#239: Leaving A Career In Flowers For A Career In Toys with Chrissy Fagerholt
Have you ever thought about switching careers and diving into a completely new industry? In this episode of 'Making It in the Toy Industry,' student host Virginia takes the reins to interview Chrissy Fagerholt, a former floral designer turned toy entrepreneur. As one of the first graduates of the Toy Creators Academy (TCA), Chrissy shares her incredible journey, discussing the challenges and triumphs she experienced while getting her products licensed by heavyweights like Mattel and Goliath. From her initial licensed game, Friend or Faux, to her newest hit, Girls in Bar Bathrooms, Chrissy provides a backstage look into what it takes to succeed in the toy industry.
In this episode, listeners will gain valuable insights into the nuances of the toy business including the critical role of industry education, the financial realities of self-funding, and the power of social media marketing. Chrissy also gives an honest account of balancing creativity with business management and what aspiring inventors can expect if they choose to follow in her footsteps. Whether you’re an inventor, entrepreneur, or someone with a keen interest in the toy industry, this episode offers a treasure trove of insider tips and inspirational stories.
Listen For These Important Moments
02:03 Chrissy's Journey to Toy Creation
03:09 The Toy Creators Academy Experience
03:43 From Licensed Products to Self-Publishing
08:52 Chrissy's Success Stories
10:03 The Story Behind 'Girls in Bar Bathrooms'
14:08 Chrissy's Social Media Presence
16:01 Discussing Business Structure and Origins
17:26 Balancing Work and Personal Life
19:15 Financial Realities of Running a Business
21:24 Navigating Business Challenges and Growth
24:10 Inventor vs. Entrepreneur: A Personal Reflection
26:20 Exploring the Game 'Girls in Bar Bathrooms'
30:24 The Joy and Value of Games
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Learn more about Chrissy's company, EAP Toys & Games by clicking here. -
[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: You are listening to Making It in the Toy Industry, episode number 239.
[00:00:05] Virginia Lette: Welcome to making it in the toy industry, a podcast for inventors, entrepreneurs, and makers like you. And now your host, Azhelle Wade. Hey there, toy people. Welcome back to another episode of making it in the toy industry, a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach. com. My name's Virginia. I'm a student at the toy creators Academy, and I somehow managed to convince a gel way to let me interview some of her TCA course graduates.
[00:00:43] I know it's great. We get to talk about the course. We get to talk about Azhelle I get to pick their brains about their toy businesses, what they did before they became a toy entrepreneur inventor. It kind of feels like a backstage [00:01:00] pass. And the best bit is that you get a VIP entry with me. So grab your notebook and a cuppa or enjoy your drive or ride or walk around the park.
[00:01:11] Today, our guest is a beauty. She's one of the very early TCA alumni. And she's just had another one of her products licensed by Mattel. We are delighted to have on the podcast today, Chrissy Fagerholt of EAP Toys and Games, one of the original or first ever Toy Creators Academy graduates. Is that right, Chrissy?
[00:01:33] Yes, I'll own that. I spoke to Ajelle briefly the other day and asked, is there anything that you can tell me about Chrissy that I should know before our interview? And she said, yeah, she's been with me from the beginning. How long ago was that?
[00:01:46] This was 2021, I believe. Yeah. So that was her first course, her first class.
[00:01:54] And there were like 10, 12, you know. Well, how did you come across the course
[00:01:59] Virginia Lette: then, [00:02:00] Chrissy, given that it hadn't existed to that point?
[00:02:03] Yeah. So I had already had a licensed game and I knew that I wanted to do more. So I was like, Oh, I'm going to pitch games and great. I'll license more games. Well, quickly learned that that is not as easy as it sounds.
[00:02:15] And I thought, well, let me just do a little bit more research in the industry, because I had zero, I was a floral designer for 17 years. And I was like, well, if I start to educate myself and really immerse myself in the industry, maybe I will pick up something, learn something, um, that'll help me get better at pitching or.
