#297: How South Beach Bubbles Became a 2-Time TOTY Finalist with Ron Weizman
What does it take to win a Toy of the Year award two years in a row? Well, Poppin’ Colorz co-founder Ron Weizman plans to find out.
This year, the team at South Beach Bubbles is back with the Galactic Color Bubble Machine from their TOTY-winning Poppin Colorz innovation. After taking home Outdoor Toy of the Year of 2025, Ron Weizman is back with a UFO-style toy, equipped with an obstacle avoidance tech, glowing lights, and thousands of vanishing bubbles per minute. But this episode isn’t just about a fun toy. It’s about how Ron turned it into a retail success story!
In this episode of Making It In The Toy Industry, we talk about the demo strategy that stopped people mid-walk at trade shows, the open box packaging that helped the toy sell itself on-shelf, and the surprise emails he got from major retailers and even people outside the toy industry after that TOTY win. Ron even shares how he kept inventory lean, only to watch the product sell out faster than expected and what he’s doing differently now.
Plus, we get into his early days mixing science kits as a kid, and how that same curiosity now drives the chemistry behind the world’s only non-staining color bubbles.
So if you're trying to boost sell-through, get noticed by buyers, or dream of seeing your toy up for a TOTY, this is the episode you don’t want to miss.
Vote for PoppinColorz Galactic Color Bubble Machine in the Outdoor Toy of the Year category. Voting is open to Toy Association members AND members of the media. Cast your vote for Poppin Colorz in the Outdoor Toy of the Year category!
Voting is open to Toy Association members AND members of the media. So if you're in the media and you aren’t registered to vote, contact the toy association at info@toyassociation.org for details.
Listen For These Important Moments
[00:01:30] – Learn how to pitch your toy in 30 seconds or less, as Ron shares the quick-hit sell for a product that became a TOTY nominee two years in a row.
[00:03:10] – Thinking of adding tech to your toy? This breakdown of how the Galactic Bubble Machine works will spark ideas for simple, affordable "wow" moments.
[00:06:03] – Discover how to make your product stand out in a crowded category Ron explains the strategy behind going beyond a standard bubble machine.
[00:11:04] – Get inspired by the R&D story behind Poppin Colorz, and learn how chemistry, persistence, and a little creative obsession turned into a category-disrupting toy.
[00:21:08] – Hear how one toy’s demo power translated into real retail impact including sidewalk traffic, trade show buzz, and in-store conversion.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Are you a 2026 TOTY finalist?Now’s your chance to turn that nomination into a win! Lock in your exclusive promo spot on the podcast, YouTube channel, and more! (only one finalist per category allowed)
Check out the world’s ONLY non-staining color bubbles right here 👉https://southbeachbubbles.com/collections/color-bubbles
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Ron Weizman: We basically like to call it the Roomba of the bubble world. So it's a UFO Galactic bubble machine featuring the world's only color bubbles. Same like a Roomba the the obstacle avoidance technology where it goes around and bounces off. Just pure fun. When you turn on the machine, for a second, I forgot what to expect. And I thought confetti was coming out. It looks so dense. Like confetti. Look at that. And the bubble disappeared. But this one also deserves its time to shine as well.
Azhelle Wade: You are listening to Making it in the Toy Industry, episode number 297. Welcome to Making it in the Toy Industry, a podcast for inventors and entrepreneurs like you. And now your host, Azhelle Wade. Hey there toy people, Azhelle Wade here, and welcome back to another episode of Making it in the Toy Industry. This is a weekly podcast, and this week's episode is sponsored by South Beach Bubbles. South Beach Bubbles is a two-time TOTY nominee and last year, the winner of the TOTYs for Outdoor Toy of the Year. Today, I am going to be interviewing Ron Weizman once again on this podcast. I guess he wanted to just reiterate all the good luck that this podcast brought to him last year.
Ron Weizman: There you go.
Azhelle Wade: Ron, welcome to the show and congratulations on your second nomination and I bet your second win.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, we're going back-to-back now that I'm on the podcast again. It's uh almost a guarantee.
