The Office Playground Blog

Drink More Coffee and be Healthier

2010-02-08T15:29:45-08:00

Coffee can be good for you! That's super news because if you're among the 108 million Americans that partake in coffee daily, you're going to drink it anyway, right? Now you can say it's for your health and not because you just...NEED IT! Since coffee is such a huge part of office culture, we wanted to give you some bullet points on the health benefits from coffee. (Remember, I'm not a doctor nor am I an expert; I just really love my coffee.)

Reduced Diabetes Risk – After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders. (Source: Web MD)

Other diseases and health problem reduction – At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones. (Source: Web MD)

And even more healthy benefits – There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities. (Source: Web MD)

Just a little side note folks: Of course, I recommend talking to your doctor about your own situation and whether or not coffee is right for you.

With all the benefits of coffee, there are bound to be some downsides. But, with my simple-to-follow guide, they're easy to overcome:

Bad Breath – eat a mint
Brown Teeth – brush them more often
Coffee Stains – don't spill it
Expensive – make your own and bring it to work

To honor this amazing beverage, the Coffee To-Go Cup Stress Reliever is on sale for just $2.49.

When you get your Coffee To-Go Cup Stress Reliever, put it on your desk to remind yourself and others that you are such a health nut, squeeze it to relieve stress throughout the day, and admire it because it's cute and you got it on sale.

Cheers!

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Top image courtesy of Brianna Privett.

Groundhog Day at Work

2010-02-02T09:14:11-08:00

What do you think of when you hear Groundhog Day? For me, I think of Bill Murray and Punxsutawney Phil from the famous 1993 movie. The movie is classic and I give it two thumbs up (aren't we all film critics at heart?). For those of you who have never seen Groundhog Day or need a refresher, here's the quick plot from Wikipedia:

Self-centered and sour TV meteorologist Phil Connors (Bill Murray), producer Rita (Andie MacDowell), and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliott) from fictional Pittsburgh television station WPBH-TV9 travel to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities with Punxsutawney Phil. Having grown tired of this assignment, the small town, and his crew, Phil grudgingly gives his report and attempts to return to Pittsburgh when a blizzard (which he predicted would miss the area) shuts down the main roads. Phil and his team are forced to stay in town an extra day.

Phil wakes up to find that he is reliving February 2. The day plays out exactly as it did before, with no one else aware of the time loop, and only Phil aware of past events... Read more

Do you work with people who are not aware of the time loop they are in? Is your job like Groundhog Day, where you do the same thing over and over? Now you can stop being like Phil Connors and avoid living your life like the movie Groundhog Day. Here are a few fun tips for shaking up the routine:

Mix up your office space – Spin your keyboard and monitor around and sit on the front side of your desk. Put your garbage pail on the other side of you. Change the position of all your pictures. Turn your name tag upside down.
Take a different route to work – Don't drive directly to the office. Instead, go the long way, take streets that don't make sense or drive up and down the block a few times. Just leave a few minutes earlier and cruise.
Alter the lunch menu – What kind of food never occurs to you? Eat that! Do any local restaurants serve Swedish Meatballs or Buffalo Burgers?
Flip your personality – Just for the day, behave the total opposite of your normal personality. If you are a bit ornery, be extra sweet to your colleagues. If you typically drive hard, be chilled and laid back all day.
Visit strangers – Make some new friends. Simply get up and start walking around. Find people you don't know (at your company or other tenants in the building). Say things like "Hi, happy Groundhog Day!" Then, see where the conversation goes from there (don't expect too much, these people are strangers after all.)

I think you get the point. This time of year, work can be a bit of a grind. It's up to us to break the pattern and avoid the doldrums of corporate life. You don't have to operate on autopilot. On the contrary, you can have a little bit of fun during the day. So come on, be whacky and be more playful. There's no better day than Groundhog Day to start mixing it up! I mean, why not?

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Image courtesy of Melissa.

Top 10 Toys that Promote Creativity

2010-01-28T10:07:38-08:00

How important is creativity in your job? Being "creative" and thinking "outside of the box" are huge business buzzwords these days. We don't claim to be business consultants who can help you creatively "re-engineer, re-organize or re-invent" your business model. We do claim to be experts at playing with creative toys at work. We believe that if you can express creativity with desk toys daily, the bigger picture stuff will fall into place naturally. To make sure you have the right creativity toys on your desk or meeting room table, we have compiled a list of our Top 10 Toys that Promote Creativity.

