What people are saying about Think-a-lot Toys

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The Buzz About Think-a-lot Toys

Videos

The Think-ets Video! Fun with think-ets, for the whole family.

Video interview with Randy Compton, co-founder of Think-a-lot Toys, by iParenting Media Awards.

NEW! Watch the TDmonthly Magazine Video

Product Reviews

Tarot Reflections review of The Insight Story Cards, September, 2010

Game Night... Think-ets: Tiny Trinkets for Imaginative Play (PDF, 277k)
edplay, February, 2009

Keep It Simple, Santa (PDF, 375k)
Denver Post, December, 2008

Education and Fun in Think-ets! (PDF, 254k)
Think-a-Lot Toy’s “Think-ets” Is the Fun Intelligent Choice.
(The Tennessee Tribune, November 13-19, 2008)

Hit the highway: Make the most of your summer road trip with these tips
The Detroit News, July 2008 (PDF, 307k)

A Mommy Must Have Purse Accessory
Swanky Moms, June 29, 2008 (PDF, 81k)

Stay-at-home Mom's Point of View
Amanda Reviews, June 28, 2008 (PDF, 81k)

The World's First Little Game
Hip Mama's Place, June 26, 2008 (PDF, 92k)

Think-ets will bring out the imagination in anyone
Mommy Insider, June 22, 2008 (PDF, 37k)

Think-ets for On the Go Imaginative Play
Mom's Favorite Stuff, June 19, 2008 (PDF, 38k)

Review of Think-ets
Lille Punkin' Reviews, June 6, 2008 (PDF, 46k)

Creative Family Games
An Ordinary Life, June 2, 2008 (PDF, 36k)

Summer Survival Guide: Brain Games
Colorado Parent, June, 2008 (PDF, 166k)

Keep your children occupied in any place, while getting
them to think outside of the box
Parents with Style, June, 2008 (PDF, 106k)

Think-ets: Small, portable game is big on fun!
BellaOnline: The Voice of Women June, 2008 (PDF, 23k)

New & Notable Toys: Creative Activities
TDmonthly, June, 2008 (PDF, 22k)

Lookee What We Found!
The Lexington Family Blog, May 21, 2008 (PDF, 49k)

Think-ets Memory Toy
Superdumb Supervillain, May 20, 2008 (PDF, 53k)

Super Shopper Links
NBC11 Review, May, 2008 (PDF, 99k)

Travel Toys and Resources
UpTake Blog, May, 2008 (PDF, 30k)

If You Can Think-et, You Can Play It
Chesapeake Family, May, 2008 (PDF, 183k)

Creative Pocket Game for Vacation Travel, Visits with Grandparents, or Anytime!
Grandkids Gift GuideTM, May, 2008 (PDF, 40k)

Parenting Pick of the Day
Shine, from Yahoo!®, May 8, 2008 (PDF, 60k)

Keeping Parents Sane in Waiting Rooms Around the World
TOP (The Opinionated Parent), May, 2008 (PDF, 40k)

Painless Travel with Kids
The View From the Bay, May 2, 2008 (PDF, 107k)

Product Review: Toys/Games/Kidstuff. Think-ets brings peace of mind to parents and enhances critical thinking.
Cincinnati Parent, April, 2008 (HTML)

Think-ets: For Moms Who Have Got Game
Celebrity Baby Blog, April 24, 2008 (PDF, 86k)

Think-ets: The Perfect Portable Game on the Go
Ruby Moms, April, 2008 (PDF, 41k)

Cool New Toy with Classic Idea
Viewpoints, April, 2008 (PDF, 58k)

Imagination, Not Batteries, Fuels "Think-ets" Trinkets Game
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 2008 (PDF, 19k)

Daily Find: Small Wonder Think-ets Travel Toy
Shine, from Yahoo!®, April 22, 2008 (PDF, 23k)

Take It With You: Kids bored? Open the bag
Sacramento Bee, April 13, 2008 (PDF, 72k)

Think-ets
Cincinnati Parent, March, 2008 (PDF, 19k)

Tiny Trinkets Game
Central Penn Parent, April, 2008 (PDF, 360k)

Brain Powered
Parenting New Hampshire, April, 2008 (PDF, 109k)

Think-ets
Model Retailer Magazine, March, 2008 (PDF, 316k)

Think-ets are Creative Fun
The Birmingham News, March, 2008 (PDF, 34k)

Small Wonder
Cookie, March, 2008 (PDF, 26k)

Think-ets - The Perfect Portable Game on the Go
Mommies with Style, March, 2008 (PDF, 147k)

Top Toys That Caught My Fancy: Toy Fair 2008
About.com, March 2008 (PDF, 27k)

Agents can help solve trip dilemmas
Indianapolis Star, February 2008 (PDF, 17k)

Toy Fair 2008
Toys and Family Entertainment, February 2008 (PDF, 181k)

Think-A-Lot Toys
Specialty Toys & Gifts, February 2008 (PDF, 222k)

Tune Out, Turn On with Think-ets
Babble, February 2008 (PDF, 84k)

Trinkets for Thinking Provide Endless Play
Grandparents.com, February 2008 (PDF, 32k)

Eco Child's Play, November 2007

Storyteller.net, October 2007

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Testimonials

“We find your Think-ets a delight.