Azhelle Wade: Right, yeah. You're just trying to recreate literally everything you did last year.
Ron Weizman: We're doing Well, that's right when we got the nomination, the first thing we did was like, "All right, what's the first thing we did? All right, let me call Azhelle."
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, right. No, I you did a campaign, and I see you're doing it again. You did a campaign last year, you did good.
Ron Weizman: We did. We were shaking babies' hands, we were going around and waving to the crowd. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: It was great.
Ron Weizman: I mean, did what we did.
Azhelle Wade: It was great. So give us a 20-second pitch. Why Poppin Colorz Galactic Color Bubble Machine has stand out for Outdoor Toy of the Year?
Ron Weizman: Yeah, so we basically like to call it uh the Roomba of the bubble world. So it's a UFO Galactic bubble machine featuring the world's only color bubbles. The fun thing about it is it has, same like a Roomba, the the obstacle avoidance technology where it goes around and bounces off. Just pure fun.
Azhelle Wade: Have you shared this with the space side of the influencers on Instagram?
Ron Weizman: Um, we started to the space- the space influencers. Yes, we have, they love it. We kind of, look, there's a bunch of bubble blasters out there, and the whole purpose of this was to bring our world's only color bubble technology, needed something really special, not just an ordinary bubble machine. So this Galactic machine was a perfect fit.
Azhelle Wade: I want to put this out into the universe. I think you need to get this into the hands of Kelly Gerardi. She's one of the space influencers I follow. There's also The Space Gal, she's fun too. But Kelly looks like someone who would love that toy. She's got an 8-year-old and another one on the way, and she is an astronaut. She's like me, but an astronaut. She wears sparkle suits. She is like so fun and just joyous, and she shares like her whole journey of like- I mean, I think she would love this toy. And she's done work in the past with a brand in the toy industry, so I think she'd be very open.
Ron Weizman: I think that's a perfect fit. And I appreciate that. I'm definitely going to reach out. There's going to be a UFO bubble machine on her doorstep.
Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh.
Ron Weizman: It's going to be spinning when she opens the door.
Azhelle Wade: She- you don't even know how much you would love that.
Ron Weizman: Awesome.
Azhelle Wade: She would love that.
Ron Weizman: So, consider it done.
Azhelle Wade: So, break it down for me. How does the bubble machine work from power on to the big wow moment? Show me everything. I have to say if you're listening to this episode, we are recording video. It will be on YouTube, so go check it out to actually see how this works.
Ron Weizman: So, this is the uh UFO bubble machine here. So we have It's purple. It's an off button, then we have a button that turns it on, which a secondary button here, this yellow button, that turns it on, which then, if you don't want bubbles or just out of bubble juice, it still works with a we we supply a lithium rechargeable battery. So you have it just if you don't have bubble juice, it still goes around and does its avoidance technology still. And then the third switch here, when you turn it all the way in, is when you get all your bubbles coming out, and it'll be thousands of bubbles coming out all over the place. And I don't have to worry about it because I know all the color bubbles disappear. So they can go all over my laptop, all over my shirt, and I know they disappear uh right off. So look at that.
Azhelle Wade: Love it. So Poppin Colorz is the brand of bubbles that does not stain. So honestly, when you turn on the machine, for a second, I forgot what to expect, and I thought confetti was coming out. It looks so dense, like confetti. But then when it popped on your skin just now, completely vanished. So I want to roll back. For anybody that has listened to this podcast since your last nomination and subsequent win, you said back then that you had a lot of exciting developments in the works for Poppin Colorz. So, now that you're now that it's out, and you're allowed to talk about it, how did this innovation start? Where did it come from?
