base is not only faithful, but regenerative: “We’ve seen some customers start out as kids, then come in as boyfriend and girlfriend. Soon enough, they're married and have a little dog with them (we welcome dogs in the store), and then she’s pregnant and we watch that baby grow up, too.”
Watch videos of individual projects in the store below. A few more toy videos can be seen here.
Fea Bea: The Ugly Stick. Ugly Sticks are sort of the perfect sidekicks to have with you at all times in the Uglyverse. They are there for you. Feeling sad? Ugly Sticks will knock that right out of you. Happy now? No, wait ... feeling really ugly? Good! Ugly means unique! Anyone can retouch a photo to look beautiful, but you can't fake ugly. Launch date: March 2009. 3/12/2009 (Price: $20.00; Age: All Ages) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This Domo is not too small and not too big... he's just right. Confide in him, play with him, listen to him - he's the perfect everyday companion. 5/6/2009 (Price: $16.99; Age: 3 and Up)
This lion's king of the jungle, both online and off. While he seems to be an adorable, snuggly plush animal, he also has a secret code that allows kids to access the Kookeys website for fun and educational games. 5/6/2009 (Price: $14.99; Age: 3 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The follow-up to Anna Chambers' Lucy Owl, each twin brother and sister Woodchuck is limited to 400 pieces.Suzy (Orange) is friendly, and loves to sleep in. She's a lazy one, and loves to dream. Sammy (Blue) is fast, and loves to climb trees. 5/6/2009 (Price: $29.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This 8" long Shining Stars Alligator is more than a cuddly plush. He comes with a code that allows kids to go online and play educational games. In addition, they can sign up for their own star on the National Star Registry. 5/5/2009 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This entire guts set can be yours to cuddle or to give away (donate organs without having surgery). It includes a heart (6" x 8.5"), lungs (9" x 9"), a liver (8" x 6.5") and a kidney (5" x 6.5"). It is made in China. 12/13/2007 (Price: $67.00; Age: 3 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Ernie, one of the most playful characters on Sesame Street is an 11" character with his trademark jeans and striped jersey, red sneakers, and a big wide smile. Launch date: December 2002. 4/27/2009 (Price: $16.00; Age: 0 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Kids can go hog-wild with Arnold the Snoring Pig, a cute, quirky companion sure to put a smile on anyone’s face. Arnold’s oversized snout, curly pink tail and sleepy expression make him a cheerful gift for animal lovers of all ages. Press Arnold’s hoof and the 16” snuggly swine comes to life, moving his ears, mouth and body as he happily snores the day away. Arnold includes 3 AA batteries. “Like all GUNDFun characters, Arnold stands apart from other animated plush because of the quality of his design – his movements are impressively fluid, and he is still a soft, huggable companion,” GUND Marketing & Licensing Manager Shallu Chhabra told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 2007. 2/27/2007 (Price: $36.00; Age: 3 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
George stands 12" tall in his striped pajamas. Like any little boy, he needs his own teddy to get a good night's sleep. 5/5/2009 (Price: $15.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Broken Heart Dolls are soft, plush dolls that are in the shape of hearts. Each character has a story and a fun fact. Susiee's story reads: "Why was life such a struggle? Would Susiee never find love? She tried putting on a happy face but negativity followed her everywhere. Luckily she had enough black eyeliner, black polish, black fishnets, black boots and black hair dye to cheer her up - at least temporarily." Her fun fact states: "Once wore pink and tried out for cheerleading as a joke." This Broken Heart Doll is 7" high and very plump. 11/3/2008 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Going green takes a whole new hands-on approach with new Simply Natural plush. Made using 100% all natural cotton, 100% recycled paper hangtag and vegetable dyes for coloring, what could be more eco-friendly... or fun! The Elephant is 7" tall. 5/5/2009 (Price: $8.00) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This super-soft plush toy comes with a code that gives kids access to an online world of fun and games. 5/6/2009 (Price: $14.99) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The world cup is his dream. Kicks the bear is the best on his team. He hopes that one day he'll be the pick. First he needs to improve his kick. THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN RETIRED. 5/6/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