[00:02:33] And I found her podcast also very early on in her podcast. And I think I caught her at the tail end of her first season. And then I just listened to all of them. And she then was like, I'm doing this course, join this course. And I was like, why not financially? It made sense. I wasn't in the mindset to go back to school school.
[00:02:55] I mean, I had kids and. Just, it was not an option for me. So I thought [00:03:00] this was like the perfect fit. It was a little bit more on my timeline. Um, it was feasible, affordable, and then that's it signed up. And here we are. So what did the course look like back then? You know, it's so funny. Cause I should go back and look at it now.
[00:03:14] Like, what are you guys working on? That's different. Um, we met weekly, we had our calls and we would have our one on ones with Azhelle. She had her module set up and it was just very like. Module one is this. And as you moved up, you just learned more and you just like homework, you had to do the work that she was suggesting.
[00:03:33] And that's how I took it just by a week by week learning process.
[00:03:38] Virginia Lette: You just told us that you already had a licensed product before you started TCA. Did you have an idea for something else or something new going into the course?
[00:03:48] So I had one licensed product, so I had a little bit of industry knowledge.
[00:03:53] From that perspective, and yes, I had a prototype idea [00:04:00] of one game that I kind of used as my, I really focused everything I was learning on that one product, but my product that I had licensed, I wanted to make a family version of so I already kind of already had it. But I was, so I was focusing a little bit on two, more on one than not.
[00:04:17] Um, and that's kind of where I put my energy into, like everything I was learning into this one game, because it was, that one was from scratch. Yeah. Ajal and I have talked about this before. It like changed, you know, a little bit. Areas were more changed than others, but it was like, it took the journey with me.
[00:04:33] Virginia Lette: Okay, let's rewind just a little. Your first game before you started TCA, which one was that?
[00:04:39] So the first one I licensed to Goliath is an adult party game called Friend or Foe. So it was for an audience of 18 and up, and we knew we wanted to do a family version of that. And originally we had Taking that out of the contract with Goliath because we're like, Oh, well, if we want to do something different, which I'm glad we did, because it's now called Yoohoo.
[00:04:58] There's a squishy element to it. It [00:05:00] totally revamped it. So that one was kind of already there. And then the lunchroom is really the one that I put a lot of focus on through the course. Like that was. I thought it was just such a great idea that I was like, this is the kind of where I needed to focus.
[00:05:13] Everything else on the other one was already kind of in the works. This was like, all right, how do I make this one
[00:05:18] Virginia Lette: work?
[00:05:18] Yeah.
[00:05:19] Virginia Lette: Having already licensed a toy, what did you find was the most stark difference straight
[00:05:25] up? So it was me. I was like, you know, friend or foe, we wouldn't, I done that with three of my girlfriends from growing up, but they all had like their lives, they had careers.
[00:05:34] That was just like this fun, like journey. We went on together and we made it work. We did a Kickstarter and it was great. I was bit by the bug and I was like, I have more ideas in me. So I was like, how can I, you know, move forward with in this industry, still doing games and kind of like, you know, it was encompassing everything I loved about being creative and getting people together and laughing, and I was like, I can do this, I have more [00:06:00] in me.
[00:06:00] Um, and I wanted to take that family version of friend or foe and put it out there to see how well it would do. Just. Because I felt like it was maybe that was an ego driven decision, of course, um, but then I had the idea for the lunchroom and I was really working on that one too. And I was like, well, I'm just going to do both.
[00:06:17] And I was like, why? Crazy. But
[00:06:20] Virginia Lette: why not?
[00:06:21] YOLO.
[00:06:22] Virginia Lette: Yeah. Yeah. So second time around, then you're doing TCA to bring your second game to market. What key differences did you find as you were going along through the course to how you'd done it the first time before you joined the course?
[00:06:41] Well, this stage, I really was wanting to understand the industry.
[00:06:49] What does that look like? You know, will I have to manufacture these games myself? At the very beginning, I thought, It was more about designing the games and giving me the [00:07:00] opportunity to pitch. So when I first started the course, self publishing wasn't really on the table. I was like, Nope, this is more about creating the games and getting them to a really good place that they were.
