Be Amazing Toys - a great way to “learn” a living
As teachers, we learn how to do different jobs to supplement our income. One of the ways was to take things we worked on during class and come up with ideas for science toys. In 1991 a collaboration of science teachers got together to invent science toys that could one day make their way to the shelves. The most popular science toy in the world - the Tornado Tube - was invented by Craig Burnham. Craig was our inspiration. My first science toy was a cute little pet squid called Squiddy. We simply put these toys in the hands of 50 teachers and their students, and they took on a life of their own. Orders took off and soon my wife had to quit her job because the phone started ringing and we needed someone to process invoices. Based in Salt Lake City, Be Amazing Toys started with this small group of scientists in Denver, Colorado. Now we have a toy company making 60 different educational toys and, if you walk the aisles of Toys ‘R Us or Target you will know us. A group of teachers who wanted to be amazing, creating toys that came out of the classroom, to give kids …
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I’m in New York this week for the American International Toy Fair, the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere. I’ve been coming to Toy Fair since 1993 when I first introduced a line of educational science toys to speciality toy market. My first Toy Fair was an eye-opening experience. More than 1,500 manufacturers, distributors, importers and sales agents from 30 countries showcase their products. How could my first science toy invention called 