Growing up in New York, Adam Hocherman loved construction toys and disassembling, repairing and tinkering with things – building R/C (radio controlled) cars, electric trains, balsawood airplanes, and whatever else he could get his hands on. This ultimately led to his love of engineering, and his passion for product design.

He obtained a degree from Cornell University – twice! First a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and later he went back for his MBA. His education and experiences at Cornell lead to the founding of his first company, American Innovative.  That company manufactured specialty alarm clocks, timers and, ultimately a very successful line of children’s clocks and night-lights which he sold to PlayMonster in 2014.

Inspired by what he had learned with his first product company, Adam set out to create something new. After carefully considering what he liked and didn’t like about running the first business, he came up with a list of qualities that he thought would make for an interesting product: something educational, a building kit, wooden, and made in America. Ultimately he created an experience that he hoped would set the company apart from competitors.

With his list in mind, Adam founded Tinkineer in 2015 – a Beverly, MA based company with an exciting new line of STEM maker kits designed for children 9+. Tinkineer launched its first products through Kickstarter – Marbleocity, a series of build-it-yourself marble machines made of laser-cut Baltic birch plywood. Marbleocity let Adam combine his passion for education and designing children’s toys with his desire to design a product in the United States at a manufacturing facility that he set up himself.

Clearly, Adam’s vision resonated with many people as the Kickstarter surpassed its goal by raising over $130,000 – more than nine times the initial goal – with over 1,500 backers. Each Marbleocity kit is designed to introduce children to engineering and physics concepts with engaging lessons told through the eyes of the “Tinkineers,” a group of comic characters presented in graphic novella form. The principles introduced are then reinforced through the construction of the kits and brought full circle with real world examples and applications. The use of Baltic birch plywood further differentiates Marbleocity from most other STEM and science kits by creating a sensory experience: it’s tactile and it even smells good, thanks to the laser-cutting process that leaves a “campfire” aroma.

In March of 2017, PlayMonster acquired Tinkineer and its Marbleocity line. Adam was also given an exciting role with the company as PlayMonster’s Vice President of New Business, where he continues to help grow the Tinkineer line and to develop other new product opportunities!

 To set up and interview with Adam Hocherman, please contact us!

Maureen Hiron is a woman of many talents, and a woman who lives a very active and diverse life. Her career began in education—she was a games mistress (head of the physical department) at a large London comprehensive school—until she was pensioned off from teaching when she was injured in an accident where part of the school fell on her head, at the ripe old age of 32.

Maureen’s future was unknown—she couldn’t teach, and her head injury left some damage—and she wasn’t sure what to do with her life, but she didn’t give up. Maureen decided to devote her time to playing bridge, as she was an expert player and hoped the mental exercises of playing would help penetrate the cloud that enshrouded her damaged brain. Fortunately, something great happened…Maureen’s brain began to work in an incredible way, allowing her to be able to reason with the intuitive mind of a child, yet still retain her knowledge and high IQ level!

It was on April Fool’s Day in 1982 that Maureen noticed the change, having her first inspiration for a top-selling game! So, where she was once a “games mistress” teacher, she now became a “games mistress” inventor!

Maureen’s new talent and passion has fueled her conception and design of over 70 games published around the world, in over 50 countries! A few of her recent games—Grabolo, 7 ATE 9, Qwitch—are manufactured by PlayMonster as a family-friendly line of card games. Maureen’s unique ability to create a game that can be enjoyed across generations is the secret behind many of her games’ successes.

As she continues to develop new games, Maureen also remains devoted to playing bridge, having represented England and Britain in tournaments around the world. She and her late husband also wrote several best-selling books together, and she has also worked on several TV shows, was the bridge columnist for two national newspapers in England, and writes bridge columns weekly for an Irish daily newspaper. Most recently, Maureen has taught herself to play the concert organ and compose music. She made friends with musician Sheyla Bonnick of Boney M while on a cruise, and the two have since released an album together, titled Look Beyond.

