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Tracking the trends.
The Yak took a look back and can't believe all the trends in toys and collectibles that readers have shared. Here are some of the big ones.
* POPULAR POGS: Originally from Hawaii, POGs started as caps on bottles of a drink made from passion fruit, oranges and guava (GWAHvuh)--abbreviated to POG. Kids started playing games with the lids. Teachers began to give them out as rewards for good work. By the time the Yak saw POGs in 1994, they were sold in toy stores with all kinds of patterns. The Yak even went to big POG tournaments and remembers that POG playing got so popular that it was banned at many schools.
* BONKERS FOR BEANIE BABIES: Those little Ty stuffed critters with heart-shaped tags and special names were born in 1994, but they became huge with kids and even grown-ups in 1996 when the company started retiring, or not making, some of the critters. That meant the demand was on for the collectibles before they were retired. Nothing has quite equaled the Beanie Baby mania that had collectors lining up at stores when the next shipment was due to arrive. Later, McDonald's restaurants introduced Teeny Beanies and traffic jams were huge for Happy Meals that included a mini Beanie.
* BASIC FUN FOR EVERYONE: Keychains are practical, but when the Basic Fun Company decided to put mini-toys and games on keychains in 1991, you started collecting them. The late '90s were huge for this trend. The Yak remembers seeing plenty of kids with jangling backpacks, dangling so many keychains you could hardly see the backpack underneath.
* TAMAGOTCHI TAKES OVER: The virtual pet craze started in Japan and by 1996, in the peak of the pet craze, 15 Tamagotchi pets were ...
- Basic Fun grabs the attention of tween girls with Tiny Totes mini handbags.
- Magazine article from: Playthings April 1, 2002 700+ words
...trickles down to the kids and junior markets...advantage by offering kids hip, current fashions...major department store, Basic Fun offers a wide range of...It's great for the kids to spend $4.99 on...trend," she feels. But Basic Fun has also built play value...
- 2009 Product Preview.(Endless Games., Elmer's Products Inc., Basic Fun Inc....
- Magazine article from: Playthings October 1, 2008 700+ words
...on Star Trek The Movie , Basic Fun will offer a miniature...Enterprise. Additionally, Basic Fun will offer an assortment...For comic book fans, Basic Fun will unveil Marvel superheroes...D View Finder offers kids a 3-D slide show of animals...
- Basic Fun anxious to 'kiss and tell' all about Kari's Kiss'n make-up line. (A...
- Magazine article from: Playthings May 1, 2003 700+ words
...area, for those kids seeking products...mark! Q: What does Basic Fun bring to the tween...image to existing Basic Fun customers, and attracts...packaging must draw kids in. We are always...what's missing. Basic Fun really wants to give...
- Basic fun: playthings with the charm of yesterday offer an alternative to the...
- Magazine article from: Gifts & Decorative Accessories January 1, 2003 700+ words
...ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Easel + Art Cart has shatter-proof plastic forms and an acrylic clipboard and markerboard. 45"-50 1/2"x23 3/4"x16". $175. Kids Studioworks, Los Angeles. (323) 655-4028. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
- Basic Fun shrinks popular toys into little gizmo key chains. (Basic Fun Inc.)
- Magazine article from: Philadelphia Business Journal Hals, Tom March 1, 1996 700+ words
SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. - Basic Fun Inc. has two slogans that appear...your hand!" and "Really Works!" Basic Fun takes such all-time favorite toys...to all of your questions, although Basic Fun doesn't guarantee accuracy (more...
- Basic Fun Launches Guitar Hero Carabiner at Toy Fair 2008, February 17th - 20th...
- Press release article from: Business Wire February 13, 2008 700+ words
...BasicFun). The corrected release reads: BASIC FUN LAUNCHES GUITAR HERO CARABINER AT TOY...at the Javits Center, New York, NY. Basic Fun's Guitar Hero Carabiner features a...4" X 3". The second is the price. Basic Fun's Guitar Hero Carabiner retails for...
- Your basic fun firm. (Basic Fun Inc.)(Growth Strategies)
- Magazine article from: Philadelphia Business Journal Geiger, Mia September 25, 1998 700+ words
...Warning!" Dorfman is president of Basic Fun Inc., a Bucks County company that makes...licensing agreements for those products, Basic Fun has grown about 50 percent each year...at Larami, a toy company. Originally Basic Fun distributed novelty items including necklaces...
- Basic Fun Proves Budget Friendly Toys are Big on Fun at Toy Fair '09, February...
- Press release article from: Business Wire February 13, 2009 700+ words
...BasicFunToyFair09 SOUTHAMPTON, Pa. -- Basic Fun, Inc., the leading manufacturer of...under $5.99, it's easy to see why Basic Fun toys continue to thrive even when the...a button. Retail price is $5.99. Basic Fun's newest product category, licensed...
- Basic Fun Demos Guitar Hero Carabiner at Toy Fair 2008.
- Newspaper article from: Wireless News February 15, 2008 700+ words
...at the Javits Center, New York, NY. Basic Fun said that its Guitar Hero Carabiner features...sized, measuring a mere 4" X 3". "Basic Fun has worked with Activision and Red Octane...unique, pocket sized format," said Basic Fun President Alan Dorfman. ((Comments...
- Basic Fun's versatility shows. (Toy Fair 2002).
- Magazine article from: Playthings February 1, 2002 700+ words
...innovative, yet functional keychains, Basic Fun is extending its line this year to include...Monsters, Inc. are well represented in Basic Fun's assortment of danglers, wind-ups...Parcheesi and Aggravation comprise Basic Fun's newest series of popular game keychains...