10 Questions

Each month in the Inventor Newsletter I ask 10 Questions of an established inventor or game company. The results are posted below and will be updated monthly.

For see the archive of past newsletters, click here

 

Sign up for
Inventor Newsletter

 

Back to 10Q's main page

 

Reyn Guyer (Feb '09)
Q - # of years in the industry, # of years as a toy & game inventor?
A - In 1963 I began to develop the first games around an idea I had where the people were the players on a mat on the floor. This concept ultimately was the core of the TWISTER game which we developed and was introduced in 1966.

Q - About how many toys & games have you had published? Which is/are your favorite(s)?
A - Most of the successes I have birthed have been licensed to major toy and game companies. The number of marketed products which are embellishments and spin-offs in the NERF and TWISTER lines are beyond my ability to count.   My favorite is the original NERF BALL. The other products which I have licensed can be counted on one hand.

Q - Favorite toy or game that is not yours?
A - Golf.

Q - What did you do before this? And how did you make the transition?
A - I ran a design firm my father started which specialized point-of-purchase package design and display materials.

Q - In a typical year... how many toy & game ideas do you prototype? how many presentations do you make? how many get licensed?
A - Some years my major focus is not on toy and game products. So, on average, maybe five to ten presentations. Some hit, some miss.

Q - What is your process for getting toys & games seen?
A - Call for an appointment.

Q - What is your favorite thing about the game/toy industry? Least favorite?
A - My favorite thing:  large publicly traded companies must keep accurate books.
My least favorite: most game companies under one roof--new SKUs hard to get.

Q - Do you see any current trends in the industry?
A - Big guys so big there's a slight bit of room for little 'creative' guys.

Q - What one thing that you know now, do you wish you had known when you were starting out?
A - Glad I DIDN'T know the odds on getting a hit product.

Q - If you were to give beginning inventors one bit of advice, what would it be?
A - Every good product is a success because several people have had a hand in adding their expertise to the process. Believe in teamwork.

                     

newsletter inventorsgame co'swho am I?
GDC homecontact me
© 2008 KM Creative