Often, it's hard to have a breakthrough moment when you are focusing too hard on finding a solution. By playing with toys, you actively work your brain while giving your subconscious a chance to come up with the answer. With these fun office toys, you can maintain a clever and productive mind while creating sculptures, shapes or designs from putty, magnetic art, or buildable puzzles. Have a pumped up brainstorming session with a fun shaped wipe-off board. Take your drawings and doodles to the next level with a pin art board, magnetic drawing board, or Wikki Stix.

Check out our Top 10 Toys that Promote Creativity. What will you create?


		Magnetic Cubism

		Human Pyramid - Color

		Thinking Putty - Chameleon

		Wikki Stix

		Ball of Whacks - Red

		Incrediwall - Talk Bubble 24x18

		Executive Sandbox - Day at the Beach

		Finger Drums

		Etch A Sketch Keychain

		Pin Art - Metal 5x7"

Are you inspired? Send us a photo of your creation using a product from Office Playground for the chance to win a free surprise gift. Send entries to officetoyguy@officeplayground.com by 2/28/2010. Click here for more details.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Work

2010-01-22T12:16:16-08:00

Love is in the air... especially in your office. Are you feeling it? Lately, we've all been through some trying economic times together. Do you feel love for your co-workers and customers who are weathering this storm with you? Maybe you even get that warm and fuzzy feeling when you cozy up to the conference table with your team on a rainy day. Everywhere you look the experts are advising businesses to invest in their employees and to give them rewards and reminders of how important they are to the success of the company.

So, why not have a Valentine's Day celebration at work? Be open with the love and appreciation you have for your job, your colleagues and your customers. Here are some ways to bring back that loving feeling to the office:

Decorate your cubicle, lobby and office with a few Valentine's Day decorations.
Tape a big red paper heart on the refrigerator in the break room.
Leave a Valentine Heart Stress Ball on everyone's chair.
Have a company lunch. If you can't convince your boss or HR to spring for it, hit a restaurant and go Dutch or bring a bag lunch and have a potluck in the conference room. Just be together.
Encourage everyone to wear Valentine's Day colors (hint, RED) to work. For those that do, draw names to win prizes.
Rent a cupid costume so you can shoot bows and arrows at single folks to create a love connection. (Ok, we're just kidding about this one.)

Check out a few of our Valentine's Day items below:

Heart Stress Toy	Captain Smiley - Hot Pink	Inflatable Heart



4 Wheel Timer - Hearts	Smiley Dude Stress Toy - Red	Love Notes Ball



See our entire line up of Valentine's Day gifts here

Remember, fun Valentine's Day themed office toys last longer than chocolate and won't make your pants too tight.

With much love and appreciation,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Bring Toys Not Donuts

2010-01-08T14:50:19-08:00

Are you still bringing donuts to meetings? WAIT! You don't need to do that anymore. There's a better way to get everyone energized and excited at your next meeting. It's simple: bring toys, not donuts.

We all know that donuts are bad for you and the sugar crash is a serious downer. Bringing donuts to meetings is like saying, "Here, I hope you all feel sick for the next 5 hours and act like zombies all afternoon." Donuts only take a minute to eat, give you heartburn and require an extra workout to burn off the empty calories. On the other hand, a good office toy is long-lasting, stress relieving and brightens up your workspace.

Note the health considerations of Donuts versus Toys:

Have some fun at your next meeting and bring a box of office toys. Who knows, maybe you'll impress your boss so much, you'll get further in your career (we make no guarantees).

Instead of a dozen donuts	Bring a Stress Ball Box	Or a Meeting in a Box	Or a Desk Toy Box
Image Credit: Emran Kassim

Be more playful and bring some fun and health to your office...Bring toys, not donuts!

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

New Year's Resolutions or Vices?

2010-01-04T16:26:44-08:00

Now that 2009 has come and gone, I'm thinking about my 2010 New Year's Resolutions and how much I really can't stand them. Everybody resolves to do the same old feel good self-improvements, such as lose weight or learn something new. You don't usually hear New Year's Resolutions like "I'm going to take up smoking" or "I've decided to eat cake every single day." What if your New Year's Resolution was to start a new vice?

Of course, I'm not recommending you actually start a vice in 2010 (we want you to be happy and healthy, after all). Just be a little more playful this year and have some lighthearted fun with your co-workers. As a joke, it would be funny to tell folks you have a New Year's Vice. We assembled some of our best vice related office toys to assist you in your quest to bring humor to the office. Put some of this stuff on your desk to get a few good laughs.