Ron Weizman: Yeah, so there's a bunch of bubble blasters out there, and with our world's only we were, like we talked last time, we work really hard on the world's only color bubbles. So we wanted something as cool as the color bubbles to match, not just a regular blaster. So when we came up with this uh UFO Galactic machine and the whole, you know, avoidance and the spinning, I mean, and when you put it on, we put it at trade shows. I mean people just come down, they they crack up laughing at just it's just so fun to watch, thousands of bubbles. Um so, we, you know, when we came up with this, put it together with our Poppin Colorz bubble technology, it was, we were like, "Okay, this deserves this, you know, the this relationship deserves each other." It was, it was great.
Azhelle Wade: I love a bubble machine. And I have to say, I had my nephew over a couple weeks back and he found the Poppin Colorz bubble blaster, and he would not let me stop using that. Like and then we put it away, and then he came back after a nap and knew where all of the bubbles were. And he was like, "Oh, like that, that." And he like, he's like two and he went to the door to open it, and I was like, "No, no, we're done." So, I'm excited about the idea that there is a machine I can set it and forget it.
Ron Weizman: Yes.
Azhelle Wade: Let the bubbles run on their own.
Ron Weizman: Yes. Well, we call this we call this one parent-friendly, right? Because once you turn it on, it's doing the babysitting for you. It's spinning around. And the cool thing about it, dogs love it too. I mean they're chasing it and everything. So the pets are loving it as much as the little ones.
Azhelle Wade: You are having a year. So where did the idea come from to not just make a standard bubble machine? Because you already have the innovation of the color bubbles that aren't going to stain. Throwing it into a bubble machine seems obvious. So why not just say, "We're throwing it in the machine and that's it." What inspired you to do more?
Ron Weizman: Well, you want people to also recognize your color bubble technology. So, you know, we thought that people would stop and look at this and be like, "Hey, you know, that looks cool. These are next level bubble machines." I mean, "That is a cool thing. What is that? Is that a UFO? What is this?" So you kind of want them to stop and then be like, "And it has color bubbles." So, it's kind of one of those deals, you want to be, you know, when you have a planogram out, you kind of want to separate yourselves. And like I said, I think you want to just match the the coolness and the innovation of those color bubbles with that the coolness of this UFO Galactic bubble machine that uh there's nothing out there like it.
Azhelle Wade: And can you hold up the packaging one more time and talk us through how you were able to communicate the vanishing non-staining color bubbles to parents?
Ron Weizman: Correct. 100%. So, that is a topic. So, usually we'll have to do it by either illustration or words. So, we have the fun little lines like uh "Colors amaze and vanish" uh on our things. Uh usually we'll have uh illustrations showing uh how it disappears like an illustration, uh how it disappears off your hand or videos with QR codes. But basically uh wording that'll show the, you know, the colors disappear. Colors amaze and then they disappear.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, yeah, yeah.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, you have stain-free color bubble here. You got world's only color bubble here. You have uh Let me show you, colors amaze and vanish over here.
Azhelle Wade: And 10,000 bubbles per minute.
Ron Weizman: Oh, yes. These things are this thing is a real deal. Plus our QR code here points to a video. Okay. that shows uh a little many video showing how it how it works. And not only that the the um the disappearing of the Poppin Colorz vanishing.
Azhelle Wade: So, let's talk reality. I am now a parent, so I got to prepare for these things. How much free time will I get when I turn on this bubble machine for the first time? What's the battery life?
Ron Weizman: So, yes, uh 30 minutes of pure joy. But it is a uh it is, I have two kids of my own. Um lithium a lithium rechargeable battery it comes with, so, you know, once it's done, you can easily just charge it right back up and and get it going again and have some more uh pure uh pure bliss.
Azhelle Wade: And let's talk about your price point. Like, if we're getting something better, are we paying more? How much more are we paying?
Ron Weizman: Well, like we, I think I've said this on a last- our last podcast. We are we're always, you know, checking out uh and and making sure that we're priced right. Uh we you've got to make this stuff. It is a little bit. It's it's going to be harder technology to make color bubbles versus regular bubbles, and obviously a UFO Galactic bubble machine that has that has these sensors in them. Uh, but they are price it is priced right. It's $29.99 retail with the solution. And again, um with both the the pink and the blue and and the rechargeable battery. So if you go against other bubble machines, I think you're right there and you're going to you it's well worth it because the these things are uh out of this world.
