tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404046680226635672009-11-10T10:47:18.257-05:00I'm Tim Walsh and this is my playlog. I plog on toys and the essential skill of squeezing more fun from life. I've written two books on the history of toys, Timeless Toys and the WHAM-O Super-Book. Games that I've designed or developed include TriBond, Blurt! and Mad Gab. Coming later this year is TOYLAND, a documentary film about toy designers on which I am a creative consultant. It's a big year. Join the fun, seize the play!Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.comBlogger136125SeizeThePlayhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-54398996603521595582009-11-06T10:13:00.004-05:002009-11-06T10:20:08.603-05:002009-11-06T10:20:08.603-05:00

Maybe I'm obsessed with Mouse Trap because we've been editing our documentary film, TOYLAND which includes an interview with Burt Meyer, co-inventor of the game, but this commercial made me want to turn the crank on that classic piece of plastic. Thanks, Dave!

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-75659023278352471662009-11-04T12:38:00.004-05:002009-11-04T12:42:43.948-05:002009-11-04T12:42:43.948-05:00

Played some fun games on Daytime today with Dave Nemeth. Great guy! He really liked Djubi!Also check out:Jishaku: The Game of Magnetic Action from RSV Productions. Carefully place all your magnets before your opponent, but be careful! The magnetic force make the magnets AND YOU, jump! Suspenseful fun at its best. In my 20 years in the industry, I've never seen a strategy game that plays like a

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-8079892242788367032009-11-01T08:15:00.016-05:002009-11-01T18:03:17.977-05:002009-11-01T18:03:17.977-05:00

Checking a bag on United?$20Want an exit row seat on United?$15Peace of mind in knowing that The Great Pumpkin will be handling all the important procedures should we encounter an emergency?PRICELESS

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-6861538505866206772009-10-30T08:13:00.002-04:002009-10-30T08:19:38.825-04:002009-10-30T08:19:38.825-04:00

I'm in Minnesota, not far from the place where Tonka Trucks were first made, getting ready to head over to KARE TV for the Showcase Minnesota Show! Rob Hudson and I will be playing some fun games, including one of the biggest hits for this year.... Jishaku!Jishaku: The Game of Magnetic Action from RSV Productions. Carefully place all your magnets before your opponent, but be careful! The

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-65611040011460209362009-10-22T09:18:00.003-04:002009-10-22T09:52:09.970-04:002009-10-22T09:52:09.970-04:00

This morning I'm in Phoenix to play some great games with Jan Atri at Arizona Midday. Why on earth would she want a freakishly tall guy on her show? It's the games I bring, silly.Here's the line up of fun we'll be playing. Last Word: The Uproarious Race to Have the Final Say from Buffalo Games. Be the first Player to advance to the Finish by creatively connecting Subjects and Letters, while

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-16414513781984855252009-10-20T05:05:00.007-04:002009-10-20T05:28:08.589-04:002009-10-20T05:28:08.589-04:00

Can adding a bit of fun to something change people's behavior for the better? Could it change the world? I stumbled upon this Volkswagen experiment and love it. Their website says, "This site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-49661608528342071972009-10-08T16:55:00.006-04:002009-10-08T17:19:29.644-04:002009-10-08T17:19:29.644-04:00

Laura Daniels challenged me to a game of Blurt, because no one in Albany can come close to beating her! Every week Ric Mitchell reads clues from the game and Laura goes one-on-one against a caller... and every week she wins. She's quick! How quick? I edited the game and all the clues in it and I just b-a-r-e-l-y defeated her.Thanks Ric & Laura! Great show. Tune in live on on the web on

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-30612943429685706472009-10-07T09:44:00.000-04:002009-10-07T09:45:15.007-04:002009-10-07T09:45:15.007-04:00

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-64963766408503727132009-10-03T08:20:00.017-04:002009-10-03T11:39:38.357-04:002009-10-03T11:39:38.357-04:00

Just returned from Nashville and a trip to one of the coolest toy stores I've ever seen, Phillips Toy Mart. The relationship people have with this place was evident to me before I'd even set foot inside. I was on the TV show Tennessee Mornings before my promotion at the store and the co-host, Kelly Sutton, chatted with me off the air. "I see you're going to be at Phillips Toy Mart later today,"

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-47609885400456958192009-09-26T11:00:00.012-04:002009-09-26T12:06:38.279-04:002009-09-26T12:06:38.279-04:00

A local ice cream shop on Siesta Key makes good, homemade ice cream, but everyone talks about the bubbles. Out front of their shop, up on a pole, runs an automatic soap bubble blowing machine. I don't know if it runs constantly, but it has been blowin' bubbles every time we visit. Last night my daughter and I sat outside and ate our ice cream. We heard one person after another comment on the

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-79954440508947123822009-09-17T07:33:00.013-04:002009-10-03T10:51:32.767-04:002009-10-03T10:51:32.767-04:00

As I write this, the bathroom off my office is no longer a bathroom. It has been reimagined by my 11-year old daughter as an establishment known as The Mermaid's Cafe. It should be noted that our house is on the market and that keeping it clean and presentable is a big, big challenge for us. When I first saw the bathroom I was not happy. I was not thinking of mermaids, I was thinking of using my

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-21073356849499591952009-09-10T11:34:00.000-04:002009-09-10T11:34:02.393-04:002009-09-10T11:34:02.393-04:00

Imagine how hard life would be if you always had to blaze your own trail. That's why I love a good quote from someone older and wiser than I."Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint on it you can." -- Danny Kaye Lose the smock, let 'er fly, seize the play!

