 |
|
Want to know what more than 800 retailers have told TDmonthly about their best-selling products? Here's what toy-store owners in California had to say: | |
|
"Creativity for Kids is big seller ... The other company we sell a lot of is Klutz; kids can take the book and do something with it."—Christine Hildebrand, owner, Alphabet Moon Toys, Davis, CA December 2006 "The No. 1-selling item in my store is a cash register for both boys and girls by Learning Resources."—Timothy Kim, owner, Jitterbugs Toys, Irvine, Calif., December 2006 
"[Language Littles] are really fun, educational and soft."—Amanda
Scadina, Manager, Cheeky Monkey Toys, Menlo Park, Calif., August 2006
"Customers are going for the more expensive, signed and dated, one-of-a-kind pieces."—Shellie Kazan, Owner, Shellie's Miniature Mania Inc, San Carlos, Calif., October 2005
"Horror movies are popular right now, so the toys have just taken off. Every time there's a war going on, the horror movie market gets more expansive."—Bob Webster, Manager, Meltdown Comics & Collectibles, Los Angeles, Calif., October 2005
"I primarily stick to sea-life type of plush since we are at the beach."—Kathy Cortez, Owner, The Sky's the Limit, Pismo Beach, Calif., August 2006 https://www.beachcitykites.com "People love the rummy concept, where you need to go out, and this is an unusual variation with a little bit of Scrabble thrown in."—Roberta Edwards, Owner, Wishes Toy Store, La Quinta, Calif., February 2006 "There's a new series called 'The Sisters Grimm' that I'm really liking. There's also a series by Cressida Cowell ['How to Train a Dragon'] that does well."—Cinda Meister, Owner and "Tween Queen", Building Blocks Toys, Inc., Morgan Hill, Calif., January 2006 "[An ideal supplier will] take care of any shortages and problems with shipments."—Scott Rajcic, Owner, CM School Supply, Upland, Calif., December 2006
"When I go to a gift show ... I'm looking for that odd company that no one knows about."—Pam Buars, Owner, The Ark, San Francisco, Calif., December 2006 "A good 9-and-up game is Pirateer, from Reveal Games."—Genevieve Collonge, Manager, Wooden Horse, Los Gatos, Calif., December 2006 "Anything that has to do with knitting, crocheting, that sort of thing, and we sell a lot of the Klutz."—Rosie Morris, Manager, Whiz Kid Toys LLC, San Luis Opispo, Calif., December 2006 "My clientele is divided evenly between collectors and children. "—Kim Walter, Manager, The Miniature Scene, Campbell, Calif., October 2005 "Bambini: [We're] selling a lot of their old fashioned side snap undershirts and panties with ruffles."—Suzanna Gaddis,Yesterday & Today, Port Hueneme, Calif., Winter 2005 "Allowing customers to submit purchase orders through my website opened up sales to schools and school districts, many of them outside my home state."—Jeff Boss, Owner, Brain Builders, Moorpark, Calif., February 2006 "Typically, stores fall into three categories: the big box store, the video-game store and the educational toy store. We wanted to do something different and create a store with a retro '50s type of feel that both parents and their kids could enjoy."—Dave Brisbois, Owner, The Toy Dept., Pasadena, Calif., October 2005 "At my store, collectors are an even mixture between moms and kids, grandparents and collectors."—Dayle Dodds, Owner, Carmel Dollhouse & Miniatures, Carmel, Calif., October 2005 "Vampires appeal to both sexes. They have an erotic appeal."—Del Howison, Owner, Dark Delicacies, Burbank, Calif., October 2005 "The Wee Sings CDs are still around and selling."—Emily Holmes, Sales Associate, Ambassador Toys, San Francisco, Calif., May 2006
"BeBoP Kidz is a top seller at my store."—Frank Meyer, Manager, A Child's Delight, Corte Madera, Calif., May 2006
"Games of Wonder makes popular games for the holidays."—Christina Wallerstein, Owner, Playworks, Pasadena, Calif., December 2006 "Hagen-Renaker is the only one we carry; the winter scene is a popular collectible, hand made in California."—Natasha Robinson, Sweet Dreams, Orinda, Calif., December 2006
"Hard to keep on the shelf is Gamewright card games; that's because they can be played by kids all the way up to adults; they're nice because they don't take all night."—MariCela Anguay, Owner, Dragonfire Toy Co., Woodland, Calif., December 2006