Azhelle Wade: Um question, the idea to make it like a Roomba where this is a bubble machine that spins, moves, avoids objects, I guess people too. Whose idea was that? Was that something like an innovation you just happened to find at a factory? Was it somebody in your office? Where did you come up with that?
Ron Weizman: Yeah, no. So, yeah, we actually something that we, you know, saw and then we're like, "Oh, what if it does this? Oh, you know, we we can we ask our factories, can can they can they add this technology to it?" So, you know, like we said, we always like to add on to things. So, you know, we're like, "Okay, it's it's cool if it's a UFO machine, but what if we do this?"
Azhelle Wade: Oh, I love that. Okay.
Ron Weizman: So, I think now that um, you know, we won that first TOTY uh with the Hydra and the color bubbles, the name is starting to get out and people know that they that they do disappear, there are stain-free. We have now three colors, we have pink, blue, and a and a purple.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, wait, oh, okay. So it wasn't denser, it was purple. I thought it was I knew I was going to be on with you today and I figured you might have purple on somewhere. So I was like, so I was like, "It was an it was an homage to you." I was like, "You know what? Let me I was like, "Guys, can you grab the purple?"
Ron Weizman: Actually, you're one of the few people that we've been interviewing who's nominated for a TOTY that won one, so recently, and I want to hear about what happened with that win. So you won for Poppin Colorz last year. What happened? How did it change things? Did it change things?
Ron Weizman: Yeah. Well, they do. First of all, the recognition, first, you know, uh first and foremost. So, um, you you do get recognized and the product gets recognized. And and that's, um, you know, rightfully that, you know, you work so hard on this and then you think, am I wasting my time on this, and and this and that. So the recognition in itself is great, you know, forget about what comes along with it, but the recognition that somebody recognize what, you know, that what you were doing for so long is a number one. But number two, uh yes, I mean, the TOTY badge helps, of course, it does. Um, and um always want to be a winner, right? Whatever you do in life.
Azhelle Wade: Were you at the dinner?
Ron Weizman: Yes. It's a funny story. Some people saw the video of me like, I was we were at the dinner, we're kind of at the front table, and they were calling the category, and I pull my chair back right before they announce the winner to get ready to go up. And everyone was like, "He knows, he knows." But I think Fame's won one right before us. And then Fame's was up again. And I was like, "I think we might win." And I like and I pulled back the chair, and people were like, "You must've known." I was like, "I didn't." And I was like and like my partner Shuki was there, and he was stunned. And he and people were telling him to get up, and it was the it was the most, it was the funniest video. And he was sitting there like this. And we're like, "Dude, we won." And he was, he was, it felt like minutes. It was probably just seconds, but he was just staring at the screen, and then everyone around us was screaming. It it was a special night, but yeah, it was funny.
Azhelle Wade: And you'll see me like, "And the winner is," and I get back into my seat like, and everyone's like, and I'm getting and I pull my seat back to get ready. And I'm like, "It was fixed." And I'm like, "It wasn't. I just you, I was like, I think we're winning this thing." Like, I just had the feeling.
Ron Weizman: Oh, man. It was fixed. I think we both would have gotten, but he was he was like literally like just staring. And people like literally like, "You got to get up." And I was and I, and I think I was like holding the award, and it took him like minutes to get up. And I'm like, "I have a business partner." And they're like, "No, wait, you were already on stage and he was"
Azhelle Wade: I was already got, no. And then I got up stage, yeah, cuz I didn't wait for him. I got up. And he was like almost was just getting up. And it was it was a funny scene. It was a funny scene. And they were like, "Come on. Like, we got a time."
Ron Weizman: Was a phone like off the hook the next workday?