Even though Maureen was forced to change her life direction at a young age, she never lost her spirit, and is leading a very full and interesting life because of that. The world is lucky to be able to enjoy her talents, sharing that brilliance with friends and family through game play.

“Children are the most inventive, humorous, eccentric creatures on the planet.”

As founder of Kid O Toys, Lisa Mahar spent every day working to cultivate these qualities, which are natural in all kids. Kid O Toys are informed by research into childhood development as well as Lisa’s professional training in architecture, which gave her a versatile, interdisciplinary skill set required to work in a wide range of creative disciplines, including graphic design, photography, and industrial design.

When she began her career as an architect, Lisa never imagined that it would lead her to start a successful toy company. But when she became a mother, Lisa discovered that she wanted to learn more about how children thought, played, and developed. So she created a job for herself to answer those questions, and Kid O was born soon after her first son.

Before it was a toy company, Kid O was a toy store in New York City’s West Village. The retail location specialized in products that encouraged kids to be creative, confident, and independent. Lisa developed the store’s minimalist interior in defiance of the idea that children are maximalists at heart. The store’s concept proved a success, and in 2008 it was recognized by New York Magazine as the “Best Toy Store in New York.”

As a mother and store owner, Lisa realized how hard it was to find intelligent, well-designed toys that were also affordable. So she decided to make her own, beginning with the Magnatab. The first Magnatab (Uppercase A-Z) was made for her five-year-old son, who had been struggling with writing and reading in school. Lisa observed that her son was only using written worksheets to trace the letters and realized that simply wasn’t engaging him enough. Inspired by educational philosophies developed by Maria Montessori-a leader in children’s education-Lisa developed a multi-sensory magnetic tablet that has tactile, auditory and visual cues to help solidify learning. The Magnatab was revolutionary in that it taught all kinds of learners to write in a natural and engaging way. In 2008, Kid O produced its first product line, which included the Magnatab, their best selling product to date.

As technology became ubiquitous in our lives-and in the toy aisle- Lisa challenged herself to incorporate new technologies into her toys while staying consistent with her belief that when children’s play is powered by their own imaginations, they’ll develop skills that will last for a lifetime. Her solution was the Myland line, a series of toys that incorporate some technological elements without limiting possibilities for open-ended, creative play. Like other Kid O products, the Myland aesthetic reflects Lisa’s background in design and architecture and places an emphasis on simplicity, craft, and modern design.

In 2018, Kid O was acquired by the toy company PlayMonster. Lisa is excited for the next step in Kid O’s journey and says, “My first son’s natural curiosity sparked my imagination and inspired Kid O. I think becoming a mom made me a better designer, and being a designer made me a better mom. Embracing both roles led me to create toys that encouraged the natural inventiveness, humor, and discovery I saw in my son every day. 14 years later, I am delighted PlayMonster will continue Kid O’s mission to help kids make sense of the world around them.”

Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has a lot of accomplishments under his belt…things like books, Grammy nominations, TV shows, a great pair of jeans…but he holds nothing dearer to his heart than he does his big, loud family. And it’s apparent with his newest projects, the Relative Insanity line of games, that his family can be his inspiration!

Foxworthy first got the idea for his hilarious party games during a Thanksgiving gathering: “We have one of those families that are really close, so every year at Thanksgiving, we have about 30 family members staying at our farm—all the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmothers—and we play games for days straight. Two years ago, I heard the ‘kids’ playing an edgy card game, but had to shoo them away because there were aunts, uncles and grandmas nearby. I told my kids that they can’t be saying those things around them. Later that night, I was thinking to myself that there’s got to be a way to play a funny game that the whole family can play without being totally offended.”

 From that point, Foxworthy wrote content for his own game, the original Relative Insanity! It includes setup cards, like situations that might happen with or around family, and then a bunch of punch line cards that players use to fill in blanks or finish the setup phrase. So, the setup “We were shocked when MeeMaw said to the preacher’s wife…” and maybe you play the punchline card “Do you own a mirror?” or “I need to get my groove on.” It’s a different, laugh-out-loud game each time!

