The Beginning
Big Noah = me Noah Gordon, I'm not really that big, just in comparison to my son, Noah Gordon II, aka Lil Noah. When Lil Noah was about 2 and half years old, he loved quarter vending machines, more specifically the ones that spit out bouncy balls. He really enjoyed the whole action of putting a quarter in the machine, turning the knob, hearing the sound and getting the ball. Anytime he saw one he wanted to get a ball and therefore we had loads of bouncy balls! Lil Noah's mom (aka wifey) had stashed a mound of bouncy balls inside a set of generic nesting boxes we had and stuck them the shelf. One day while we were playing, Lil Noah pulled the whole lot off the shelf and bouncy balls went everywhere! I had lined the nesting boxes up and was trying to work with him on learning to count, when he rolled a ball down the lined up boxes. The ball made a neat sound as it gently bounced down each box. We rolled another ball, and another, and about 100 more! It was fun and challenging to get the ball to roll down each and every box. After a while we found turning the last smallest box open side up gave us a target box to aim for. This was the first game created, Roll 'N. In no time we discovered all sorts of other games could be played using the boxes and bouncy balls. There is really no limit to the BNB games one can come up with. Lil Noah dubbed the whole concoction Box 'N Balls, herein and henceforth refereed to as BNB! BTW Lil Noah is now 6 and is a BNB master.
Below is our You Tube video that shows the basics of BNB, further down you'll find a video of BNB on expert mode too!
Progress
BNB is so fun- everyone we showed it to likes to play it, so we decided to make a real game set out of it. We had our own boxes made with some general instructions and game ideas printed on the sides. We included 10 bouncy balls and a cloth storage sack. Below are the graphics printed on the boxes, starting with box 1, which has some general instructions as suggestions(nothing restrictive) and counting down to box 8, Stack 'N, which still keeps it fun and simple for the little ones to play too:
The Show
We took BNB to the 2015 Toy Fair in New York City. New York City! The whole event was massive, like 7 football fields big, held at the Javits Center. All the major toy companies were there showing their new toys! We had a tiny table in the Launch Pad section, aka freshman tables, aka New Kids on the Block, (The Right Stuff):
Over 4 days, hundreds of people, from all over the World played BNB! People from all over Europe to China, Russia, Australia, Mexico, Canada and, of course, the US, and even one of Santa's elves from the North Pole played BNB! The response was amazing, people from all over the world like to play BNB! You'll like it too! Everyone likes the vintage/classic throw back toy feel, the sounds, and the fact it's unplugged. We heard it compared to many different things from "kinda like" darts, to games that involve adult beverages, but all said there's nothing else like it! Several toy stores from all over the US wanted to order BNB for their stores! We also spoke with several different toy companies about licensing BNB with their company.
The Problem
While at Toy Fair we learned that in the US there are basically 2 different testing standards a toy must conform to before it can be sold: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM F963). Other countries also have different standards and regulations. A toy company is required to provide retailers with a safety certificate, stating the toy's compliance to these two standards. Unfortunately, we failed to get any product safety tests done. We technically could not retail BNB. We contacted the manufacture and they assured us BNB would pass the tests, but we have to pay the testing fees to get the certificate. Retailers also wanted a redesigned exterior package that would be more attractive as customers walked by BNB on the shelf. We heard it said several times that a product has approximately 10 seconds to draw in potential customers as they walk by it on the shelf. Now we know from experience that once someone tries BNB they are drawn in, but we understand that not every store has the room for a demo area. Retailers also requested a UPC on the exterior package.
The Dilemma
So after NY we were left with the dilemma of what to do! If offered the opportunity to license BNB with one of the many interested wonderful toy companies, we'd only receive a small portion of profits. The benefits to that is that they would put up all the money for a large order to keep the price down, they would redesign the package, pay for the testing, handle all the logistics of transportation and distribution, and in general, take all the risk. Or we could take the risk and try to figure it all out on our own while still keeping our day jobs. We admit it's a good dilemma to have, but we struggled with the decision and lack the ability to pay for what's needed at this point because our piggy bank has been run empty getting this far!
The Solution
One night in NY after The Toy Fair was over for the day, a friend took me to his favorite restaurant in China Town, somewhere off Canal Street- the legendary underground Wo Hop Chinese Restaurant! Great food and good times were had while we were there! After the trip, back home, I was unpacking one day and I found the fortune from my end of meal fortune cookie at Wo Hop, it told me just what to do;
That spoke to deep to me, just when I needed it, when I needed to make the right decision for us! The first break or problem was at this point now. We've yet to encounter any snakes, but still understand the message! It just means to me take care of problems as they arise and handle your business! But how do we raise the needed money quickly enough to maintain BNB's good strong forward momentum!?
Kick 'N It
While at the Toy Fair, we met several people who had successfully funded their projects on Kickstarter. A shout out to Joinks and KitRex for all the input! We even met an employee of Kickstarter who played BNB and was very encouraging. At Toy Fair it was only a passing thought, but now it seemed like just the way to really kick start BNB, so here we are! Help us really kick start BNB!
The Pledge
We want to raise enough funds to do a large order of BNB, pay for the safety tests, pay for the redesign of the package and purchase a UPC to put on the package. BNB is not cheap to make, the boxes are real wood(bass wood) and the storage sack is a thick woven cloth! A large order will help keep costs down and allow BNB to retail at a reasonable price.
For just 40 US dollars- that's only 2 US twenty dollar bills- you get hours of fun and entertainment in the form of BNB! You'll get the whole set of 8 wooden nesting boxes, 10 bouncy balls, and a nice cloth storage sack.
Again, box #1 has general game instructions on the side and boxes 2 thru 8 have different games on them as you saw above. The instructions and games are just suggestions, nothing restrictive, you can (and probably will) come up with your own games and variations! For example the following are two games not printed on the boxes:
Don't believe it, just watch BNB on expert mode again:
Warning
In ages 3 and up BNB is guaranteed to encourage creative and improvisational play that's unplugged. Playing BNB will cause an increase in fine motor skills, dexterity, hand eye coordination, and overall Ninja skillz in all ages. The BNB player will learn about angles, trajectory, force and other physics stuff. BNB may cause laughter and or gnashing of the teeth when the player almost makes a challenging shot they have been attempting. Only those of legal age should use BNB to encourage creative consumption of libations. If BNB is used in a tailgating situation, do not chase stray balls into areas of swift moving traffic. The very young (3 and under) playing BNB must be under adult supervision as the balls have the potential to pose a choking hazard if placed in the mouth. BNB will not cost you much money, take up much storage space, dose not require charging and never needs it's oil changed. BNB is not to be used as a lifesaving personal floatation devise, but could be hurled at an angry goose if one is ever chasing you and you happen to be holding BNB. BNB is very strong but will brake if enough compression or tensile force is applied in any given direction. Do not operate vehicles, heavy machinery or ride a horse will playing BNB.