ASTRA Adding New Resources for Children with Disabilities

May 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) will present updated information on toys and play for children with disabilities for specialty toy retailers and manufacturers at the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy in Nashville, Tenn. An educational session, Connect Children with Special Needs to Toys and Games on Your Shelves, will be offered on June 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a new publication titled ASTRA Guide to Toys for Children with Disabilities will be available at no charge for ASTRA members at the Marketplace & Academy. Non-members may purchase the publication.

Ellen Metrick of the National Lekotek Center will present the Connect Children with Special Needs session at Marketplace & Academy. The session will focus on helping parents, grandparents, occupational therapists, and teachers select toys and games for the special children in their lives. It will include a basic understanding of some common disabilities and specific features of play that children with these challenges can enjoy. Retailers will learn what questions to ask customers and how to train store employees to serve this very special niche.

The ASTRA Guide to Toys for Children with Disabilities is designed as a handbook for manufacturers, sales reps, and store staff. It summarizes characteristics of common disabilities and types of toys that work well for children who have those disabilities. It also includes ideas that ASTRA retailers can give to parents for adapting toys and play activities to fit the needs and abilities of their children.

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ASTRA, ChiTAG Partner to Offer Educational Sessions

March 18, 2013 By

Courtesy of ASTRA E-Bulletin

ASTRA is collaborating with the Chicago Toy & Game Group (ChiTAG) to provide toy inventors and specialty manufacturers with strategies for bringing new toy innovations to market.

Two educational sessions focused on the needs of inventors have been added to ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy, to be held from June 16 to 19 in Nashville, Tenn. These sessions are for toy manufacturers and inventors only, and any manufacturers or inventors who are exhibiting at or registered for ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy may attend these sessions at no charge.

The sessions—“From Great Idea to Hot New Product: The Basics of Production, Packaging, and Promotion” and “What It Takes for Success: Leveraging Licensing, Social Media, Gamefication, and Marketing Opportunities”—represent the first joint effort planned by ASTRA and ChiTAG.

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Learning Express To Celebrate Neighborhood Toy Store Day

November 7, 2012 By

The 2012 holiday season marks an important milestone for specialty toy franchise, Learning Express Toys. Founded by CEO Sharon DiMinico in 1987, the Massachusetts-based company is currently celebrating its 25th year at play. Originally started to raise money for a local nursery school, the franchise is now 135 stores strong and spread across 28 states. Despite its growth, Learning Express still maintains its identity as a genuine neighborhood toy store.

The franchise will be debuting a new website in the coming weeks, and creating online communities through social media platforms has become a priority on both the local and corporate levels. Most recently, the company released an online Skill Building Toy Guide for Children with Special Needs to help parents and caretakers find appropriate toys for the children in their lives.

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Safari Honors Teachers, Supports Neighborhood Toy Store Day

October 11, 2012 By

Safari Ltd., manufacturer and worldwide distributor of museum-quality educational toy collections, has been busy with giveaways. In August 2012, Safari Ltd., manufacturer and worldwide distributor of museum-quality, educational toy collections, honored inspirational teachers in a Back-to-School Giveaway Contest on Facebook.

Based on fan nominations, Diana Mount, 3rd grade teacher at Chinook Elementary School in Vancouver, Wash., was selected because of her ability to recognize strengths in children that may be viewed as weaknesses. Mount won an assortment of educational replicas and posters to accommodate her classroom of approximately 30 students. Each nominated teacher also received a gift to recognize his or her dedication in the classroom. [Read more...]

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ASTRA Launches New Website: YourNeighborhoodToyStore.org

October 8, 2012 By

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) has launched a website that features articles, a toy store locator, play news and resources, a calendar of events, and a toy buying guide for parents. YourneighborhoodToyStore.org features the most up-to-date information on all kinds of toys and where to find the merchandise in the market. Local toy stores and experts in the toy industry can post articles on a wide range of topics, and the how-to section features craft tutorials, game ideas, and other projects. Parents have access to a store locator to find neighborhood toy stores by city, state, or zip code. ASTRA will post consumer news on the website that includes lists such as the annual Best Toys for Kids winners. Visitors can sign up for the weekly e-newsletter for more up-to-date information. Upcoming events at toy stores are posted in the Event Calendar section of the website and the toy buying guide provides parents with tips on how to find age-appropriate toys. The website also includes a section for toys for children with disabilities.