As you reflect on the past year, can you honestly say you enjoyed it as much as possible? Did you smile enough? Have you shared enough laughs with the folks in your life? Now is the time to relieve yourself of some stress and have a bit of fun. Are you going to start a New Year's Resolution or adopt a New Year's Vice?

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Buckyballs - The Toy of the Year!

2009-12-16T15:49:41-08:00

Everybody is talking about Buckyballs! This set of 216 rare Earth magnets can be manipulated into an endless amount of shapes, patterns and designs. They're great for relieving office boredom and getting through the daily grind. How you play with Buckyballs is really up to your imagination: create geometrical shapes, letters, animals, or even one of a kind jewelry. We can talk all day about this cool magnetic toy, but let's see what others have to say.

Rolling Stone proclaims Buckyballs as the "Toy of the Year."
Entertainment Weekly says Buckyballs are "much more satisfying than a stress ball."
Real Simple magazine calls them addictive: "Payment for addiction therapy not included."
People magazine added Buckyballs to their Stocking Stuffers gift guide.
Esquire says they're "just like Silly Putty but made of metal. There's no better desk toy."

They were also seen in Maxim and Wired magazines and on the Good Morning Texas TV show.

How can you get your hands on a set of Buckyballs of your own? We've got them at OfficePlayground.com for just $29.99.

Newton's Cradle in the New York Times

2009-12-14T13:03:42-08:00

Writer, Catherine Rampell, from the New York Times recently wrote a blog she titled Two Roads to Job Creation that mentions our Newton's Cradle. The blogger used the concept of the clacking metal balls to compare the relationship between employment growth and economic growth. Rampell states, "It's sort of like one of those executive desk-toy doohickeys with the metal balls, known as a Newton's cradle."

Yeah, we know, it isn't the goofiest content out there, but it's an interesting and well-written article. Read it and check out our Newton's Cradles—you just might learn something.

Be the Best Secret Santa Ever!

2009-12-08T09:42:26-08:00


Image Credit: Michael Wade

What is the most embarrassing thing that can happen to you at work during the holidays? Sure, getting too drunk at the company holiday party, telling the CEO he looks like Screech and photocopying your behind are all pretty bad. But, we're talking about never being able to live down being a lame Secret Santa.

Maybe you didn't even want to participate in the first place. Some people don't believe in Santa anymore. Yet, we all still stand in line to pick one of our co-worker's names out of a hat.

You don't have to dread the workplace Secret Santa. The Office Toy Guy wants you to embrace it! This year, your co-workers will refer to you as the most amazing Secret Santa gift giver in company history. Or, at least they will think you are really cool and thoughtful for getting them such an awesome gift.

OfficePlayground.com is ready to help you be the best Secret Santa gift giver you can be. Check out these unique gift ideas for your next Secret Santa exchange and really nail it this year!

Dependable and Classy
Need to play it a little safe while making a good impression? Give a Zen Garden, Newton's Cradle, Kinetic Motion or Liquid Motion.

Zen Gardens	Newton's Cradles	Kinetic Motion	Liquid Motion

Vulgar and Irreverent
Do your co-workers appreciate low brow humor? Are your company's policies a little loose? Share a chuckle over our Vulgar Stuff and Desk Toys.

Vulgar Stuff	Desk Toys

Cute and Cuddly
A desktop plant or an animal toy will win you the cutest gift award. There are many adorable items in Desktop Gardening and Animal Toys.

Desktop Gardening	Animal Toys

Stress Relieving
If everyone is stressed out in your office, you can't go wrong with a Stress Ball, Stress Reliever or Foam Stress Toy.

Stress Balls	Stress Relievers	Foam Stress Toys

Silly Yet Practical
Sometimes goofy can be useful. Give a Funny Office Supply or Gumball Machine for a fun twist on the regular.

Funny Office Supplies	Gumball Machines

You don't have to be a lame Secret Santa this year. Just make your picks, place your order and we'll get that awesome Secret Santa gift to you really fast.

We wish you the best at your holiday office party and may you be remembered for your non-lame Secret Santa gift and not for dancing with a lampshade on your head.

Lamelessly,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Don't Spend a Fortune on your Fortune

2009-11-20T09:19:17-08:00

Fortune Tellers make excellent business gifts for the holidays and now we've made them even more affordable. Save 10% on every item in our Fortune Teller Category through November 30, 2009. Enter coupon code fortune4u at checkout.

With a wide variety of styles to choose from, we predict that the Fortune Telling Balls will be a big hit with everyone on your list.


