Questions:

We are very interested in learning about the process and hardships of running a successful tech toy company. Any stories or advice you have will be great learning tools for us. Don’t worry about answering these questions formally. I just wanted to give you an idea of the types of questions we’ve been considering on our end. Looking forward to chatting soon.

1. What was your strategy to reach economics of scale in manufacturing and how did you manage your costs early on?

2. How did you find your manufacturing partners?  What are some things to keep in mind when looking for a manufacturer?

3. Which retailers/distribution channels would carry our product and how do we start building relationships with those retailers?

4. How did you handle testing and quality assurance for your products?

5. We’re hoping to eventually price Blogicks similarly to the Lego Mindstorms product. However, we are targeting the parents of younger children rather than teens and adults. Are expensive toys for younger children a viable option? Based on your experience with WowWee, where would you recommend pricing Blogicks?

6. In your experience, what kind of margins are necessary on the production costs of a tech toy in order for it to be a worthwhile venture?

7. Blogicks is made up of a number of smart blocks, and central building mat. What would the estimated injection molding tooling/manufacturing costs be for such a product?

8. How are toy sales being affected by the U.S./global economy? Are toy sales affected more so than sales of other products?  Are expensive toys affected more or less than regularly priced toys?

9. What are some challenges you have faced while running WowWee?

View Larger Map

Frank Lloyd Wright, from In the Realm of Ideas, edited by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer and Gerald Nordland

“As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures by a person or a machine, primarily to provide socially purposeful shelter.”

Wikipedia

THE WISDOM OF THE WAR ROOM: U.S. Campaigning and Americanization by Margaret Scammell

There is a trend in all human work to remove any traces of the human process. The living spirit which Wright spoke of years ago is being strangled by the tools which we take on to improve the efficiency of our processes. There is a direct trajectory in our current era for technology to move from tool to framework to standard without consideration for the sacrifices along the way. There is increasingly less room for craftsmanship in a world where humans give up control to the tools they invent. A balance must be struck between technology and the creative human soul or humanity may render itself obsolete. The Avant-garde must be mindful of their quest. New does not imply better. New implies consequences, and these consequences must always be weighed against the benefit of the incorporation of the new. Efficiency has no conscience. Efficiency has no soul. Efficiency does not consider the tapestry of human evolution and achievement. Efficiency only respects the improvement of a singular moment in the continuum of constant change.

Architecture is currently in a struggle to redefine itself in light of the technologies which have developed around it. Yet, architecture’s struggle is only a manifestation of a greater epidemic. Similar symptoms are easily found across the spectrum of human professions. In a world where technology is king, the technologist has penetrated all layers of the human social system. Specialization stands to destroy tradition even if said tradition is based in the foundations of human thought and reason.

For me, the beauty of architecture has always been in the differences of shape, function, and decoration discovered when visiting new cities. The pastiche of architecture across the world speaks to the unique cultures and histories of the people who created the architecture in the first place. Efficiency stands in opposition to uniqueness and promotes the creation of a world dedicated to nothing but efficiency itself.