[00:07:13] The mechanics were good. The theme was good. And then I was going to have these opportunities to pitch to companies. And so I would say by the time I finished the course, I was like, actually, maybe I'm going to do self publishing. So it's a good thing I did this course because now I have a little bit more background in like, you know, the manufacturing aspect.
[00:07:37] And I got to pitch to distributors, which really is the catalyst to why I like dove in and fell into self publishing. But I was really thankful for the course because if I didn't have all that background and just going in blind is still. It's doable, of course it's doable, but it's just a little bit harder because then you have to kind of backtrack and try to figure out, you know, You're giving yourselves more [00:08:00] opportunity to make mistakes.
[00:08:00] And don't get me wrong. I've made mistakes since day one until today. So,
[00:08:07] Virginia Lette: but you know, I feel like they're just saying that to endear themselves to people like me, I mean,
[00:08:13] I'll
[00:08:13] Virginia Lette: be
[00:08:14] honest. I was thinking like, I need to stop looking at these as mistakes, just more as like learning opportunities. Didn't go to school for this.
[00:08:24] So even if the mistake costs me money, I'm like, well, I just paid for a really good lesson. You know what I mean? Like every even financial mistake that I may have made is a lot cheaper than had I gone to a four year university in this program, but I'm like, just stop using those negative terms. You're gonna, you know, it'll work itself out.
[00:08:45] You're going to get the most out of the situation. And if not, then you need to be doing something else. Right.
[00:08:50] Virginia Lette: Totally. And that brings us to where you are today. You've got your toys in Walmart, Toys R Us, Barnes and Noble, just to name a few. There's no limit to your [00:09:00] ceiling, Chrissy. Like it's just, you're, you're going and going.
[00:09:02] How many games have you got in production?
[00:09:05] I have. Three self published games. I have Yuhu the Lunchroom and Go Big or Go Broke. I have the one licensed with Goliath, and then I just licensed one to Mattel. So that one is the one that's in Walmart, so full credit to Mattel on that one, um, which is pretty cool.
[00:09:22] Super exciting. But, um, and then I have a fourth one that's coming out in, fingers crossed the shipping goes well. I wish it was going to be here sooner, late October, early November. But that one I'm actually working on with a friend of mine. So, which is really nice having another person to like take on all the pressure.
[00:09:42] But, um, yeah, so I'll have four self published and then two licensed.
[00:09:45] Virginia Lette: So
[00:09:45] you would have
[00:09:46] Virginia Lette: had multiple lists here alone then girls in bar bathrooms. That's your latest one. Isn't it?
[00:09:52] That's the one with Mattel.
[00:09:53] Virginia Lette: Yeah. Yeah. Right. I'm loving this. I'm, this is the one I want to get my hands on multiple copies [00:10:00] of my girlfriends for Christmas this year.
[00:10:02] Yes. I mean, it's, it's so funny because I, trust me, I had been working on that game for probably a couple of years and it started out with a meme. I saw this funny meme that had Dolly Parton, so I owe a lot to Dolly, and I sent it to all my friends and we were like cracking up about it. And I thought, is there a game here?
[00:10:19] Like, this theme? Like, can I do something with such a crazy, out of the box theme? So, I posted the meme on, like, a Facebook, a public group, no one I'm friends with. And I just said, hey, this is just a question for work, I'm putting up this meme on here, do you relate to this meme? Yes or no? That's all I asked.
[00:10:38] I left it up there for a couple hours, and I think, like, 89 percent of people were like, yes, men, women, and you know, they were like leaving comments and I thought, I'm going to, I'm going to see if I can pull something off here and I worked on it and worked on it, worked on it and I play tested it. At the handful of different groups and I pitched it to everyone.
[00:10:59] And [00:11:00] I was like, what about this one? And I thought, okay, if I don't get this one licensed, it was going to be the next one I saw published. And I was at people of play last year and I pitched it to a handful of companies and a friend of mine that was with me. I said, no, I don't think I'm going to pitch this one to Mattel.