The Ball...	What it does...	What you say...	The answer is...
	The Sarcastic Ball delivers snarky responses to your questions. It's a little rude, even for a purple ball.	Will my boss pick me for employee of the month?	Whatever, Who Cares?

	The Affirmation Ball wants you to feel better about yourself. Now, isn't that sweet?	I'm not feeling too cute today.	You Look Marvelous

	The Dr. Freud Therapy Ball offers cheap psychotherapy and you don't even need a couch.	I really hate this new computer system!	Let's Channel That Anger

	The Instant Excuse Ball saves you the effort of making up your own excuses and will keep you out of hot water.	What excuse can I give my manager for being late?	Oprah

	The Wall Street Guru Ball gives unbiased financial advice. Just don't follow it.	What should I invest in to get rich quick?	Buy Pork Bellies

Save big on Fortune Tellers plus get Free Standard Shipping on orders over $50.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Do Your Stress Balls Talk Back?

2009-11-17T14:52:11-08:00

Our customers are going absolutely crazy for Talking Stress Balls. This new style of stress ball makes you laugh. They make everyone around you laugh. People squeeze these things and immediately start rattling off folks they know who MUST have one. People LOVE our Talking Stress Balls.

My job as the Office Toy Guy is to help you play on company time. Our Talking Stress Balls are at the top of the heap right now for making your office more playful. I think everyone needs one on their desk. To make that easier for you, we're putting them on sale while supplies last.

For 4 days only, we are going to knock $.50 off the price of each style. This limited time offer expires November 20, 2009 at midnight. Don't forget, we're still offering Free Standard Shipping on orders over $50.

The more you buy, the more you save! Think how thrilled your co-workers, customers, friends and family will be with their very own Talking Stress Ball. Come and get these stress balls now because they're HOT, HOT, HOT!

Hear what they have to say!

Click to each page and play the audio clip to hear what these stress balls have to say.


Relax Stress Ball ~~$2.99~~ $2.49	Laughing Stress Ball ~~$2.99~~ $2.49


Stress Free Guy ~~$2.99~~ $2.49	Safety Stress Guy ~~$2.99~~ $2.49

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Is Your Office a Zoo?

2009-11-12T11:06:48-08:00

Do your co-workers have animal personas? Not sure? See if any of the following animals are hanging around your workplace. If they are, you could be sitting in your very own office zoo.
Image Credit (Portrait): Eirik Refsdal
		Monkey – A very loud and obnoxious character. They are funny and entertaining about 20% of the time and annoying the other 80%. They tend to hang out with other office monkeys who try to impress you with their antics. [See Monkey Toys]
		Bear – A person whose style is big and over the top. They laugh so loudly you can hear them at the reception desk... 100 yards away on a different floor. This person is sometimes caught hibernating at their desk after a big lunch. [See Bear Toys]
		Bugs – These folks are kind of creepy and hard to look at. They serve a purpose in your organization and thus must be there. You can tolerate them as long as they don't invade your space. [See Bugs Toys]
		Cat – A quiet individual who keeps to themselves and is neatly groomed. It's hard to get them to follow directions, but also hard to stay mad at them. [See Cat Toys]
		Penguin – This person is nice and unassuming. They dress up for work, even on casual Fridays. Unfortunately, you aren't really sure what they do or what actual value they bring to the table. [See Penguin Toys]
		Pig – This person's cubicle is so cluttered, you can barely see the desk anymore. The line between work related paperwork and garbage is blurry. This individual is most likely to leave food in the break room fridge until it's moldy and unrecognizable. [See Pig Toys]
		Snake – Someone who is overly confident and a bit sneaky. This type of person will "snake" your favorite office toy off your desk when you bend over to pick up your silly pen. [See Snake Toys]

It's a jungle out there and we'd love to hear about it from you. Be the office zookeeper! Follow us on Facebook and let us know what kind of animals are in your office zoo.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Why Isn't Your Pen Silly?

2009-11-10T10:48:30-08:00

What?! You're still using a regular pen! Did you know that using a silly pen makes you 8.7% happier during the day? (Alright, we made that number up—but they do make you happy.)

Using regular pens is for regular people. But, you're special, you're silly. You can express your silliness with the pens you choose to write with.

We want you to use silly pens so much, we're taking 10% off our entire Pen Category for a limited time only! (ends 11/12/2009) Enter coupon code sillypen09 at checkout. These unique pens are perfect stocking stuffers and are great gifts for your co-workers. Don't forget, if you place an order of $50 or more, you'll receive free standard shipping! (limited time offer.)

