Our younger son tends to be drawn to the tried and true Halloween archetypes.
For me and for my family Halloween is hands-down, the most fun ‘holiday’ of the year! Last year my elder son professed his love for Halloween like this, “If it wasn’t for all the presents at Christmas, Halloween would definitely be my favourite day of the year.” Continue reading
Cardboard Castles is a toy store and kids emporium in Creemore, Ontario that carries our Classic Supercapes and Fleece Crowns. I knew they were truly fun folks after my own heart when the owner, Laurie Copeland, bought Adult-sized supercapes from us last year for all of her staff!
Just two weeks ago I finally had the opportunity to visit the store in person for the first time. It is an exceptionally well-curated shop with beautiful, thoughtful, quality items for kids. I was delighted by 
the wonderful sculpture that stands outside the store of a boy wearing a towel-cape and a colander helmet. As a parent and a consumer, it makes me feel great when a shop aligns itself with my own values in ways that are visible right from the curb. This piece of art, that depicts a child having a blast with ordinary objects found at home immediately made me feel an immediate confidence that I would like what I saw inside…and I did!
What makes a toy store a good one in your opinion? What is the most amazing toy store you’ve ever seen?
New FPK Power Cuff…fits mom too!
When I’m working on a new product, it’s always hard to turn away from the fun of design to get back to making sales calls, balancing my books or packing orders. However, I’ve found a great new way to make the less-fun work seem like a piece of cake…I wear my new ‘Power Cuff’ prototypes while I work! Makes me feel like I can do anything…including today’s unenviable task of preparing all the paperwork for my tax audit! Sometimes grown-up challenges need childish solutions! Continue reading
A local children’s librarian recently introduced me to ‘Fancy Nancy’ by Jane O’Connor with illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser. Nancy is a spirited gal who is VERY committed to seeing her world brought to its fullest ‘fancy’ potential. She is far more into high heels and frills and lace and lipstick than I ever was – but I do recognize that many kids do go through a stage like this…and some take it through to adulthood! I adore her passion for retraining her ‘far-too-plain’ family to help them to find their inner ‘fancy’.
I love that her mom and dad and sibling and pets sit agreeably through her ‘fancy’ lessons and allow her to make them over before they head out to the diner for a family meal! “When we arrive at the King’s Crown, everybody looks up. They probably think we’re movie stars.” There are a bunch of titles about Fancy Nancy, but of the ones I’ve read, I like the original best. The book is full of pink and skirts on the edge of my aversion to programming girls to like ‘girlish’ things, but I do adore Nancy’s passion and respect her choices. I know from many parents, that 
there are kids (yes, many of them girls) who adore everything pink and frilly. We can celebrate and love them for their dedication to what they love, no?
Fancy Nancy has a website of her own, thanks to publisher Harper Collins. It seems there are apps, activities and games there for kids who are fans.
Tristan flies through the Toronto skyline in a red Classic Supercape while little brother, Phelan pummels him with virtual donuts using the Toybox’s Console of Power!
Yesterday I took my boys to an incredible hands-on traveling art installation called ‘Toybox’. It is the creation of Playground Studios and is currently open until September 15 at Theatre Passe Muraille. Toybox is an interactive play space for people of all ages, where cutting edge digital and projection technology is put in the hands of even the smallest players, who are free to create amazing special effects on screen with the help of green screen tricks, lighting, sound and (of course) COSTUMES! The space also provides creative art materials and building blocks – encouraging creative expression of all kinds from audience members of all ages. Continue reading