[00:11:17] That's just not. No way is that like the right company, right? They're not going to want an adult party game called girls in bar bathrooms. And she just said, just pitch it. Then you'll just get the feedback, you know, and I pitched it and they were like, this is what we were looking for. And I was like, I mean, her and I looked at each other and I was like, got to be kidding.
[00:11:37] And then he knew it was a hit. Well, I mean, it's funny because at the time that pitch, I was so relaxed then going into this pitch, because I was like. I have nothing to lose here. I'm like, I went in there, I was cracking jokes, just, you know, and we quickly, I said, okay, this is this game we quickly play, like you kind of set up a quick little round [00:12:00] and, um, they thought it was funny.
[00:12:02] And I had a couple of really close opportunities with some other companies. Um, and one of the comments I got was, oh, well, we really like it. We love the gameplay, but we're concerned that it's just towards a female audience. And I thought, what a bummer. And I go, okay. And after I pitched to Mattel, that was a part of my pitch is to just, Hey, listen, you know, if there's anything that 2024 has proven is that female driven anything.
[00:12:31] There's a market. I mean, not that I'm comparing myself to Beyonce and Taylor Swift, but these are two women focused businesses. That killed it. Movie Barbie. I said, you know, who knew that Barbie was going to be such a monster outside of the fact that it's just incredible movie. I'm like, why can't a game called girls in bar bathrooms have a market?
[00:12:52] And I even know and understand that that's even still very niche too. Women in general isn't, I
[00:12:58] Virginia Lette: know they, [00:13:00] well, I went into the bathroom before you pitched and took some in there.
[00:13:06] I wish I wish I should have, but I, you know, it's just like, well, you know, you have to then go, okay, don't be sweet just because this is Mattel.
[00:13:16] Don't do it because this is the only person that's like, yes, we want to do this. I thought I'm going to trust my gut here and we're going to go with this. And I hope, you know, I mean, it literally just came out in the last two, three weeks. Hooray! I hope it finds its people and it does well and Mattel was so generous they put my name on the back of the box which is not something they typically do and that was really huge and so I'm like please don't let this game suck because my name's on the back.
[00:13:43] Well, I'm here for it. You're right, I know, I agree. So yes, Virginia, please.
[00:13:49] Virginia Lette: I gotta be honest with you Chrissy, I'm still hung up on the fact that you didn't take a selfie in the box. Bathroom before your pitch. That would have made for great social media content.
[00:13:58] I mean, [00:14:00]
[00:14:00] Virginia Lette: yeah. Virginia, where were you? Last
[00:14:02] November.
[00:14:02] Virginia Lette: Probably in a bar bathroom across the other side of the world, taking selfies, um, as we do. Chrissy, your TikTok is so cool. Like, you are every girl's wannabe BFF. You totally are. It's so good. I don't even have TikTok. But I went onto your TikTok to have a look and I was like, Chrissy alone could get me on TikTok.
[00:14:25] Oh my gosh. Thank you. I wish that I felt as confident in my TikTok as you are. But um, I have a love hate with social media. Like, I love the, it pushes me to be creative or funny or whatever. But it is Yeah, because
[00:14:41] Virginia Lette: you make it look like a cinch. Oh my gosh. It's funny, so engaging, so topical, so relevant.
[00:14:49] You're all over all the trends and it really lends itself
[00:14:52] to your games. I, you know, I try and it's funny because it's like in this industry, they're like, You just have to, um, go [00:15:00] viral. I'm like, if it was that easy, you know, and the way you do that is like luck, of course, but then you're posting all the time.
[00:15:07] And I just don't have that energy to post all day, every day. I mean, that's a business in itself and why they have that as an actual career. So, um, I just had to kind of let it go and we'll see what happens. You said you've got two teenage kids,
[00:15:22] Virginia Lette: right? Do they help you with it at all?
[00:15:24] Well, they're in some of the videos, I will say.