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, yeah, well, yeah, yes, it was. I mean, there was a lot there was a lot of text messages and there was a lot of emails. There was a lot of emails from, you know, retailers, even really large retailers, who just happen to say, "Send an email." I remember one that, like, "Hey, uh congratulations on that win, uh you know, good great stuff." Like just and people that some people weren't even necessarily in our industry saying, you know, like they heard about it. And yes, it was as close I guess feeling to win like a Super Bowl or something like that, you know.
Ron Weizman: Or an Oscar.
Azhelle Wade: Or an Oscar. Yeah, the Oscar, so I guess it was as close as a feeling, you know, to that.
Ron Weizman: I mean, it was clear to me last year why you should win for Outdoor Toy of the Year, innovating a commoditized category, brilliant. I would love again to just highlight like why again this year? Like, like why your bubble machine? I mean, it sounds really cool. I don't have one yet cuz they're sold out everywhere.
Ron Weizman: Yes, we. Projections. It's a good-bad problem. Yes, we went way over 4k, which was and early into it. So but uh we'll be stocked up and ready to go.
Azhelle Wade: But give us a picture of what this experience is like at trade shows because you told me before I hit record that when you bring this thing to to trade shows that buyers are just cracking up. Like, what is the visceral experience of being with this toy?
Ron Weizman: It's great. I mean, you know how like you'll go to a trade show and they'll sometimes they'll be like a lull or what have you. And we'll just be like, "All right, turn it on."
Azhelle Wade: Not not at your booth, really, but
Ron Weizman: No, not at our booth. I'm just saying in general at a trade show.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, oh, oh, oh, yes, yes, yes.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, in general on trade shows, they come in waves, right? So we'll, you know, at some point we'll just turn it on and you'll just And then all of a sudden, you'll see just like like a little bit of this, they're all coming around just watching this thing in action, and everybody's cracking up. It's just it's just a funny thing to watch this thing just doing its thing, spitting out tens of thousands of bubbles, bumping into something and bumping out of it, you know, and and kind of doing the avoidance. It's it's really fun because, you know, you usually see something like that, it's like, you know, you're it's usually doing a vacuum thing is what you usually see, but when you see it with lights and music and and tens of thousands of bubbles, and then color bubbles on top of that, so, you know, it it's it's it's definitely a show stopper, right? And it brings attention. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: You know those you know those those people that do like light art with cameras?
Ron Weizman: Yes.
Azhelle Wade: I wonder if you could do like that type of art with your bubble machine. Because you could like give it a path to follow, and you could like draw on a Yes.
Ron Weizman: You could Yeah, yeah, right?
Azhelle Wade: Yeah.
Ron Weizman: Not a bad idea. Yeah, I like that.
Azhelle Wade: That would be so cool. Yeah. Oh, man. Oh, the content ideas I have for this thing when it gets when it gets here.
Ron Weizman: Yes. We'll get you one.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah.
Ron Weizman: Um I mean, when it does this whole everyone It like it does this whole spin thing and then it like stops for a second and then keeps going. It it's very it you feel like you're just laughing at it. It's it's funny. It's a it's a fun bubble machine. Yeah, we love it.
Azhelle Wade: That's great. That's great. Okay, so let's hear about a constraint. So often constraints in our industry lead to our most creative moments. So was there a challenging moment maybe when you were building this thing, maybe the clocking of bubbles, maybe it was pricing, that actually challenged you so much that it made the product better?
Ron Weizman: Yeah. I mean, look, um, we, you when we, like we said, the color bubbles do take a little bit more, and then you you're putting a little bit higher unit because it is a UFO Galactic bubble machine with with the world's only color bubbles, but we were able to get it at a price point that actually sells really well. I don't think there was a a huge constraint on this one. We, like I said, I think it was like love at first sight when we saw it. We're like, "This and the color bubbles are this particular unit and this particular project really smoothly just getting everything together and it just it felt really it worked really well. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Which is like the opposite of the story you had with the Poppin Colorz.
Ron Weizman: 100%. Yeah, yeah. No, this one was, this one was smooth, you know, not not, they're not all like this, but this one was smooth.
