Out of the Sandbox Blog
About the Author
Wendy Smolen is the cofounder of Sandbox Summit, an elite idea forum that explores the synergy between play and technology. She's been an astute player in the kids toy and media industry for nearly 20 years, testing, evaluating, and rating products for major publications and companies. However, her office is wall-to-wall toys, so she still refers to her business appointments as playdates.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to the author. Any questions/comments should be directed to its author, Wendy Smolen, and not Kidscreen.com/Kidscreen Magazine.
Let’s Just Play
Out of the SandboxI had lunch with a friend of mine last week who asked me whether I spend more of my time concentrating on play, or on learning. At first I was shocked. Play is how kids learn is so ingrained in my brain that I forgot not everyone thinks that way.
View from the Sandbox through the lens of Scott Traylor
Out of the SandboxScott Traylor, Chief Kid at 360Kid, had the daunting job of taping the recent Sandbox Summit@MIT, Going Mobile, Going Global, Tracking the anywhere/everywhere state of play. While this gave him a front and center seat, it also meant he had to listen to every word (no bathroom breaks!). I asked him to comment on a few of his favorite presentations.
Three Generations Talk Tech
Out of the SandboxLike many of you, this past weekend I celebrated a holiday with a family meal – three generations around the table sharing food, opinions, and tips on technology. While I can’t claim that my relatively small sample is universal, nothing illustrates the generation gap better than techno-talk.
Listening To The Kids
Out of the SandboxBack in the day when toy testing meant playing with stand-alone toys instead of entire transmedia properties, I learned the importance of seeing a product in the hands of a user before critiquing it. Today, whether you’re developing a toy, a game, a storyline, or an entire brand, if you don’t heed the reactions of those who will actually use it, you risk missing the bus. Here are some pieces of advice I learned while recently observing a bunch of 10-year olds in focus groups.
Lights and Action at FlickerLab
Out of the SandboxIn preparation for the upcoming Sandbox Summit@MIT, I spent time with Harold Moss and Carla Seal-Wanner of FlickerLab, an educational content and technology studio in NYC. They gave me a demo of FlickerStudio, which they hope will not only remake the way media is made, but also remake the way media is used to teach, learn and entertain.
Tracking the Trends
Out of the SandboxWhether you’re a producer, a geek, a tweenager, or Warren Buffett, you still want to know “what’s the next big thing?” To help me stay up to date on media trends, I read The Intelligence Group’s Cassandra Report and TrendCentral newsletter daily. Recently, I spoke with Allison Arling, senior director of strategic innovation for The Intelligence Group, for a peek into their private Oz.
A New York state of mind
Out of the SandboxNew York Toy Fair and New York Fashion Week always seem to overlap. And while the devil-wears-Prada fashionistas strutting through Bryant Park may seem worlds away from the purple plush munchkins and caped super heroes prancing down the aisles of Javits, it’s interesting how many similarities there are in the two industries.
Reading the Signs
Out of the SandboxHere’s an awesome stat – last week, in the first three days that Apple made textbooks available for purchase at their iBooks store for the iPad, 350,000 books were downloaded…and just seven titles were available. We realize eBooks are changing the publishing industry. And now they’re going to change the textbook industry. But they’re also changing a fundamental way in which kids read.
Life’s a Game at Toy Fair 2012
Out of the SandboxChecking in at Toy Fair has never been quite like this. In anticipation of Toy Fair’s opening on February 12, I “talked” to Kimberly Carcone, Senior Director, Trade Show and Event Marketing at TIA to find out more about Play Happens, a new game TIA developed last year to entertain and connect this year’s Toy Fair attendees while they’re in NYC.
We want to hear your voices
Out of the SandboxA new year brings all kinds of resolutions. For us at Sandbox Summit, 2012 means creating an even better Summit than last year – more inclusive of all kinds of media, more interactive with our audience, more thought provoking, and more network-friendly. The April event at MIT will address today’s anywhere/everywhere state of play, and we think our lineup of speakers and topics raises our own already high bar.
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Kidscreen Summit 2010 -