#298: Why The Nee Doh Cube Nice Cube Is A Finalist For This Major Toy Award with Paul Weingard
Can a $5 squishy toy really outsell the competition and take home a Toy of the Year award? Schylling’s CEO Paul Weingard is betting on it and honestly, the numbers are on his side.
The NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl isn’t just another sensory stress ball. It’s a Specialty Toy of the Year finalist that’s been an Amazon best seller, is selling out in stores, AND building real emotional connection with kids and adults worldwide. The CEO shared with me that they’ve gotten handwritten letters from kids, therapists, and even college students sharing how this tiny cube helps them relax, reset, and focus. Retailers can’t restock it fast enough and during this interview I’m on a mission to find out why.
Join me in the Schylling office where I sit with Paul Weingard to unpack the exact strategies that turned a simple sensory ball into a branded, collectable empire that’s dominating on Amazon, thriving in toy stores, and blowing up organically online. You’ll learn how they scaled sales without leaning on trends, built retail momentum through independent stores, and created a $5 product that buyers and therapists can’t get enough of.
If landing a TOTY nomination is on your vision board, or you're trying to get retailers to reorder faster than you can ship, this episode will show you what it really takes to turn a small idea into a big win.
Vote for NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl in the Specialty Toy of the Year category. Voting is open to Toy Association members AND members of the media. Cast your vote for NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl in the Specialty Toy of the Year category!
If you're in the media (like an industry influencer) 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] – Find out how Schylling transformed a simple squishy ball into a multi-million dollar brand with over 50 SKUs.
[00:11:30] – Discover how NeeDoh tapped into the specialty retail channel to test and scale — with 10X reorders in 30 days.
[00:18:40] – See how organic fan content and surprise use-cases (from therapy to dental offices!) shaped the Nice Cube’s evolution.
[00:26:05] – Hear how the team designed packaging that sells itself, with irresistible shelf appeal and built-in trial moments.
[00:33:20] – Unpack what a TOTY nomination really does for sales and why Paul says you need to be ready to airfreight inventory if you win.
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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)
Head to myneedoh.com to explore the full NeeDoh line and find out why retailers, therapists, and kids can’t get enough.
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Azhelle Wade: You are listening to Making It in the Toy Industry. Episode number 298.
Unknown: Welcome to Making It in the Toy Industry podcast for investors and entrepreneurs like you. And now your host, Azhelle Wade.
Azhelle Wade: Hey there, toy people. Today I am interviewing the CEO of Schylling. Yes, yes. We are going to talk all about their Toy of the Year nominated product, the NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl. The TOTYs are the toy awards, of course. Okay, I think he's here. I got to go. Let's get into this interview.
In 2025, Schylling Toys is hitting 50 years. And they are known for creating timeless toys. This year, the Schylling Toys NeeDoh Nice Cube is nominated for Specialty Toy of the Year. So I'm here with Paul Weingard to talk about why this toy deserves the win. Welcome to the show, Paul.
Paul Weingard: Thanks. Thank you for having me.
Azhelle Wade: I'm so excited. So, first of all, this is my first time getting my hand on the NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl, right? So tell me how it differentiates from the other products, from the core product that you told me initially, because that's one that I have at home.
Paul Weingard: Right, of course. Well, this is in the Nice Cube. Our Nice Cube that launched about three years ago has been extremely popular, as it is part of the growing NeeDoh family. And NeeDoh is now going into its 10th year. Started off with a single super soft squeeze ball. And that has just grown into now over 50 products.
Azhelle Wade: Was it the orange one I was playing with, or?
Paul Weingard: You were playing with the orange one. Yeah, yeah, let me grab.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, okay, okay.
Paul Weingard: Oh, that one is the Sludge Ball. Oh, that's a relatively new one as well. But I can get you right here is the, oh, this is the original. Oh, yeah. So the original NeeDoh is this super soft squeeze ball. And this just got us on the map. I mean, from the moment it launched, people fell in love with it. Just, I think it just has a really appealing tactile quality.
Azhelle Wade: Like foam.
Paul Weingard: Almost foam, right, right. It's just a real light fluff inside.