"The Adora dolls do better than the Middletons."—Ruth Feldman, Co-Owner, The Doll Shoppe, Sherman Oaks, Calif., December 2006 "I do some ordering online, probably 20 or 30 times. I like it. I like quiet time, and no pressure from sales people; if I have online ordering capability, why bother with salespeople?"—Donna Pollard, Manager, Something Special, Clayton, Calif., November 2006 "Money became a lot thinner in smaller stores after 9/11; going online gives a chance to put things on that other people don't have."—Cynthia Whitfield, Owner, Cynthia's Educational Toys, Oakland, Calif., November 2006 "I go to the [trade show] in Los Angeles and the one in San Francisco."—Gail Smith, Owner, Toy-Go-Round, Albany, Calif., November 2006 "Screwball Scramble by Tomy Corp. is a store standard."—Jane Naisbitt, Vice President, Thinker Things, Del Mar, Calif., April 2006
"The strips are tied into a flat knot and wound around, and when you're finished, you have a five-sided shape that you push in on each side to make a puffy star."—Vicky Mihara Avery, Manager, The Paper Tree, San Francisco, Calif., December 2005
"The sales [of Earth Ball] are good. It's probably our best selling glow-in-the-dark product."—Lorena Lopez, Manager, Puzzle Zoo, Santa Monica, Calif., May 2006 www.puzzlezoo.com/puzzlezoo.htm
"Manhattan Toy specifically addresses the needs of newborns and toddlers." —Lori Rumsey, Owner, Mother and Baby Source, Davis, Calif., December 2006 "We used to do plastic marble runs, but they were so flimsy."—Melissa Moore, Owner, Toy Crazy, Malibu, Calif., April 2006 "Anime and manga properties sell well."—Chris Shorb, Owner, Third Planet, Torrance, Calif., January 2006 "We continue with the same 10 lines we carry."—Chris Gale, Toys, Games & More, Clayton, Calif., November 2006
"We're offering a Flamenco costume as part of our dress-up line."—Arjuna Twombly, Customer Service, zebrahall, San Francisco, Calif., October 2005 "Ringgz is another good game we really like — a wood board game from Blue Orange."—Annette Garcia, Co-Owner, The Wee Loft, Dana Point, Calif., December 2006
"[Schleich] toys have a historical element that I think parents like."—Don Snyder, Owner, SacToys, Sacramento, Calif., December 2005 "The Skrumps sell really well in our store."—Wallace Harvey, Buyer, Manager, Three Cheeky Monkeys, Los Angeles, Calif., May 2005 "Knights and dragons and pirates are the biggest category in the world. Adults are actually buying it — 9 and up, primarily males."—Mark Phillips, Thinker Toys, Carmel, Calif., April 2006
"[The Svengali deck is] one of the most popular-selling decks of cards in all of magic."—Gerald Kirchner, Vice President, Magic City, Paramount, Calif., December 2005 "There's a new line from Melissa & Doug named First Play that I think is going to be strong."—Thom Maslow, Owner, Learning Express of Belmont, Belmonst, Calif., December 2006 "Ticket to Ride by Days of Wonder. Those have been doing really well, and lots of those Days of Wonders games do well: Shadows over Camelot."—Eric, Manager, Gamescape, San Francisco, Calif., June 2005 "Transformers by Hasbro have always done really well."—Helen Dean, Owner, Toy Safari, Alameda, Calif., December 2006 "My game-plan [at Toy Fair] is to see new, unique sources that I have not seen before ... I go up and down every aisle."—Dennis, Linden Tree Children's Recordings & Books, Los Altos, Calif., January 2007 "We don't go [to Toy Fair] anymore for the last several years; we just got tired of going. Our reps keep us informed of what's new."—Lance Ghulam, Manager, Handlebar Toys, Lafayette, Calif., November 2006
"We have a lot of media coverage on a couple of our products: A pushing car with ABC blocks in it that's a little bit more. It's by The Toy Workshop."—Jason Oliver, Chief Operating Officer, Oompa Toys, Los Angeles, Calif., December 2005 "What Hasbro has done is bring a lot of classic board games like Battleship, Connect Four, Hungry Hippos, Trouble, the matching game — all those kinds of things — down to travel size. Those are always good and people ask for them."—Steve Meynig, Store Manager, Tom's Toys, Beverly Hills, Calif., July 2006
"You know what is really, really cute is the Douglas purses with the animals in them, and the backpacks with the animals hanging off. They are incredibly cute."—Pam Byers, Owner, The Ark, Berkeley, Calif., August 2006 | |
Disclaimer Privacy Policy
Feedback
Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use.
Copyright © 2024 TDmonthly™, a division of ToyDirectory.com®,
Inc.