[00:15:26] They are game and I'll be like, is this totally terrible or funny or whatever, but they're so sweet and they, you know, they tell me they like what I'm doing, even though I'm sure if they don't, or they've been enough videos, so yeah.
[00:15:37] Virginia Lette: You look like you're making it really easy and it's Really enjoyable to watch.
[00:15:41] So you've got one extra follower and I set up my TikTok account today. So that's awesome. Well, thank you. Yay. I hope you're not sending me down that late night rabbit hole.
[00:15:53] I mean, I have been known to doom scroll, so best of luck to you. [00:16:00]
[00:16:01] Virginia Lette: Let's get a little bit serious for a moment, because I just want to pick your brains about your business and your business structure.
[00:16:07] Um, again, as somebody who's looking at doing all of that at the moment, and you obviously set a very high bar. As I was looking through your LinkedIn page, I noticed that your last two businesses, which is EAP or Easily Amused Productions. Two different businesses with very similar names. I'm just curious, what is your business structure and why is it set up that way?
[00:16:32] So my original business was Easily Amused Productions. So that's the one that I had with my three friends that we created when we licensed, um, uh, Friend or Foe. So before we licensed the product, we're like, well, let's just do it. We did a Kickstarter, let's sell this. We sold to like some small shops and we did, um, just had this little business.
[00:16:52] And when I decided to really make this my own business, I wanted to pay homage to that. [00:17:00] And so I just. Did it as EAP toy and game. So when people are like, what does the EAP stand for? And I'm like, easily amused productions. And it's a company I had with my very dear friends that, you know, so it was just kind of still honoring that.
[00:17:14] And that's why I'm here is because I did this with them and kind of still hanging onto that name.
[00:17:20] Virginia Lette: Of course, that makes total sense. And what a lovely way to honor your previous business venture with your friends. I'd love to know how many hours a week do you work in your business? Like 3, 700, a
[00:17:33] silly question.
[00:17:33] Right. You know, I love working for myself, working from home and having that freedom, and I use the word freedom very loosely, um, Because it allows me to work from wherever and, you know, schedule myself a certain way, but it's also, I don't turn off at six o'clock and you know, that doesn't mean that that's [00:18:00] definitely not like the healthy way to run a business necessarily.
[00:18:03] But, um, it's really hard when you're trying to figure out what to do or what worked, what didn't work and not think about that at two in the morning or not think about it when I'm at my son's baseball game, you know, it's just, my brain is. Constantly, whether it's like, Oh, this is a great new idea for new game.
[00:18:21] Oh, wait, I have to think about this for Amazon. Oh, wait, I have to think about this for marketing. Oh, I should post about this or this, this, this, this.
[00:18:27] Virginia Lette: Yeah.
[00:18:27] It's just, it's when it's just you, it's really hard to just like turn that off. You know? And it is still just you at this point in time. Yes. Now, when I say it's just me, I definitely have people who like, I have, you know, a partner who helps me with like manufacturing.
[00:18:42] So I use. Although this is the first time I've kind of ventured off onto my own. So I've had, when I'm doing artwork for games, I work with really great people who I'm like, here's the ideas in my head and please make this how I'm seeing it, you know, I've had just different people help me like with [00:19:00] certain things, but I'm kind of, yeah, it's me pointing all those things out, but I don't have any employees.
[00:19:06] I don't have anyone that's like, My right hand man, except for my, um, friend and partner, Jillian, who is working on some game ideas with me, which has been really fun.
[00:19:14] Virginia Lette: Yeah. Look, tell me if this is a bit of a cheeky question or, you know, I'm happy for you to shut me down or say that you're not comfortable answering, but I guess what I'm trying to understand is, has your business and the products that you do been lucrative enough to support.
[00:19:31] A full time income, you know, as people who are just sort of starting in the industry, whether they're doing it as a side hustle or whatever, um, I guess we'll get to a point where we're like, is this going to support me? Is this going to pay my bills? Can I give up my full time job? Just sort of like curious to understand where you might be
[00:19:48] at this
[00:19:48] Virginia Lette: point.
