Category: Inventor Stories

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.