 Because Jeff Foxworthy enjoys making people laugh, and has done it professionally for over 30 years, he enjoyed creating this game, and knew it would be a hit when his family played it during the next Thanksgiving gathering. Foxworthy remembered, “The results were beyond anything I could have hoped for. We laughed until we cried and a few people might have even peed… just a little bit.” Consider that a warning to “go” before you play, folks!

 After the original game became a hit, Foxworthy also worked on an expansion pack with new cards that could be played on its own as a travel version, or added to the original game for MORE laughter. And then came the photos, folks! Photographic evidence of insane family moments–you know y’all have ’em–made into a game! So now, in Relative INsanity See What I Mean?!, the “setup” is a crazy picture, and everyone captions it with punchlines, “what would granny say” or what happened next! As if the photos weren’t funny enough…Foxworthy has added his comedic commentary! Oh, and there’s some pictures of Jeff himself in there, too!

 Born and raised in Atlanta, Jeff Foxworthy is one of the most respected and successful comedians in the country. He is the largest selling comedy-recording artist in history, a multiple Grammy Award nominee and best-selling author of 11 books. Widely known for his Blue Collar Comedy Tour and redneck jokes, his act goes well beyond that to explore the humor in everyday family interactions and human nature. “There are a few certainties in life. One of them is everybody’s relatives are crazy,” Foxworthy said. “You can let them make you nuts too, or you can learn to just laugh about it. I prefer laughter every time!”

 Foxworthy makes it his mission in life to make more people laugh than anyone on earth, and works hard to take care of his family, including his beautiful wife and daughters. Because, when it boils down to it, he’s just a guy. A guy with great jokes and a big heart. And now, a great game!

Greg Cordray is a fixer. Since he was a young child, he was always on a mission to fix broken things, and as you can imagine that kept him very busy! He enjoyed taking things apart, evaluating them, “fixing” them if “needed,” and then putting them back together. Sometimes this left things “improved,” and sometimes it left things permanently broken. The older Greg got, the better he got at fixing things. Today, one of his greatest fixes is his Super Spinner Swing—a better, safer way to swing!

Greg’s affinity for fixing just about anything he could get his hands on—cars, houses, TVs, radios, motors, etc.—led him to study all sorts of subjects. He loved to build and create things, too, so he wanted to fill his head with how things worked and fit together in the universe. He studied science, biology, physics, chemistry, engineering and psychology (he tried “fixing” people, but found some of them didn’t like that much!). Greg decided to focus on engineering, and he graduated from Ohio State University from the College of Engineering.

It was years later, as a father, that Greg fixed something that made him known around the country. It began the day his then 3-year-old daughter played on a swing for the first time. He sat her on the traditional-style swing, made sure she was holding on properly (and told her to continue holding on), and then began gently pushing her. As it turns out, his daughter got so excited that she forgot to hold on, and she went flying off onto the grass. She was unharmed, but that moment was when Greg’s mind began fixing the traditional swing to make it safer and more fun.

It took a lot of love and hard work for Greg to design and build the Super Spinner swing. Every detail has thought and care behind it. The swing, which is a large smooth disc, features a concave design that keeps little bodies centered safely and offers a comfortable ride for kids. There’s also a small hole in the center, so that water can drain out when it rains and keeps the seat drier and cleaner. The ropes are sturdy and strong, and the Super Spinner swing can hold up to 200 pounds, while the larger Super Duper Spinner swing can hold up to 650 (family fun!). Greg also thought about how to configure the ropes and attachments so that kids can not only swing on Super Spinner, they can also easily and safely spin! Yes, it soars, it swings, it spins and it’s super strong!

Greg also thought ahead to where families may want to hang this swing. Not everyone has a large enough tree for a swing, and not everyone has a swing set to use. Super Spinner can be hung on both, so whichever is best for a family will work! Hanging it from a swing set also allows families to upgrade or “revive” an old swing set, and it’s easy to hang and only requires extra equipment in certain cases.