Azhelle Wade: That's really lovely. Was there a kid or parent comment or review in the development process that changed the product at all?
Ron Weizman: Um, not really. We once we started playing with the UFO machine and testing it and just playing with it, and we saw the amount of bubbles it produced, right off the bat, we're like, "This thing needs some color bubbles to it." But right off the bat, again, it was love at first sight. You you see this thing going and spinning and you'll know why.
Azhelle Wade: Can you put multiple colors in the there's not like multiple trays, right? So we
Ron Weizman: Oh, no, there's you mean like doing half or for something? No, I'd love to say we are working on it. Right now, no, but there is, you know, be nice to do a little half-half thing going.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, yeah. Why not? Why not? What are you most proud of with the launch of the Galactic Bubble Machine, the Galactic Color Bubble Machine, I'm sorry.
Ron Weizman: I mean, look, we love that it's uh it's such a sturdy unit. It does great. Um, you know, kids love it cuz the the, you know, the bubbles and the fun, but retailers love it too. It's an easy sell. The unit is just a great unit. It's it's it's all around one of our favorite products and and um when it did get nominated, we it was like, "Thank you," because it it really should be nominated. It's one of those products where it's just it's it was so fun to to create and and bring to life.
Azhelle Wade: Are retailers demoing this on their floor?
Ron Weizman: Uh actually, yes. Uh there are a few, and there's actually a few that sent me There's a couple of retailers that had them uh outside in their sidewalk. I had an email that uh that someone wrote me a retailer saying, "Hey, um I put them outside, and it actually grabbed customers in like passers-by cuz they're like, 'What is this?' They didn't even know it was a toy store."
Azhelle Wade: Whoa.
Ron Weizman: And they saw the unit, Yeah, they saw the unit outside and they came, Yeah, it was it was a funny email. Yeah. But I'm glad we're able to help. So
Azhelle Wade: That's so cool. Wow. Any retailers listening, I mean, that alone. You struggling with traffic, get yourself a Galactic bubble color machine.
Ron Weizman: There you go.
Azhelle Wade: Get it out there.
Ron Weizman: And we Yeah, yeah. We made some covers of some catalog covers. Um Imagine That Toys and some other ones. We are we are on their cover. So it's it's fun. Yeah, it's a it's a fun unit.
Azhelle Wade: I want to talk about behind the scenes with the toy. So, did you have your same team work on the packaging for Poppin Colorz as they did for Galactic? And were there any differences in what you did to explain the colorful bubble popping that doesn't stain?
Ron Weizman: Uh no, so, yeah, it was the same team. Um, hence why we keep everything, you know, keep the family building the brand. We were debating either to put this in a closed box or an open box, but at the end of the day, we said, "It's such a great unit." It feels sturdy, it just feels really great. So we decided to do it almost like you do with a Spalding basketball or football where you're able to have an open feel and you can, you know, feel it and touch it versus a closed box.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, there's no plastic on it.
Ron Weizman: There is no plastic. There is no plastic. So we went open box completely. Exactly. We were we were considering to do either a closed box or plastic here, but then we said, "This Exactly, but once once we felt the unit in our hands and and everything we're like, "This thing deserves an open box."
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, it's so shiny. I thought that was the blister.
Ron Weizman: 100%. And it just feels, you know, it it feels like a really good product.
Azhelle Wade: What is the retail on it?
Ron Weizman: Uh, $29.99.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, no wonder it's sold out. Does it come with bubbles?
Ron Weizman: Yes. Yes, it does. It comes with the pink and the blue. So we give you one of each.
Azhelle Wade: I mean, you're ready to go. And a rechargeable battery. I mean, what more can you ask for?
Ron Weizman: And rechargeable battery and a screwdriver.
Azhelle Wade: A screwdriver.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, you just got to open it up, uh if you need a screwdriver, we provide it.
Azhelle Wade: They provide everything you need. No more more Christmas mornings running around crazy cuz your kids can't play with a toy. I love that.