[00:19:49] Fully transparent. Absolutely not, could I live off of what I'm making. I, um, I'm still in the stages, I'm really just starting year three. I am [00:20:00] thankful I am not in debt. I am able to put all my finances that I've made for my games back into the company to try to grow. Mm hmm. I am fully aware of the fact that I have a partner who helps put a roof over our head, food on our table, and is very supportive in saying, We've got this.
[00:20:18] I'm supporting you. And, you know, so like, and I worked a part time job like up until this year as a way to like supplement tiny little things because raising a family is very expensive. And this is self funded. I didn't have really not had to do any, um, business loans or anything like that. Credit card debt or anything like that, but it's also why it's slow.
[00:20:38] It's, you know, I have to take these baby steps and be fully aware of my position and I don't want to put myself in the hole necessarily, but I also don't really pay myself. I don't have like, where I would hope by next year that I'm in a position where I'm not taking everything that I'm making and putting it back into the company.
[00:20:57] That's just, you know, I'm still early. [00:21:00] It's scary when you're going to take that leap, if you're going to do that, you have to be like, how am I going to do this? Can I do this? Do I have the finances personally to invest in this company? Do I have, you know, am I ready to take on a loan or put this on a credit card?
[00:21:15] However, someone's going to make something work and then you have to work and then you have to, then you have to sell and make money. And you know, what does that look like? And a lot of that is, You know, I've realized like I've put money in areas I didn't have to, or I wish shoulda, woulda, coulda, because if I was doing the course I'm taking now, I'm like, Oh, I wish I could have done this a year ago.
[00:21:37] You know what I mean? Instead, I was like finding myself like the right people to work with and like, how am I going to help myself get better? That's just kind of really where I am at, you know, is that success because I'm, you know, when you get in these stores, it doesn't mean like, oh, all of a sudden, you know, you're raining down or even when you license something and you're getting royalties.
[00:21:55] Typically, you don't see a lot of that until, you know, a year later, you know, so [00:22:00] yeah.
[00:22:01] Virginia Lette: Chrissy, thank you for your honesty and transparency around that. I know. It's very grubby to talk about money and finances, and it's a little bit of taboo, I guess, to talk about people's businesses in that way too, but coming at it from somebody who's looking to make a career out of being in the toy industry as an inventor or an entrepreneur, it's really interesting.
[00:22:26] It's interesting. Really valuable to get an understanding of what that looks like from a financial perspective. I mean, people are sitting back thinking this girl's got games in every store. She's going to be driving her Lamborghini in no time. I mean, what, how many games do you think you need to have in store before things start to look really favorable in terms of your profit margin?
[00:22:48] Yeah, I mean, I, Did I profit last year? Yes. But all that goes back into the company. So if I have to do a print run on, like, I'm just getting ready to do another print run on the [00:23:00] lunchroom. It's like, okay, well I can choose to pay myself or I can, you know what I mean? Um, that, you know, people who are very smart in business are probably listening to this, like, oh my gosh, but I'm, I'm just still figuring that out.
[00:23:10] I'm still learning. Like, how do you, how does one scale? Right. Can you do this with scale? And the answer is yes, there's a lot of companies out there who have really great success with one or two games and they had to find their own path to get there or however that took some people find they do better in volume.
[00:23:29] So if you have a lot of games, does that help your chances to get into stores? Yes, but that can also be a detriment to a small company who are just constantly like just trying to find what's going to stick, you know, so it's just finding that balancing act of like, okay, so this game isn't selling very well.
[00:23:47] Do I do another print run on this? This one's doing okay. So yes, I'm going to do another print run and then, you know, finding, okay, what of these products works and what isn't working, you know, is that. [00:24:00] Into retail, is that direct to consumer? Like there's just so many avenues that you can go and one may be better than the other.
[00:24:07] You just have to find where you're going to do well, really.
