another take on a good line of toys

by mari

Wow. While browsing the toy aisles at Target the other day (looking for post-holiday deals, honestly)I found an crazy surprise. My husband probably thought I was nuts when I started babbling with big wide eyes. I was shocked and amazed by the new approach to a toy line I’ve already mentioned here at Small for Big. Parents Magazine’s brand of toys is a favorite of mine – it’s always combined strong play value with some great color palettes and fun design features. But suddenly. The line has been reinvented. New colors, new patterns, new name, and a new website (coming soon).But the exact same plastic parts. Though I need to spend some more time digging to get to the bottom of it, it appears that Battat is no longer working with Parents, and is instead continuing the line of toys on it’s own, calling it JustB-Byou? For most of us that’s neither here nor there. The cool part is the designs are a crazy leap of faith. They’re using, burnt orange, olive green and maroon – colors I never expected to see as prominent components of a toy in the Target aisles. The swirly patterns are sophisticated, the faces quirky and fun. In general, it’s the kind of plastics toy line I would design if given the chance again. And that’s rare.
Here are some links to examples of the line:
Spinaroos
Whacky Ball
Zany Zoo

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