Our two granddaughters, ages 6 and 10 often come to our house, individually or together. We have a large collection of small toy figures: zoo and farm animals, story-book characters, dragons, unicorns, and whatever the plural of Pegasus is, plus a lot of small building blocks. The girls often go into the living room by themselves, select a group of these toys, and put on a tea party, a story, or an adventure. I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear what they do, but it is their activity and want no adult intervention. We also have a mantelpiece collection of Zuni fetish animals,small carvings that we get from a friend who teaches English as a secondlanguage to the Pueblo children.

When we bring out the Think-ets - and, given a choice of activities, the girls often ask for them - we usually do stories. The girls ask for specific animals from the mantelpiece to supplement the objects provided. "A bear" is a common request, but we also use skunks, turtles, rabbits, mountain lions, etc. Stories ramble and go on until we run out of objects. Grandfather has become the subject of a special rule, forbidding me from ending a story line when it is my turn.

The memory game and its variants are a favorite of mine from the "jewel game" in Kipling's Kim - dreadfully racist in the casual Brit style, but still a treasured book from my childhood. Your sets of objects are perfectly suited to an introduction to that game. I think the purchase was one of the best toy buys I have made. The "story creation" games are the hot item right now with our girls. A perfect activity for empowering their senses of self worth and creative freedom. As you are well aware, a central virtue of your product is the range of activities it offers.

Prosper and grow!”
–George Hersh, Grandfather

“My 4 year old son and I enjoy Think-ets in restaurants, on planes, and at home on rainy days. They are just the right size for a plane's tray table or a place setting in a crowded restaurant. They keep us engaged for at least 30 minutes, depending on how creative I am in thinking up questions and games on the spot! They allow us to create a private space with each other even when we are in a crowded public location, and they give him and me a "baby-free" activity when he needs a break from his 10-month-old brother. I expect as my 4-year-old gets older that we will be able to do even more--maybe switching roles back and forth. Think-ets are easy to carry and, unlike many of my son's preferred activities, require no cleanup afterwards! We are a fairly "anti-stuff" family and many of the toys available in stores don't meet our standards. I will be proud to give Think-ets to others.”
–Deborah Barber, Mother

“Think-ets are awesome!!! I don’t want to stop playing with them.”
–Olivia Orlando, 11

“Think-ets are a great, creative game for any age, anywhere. My husband and I keep them at our camper and sit and play games with them inside if it’s raining or outside on the picnic table. We’ll keep them around for when our toddler is ready to play with them safely and isn’t in the ‘put everything in your mouth’ stage.”
–Erica Lovestrand, wife and mother

“Think-ets is a super fun and exciting pouch of trinkets for people of all ages everywhere to play with! My dad and I play with them at restaurants and at home. All of my friends like to play with them, too. We never get bored with Think-ets, and sometimes we make up our own games. We especially like the story games. We have a hard time deciding who gets to go first. Think-ets keep us busy for hours. They’re GREAT!”
–Meryl Compton, 12

“Very fun! There was much laughter over the stories!
–Ingrid Mueller, retired nurse

“Think-ets would be so great for my home school group as the group is always looking for new things to do. We could also use them in my writing class when we get stuck. I would buy them for all my friends.”
–Tehya Brown, 13

“My granddaughter Noelle and I play the game where we tell a story in segments, taking turns–it really excites her–and she laughs and laughs when she comes up with a really off-the-wall idea! Think-ets has opened up a whole new world of creativity for us!”
–Eva Mesmer, grandmother, retired teacher

“Next time I see you can I play the games? I think these should be in every single store.”
–Jasper Brockett, 4

“I would love to buy them for all my nieces and nephews. It’s great for stimulating their imaginations.”
–Linda Tate, PhD, author, literature professor

“I love Think-ets! They are great toys to play with if you are on-the-go. I played Think-ets with two of my friends and we had so much fun making up stories that we didn’t want to stop!”
–Aleanna Collins, 11

“I like playing the ‘What’s Missing’ game at restaurants. I like the story game, too, because I get to make up stories. I also like inventing new games!”
–Ryder Perry, 14

“My children and I play Think-ets when we’re waiting in the car, at a restaurant, or sometimes during a quiet day at home. At different ages, they go through stages of which games they like to play. There was a real memory fascination stage as well as a storytelling stage, which is my personal favorite. Since I am an artist, I often add my own miniatures to the collection to surprise them and to make the game more personal for our family. It is a great way to unite as a family and to get your creative juices flowing!
–Rebecca DiDomenico, artist

“Think-ets are fun and a great way to start conversations with your children. You can play the games suggested or design your own. The possibilities are endless. Once you get started you won't want to stop playing, and neither will your kids. This simple special product by virtue of its intrinsic play value will take you back to a time when people really played with and talked to their kids.”
–Lynn Rosenblum, President, Toy Power Consulting