[00:24:10] Virginia Lette: Chrissy, I'm just wondering, we do a little bit about this in the Toy Creators Academy course, but I'm wondering, do you consider yourself to be an inventor or an entrepreneur? This, uh, Aishella and I were talking about this in my end of module one on one meeting a few weeks ago.
[00:24:27] Because I still cannot decide if I'm an inventor or an entrepreneur. What do you consider yourself to be
[00:24:34] a hundred percent both? Yeah. I think Michelle would say the same because that's what she say. You know, there's people that who just invent, they're like, I absolutely do not want to deal with the business side.
[00:24:48] And now that I've done both, I a hundred percent see why there is really, there's a lot of control there when you do your own stuff. You, all of a sudden you are wearing all the hats. All of a sudden you [00:25:00] have to understand how to keep your books in order and how to do all those things. And when I feel like I'm getting a little like, Oh my gosh.
[00:25:08] And you know, when people start a business and if it's usually based off of passion, whether that's like baking or t shirts or whatever it is. That is such a small part of your business. 10 percent of me coming up with games is so small. It's why I do it because I love it. And when I find myself getting frustrated with the business side of it, I'll be like, let's just think about ideas.
[00:25:30] Let's go back to the board. Let's have fun with this again. Let's come up with some new game ideas and then let's do this. And that kind of reinvigorates me a little bit. Yeah. And it takes me out of the frustration of having to own a business and run all the parts. Yeah.
[00:25:44] Virginia Lette: That's definitely one of the pros of being a creative type.
[00:25:49] Um, but it's also one of the cons because you can get really easily distracted by great ideas. And for me, I find myself procrastinating a lot, which, [00:26:00] uh, it brings, it brings me back to girls in bar bathrooms. I still have so many questions.
[00:26:04] Like,
[00:26:07] Virginia Lette: maybe we could do a mini round. Could we? Could we do like three questions or something like that?
[00:26:12] Are we allowed to?
[00:26:13] Oh, I'm trying to think. Hold on one second. Oh my gosh. This will be so cool. Okay. I think I know how we can do it. So basically the game is girls in bar bathroom. So got a situation. Your girls have your back, right? So often in this scenario, you just. have like a situation that you find yourself in like girls in the bar bathroom are just like the most supportive earnest group who want to help you figure out this problem right whether it's like should i text this guy or my boss just hit on me oh yeah something you know i have you know my stress break in yes all those things and like anyone who knows When I say girls in bar bathrooms and they're like, Oh my gosh, I don't have to explain anything.
[00:26:57] They just already know. Right? Um, [00:27:00] so that's kind of how I took it. And then of course there are bar personality types. So you have the hot mess, the puker, the flirt, the cougar, the, you know what I mean? Like there's 10 and I, I think Mattel only used, I know there's 12 maybe, and I think they only used eight in this version.
[00:27:18] It's a very, I sent them all my stuff and they made it smaller. So I'm hoping it does well enough that they have all the content to make a expansion pack. And it is a very simple mechanic, like a. You know, we call it a voting mechanic in this industry. So I'm going to give you the situation. You look at your solution cards and then you give me what you think the best solution is.
[00:27:38] Sometimes it's out of the box. Sometimes it's just silly. Sometimes it's right on the nose. But on your turn, if you draw a bar personality type, then you would have to do what the card says in order to get rid of that card. Turn a point, however you want to look at it. So, Virginia, if you on your turn drew a situation, [00:28:00] maybe your situation is I can't stop crying.
[00:28:04] Oh yeah. Then I would look at my solution cards and maybe this is the one I put down, but I'm, I'm the one that has to read the solution because my version of how I'm reading it would be different than yours. And sometimes the sell of it is how maybe you would choose it. So you say, I can't stop crying.
[00:28:21] And I might go, puke, you'll feel much better. Oh my gosh, this is taking me back to my 20s. But it's just kind of like, but now I'm going to make you do this. So if you, on your turn, you draw a bar personality type. Yep. Got it. You are getting the flirt. And so the flirt would say, You have to read the last text message you received in a flirty tone.