Super Spinner was definitely a labor of love, and Greg included all three of his kids in the process. They worked together building and shipping Super Spinner swings from their backyard barn. Every step of the way, friends and family supported Greg and loves the new swing, which was the most rewarding part of the journey for Greg. Honest feedback was key in “fixing” traditional swings, and Greg knows it’s important with any project: “It’s important to test your own thoughts against the reality of others using the product.”

 Now that Super Spinner is well-known and sought after, Greg works with PlayMonster to manufacture and broaden the distribution of Super Spinner so that more kids and families can get in on the fun! He continues to consult with PlayMonster and attend events to talk about his awesome swing! When not working, Greg lives a happy life with his wife and children in Ohio, where he looks for new “fix-it” projects that will make a difference in the world for as many people as possible.

Jim Keifer, inventor of the game All In®, is an interesting man, interested in the interesting stories he learns when interacting with others. Sounds like par for the course with a game inventor, though, right? Maybe, but for Jim it’s a passion—one that’s driven his success.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Jim has lived in Chicago, Boston, New York and Los Angeles while pursuing his corporate career as game designer and executive for major toy and game companies. He now resides in California, where he focuses on independent toy and game design…well, when he’s not hiking and skiing in the mountains, cheering for Notre Dame’s football team (Go Irish!) or working on his art and paintings. Never a dull moment in the Keifer house!

Since the age of 5, Jim’s been exploring his interest in games by inventing new ones and altering existing ones. His favorite childhood games were ones that allowed players’ personalities to be revealed as they play together and interact, which is a major fun factor in his new party game All In!

When developing All In, Jim wanted to create a game that let people enjoy the experience of learning about one another. Each person is interesting, with interesting stories, and he felt that a party game would be an excellent way to share them. However, what makes All In truly unique is that it has two distinct dynamics at play—there’s a reveal of someone’s experiences (e.g. “I have gone skinny-dipping”), and a reveal of what people think you have or have not done (e.g. Other players betting on whether you have or have not gone skinny-dipping). It’s exceptional game play that allows for fantastic fun!

While Jim loves his work and takes pride in what he does, his real love, passion and pride resides with his family. His wife Kathleen is an internationally-acclaimed artist, and his three daughters attend college, where they are excelling and surpassing their father’s dreams.

Jim’s advice for other game and toy inventors starting out is to develop a lot of ideas and not to get stuck on just one. All In was born from two games Jim was working on, neither of which was working. But Jim had the bright idea to combine those two ideas into one, and voilà—they clicked! Jim says, “Be open-minded. Enjoy not knowing the answer because the answer will (most likely) eventually find you.”

Alex Hochstrasser, founder of the Swiss toy company MOLUK and designer and inventor of the TOTY award-winning Bilibo, draws his inspiration for the toys he creates from many different places. He loves traveling and exploring the world around him, observing how people and children interact with toys and everyday objects. Memories from his own childhood also play a role in what he works on, as he says, “I basically design the toys I would have loved myself when I was a kid!”

Growing up, Alex loved playing with construction toys such as Lego (never using the instructions!), but his strongest memories are of playing with other kids outdoors in the forest or at the river. There, they would use their imaginations, fascinated with the inherent play value of mundane objects like sticks, rocks or cardboard boxes-those simple objects proving most useful in their games. Today, those experiences are an important factor in the development of MOLUK’s sustainable toys that don’t just entertain, but invite real interaction.

Alex graduated from the University of Art and Design in Zurich, where he studied Industrial Design and spent time working abroad with different design firms and manufacturers in New York, San Francisco, Barcelona and Tokyo. His decision to focus on designing toys came later, when as a godfather he became frustrated by the lack of innovative toys when shopping for his godchildren. The toys he saw in stores, to him, were too gender-specific, too dated, or had a very short lifespan. He felt it was important to gift children with toys that work regardless of age and gender, and that tapped into the natural curiosity of children and their urge to play and explore.

