No doubt you've already seen or heard about Randy Pausch and his now famous, 'Last Lecture'. With so much coverage about this topic, you may ask why we're "piling on". First off, this is the type of message that simply can't be heard too much or too often. In our society where virtually all media coverage is dominated by war and politics and violence, a story about courage in the face of tragedy is not only refreshing, but necessary. Second, Randy speaks at length about nurturing a "childlike sense of wonder" which of course is at the very heart of why Fat Brain Toys exists. We often preach that what we sell are not JUST toys - rather they are the tools of childhood - encouraging imagination, exploration, self-expression, and interaction. But in Randy's words, "did you catch the head fake?". Toys are not just for kids! In fact, a strong argument could be made that adults need toys much more so than kids. When we begin losing that "childlike sense of wonder", we are losing one of our most valuable assets - our ability to use our imagination, our willingness to push the limits of the envelope, our inclination to take time to stop and smell the proverbial roses. So challenge yourself today, and EVERYDAY, to stoke the fire of wonderment in yourself and in those around you...and maybe you too will live life with the same zest of Randy Pausch.

After five days of walking the halls of the American International Toy Fair, I'm ready to make several conclusions (aside from the observation that my feet really hurt!):

1) If the toy industry is any type of economic barometer, the economy is going to be just fine! Even though many challenges remain, toy manufacturers are upbeat, attendance from buyers was fantastic, and there were a record number of exhibitors. In our six years of attending Toy Fair, this was without question the most positive, innovative show we've attended.

2) Speaking of innovation, there is certainly no shortage of it in the toy industry. From the R&D labs of giant toy corporations to the workshops of eccentric toy inventors, their wares were on display in hopes of being the next great toy. Maybe it's because of our own company's roots, but I love Toy Fair because it represents for me the American dream...a great idea, a passionate risk-taker, and with a little luck, commercial success. And it's from these risk takers that innovation and competition arises - providing all of us with fresh, fascinating playthings.

3) Another theme that was ever-present was QUALITY. Several popular lines of toys were plagued last year with issues concerning safety. While it's unfortunate that these issues arose in the first place, toy manufacturers listened, learned, and have taken aggressive steps in a number of areas to ensure the quality and safety in toys. But even beyond the basics of safety, a number of manufacturers are now producing environmentally-friendly toys and games. From items that teach environmental responsibility to toys that are made from innovative organic materials, you'll be finding more and more "green toys" coming to Fat Brain Toys in 2008.

But still, for every great toy that we consider putting in our catalog of products, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of not-so-great toys. Our job is to take the guesswork out of your hands by selling ONLY those toys that meet the very strict requirements that make them worthy of being a "Fat Brain Toy". We'll continue to work very hard at bringing you only the very best toys, games, and gifts on the market.

Please check back frequently in the coming weeks and months as we add over 1,000 new toys to our already impressive selection!

Our blog started out strong in 2005, but in the hustle and bustle of the toy business, I let it lag. But with the 2008 American International Toy Fair in New York City just days away, I thought it would be a good opportunity to resurrect our blog to report on the day-by-day happenings. With the recent safety scares involving trusted toys, I believe our industry, and even consumer buying habits, are undergoing significant changes - a shift away from toys of "convenience" to toys of "substance". Our mission at Fat Brain Toys has always been to sift through the hundreds of thousands of available toys on the market, and bring to parents and grandparents ONLY those toys that serve to better the children in their lives. The growth of our company over the years is evidence that "we're on to something". We hope to continue to earn your trust by bringing you even more innovative AND quality toys, games, and gifts. Keep posted in the coming days as we work the floor of Toy Fair 2008!

Passing through the Los Angeles airport last week, looking through a magazine rack, an odd-sized magazine caught my eye. Actually, it was probably the water rocket and zip line on the cover that grabbed my attention, but I knew immediately that it was for me! The magazine, Make:, is a fascinating view into the world of "DIY" (Do It Yourself). But don't confuse Make: with a magazine like Popular Woodworking. While each issue contains several "how to" projects of things like building an electric wind turbine or weather station, it also celebrates the creativity and resourcefulness of the geeks, inventors, and do-it-yourselfers who are pushing the envelopes in their very own garage workshops. In fact, I was so inspired by the magazine that upon my return home, I immediately ordered their t-shirt which carries the following motto: "Void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse, poke an eye out.." While I'm in no way advocating that our customers poke their eyes out (in fact I highly discourage it), this aphorism is an affirmation for many of the things that we're trying to achieve at Fat Brain Toys. Think different. Push the envelope. Challenge conventional wisdom. Think outside the box. This is where genius and innovation live. As it relates to toys, resist the temptation to buy the cheap plastic toys that have no redeeming value. Put open-ended, creative toys in the hands of children today, and they'll become the innovators and problem-solvers of tomorrow. To find out more about Make:, visit their website at http://www.makezine.com

When we first began this business, we eagerly plotted each and every sale with stick pins on a big map of the USA. While this exercise was primarily aimed at giving our children an education on how far reaching our business could be, it also proved to be a powerful reminder for us adults as well. But of course as our order volumes grew, our map quickly degraded into a massive blur of colored stick pins and we eventually discarded our map into the dumpster.

When Google first introduced their mapping service, it immediately conjured up that image of our original sales map. So I put it on my to-do list to create a digital version of the sales map using the Google Maps API. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined! Not only can you get a visual of where our orders are being shipped to, but be clicking on any stick pin, you can actually see what was ordered too. Even though we've shipped toys to over 88 countries around the world, unfortunately at this time we're only able to plot U.S. orders on our map (we'll work on that though!).

One other thing I'd like to draw attention to is the location of Fat Brain Toys smack dab in the middle of the country. Of course we didn't plan it that way (as I was born and raised here), but our central location gives us the ability to provide ultra-fast shipping to the entire country from East to West!

I hope you enjoy this look into Fat Brain Toys! Click here to view our "Where in the World" interactive map...

This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch a great documentary on the History Channel entitled, "Failure Is Not An Option." Based on a book of the same name, it was authored by Gene Kranz, the Flight Director for numerous space missions, including the famous Apollo 13 mission. It was a fascinating view into the brilliant people and events that made man's trip to the moon possible. The program concluded with a plea from Gene Kranz to the parents and children of today's generation: inspire our youth to excel in Science and Math in order that they may rise to the challenges of tomorrow.

I must say I took some pride in knowing that in our own small way, we're doing our part to inspire a new generation of engineers, architects, scientists and mathematicians. And more importantly, I think it's wonderful that so many parents are investing in their children's future - by buying them toys that entertain AND educate. Will it be our children who take us beyond the moon? Give them the tools they need to grow their mind and anything is possible!

Restoring men to unexpected boyhood is one of our proudest achievements. When this review hit my computer recently-I couldn't help but grin.

"GeoMag set 132 piece color
I knew the GeoMag construction set from a friend and I was immediately fascinated. So I decided to give a set to another friend for his birthday. It was a full hit ! So here we were, two fully-grown men in their sixties, starting to put interesting shapes together within minutes of opening the package. I think our wives thought we had lost our minds. So ? What's wrong with that ? There were memories of blissful boyhood whafting through the air ..... ah, happiness!
Manfred MacKeben"