[00:28:49] Oof. So, do you have your phone near you? I'm making you do this, Virginia.
[00:28:52] Virginia Lette: I do, but gosh, I'm a little bit rusty in that department, much to my husband's disappointment.
[00:28:57] Last text message you received, you [00:29:00] have to read it out loud in a flirty voice.
[00:29:03] Virginia Lette: Oh, wow. This one's really very innocent, but said in a flirty tone, maybe not so much.
[00:29:10] Meet you in the back lane.
[00:29:13] Oh my gosh. Okay. This would, if I was playing this, this would be mine. Um, this is for my husband, Barry. I'd have to go. Ashley must have been taking something really bubbly.
[00:29:27] Virginia Lette: Makes me want to go and get my heels and makeup on. So much fun with this game. I love it already. I love it.
[00:29:36] It's kind of like, um, just tapping into this like, and it's funny because if you read, you know, they say don't judge a book by its cover. I'm always like don't judge a game by its cover because honestly this is about girls supporting girls and just being like their best most supportive selves in good situations, bad situations, and obviously the funny.
[00:29:51] And it's easy. It's, you know, there's, it's quick to learn and
[00:29:55] Virginia Lette: that's it. There's literally nothing more that we need other than our girlfriends and a bottle of wine [00:30:00] and girls in bar bathrooms card pack. I mean, right? Yeah. I, you know, I hope it does well. I mean, you don't make games. Or it will, there's no doubt about it.
[00:30:11] I'm so excited for you and all of your games. I can't wait to get my hands on some of them. I love a good party game as a Christmas gift when you can't think of any better thing to buy somebody,
[00:30:24] you know, for a family of four to go bowling in the U S it's like a hundred dollars for two hours of fun. And I'm like, You can buy a game for anywhere from what, 10 to whatever you want to spend.
[00:30:37] You can sit an hour, two hours, 30 minutes, whatever you want to do. And you can do that more than once, right? You're not, you know, so like you hope that that's just something that's continually fun. Plus you don't have to go anywhere. It's just games are really, truly such a blessing for small families, big families.
[00:30:54] You don't have a lot of money. You can share these libraries at getting into, um, renting out games, which is [00:31:00] amazing. And like you said, a group family gift. It's like, you don't even have to think about it, especially when you play one. It's just like with any game, you're like, Oh my gosh, I played the most funny game.
[00:31:07] You have to play this game. That's how games do well, really. It's like word of mouth, you have fun. And it's like a quick little referral. Right. Books, movies, it's same for games.
[00:31:17] Virginia Lette: Totally. I mean, we don't do all that much book reading in our book club anyway. We should just make it a games club. I'm sure you'll agree.
[00:31:24] So Chrissy, thank you so much for this absolutely delightful conversation today. You have now inspired me to get all of my Christmas presents ready early this year, because I know what I'm getting all my girlfriends now. And, uh, yeah, it's just been an, yeah, let's make girls
[00:31:40] in
[00:31:40] Virginia Lette: Barbados.
[00:31:41] being in Australia.
[00:31:43] Thank you so, so much. Yes, of course. Thanks for having me. It was so fun.
[00:31:48] Virginia Lette: Well, there you have it toy people. That was this week's special episode of making it in the toy industry, profiling yet another wonderful success story from the many graduates of the toy creators Academy. [00:32:00] If you enjoyed today's episode, you can find more at the toycoach.
[00:32:05] com slash podcast. And if you love this podcast and you haven't already left a review, check What are you waiting for? Your reviews are not only greatly appreciated, but they're a great way for other people to know if this podcast is valuable and also worth listening to. Everyone's favourite toy coach, Giselle Wade, will be back here behind the podcast mic next week with another episode of Making It In The Toy Industry.
[00:32:30] But until then, in the words of the great lady herself, See you later, toy people. Thanks for listening to the Making It In The Toy Industry podcast with Ajelle Wade. Head over to thetoycoach. com for more information, tips, and advice.
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