After much research and hard work, Bilibo became Alex’s first toy, and it’s still widely regarded as one of the most innovative and versatile open-ended toys on the market. Its large iconic shell shape arouses curiosity and engages children’s imaginations in a playful way. When children see Bilibo, they see possibilities-it’s a seat to rock and spin in, a giant turtle shell, a water play vessel, a toy box, a stepping stool, a hill or tunnel for toy trains, and so much more. Alex muses, “I’m constantly surprised to see the new things kids come up with when they play!”

Interestingly, with many MOLUK toys, the majority of adults just don’t “get them.” An ambiguous toy confuses them, because they’ve lost the ability to imagine how children look at the world. Adults are used to a world where everything must have a clear function and purpose; strict rules are the norm. Fortunately, children are much more at ease with blending reality and imagination into their storylines when they play. Open-ended play stimulates children’s senses and minds and helps them develop many basic skills. Toys like Bilibo are essential in our technological world.

Alex, along with his sister, continues to successfully develop, design and manufacture MOLUK toys and has expanded into other fun-named toys like Oogi, Plu?, Mox and more. Alex touches nearly every aspect of the process-from concept to design to marketing. He says, “For me, the creation of a toy, its name, packaging and presentation through photo and video are equally challenging and exciting.” And he is thankful for the opportunity to run his own company and have the freedom to pursue his vision for toys and focus on projects that he finds meaningful and fun!

It’s also fun to note that Alex loves playing with his own designs, pushing the open-ended play to a whole new level when he finds creative uses for his toys, such as using Bilibos as punch bowls at his parties! Cheers!

There’s a notepad on Michael Sistrunk’s bedside table, where 5 Second Rule™ started to become a reality.

Sistrunk embraces his creativity and writes down every idea, every game he dreams of, in that notepad. He’s had a lot of practice inventing games, he’s been doing it for over 15 years. Sistrunk grew up in a small rural town in Mississippi and didn’t have cable television or video games to occupy his time. He, his twin brother and two sisters made up their own games and loved playing together. Sistrunk remembers some of his favorite board games being Monopoly, Chess and Risk, when he wasn’t making up his own.

From his notepad of hundreds of ideas, 5 Second Rule became one of Sistrunk’s favorites, so he created a prototype and played with friends. Everyone had a blast playing the fast-paced game where each player has five seconds to name three answers to random questions. “Seems easy enough, but under pressure, it’s a different story,” Sistrunk says. You may think you can “Name 3 Amusement Park Rides,” and you probably could. But being asked quickly and then only having five seconds to name them will be a challenge. How about 3 pirates? 3 Great Lakes? The beauty of this game is that most people know the answers—there’s no studying required, no doctorate-level education needed. The timing is what will get you tongue-tied, and everyone’s on level playing ground…to start.

Sistrunk is thrilled to see his idea come to life. As is the case with a lot of inventors, Sistrunk was unsure of how to bring his game to market. He “struggled with being afraid of ‘losing’ [his] idea and trusting someone else to help [him] with the process.” After much research, he knew it would be difficult to produce the game on his own. Then he found PlayMonster online and decided to send his idea in and trust them to help. PlayMonster loved the game idea and decided to make it a reality.

Sistrunk graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and worked in banking for 13 years. When he’s not busy inventing new games and coming up with new ideas, he now spends his time working as the owner/artist of MerNation, Inc., a mermaid company based in St. Petersburg, FL, where he is also a SCUBA instructor.

When asked if he had any advice for other inventors looking to make their ideas a reality, Sistrunk said, “Do your homework. Find someone you trust and take a chance. All those ideas you have scribbled in notebooks will just stay there and fade away or be created by someone else unless you take a chance.” Sistrunk also promises that his mind is always thinking of new ways to do things and fun ideas, he’s not stopping after one gaming success.

To set up an interview with Michael Sistrunk, please contact us.