Azhelle Wade: So this is ten years ago.
Paul Weingard: Ten years ago.
Azhelle Wade: And you told me you joined Schylling 16 years, 16 years ago.
Paul Weingard: That's right.
Azhelle Wade: Before we dive into why this toy should be the TOTY nominee, can you just tell me your first job at.
Paul Weingard: Schylling? My first job? Well, I was running product development. I came into the company when it was family owned. Jack and David Schylling were managing the business and founders. And I came in to run product development, and to bring some innovative products and expand the business.
Azhelle Wade: And so now that when this first product came out that put you on the map for the squeeze ball, do you remember that day? Do you remember the development controversy?
Paul Weingard: I really do, I do. That was one of those moments where, like a lot of products, it happens bit by bit and then all at once. Right. We'd been thinking a lot about the sensory category, fidgets and tactile kinds of things. But we were looking for something that felt very familiar, but also something different from an experienced standpoint.
Yeah. And when we started to play around with different formulas, we kept trying to push it to make it softer and softer, as opposed to what people think about as a stress ball or something. It's really good. And when we stumbled upon this, it just felt like almost iconic from the beginning. That super bright neon, super soft squeeze ball.
And so that really was the start of, how do we brand this? How do we create something that's memorable and treat something that a lot of companies think about? This kind of product is one of impulse and not necessarily something you would brand.
Azhelle Wade: Commodity almost, right?
Paul Weingard: As a commodity. And we just fell in love with what we were creating. And so we wanted to give it something, a package brand that was as punchy and, it's very simple. That's where this, this began exactly.
Azhelle Wade: On tape, you don't see that off. Well, you didn't before Schylling right here.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, exactly.
Azhelle Wade: You didn't see like neon in stress balls. Yeah, it was much more, I don't know, clinical.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. More clinical, right. That's true. And I've always loved neon colors and blacklight posters for my childhood. Right. Yeah. That makes sense. That's the kind of inspiration, right? I mean, I think in toys, we're always, you know, if you lose touch with your childhood and those kinds of impulses, experiences, then then you're going to be cut off from a great source of inspiration.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So is NeeDoh planning a blacklight party?
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Yeah, that's a great thought. Yeah, yeah. For New York Toy Fair, we're thinking about kind of like a whole NeeDoh experience, right? Yeah, yeah. So we've got a few things planned.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, very cool. Okay, so you started with this originally. Don't tell me the name again.
Paul Weingard: That's original NeeDoh. Original, original NeeDoh.
Azhelle Wade: And then we got to the Nice Cube. Okay. Yeah, believe.
Paul Weingard: So about three years ago we did the Nice Cube. And the Nice Cube was immediately more popular than the original NeeDoh. It just caught on in a way we hadn't really expected. So it's really taken on a life of its own and with line extensions. The Nice a great thing that said the super squeezy. And we tried to get a really firm squeeze in this product so you can get a, get a sense of how.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. Firm from the original, totally different, the opposite.
Paul Weingard: And that's what we're, we're always looking to do. How can we create a new experience, a new tactile kind of satisfaction with every product?
Azhelle Wade: So the original Nice Cube, other than differentiating from the original, why did you decide to go Nice Cube?
Paul Weingard: Yeah, yeah. Well, like I say, these things happened bit by bit, and then suddenly we've been playing around with some denser fillings, some things that really have a stronger feel and also for some other products. And at the same time, we were looking at doing like our original NeeDoh in a square form, but it was very difficult for it to keep that form.
You know, it always wanted to bulge out, become round. So it was those two things that came together, that got denser filling and the square shape that materialized. And as soon as we made a shape that was square and standing and like the name and everything, just.
Azhelle Wade: Of.
Paul Weingard: Like, that's it. Yeah. Like, you can.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, I think so. Before we go on to the Swirl, what was it that you keep saying like this took off and that took off? Was it retailers? Was it consumers? What were people saying? What happened? Was it selling out fast?
Paul Weingard: Yeah, I think like, you know, our roots are in the independent retailers. So we were able to launch this product, well we'll say kind of quietly. Something one of the great things we get to do at Schylling is, is create products that we fall in love with and we believe in without necessarily the normal barriers to enter the market.