These Pens Are Silly

These pens represent outstanding character, personality and creativity. Which pen do you want to use? The boring one you have at your desk? How about a playful pen that helps reduce your stress? Which pen would co-worker's envy? A silly pen gets attention and makes you shine.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

10% off all Pens: Enter coupon code sillypen09 at checkout. Limit one coupon per customer. Cannot be combined with any other offer (excluding free shipping). Expires 11/12/2009.

Free Shipping: Applies to orders of $50 or more (excludes tax, after discounts). Offer valid only on orders shipped within the continental United States. Standard shipping only. Limited time offer.

Bad Chips and Dip

2009-11-05T08:43:53-08:00

It's ok to admit that you don't like all of your co-workers. There always seems to be certain people who are geniuses at irritating you. Would you like to learn a surefire way to get them to leave you alone? Serve them bad dip. Here's how it works:

The Preparation
Start with some basic ingredients used for making a tasty dip: sour cream, salsa, plain yogurt, guacamole or cream cheese will do. Next, add some not-so-tasty ingredients like pickle juice, suicidal hot sauce, cod liver oil, grape jelly, etc. At this point, most recipes instruct you to season to taste. Well, you sure as heck aren't going to taste this stuff. So, go heavy on the bad ingredients to be sure the dip tastes really, really horrible.

The Placement
Neatly display the bad dip in your work area along with some chips. The chips don't have to be bad, but using stale chips would be a nice touch. Now, you wait for annoying co-workers to approach.

The Payoff
Those little mooches will soon come around looking for the free food. They always do. They'll slither up, sniffing and eyeballing your snacks. They will ask you for some. With a big smile you nod your head. Don't feel guilty. After all, you didn't offer it to your co-workers. They sought you out. Cherish the precious payoff when they take that huge reckless bite of bad dip.

The Act
As the targeted co-worker begins to chew their first bite, they will recoil from the horrible flavors attacking their taste buds. When they say, "AGH! THAT'S AWFUL," you burst into tears, grab the dip and yell, "That's my grandma's recipe!" Then, run to your car and go home for the day.

The Rewards

Your obnoxious co-workers will never come around again.
You get a free half-day off work.
(Maybe you should watch some cooking shows.)
You'll never need to make food for the office again.
Everyone will be extra nice to you for a while.

Make some bad dip and watch your lame co-workers eat it. It'll make you laugh.

Bad dip making is just one more tool in your corporate survival toolbox.

Sincerely,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Image courtesy of Megan Soh.

Have a Bad Hair Day on the Job

2009-10-29T13:40:46-07:00

If you are like most people working in an office, you don't have a lot of control over things. You do what you're hired to do, you follow procedure, and you don't talk back. Day after day, you just sit there and take it. With so many rules to follow, you can't help feeling out of control.

Don't fret! There is one final frontier employees can conquer in the war for independence at work. The key to it all is hair. That's right, your hair. You can control every last strand of hair on your head and your boss can't do a dang thing about it.

Bad Hair Day Tips for Women
Bee Hive - Come to work with a bee hive hairdo and a serious face.
Mohawk - Don't settle for one of those half-hawks that require a lot of gel to get it up into a peak. You need to shave the sides down to the bone if you really want to feel free. This style works best if you have a very serious job and total jerk for a boss.
Color - Pick whatever works for you in your heart. Maybe match your hair color to your yellow house or your bangs to your green Mazda Miata.

Bad Hair Day Tips for Men
Pork Chop Side Burns - Shave your initials into the sides for added independence.
Handle Bar Mustache - Be sure to keep it extremely well waxed. This one is even more effective if you hitch a ride to work on the handle bars of your buddy's bike.
Massive Beard - Simply stop shaving. The beauty of sporting a colossal beard is that it's really no work at all.

Bad Hair Day Tips for Teams
Management is always encouraging teamwork. Here is where you can really shine. Imagine how empowering it is to include your co-workers in hair control.

Wind Blown - Convince meeting attendees to sweep their hair up to one side as if a strong breeze is blowing (kind of like the wind from your blow hard boss who is presenting).
Half & Half - You shave the left side of your head and your friend shaves the right side. Walk around the office side by side so it looks like one full head of hair.

If you don't have the courage to shave your head, you can always test your ideas on a Magnetic Face Drawing Board.

Fight the power with hair!

Sincerely,
Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Image courtesy of Bridget Christian.