Local Toy 'Squinkies' Named One Of The Hottest This Year
MINNETONKA, Minn. (WCCO) -- When you think of the hot selling toys these days you may guess electronics or some type of computer game. But the hottest toy this holiday season could not be more low tech -- and it's being made by a local company.
Squinkies, little figures packaged in gumball machine type plastic bubbles, have been named to the Toys R Us "10 Hot Toys of the Year" list.
A drab Minnetonka strip mall is home to Blip Toys, the creators of Squinkies. The tiny rubber figures come in small bubbles -- accessories include a gumball machine type dispenser.
Blip President Bill Nickels said a low price point and low tech appeal have been the keys to success.
"The kids imagination is the best and anytime you can enhance that imagination the better," he said. "Our target audience was girls 4 to 6 but the girls that are collecting them are 4 to 14. We have 11- and 12-year-old girls going crazy over this."
Boys are also snapping them up.
The company credits mommy bloggers for their success. Blip sent 300 bloggers free Squinkies -- and they got online raves.
"By the time the product hit the shelves in early August there was already a buzz and the product just evaporated from shelves," Nichols said.
Blip has been in business eight years and has made other hit toys, like the pin press and the hair ball -- but Squinkies are by far their biggest hit.
The company, which has just 16 employees, will launch Barbie, Disney and other Squinkie lines next year. Blip won't release specifics but said millions of Squinkies have been sold.
Not a bad job for Blip's founder, who left a sales job at Hasbro more than eight years ago.
"It's a great gig because I have a chance to never grow up," Nichols said.
Squinkies have been nominated for a Toty Award -- that is the toy industry's equivalent of an Oscar.
Several local stores, including Target and Toy R Us, said while Squinkies have been selling fast, they are still in stock.
