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So You Want To Be A Toy Inventor?
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 Haystack Toys has come to rescue the toy industry from itself. There has been considerable exposure lately of the troubles in the toy industry. The October 25th issue of TIME magazine ran an article, "Mattel: Some (Re) Assembly Required" spotlighting the particular woes of the toy giant, and opened with this statement, "The big toy makers have a basic problem -- they don't bother to come up with new toys anymore."The TIME article was the just the latest in a series of recent news stories focusing on a string of strategic decisions by the major toy companies -- including poor licensing agreements, weak acquisitions and failed e-commerce ventures -- that have left the industry in turmoil. Here comes Haystack Toys. "We've created a unprecedented process that trusts ingenuity," says Haystack Toys co-founder Dan Lauer of the company's Great American Toy Hunt. "By tapping into the sea of undiscovered inventor possibility, we have found authentic, original works for kids." Rather than trying to come up with the next Furby, or hot toy of the season, Haystack has longer range goals in mind. They're shooting for the next Candyland, Slinky or Lincoln Logs. They're looking for the toy that kids will be playing with not only this Christmas but for generations to come. The Great American Toy Hunt is Haystack Toys' vehicle to discover "needles in the haystack," toys that are so ingenious, so involving and so well made that they become cherished for generations. This year, the Hunt is visiting seven cities (St. Louis, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas) meeting with both professional and undiscovered inventors, reviewing approximately 1,000 toy ideas. The creative ideas are out there. They're just like finding a needle in a haystack. For more information on Haystack Toys and The Great American Toy Hunt visit Haystack Toys website. [Updated 11-23-99]
  
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