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Rubik’s Void Puzzle Wins Two Awards

July 24, 2012 By

Winning Moves Games’ Rubik’sVoid Puzzle has won two awards: the ASTRA Award for Best Toys For Kids in the Brain Teasers category and the Toy Insider Award for the Spring & Summer Hot Toys List.

The new Rubik’s Void may be puzzling because there’s a hole in the middle of it.  Consumers can put their fingers right through the center of the Void. The object is to solve each side, but that’s where the similarities to the traditional Rubik’s Cube end. The Void has different colors, rounded edges, and requires a different solution. This is a hole new challenge.

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Hape Announces Contest for ASTRA Retailers

April 23, 2012 By

Hape North America, a leading worldwide toy manufacturer, has announced a contest giving one ASTRA retailer a chance to win a trip for two to China. Hape will select a winner who will travel to Shanghai and Ningbo. During the trip, the winner will stop by Hape’s manufacturing campus, which produced more than 8.6 million toys in 2011.

For a chance to win the trip, ASTRA retailers must submit a photo of their best four-foot section of Hape merchandised product to marketing@hapetoys.com by May 15.  One retailer will be announced at Hape’s booth (No. 216) during the Cocktail Reception on Monday, June 11 at ASTRA Marketplace in Baltimore, Md.

This post was originally written by Leah Rocketto and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

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ASTRA’s 2012 Marketplace & Academy Exhibit Space Sells Out

March 14, 2012 By

Exhibit space for the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association’s (ASTRA) 2012 Marketplace & Academy has sold out. The exhibit hall, which will be the biggest ever, reports ASTRA, will feature approximately 100 first-time ASTRA exhibitors.

“Given the huge number of first-time exhibitors, the exhibit hall will be full of product we haven’t seen before,” said ASTRA President Kathleen McHugh. “And remember, even though exhibit space is sold out, we have plenty of room for any and all independent retailers.”

ASTRA will be held in Baltimore, Md. from June 10-13. For more information, or to register, visit www.astramarketplace.org or call ASTRA at 1-800-591-0490.

This post was originally written by Elizabeth A. Reid and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

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ASTRA Reveals 2012 Marketplace & Academy Theme

October 14, 2011 By

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced that the theme of its 2012 Marketplace & Academy will be “Get more from your store: Build your business at ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy.” The event will take place in Baltimore June 10-13.

“Independent retailers are always looking for creative new ways to increase revenue and contain costs. Never has it been more important for store owners to get the most out of every dollar they spend and every business decision they make,” said Kathleen McHugh, president of ASTRA. “Our theme reflects what retailers will find at Marketplace & Academy: unique quality toys that fit their stores, huge show-only discounts, and business tips from the best retailers in the industry.”

As more information becomes available about speakers and special events at Marketplace & Academy, it will be posted at www.astramarketplace.org.

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Credit Collective Meets With Members During ASTRA

June 27, 2011 By

Last week, nearly 50 toy and game companies gathered at ASTRA‘s Marketplace & Academy in Anaheim, Calif. for the second annual Credit Collective member’s meeting. Inside the meeting, important issues affecting toy and game companies were discussed, including the increasing effects of internet discounters on brick-and-mortar stores, as well as how to find alternative distribution outlets, how to avoid customers who pay bills late, and the need for universal credit sheets.

The Credit Collective members also voiced a need for a system to help police their Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) policies. Ron Solomon, president and founder of The Credit Collective, revealed that the organization is working on such a system, and agreed to speed up the process in hopes it will be ready for member use by this October.

Another issue discussed was the increasing amount of fraud cases that companies are dealing with due to unscrupulous retailers trying to purchase toys and games. Certain companies—that are no longer able to receive credit due to poor payment history—create fake stores and get terms through pseudonyms. After they receive goods, the companies close their fake businesses before the bill arrives and move.

By cross-referencing information in its database and sharing information with its trade association partners, The Credit Collective aims to help keep both members and non-members safe. The organization is currently developing a fraud-linking service to create a much tighter web.

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