And so, you know, when we present to our independent retailers, there's a good chance if it's appealing, they're going to pick it up, give it a try. Yeah. And that becomes the introductory test market for us. And also an important way to connect with the consumer.
Azhelle Wade: And what's the price point of the original?
Paul Weingard: When it first launched it was 3.99. Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah, right. And then immediately, of course, you know, just people were picking it up. So we noticed from within 30 days of the original launch, we were getting like reorders for ten times the amount that the original. Yeah, yeah. 30 days. And then it was just, we, you know, that was now ten years ago.
We've been on this treadmill, like, not able to keep up with demand, creating new products. And we're still in that same spot. We're trying to kind of, to deliver to all the opportunities has been an interesting and great challenge.
Azhelle Wade: The busiest man in the world.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Maybe, maybe here, yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Okay. I'm curious. So ten years ago, launching this to three years ago, launching the Ice Cube, was there a difference in the way that you launch ticket sales? Because like, now it's very social media. I don't know, actually when you first launched.
Paul Weingard: That's been one of the great things as well that, you know, on social media, it's just been a very natural kind of organic upswell of people just, you know, falling in love with the product. And without really much encouragement from us, in fact, often no encouragement. They're out there sharing it and loving it. So, of course, we're active on social media, but for the most part, we let the product speak for themselves, and we let the people are young who love our products. They're better at telling the story than we are.
Azhelle Wade: The things they do with like the Nice Cube.
Paul Weingard: Oh my gosh, it's just sad. Have all kinds of things. Yeah. I mean, it's amazing how broad the appeal is from young children to adults and older adults as well. And I think that's been one of the great things about it. People talking about the different ways how they use the product and why they love it.
Azhelle Wade: They really do that?
Paul Weingard: Absolutely do, absolutely.
Azhelle Wade: What's your favorite content and money on? You were like, "Oh, I know".
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, to be honest, it's exciting to me when you can have older people using your product. So that a lot of people out there, they talk about how they have arthritis or the kind of things. And like, that is so far away from what we ever imagined the product being used for.
Azhelle Wade: So I just recently had a kid that I developed like, what, postpartum arthritis? Apparently that's a thing. Wow. I go to physical therapy, they hand me a toy, like a squish ball. And I was like, "Am I paying how much for you? I work in the toy industry". Right? That is so funny. So I did think when I got home, I do have a NeeDoh in the left side of my desk drawer.
So I was like, "Oh, I could do this". That's so, that's so, that is what people are using it for.
Paul Weingard: Absolutely. It's amazing the amount of workout and therapeutic uses that we're seeing for NeeDoh right now. I had some dental work done a while back, and my dentist pulled out of the drawer a Nice Cube and said, "Hey, you know, I've been using these with my patients". And I thought, "Well, okay, well, guess what I make that for". Just, you know, because people are stressed, stressed out.
I mean, the dentist is a very stressful situation. So he gives them one of these to grab on to. We used to use tennis balls, and now he uses the. Yeah. So, and so I love those stories. When people are using the product in ways that we never imagined. Yeah. There are a, I would say a broad array of therapeutic uses.
What I'll say and again, we look at it and we're going to continue to see this is just a product that we, you know, good. It's for fun and pleasure creating mellow experiences. Right.
Azhelle Wade: So you go from the Nice Cube. Yeah. To now the TOTY nominated. Yes, TOTY. Nominee Nice Cube Swirl for Toy of the Year, right? I don't, you know, I was a board member at Astra for three years. Okay. It's close to my heart. Yes. Great, great. All my Astra friends, board members. Right? You know what you have to do.
Ice Cube Swirl. All right, dear, but why Swirl?
Paul Weingard: Well, I think, you know, with the popularity of the original Nice Cube, we were looking for ways to expand the color and experience. And to be honest, it's just a really beautiful kind of marbling. And so it's much about an aesthetic, you know. Right. Psychedelic. And I mean, that's that is kind of the whole NeeDoh vibe.
It's a mod kind of, you know, it's. Yeah, yeah, early 70s psychedelic thing. And that's.