“All three of my children ages 12, 9 & 7 love the game. Also anyone I introduce it to does as well. I have fun making up stories with the pieces and also just holding and looking at them. We have five sets & plan to buy more as gifts.”
–Noelle Southwick, mother

"My family and I have had some rollicking good times playing Think-ets. It's a terrific game for both sides of the brain!"
–Daniel H. Pink, author of A WHOLE NEW MIND

“I love your product. We play the games all the time and end up rolling on the floor laughing at the situations we create.”
–Bob Ellis, CEO/Inventor, GarageCo Toys (maker of the Yo Baby Action Board)

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Awards & Recognition

• Think-ets Receives Parents' Choice Recommended Award for Spring 2012 Games, May 2012

• Think-ets Wins Play Advances Language Award from Play on Words, Dec. 2011

• Story Speller Wins Play Advances Language Award from Play on Words, Dec. 2011

• Story Speller Wins Award of Excellence from The Noise on Toys, Nov 2011

• Story Speller Wins Parents' Choice Approved Award, Oct. 2011

• Think-ets Wins Major Fun Award, Sept. 2011

• Think-ets Holiday Collection Wins Dr. Toy's Best Picks Children's Products for 2011, Sept. 2011

• StoryPlay Cards Receives 4 Star Review from What the Stuff Toy Review, Nov 2010

• StoryPlay Cards Wins Dr. Toy’s Best Picks Children’s Products Awards Program for 2010, Oct. 2010

• Think-ets Genius Wins Dr. Toy’s Best Vacation Children’s Products for 2010, June 2010

• Think-ets Deluxe Pack Receives 5 Star Review from What the Stuff Toy Review, June 2010

iParenting Media Award Winner 2008 - The iParenting Media Awards program is the only product review and awards program in the industry that has attained ISO 9001:2000 Certification from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO is the world's largest developer of standardization regulations, and ISO 9001:2000 is an internationally recognized standard of quality assurance. Only a fraction of the companies that attempt this certification achieve it. The iParenting Media Winner Award signifies an outstanding product.

Think-ets iParenting Media "HOT" Award Winner

iParenting Media “HOT” Award Winner 2008 - The iParenting Media Hot Award is a trend-setting award signifies that a product appeals to those seeking the latest in “hip” or “hot” merchandise.

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Kids, parents, educators, health care professionals love thinkets!

Kids love to play Think-ets!

“I knew that my daughter would love [Think-ets]. She gets very bored during the morning service at church and these will give her something quiet to do.”

2007-2008

The Toy Man™ Award of Excellence - The products which become recipients of The Toy Man™ "Award of Excellence”, are part of a limited number which rise to the very top in their evaluation. They demonstrate quality in design, safety, and value, and in their evaluation results they receive a rating of “5” which is the highest level available.

Think-ets wins Toy Man Editors Choice Award

2007

The Toy Man™ Editors Choice Award (a.k.a. eChoice™ Award), 2007 - This is more than just an award, this is the "brass ring" so to speak; the award that serves as an emblem of recognition for products / services which contribute substantially to positive productivity. This productivity is measured in the value of potential cognitive/critical skill growth and/or overall improvement in an individual or group.

AblePlay
An AblePlay Rating™ is designed to give you a snapshot of a toy’s appropriateness for children with special needs. We want to take the guess work out of making choices by providing the details that will give you confidence to find just the right toy for that special child. A strong rating in one category makes it a good toy. For example, take a product that receives 2 stars in physical, two stars in sensory, four stars in communicative and one in cognitive. This may be just the choice for those buying toys for children with autism and other communicative disabilities. In this case, a high rating in one category is exactly what this consumer needs.

Seal of Excellence (Kid's Travel Games Category), Creative Child Magazine, 2007 - - The Seal of Excellence is a coveted award that is given to those products that exceed expectations based on the criteria for nurturing creativity and education in children.

• Worthy of Attention, Dr. Toy, 2007 - Dr. Toy received the information on our product in September, too late for 100 BEST, but felt it was worthy of attention.

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Press Releases

• Fabulous Franko Illustrated Children's Book Shows Kids the Power of Imaginative Thinking (PDF, 61k)

• The Insight Story Cards Helps People Develop Psychological Well Being (PDF, 43k)

• StoryPlay Cards by Think-a-lot Toys - A Playing Card Deck for the Right-Brain (PDF, 232k)

• Think-a-lot Toys Provides Employment for People with Developmental Disabilities Through the Assembly of Think-ets Games (PDF, 48k)

• StoryPlay Cards by Think-a-lot Toys™ A Versatile Deck for All Occasions (PDF, 241k)

• Boulder County Business Report, Spring, 2008. (HTML)

• iParenting 2008 Media Awards Considers "Think-ets" an Easy Choice, February 5, 2008.

• Boulder company develops kids' travel and family game
Boulder Daily Camera, February 1, 2008 (HTML)

• Hey, Mom! How do you switch on this game? New "Think-ets" Tiny Trinkets Game Grows Mega-Minds, January 23, 2008.

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