The Toy Maker's Key

The Toy Maker's Key PDF

Author: J. Monroe McCoy

Publisher: Dorrance Publishing

Published: 2019-02-08

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1480992836

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Toy Maker’s Key By: j. Monroe McCoy The Toy Maker’s Key (Every Now and Then) is a mystery novel about a simple man named Jim who had a simple plan, until chance (or fate) took him on a journey to another place and time. His journey was recorded on logs and tells the tale of the most dangerous serial killer ever to walk the face of the earth. This book was put together after Jim’s last set of logs were found. His final logs were written on Friday the 13th, 2006. This book was put together the following day with the hope that it may somehow help find him: because, as of today, he’s still missing.

The Toymakers

The Toymakers PDF

Author: Robert Dinsdale

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2020-01-30

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 1473582253

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

An enchanting, magical novel set in a mysterious toyshop - perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, Stephanie Garber's Caraval and Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist. The Christmas Emporium opens with the first sign of frost . . . It is 1917, and while war wages across Europe, in the heart of London, there is a place of hope and enchantment. The Emporium sells toys that capture the imagination of children and adults alike: patchwork dogs that seem alive, toy boxes that are bigger on the inside, soldiers that can fight battles of their own. Into this family business comes young Cathy Wray, running away from a shameful past. The Emporium takes her in, makes her one of its own. But Cathy is about to discover that the Emporium has secrets of its own . . . Complete your collection with Paris by Starlight, the next novel from the author of the The Toymakers, out now ***** 'This vivid, haunting novel is both vast and intimate. A wonderful and thought-provoking read.' KATHERINE ARDEN, author of The Warm Hands of Ghosts Engaging and enchanting . . . A fairytale for adults, with all the wonder – and terror – that that entails.' GUARDIAN 'There is magic at the heart of The Toymakers, a glittery inventiveness that shimmers through the dark corners of a story about love, war and sibling rivalry.' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'I was gripped, and thrilled, and touched, and above all I was completely swept into the magic of the book . . . Just astonishing' ADAM ROBERTS, author of Jack Glass 'Anyone who’s ever stepped inside a traditional toyshop and marvelled at the wonders on display will instantly be captivated by this book' CULTUREFLY

The Blockbuster Toy!

The Blockbuster Toy! PDF

Author: Del Vecchio, Gene

Publisher: Pelican Publishing

Published: 2003-09-30

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 9781455601288

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

By conducting an in-depth review of the great toys from ancient times to the present, youth- marketing expert Gene Del Vecchio reveals the six core qualities that help toys achieve blockbuster status: the toy's unique satisfaction of children�s emotional needsthe toy's acceptance among parents and unique fulfillment of their needsthe toy's perfect alignment with significant historical events or social trendsthe toy's ability to reinvent itselfthe toy's employment of inspiring, playful marketing and, sometimes, the toy�s serendipitous rendezvous with powerful, random events The Blockbuster Toy! How to Invent the Next BIG Thing also sheds light on the definition of what it means to be a toy in today�s world. From traditional toys, to foods, to multi-player on-line games, to the importance of story and Hollywood studio alliances, Del Vecchio casts a broad net and explains, in ways that marketers can learn from and interested readers will find amazingly insightful, how playthings become pop culture. Readers will learn here the essence of a blockbuster toy and the various recent approaches used by Crayola, Disney, and other companies in choosing theirproducts. Six chapters discuss blockbuster marketing strategies, all designed tohelp toy-industry professionals ignite te smiles that can make their careers.

Out of the Garden

Out of the Garden PDF

Author: Stephen Kline

Publisher: Verso

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 430

ISBN-13: 9781859840597

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This timely and innovative book provides a detailed history of marketing to children, revealing the strategies that shape the design of toys and have a powerful impact on the way children play. Stephen Kline looks at the history and development of children's play culture and toys from the teddy bear and Lego to the Barbie doll, Care Bears and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He profiles the rise of children's mass media - books, comics, film and television - and that of the specially stores such as Toys 'R' Us, revealing how the opportunity to reach large audiences of children through television was a pivotal point in developing new approaches to advertising. Contemporary youngsters, he shows, are catapulted into a fantastic and chaotic time-space continuum of action toys thanks to the merchandisers' interest in animated television. Kline looks at the imagery and appeal of the toy commercials and at how they provide a host of stereotyped figures around which children can organize their imaginative experience. He shows how the deregulation of advertising in the United States in the 1980s has led directly to the development of the new marketing strategies which use television series to saturate the market with promotional "character toys". Finally, in a powerful re-examination of the debates about the cultural effects of television, Out of the Garden asks whether we should allow our children's play culture to be primarily defined and created by marketing strategies, pointing to the unintended consequences of a situation in which images of real children have all but been eliminated from narratives about the young.

Under the Tree

Under the Tree PDF

Author: Susan Waggoner

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2021-06-22

Total Pages: 251

ISBN-13: 1647006171

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Filled with more than 100 illustrations—nostalgic art, vintage photographs, and evocative advertisements When? Can’t I open just one? Please? The minutes, the hours, the eons of waiting—and wondering. What’s underneath the shiny silver paper? Behind the enormous red bow? Under the tree? Who doesn’t remember what it was like to be a kid at Christmas? And who hasn’t yearned to go back in time to recapture that special feeling? Well, we can’t turn back the clock, but we can do the next best thing. We can bring a bit of the past into the present. In Under the Tree, Susan Waggoner, author of It’s a Wonderful Christmas, takes a loving, nostalgic look at the toys and gifts that made the postwar American Christmas the big deal it was. Under the Tree revisits gifts both large and small, from Mr. Machine and the Kenner Easy-Bake Oven to Moon Rocks, Silly Putty, Sea Monkeys, and other delights that stuffed our stockings. In addition to the fascinating stories behind each toy, the book is bursting with cultural history, quotes, and lore—all wrapped up with more than 100 full-color vintage illustrations. For anyone who’s ever been a kid at Christmas, Under the Tree will be as irresistible as a kiss under the mistletoe.