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-16108207142606247712009-09-07T15:28:00.064-04:002009-09-07T20:39:35.511-04:002009-09-07T20:39:35.511-04:00

I headed to Naperville, Illinois on Thursday for some Labor Day weekend fun. I had a whirlwind of events across four days. The weather was a gorgeous 70 degrees with a good chance of flying dogs. I got into town on Thursday and had a long, relaxing dinner with a dear friend (and creative genius), Peggy Brown. We ate good food and had good conversation. Peggy's the kind of friend I might not see

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-26357758120727355632009-09-02T07:42:00.015-04:002009-09-02T17:19:56.456-04:002009-09-02T17:19:56.456-04:00

When I was a kid, the only thing that "RC" conjured up was thirst. That's because RC Cola was a soft drink that was a cheaper/inferior version of Coca-cola. In the toy biz, RC stands for "radio control," or those toy vehicles that kids can drive on land, sea, air or even up walls, all from a distance. Well, what I witnessed the other day was "The Real Thing" compared to the toy versions of the

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-80125650112690672482009-08-31T17:38:00.003-04:002009-08-31T18:01:20.865-04:002009-08-31T18:01:20.865-04:00

Introducing a new feature here on Seize the Play: Things that are decidedly UNFUN.Curse of the Overcooked PizzaLike lava that flows underneath the planet's crust, so is the sauce that waits, trapped beneath the hard, partially burnt cheese of an overcooked pizza. Curse you inflexible cheese that does not vent and allow for normal cooling! Will my hunger always trump my patience? Will the roof of

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-60535874414448848342009-08-30T18:45:00.013-04:002009-08-31T07:42:23.950-04:002009-08-31T07:42:23.950-04:00

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenga inventor, Leslie Scott for my book, Timeless Toys. After reading her new book, it was clear to me that I simply scratched the surface of her remarkable story. About Jenga tells the tale of inventing one of the most popular games in the world, and like the game she made famous, her book is filled with edge-of-your seat suspense. From the game's humble

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-5696567524914296632009-08-26T20:52:00.004-04:002009-08-28T15:47:56.636-04:002009-08-28T15:47:56.636-04:00

We played Blurt with kids and their parents at the Lakewood Ranch Back-to-School Bash last weekend and fun was had by all! Enter my Twitter contest to win a free Blurt game!

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-51164003699147959352009-08-12T08:25:00.007-04:002009-09-20T08:13:24.727-04:002009-09-20T08:13:24.727-04:00

Well they never really left, but they are indeed hot again and I think I know why.When our economy is down, sales of board games go up. There is an historical precedent to this phenomenon. Monopoly came out during the Depression and Trivial Pursuit hit it big during the recession of the early '80s. When people spend more time at home, they rediscover that there's fun just waiting to happen in

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-90564847912076823292009-08-06T11:39:00.003-04:002009-08-06T11:44:51.122-04:002009-08-06T11:44:51.122-04:00

Check out this story about an obsession with all things JOE.Also, here's an exclusive clip from the new movie!

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-65957502710277619922009-08-05T15:50:00.010-04:002009-08-05T16:21:13.508-04:002009-08-05T16:21:13.508-04:00

Do you think Obama has beady eyes? He does in this picture, no matter what your political leanings might be. This image is 9 foot wide and 11 1/2 feet tall and was made by fourth-grade students from all over the US as a publicity stunt for Photopearl beads. There are 300,000 of the beads lovingly placed in this Presidential portrait. Given that this was one of the first things I stumbled upon at

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-62209227530397470332009-08-02T09:01:00.005-04:002009-08-13T09:17:44.998-04:002009-08-13T09:17:44.998-04:00

Here's an excerpt from my ongoing Blurt Play Experiment. I played the game with Michael Dixon and the listeners on KMOX radio in St. Louis. Men narrowly beat the Woman in the last game. Totals still have the Ladies up 10 to 5 over the Lads.

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-4542173281669895372009-07-31T06:42:00.004-04:002009-07-31T07:03:32.160-04:002009-07-31T07:03:32.160-04:00

I still get a rush when I walk into a store and see a game that I worked on there among the choices. I helped Scott Dotson, the inventor of BagGames, license his creation to Imagination Games. Less than a year later and here they are in a Barnes & Noble store in Marlton, NJ. How cool is that?The games are designed with a patent pending system where the board and bag are sewn together. This serves

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-27622486415744352712009-07-18T08:40:00.005-04:002009-07-18T09:15:23.171-04:002009-07-18T09:15:23.171-04:00

The Asics sports shoe company is launching a new Gel Lyte sneaker and what better way to do that than to create the world's largest Lite Brite image? Although neither Asics nor Hasbro apparently know how to spell the word light, they certainly know how to pull off a cross branding stunt. The 11-by-15-foot, 300,000 peg display took 6 months to create and has been recognized by the Guinness Book of

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-85163098196022890262009-07-16T00:14:00.002-04:002009-07-16T00:18:07.359-04:002009-07-16T00:18:07.359-04:00

Just got off the air with Michael Dixon on KMOX radio in St. Louis. We talked toys and played BLURT! Three listeners beat Michael and won a copy of the game. I have updated the Blurt Play Experiment (on the side bar at right) with new tallies. The men closed the gap a bit, but are still getting smoked by the ladies.

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640404668022663567.post-42277926610622501762009-07-15T12:53:00.006-04:002009-07-15T13:40:11.074-04:002009-07-15T13:40:11.074-04:00

Last night my wife and I were rushing from a sunset dinner to get across town to a movie, when I was pulled over for doing 50mph in a 35mph zone. I think I was actually doing 55mph. I avoided the $235 ticket by being as respectful and pleasant as possible and by weaving into the conversation that it was indeed our 14th anniversary. Are there any sweeter words from an officer of the law than "

Tim Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18025955088626052366tim@theplaymakers.com0