Ron Weizman: There you go. I have many memories like that. Like we would open this, "This is so cool. We have no batteries." Like, my every Christmas. Why? Right. Don't they buy batteries? Um so, how how do you think that this toy keeps kids coming back again and again? That's one of my Toyetic Principles. So, yeah, what keeps them coming back?
Ron Weizman: Well, this particular one is again, what what's better than, you know, chasing bubbles? Right? So, you have the you turn this thing on. It's not like they're they're chasing this unit around. It's doing its thing. They're doing its thing and they're getting to to pop their bubbles and chase the bubbles. So, the catchphrase for this is, it's out of this world, and it and it really is.
Azhelle Wade: Such a dad joke.
Ron Weizman: Yeah. It is, it is. But I but I use it all the time with this unit. It's uh it's fun.
Azhelle Wade: What's the best review you've gotten from a consumer so far or from a retailer comment?
Ron Weizman: From this one? Yeah, I could say, "Hey, why you out of stock, but this thing sells crazy." They all love it. They love the idea behind it. That's pretty much the consensus behind it is.
Azhelle Wade: Tell me how fast it sells.
Ron Weizman: It's not a it's not a blaster. It sold fast. I think we were done with it right around after Easter. That's how quick it was.
Azhelle Wade: Wait, Easter? When did you get it in? Oh.
Ron Weizman: The for this so for last year. So right around Easter time, it was already gone.
Azhelle Wade: Wow. That's amazing.
Ron Weizman: Yeah. Why didn't you believe in it more and get more inventory? We it's it's not that we don't believe in it. We have a lot of other SKUs. It's like We have a bunch of we have a bunch of, you know, it's like having a bunch of children, right? It's like, you know, you'd it's you kind of play the conservative game. And I think I'd mentioned that on our last podcast is like you play a little bit conservative. And yeah, some things you get more of and don't hit, you know, as much, but so, it's not we didn't believe in it. It's, you know, you got to play a little conservative on things, but
Azhelle Wade: I have a question. In your whole range of SKUs and then in Poppin Colorz alone, is this a winner in both of those areas? Like is this a breakout star in your whole range and in Poppin?
Ron Weizman: Correct. Yes, it is. It is.
Azhelle Wade: Your factory better get to work. Yeah, they got to get those, uh, obstacle avoidance things right in there, coming up. Oh my gosh, that is so fantastic. So, if anybody has, I mean, if anyone's interested in buying a Galactic Color Bubble Machine, where should they go to get on the wait list, I guess.
Ron Weizman: Well, we're talking about retailers, we'll take pre-bookings. If we're talking about consumers, we're going to have them in the beginning of the season, so they'll have to wait a little longer, but um it's okay. There's, you know, bunch of snow out everywhere, so we'll let the snow melt and we'll wait for our our season to shine. So, bubble bubble season's right around the corner.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, yes, because you don't really focus on Q4 because of the bubbles. Right? I forgot about that. Yeah, we talked about that. We met on the Toy Fair. Yeah, like, summer's really your time.
Ron Weizman: Yes.
Azhelle Wade: Interesting. But is this making Is this SKU really kind of helping you break out of like being stuck to a season?
Ron Weizman: Not this particular SKU, but we have other SKUs that are stem products like like the build-a-bubble and and those type of things. We're also expanding. We have a lot more uh we have some uh water activity toys that uh that are really fun, innovative. I won't tease it right now, but the the summer is going to be really fun, and it's going to be different and innovative. Uh we're also expanding into a bigger water line as well.
Azhelle Wade: Wow. You just love the hot weather.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, South Beach, South Beach Bubbles, yeah, obviously. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: So, where can people go? Retailers and consumers to vote for South Beach Bubbles Poppin Colorz Galactic Color Bubble Machine.
Ron Weizman: I'll send you the link so you can get up, they can vote directly out there. If they're part of the TIA, there's a there's one link. And then uh there's a there's a there's another link uh that anyone can vote. You passed it along. We appreciate every single vote. We really do. Yeah. Uh we worked hard, and uh first one's always has a special feeling. But this one also deserves its time to shine as well.
