It was a warm summer morning in St. Louis, the sun just beginning to rise over the Gateway Arch. The anticipation was palpable as I sipped my coffee, feeling the hum of excitement from the nearby convention center. This was the kickoff of ASTRA 2024, a weeklong celebration of creativity, innovation, and the joy of play. As the CEO of Playper, I felt a mix of nervous energy and eager anticipation, knowing that this year we were more prepared than ever with new, exciting products designed to spark imagination and foster learning.
Walking through the doors of the convention center, I was immediately greeted by vibrant displays and warm smiles from fellow toy enthusiasts. It felt like stepping into a magical world where creativity knew no bounds.
Little did I know, this week would be filled with invaluable lessons, meaningful connections, and moments of pure joy that would reaffirm our mission at Playper. This is the story of our journey at ASTRA 2024, a tale of listening, learning, and looking towards a brighter, more playful future.
Connecting with Independent Toy Retailers
Almost every business has a trade association that puts on conventions and meetings, and the toy business is no exception. Attending these are especially important for young businesses like ours, and one of the best ones for us is ASTRA, which finished up their nearly weeklong “Marketplace & Academy” in St. Louis last month. We were there – our second time attending – and it was a spectacular success in every way with all excited to have more Playper STEM/STEAM toy options in the marketplace.
We connected with many independent toy retailers from all over the country. In addition to writing a lot of orders, we learned a lot. And my respect and admiration for these specialty retailers grew exponentially. As you can imagine, folks who spend their lives selling toys are fun to be around. But also, to survive and thrive, they need to be smart business professionals.
Recognized for Excellence: ASTRA Star Play Award Finalist
We were absolutely thrilled to be named an ASTRA Star Play Award 2024 Finalist, just one of the few of the 600 products the Play Awards Committee evaluated. We were one of three selected for the “Eco” category of planet-friendly toys bringing the number of awards our Curious Kingdom Playset has won to 13.
The Unique Charm of ASTRA
ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) was founded in 1992 and is a not-for-profit organization serving more than 1,800 toy retailers, manufacturers, and sales reps. There are bigger organizations with bigger conventions, and also smaller ones, but for us, ASTRA is “just right.”
The big companies like Mattel, LEGO, Hasbro, etc., don’t tend to have much of a presence at this event but instead have huge booths at the one that happens annually in New York (Toy Fair). The smaller and medium-sized companies come to ASTRA (Fat Brain, Fun in Motion, SMART, Melissa & Doug, etc.), and I might be a bit biased, but I think some of the most creative and innovative minds are attracted to this convention.
One-on-One Conversations and New Product Releases
ASTRA is a friendly environment that allows for one-on-one conversations. That is something we certainly took advantage of, even more than we did the first year we attended, in Columbus in 2023. At that time, we had just released our anchor product, The Curious Kingdom Castle Playset. It was well-received and embraced as the best toy castle for kids who love creating their own adventures. But having just the one offering quickly made us realize that we needed to move quicker getting additional products out.
So that’s why at this year’s show we were ready: in addition to the three-level, seven-character castle, we came with the smaller, Catapult Gnome Launcher Playset, the Dragon Trainer Playset, and Story Starters: Storytelling Cards – all positioned at lower price points than the Castle.
Like the Castle playset, these new toys also embrace STEM/STEAM learning principles, sparking imaginative play and storytelling; fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and promoting screen-free play.
Showcasing Playper at the Game & Kit Event
There are many opportunities to mingle at these conventions, from cocktail parties to panel discussions. But the best for us was the afternoon before the show officially opened – the Game & Kit Event. Toy manufacturers got to set their toys on tables in a conference room, and the retailers went around and “played” with them. Imagine how pleased I was to have our table swamped.
Another bonus about events like this is many of these shop owners are parents themselves, and bring their kids along as “market researchers,” which is smart. (Note to self: In next life, be the child of a toy store owner!). We had a lot of kids at our table, with one little girl quickly becoming a black belt with the catapult – wow was she knocking down targets all over the table!
The Importance of Seeing and Touching Our Products
The activity also confirmed something we’ve known: Seeing and touching our product is important. We’ve always been fortunate enough to have a good response to our product (see our great reviews!), and while we get a lot of compliments on our packaging, we’ve realized that we need a display for the customer to touch and see the quality of the playsets.
Those who came into our booth were impressed when they picked it up and felt how durable the PlayperBoard® material we use is. While for the next three days, independent retailers poured into our booth and placed orders, it was clear that no matter how clever the copy, how captivating the stop-motion pieces we put on social media, or how many awards we win, if a customer goes into the store, they need to see and feel the quality of the material. S
o, we are at work putting together a display – even if it’s just a few of the characters – to set out with the boxed products.
Upcoming Playper Playsets
Our next two main playsets and additional smaller ones are in production, and we’ll have at least one out before the holidays. Next up is our Pirate playset. It turns out King Ketchup has a brother, Captain Banana-Beard Bart, who gave up the crown for the adventures of the seven seas.
This Pirate ship will sail right up to the castle and fit in whenever the brothers meet. All will be fun to build, adhering to STEM/STEAM principles, and continue our philosophy of play-based learning. With so many critters in the Kingdom – especially fire-breathing dragons with allergies – you’ll want to have a Critter Clinic where animal doctors take care of our animal friends.
One of the other comments we heard a lot about is children’s books featuring stories about the characters. As it turns out, we have one completed and ready to go, and we are looking into doing a couple more and releasing a set.
Listening to Feedback and Looking Ahead
We’re really excited about our future, which depends on feedback from toy sellers – and believe me, we are listening. We are also tracking any comments from those who have purchased our toys as they are just as valuable.
So, while a toy convention is by design a great place for feedback of any type, know I’d love to hear from you any time – reach out directly at Webb@playper.com. And meanwhile to all our ASTRA friends, we look forward to seeing you in San Antonio next year!