One of the Beanie Babies 2.0, this ladylike plush ladybug comes with a secret code that lets kids play games on the web. 5/6/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Trish's purple hair can be styled with her own little comb. She's posable and flexible — she can even wander onto the web, thanks to a secret code that lets little girls access an online Ty Girlz world. 5/6/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This 13" collector doll comes with an exclusive web-access code and is dressed to the nines in her printed satin party dress with green faux fur trim. Her tiara tells you she is the Party Princess. The code unlocks a super fun virtual party world. — Manhattan Toy’s products were listed as best sellers in spring 2009 by Steve Melody, owner of Melody’s Choices in Fayetteville, Ark. “Groovy Girls make up a good portion of the sales here, but the line offers much more,” he said. 5/6/2009 (Price: $20.00; Age: 3 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Perfectly playful, the Groovy Girls sensational pets have many lives - in person and online. This sweet 5" long dog is dressed in its party best and comes with an exclusive web-access code to unlock virtual fun and games. 5/6/2009 (Price: $12.00; Age: 3 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The Oball Stranz Football is made with yards of soft strands and may be used for any indoor or outdoor tossing activity. Just like the original Oball, it can be crushed, stomped or kicked, and it bounces right back to a perfectly formed sphere. It's an all-around ball that is designed to be soft, durable and super catchable. Launch date: August 2008. 4/28/2009 (Price: $8.99; Age: 1 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
The VikingToys Cute Cars Mom & Baby Assortment feature cute big "Mom" and small "Baby" car sets in four different themes: Frog, Pig, Cat and Bear. Featuring new colors, VikingToys are sized just right for little hands, and their smooth, soft edges are safe for teething toddlers. "VikingToys Cute Cars are designed to be safe for young children to mouth. They are sanitary, allowing for top dishwasher rack cleaning. Additionally, they are made of soft, pliable plastic with smooth, round forms," Nicole Tiedemann, PR account executive for International Playthings, told TDmonthly. Launch date: February 15, 2009. 2/27/2009 (Price: $12.99; Age: 1 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Kerry the Fairy will flutter anywhere ..her portable clip means take-along fun "on the fly". This plush toy's interactive features include a multi-colored rattle and crinkle wings for endless discovery play. High-contrast patterns stimulate vision. Perfect for baby's first doll. 5/6/2009 (Price: $13.99; Age: 0 to 2) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Made of rubber and covered with colorful flocking, these fun, easy to handle activity vehicles are as durable as they are soft. Available in micro, mini and large sizes and an assortment of colors – collect them all!
Toss it in the air and watch the colors magically flip! Handheld, magical color-flipping balls make a fun, portable toy. Collect all four cool color combinations. Toss just one or try to juggle with three. 5/7/2009 (Age: 4 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Part of the Farm Life series, this Rodeo Bull is ready to buck. He measures 14.3 x 6.9 x 6.8 cm. — Schleich’s small animal figures are consistent best sellers at Melody’s Choices in Fayetteville, Ark., as reported by Owner Steve Melody in April 2009. 5/7/2009 (Price: $5.49) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
This 8" plush Kuromi is ready to charm, with her exciting new polka dot hood with pink accents and pompoms. 4/30/2009 (Price: $15.00; Age: 6 and Up) [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
These bubbly Name Your Own Baby dolls are known by collectors as "Frog Girl" and "Frog Boy." The little 20" boy and girl have matching striped shirts and they are both wearing green jumpers with frog appliqués on the front. Her outfit comes complete with matching shoes and a frog purse and he comes with a matching hat. They both have red hair and the boy has green eyes and the girl has a blue eyes. Both dolls have been top sellers for two consecutive years, according to David Lin, owner of Adora Inc. Each is sold separately (Girl, $78.00; Boy, $70.00). 12/8/2005 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
8" Wendy is ready to toss up her mortar cap. She also comes with a graduation robe and diploma. 5/7/2009 [Add to my Inquiry Basket][?]
Toy demonstration by Lizette Orozco. Direction and videography by Alison Marek. Editing by Osvaldo Cuevas. Hairbrush "microphone handle" provided by Herdoos: Cheerleader Funky Folks ™ Gift Set
Writer's Bio: ALISON MAREK is a writer/artist/filmmaker whose work has been published by Fairchild Publications and DC Comics (Piranha Press), among others. Her short films have played in festivals around the world and have been broadcast on Showtime and other cable networks. She recently completed a short comedy sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, titled "The Three-Body Solution." For the past four years, Alison has been documenting the specialty toy industry with a series of articles and videos for TDmonthly Magazine. Read more articles by this author
by Uglyfan on June 30, 2009
Is it me or does Fea Bea the ''ugly stick'' look like a bong? ''Feeling sad? Ugly Sticks will knock that right out of you.''...seriously? (p.s. the security code text below was ''smokin'' - coincidence???)
Writer's Bio: ALISON MAREK is a writer/artist/filmmaker whose work has been published by Fairchild Publications and DC Comics (Piranha Press), among others. Her short films have played in festivals around the world and have been broadcast on Showtime and other cable networks. She recently completed a short comedy sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, titled "The Three-Body Solution." For the past four years, Alison has been documenting the specialty toy industry with a series of articles and videos for TDmonthly Magazine. Read more articles by this author