Azhelle Wade: I will say if you go to toyawards.org, you can vote for the People's Choice Award. And if you're a member of the Toy Association, or this is something I've learned this year, if you're a member of the Toy Association or you are media, and I am media, other toy influencers, if you are media, you should reach out to the Toy Association and get your link to vote. To vote for this specific category, you have to get a link from the Toy Association. You have to have a log-in. You have to be media or a member of the association. So,
Ron Weizman: Yes.
Azhelle Wade: you want to vote.
Ron Weizman: Usually they'll email you or if not, you can request it. Correct. Yes.
Azhelle Wade: People's Choice Award is a great one. If you're a consumer, please vote Poppin Colorz for that, but winning for your category is also huge. So,
Ron Weizman: It's it's huge. Your peers recognize you. Um it's it's a great step. Um and we we do appreciate it. We vote for our peers, you know, in different categories. We make sure we vote. Um so, yes.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. And I mean, Ron is just a parent, just like you, listener, and you know, he started this business with a dream.
Ron Weizman: Yes.
Azhelle Wade: Support his dream and vote.
Ron Weizman: Well, I we started we started it to get our own kids off off the couch and off the gadgets. And that's where we, you know, it was it was it was a hobby. Uh it wasn't meant to be this, but it is this. And this is great cuz we get to see everyone having fun with our products and just keep innovating. So, yeah. And, and they have a really cool office. Yeah, we try. That's very cool. Yes.
Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh. Okay, let me give you my closing questions, Ron. Before you leave, what are you hoping to achieve one year from now? Any teasers about new products?
Ron Weizman: Uh yes. So, what I hope to achieve, actually for I we do, you know, our thing is innovation. So we hope to be on your podcast again this time next year as well. And maybe going for a three-peat, right? Big big task.
Azhelle Wade: With it like a triple, like a triple in bowling.
Ron Weizman: There you go. There you go. But as for innovation, we do have innovation. We do have a couple of not only uh water toy innovations, but in the bubble space that's not color bubbles. Um and we'll be launching it early January and uh bringing it to the trade show circuit. Um and it's super fun and uh something different as well.
Azhelle Wade: And what toy or game do you remember as a kid?
Ron Weizman: What I can remember is kind of how I got started. I remember, like, my father just buying us stuff like uh different science kits, not one particular product, but there was like science kits. And I think that's how I got started, the curiosity of just kind of uh, you know, uh beakers and flasks and mixing things. I mean, that that's where the curiosity kind of uh stemmed from. So I remember like just getting different science kits and playing with those when I was small and, you know, mixing things up, failing, trying again, and be like, "Oh, it worked." You know. So, those were really stick out the most.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, awesome. I'm so I want to layer this with what you said last time and see what we get.
Ron Weizman: Okay.
Azhelle Wade: Oh my gosh, Ron, thank you so much for this talk. It was so great to see your product. It's way cooler than I thought.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, thank you.
Azhelle Wade: It's way cooler. It's even cooler. Like, I didn't know it was going to be a Roomba. I didn't realize.
Ron Weizman: Yeah, it's the. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Is that in the marketing copy? The Roomba.
Ron Weizman: Yes, yes. I don't know if I'm allowed to use No, probably not, but it's like, you know, we do what we do. Yes.
Azhelle Wade: Listeners, thank you so much for being here today. If you love this podcast and you haven't already left a review, what are you waiting for? Your reviews keep me coming back week after week, and every time a new one comes in, I get notified. It puts a huge smile on my face. I tell my mom, my friends, my boyfriend, I text Ron, you know. Everyone's Everyone's happy for the reviews. As always, thank you so much for spending this time with me today. I know your time is valuable, and that there are a ton of podcasts out there. So it truly means the world to me that you tune into this one. Until next week, I'll see y1ou later toy 2people. Thanks for listening to Making it in the Toy Industry podcast with Azhelle Wade. Head over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips, and advice.
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