Azhelle Wade: So in right now.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it is, it is. And we've been doing it for a while, but we're happy to see the trend kind of catching up with us.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So how did people respond to the Swirl differently from Nice Cube?
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Well, I think that we were really at that is point with, with an Ice Cube where the momentum was still growing, you know, after after three years. And I think watching this year with the Nice Cube Swirl, it was just at the perfect time for a new level of excitement.
Azhelle Wade: Translucent?
Paul Weingard: Yes. Yes. Actually that that we have three different colors in the Swirl with multiple colors inside there. And basically they're all, they all sell at the same rate, and we're just thrilled. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: And what's the retail price point on the Nice Cube Swirl?
Paul Weingard: We're at $5.99.
Azhelle Wade: Wow. Okay. Beautiful. Yeah. Wow. So we can find these at specialty stores. I'd love to hear about something like a hiccup in the development process that actually led to an innovation for NeeDoh with the Swirl. Hopefully I or any of the other ones.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. That's interesting. That's a good question. Hiccups. So.
Azhelle Wade: You mentioned one when you talked about the original trying to make it a square.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, that's right. One, that's where, you know, the evolution of, of a product I think is to me it's always interesting how how you have these surprises and maybe, sometimes a mistake that turned out to be great. But we had tried for a number of years to create other kinds of shapes with this super soft. It just didn't work.
And at that point we'd almost given up. And also you say, well, okay, you know, it's a different shape, but is it really a different experience? And that's what we're really looking for here is how do you get a great tactile experience, a great look to the product? You know, great name and positioning overall.
Azhelle Wade: Wow. No, this is great. So there any influence from maybe the consumers commenting on the product online, maybe retail archives that changed the evolution, the pricing, and? Yeah.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, absolutely. I think the biggest influence on us is just, people who already have a variety of NeeDoh and they're looking for other kinds of ways. You know, we haven't talked about collecting ability.
Azhelle Wade: I was just going to ask because, you know, collectors, it's.
Paul Weingard: Again, it's not something we ever imagined people collecting. Right. You know, NeeDoh. But we get fan letters, actual handwritten fan letters. Yeah. Top stacks and stacks of them. Yeah. And I've been doing this for a long time, and it's been a while since I've gotten, you know, like handwritten, fan letters. Yeah. That's right. And they're from children.
They're from young adults. They're from college students, from people, you know, getting their law degree and older adults. It's right. It's amazing. Again, it speaks to the range of people. But I love the letters from from children. Right? Because they're always, throwing in their own ideas and also talking about their collection. So it gets back to that point where some kids have just drawers full of these.
Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, I one of the contents you see online like people showing up. Yeah. Of course that, of course.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, definitely.
Azhelle Wade: How many are there to collect?
Paul Weingard: We have about 50 styles total. Right now and then with colorways, there's more than that. So we have glow-in-the-dark. You know, like I mentioned, this one here is a Fuzzball, and in each it's, so it's got this like fuzzy little feeling on it. And, and a different kind of squeeze is somewhere in between this and.
Azhelle Wade: That right when I first touch.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. And then we've got, one of our earlier ones is a, we call the Snowball Crunch. And it feels like a snowball when you. And, and so that's the, you know, so that's what we're trying to do every time we launch something is give it a new visual, but also that tactile experience. That's what we hear from fans of NeeDoh or what else can we do. You know, what else can you guys do from an experience standpoint?
Azhelle Wade: Very cool. That's a different. Do you guys work with inventors?
Paul Weingard: We do. We do work with inventors. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Azhelle Wade: Any investors listening watching me for the inventors, that's the place that they should go on your website to, pitch ideas?
Paul Weingard: We have, you can just reach out to our contact rate on the, on the website. At least it'll get to the right people.
Azhelle Wade: That is where the inventors involved in the NeeDoh Nice Cube?
Paul Weingard: There haven't been inventors. We've been, we've been pitched a number of things from inventors, but none of that has been incorporated yet. But I think one of the challenges with the, with products, the simple.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah.
Paul Weingard: How do you innovate? How do you bring something unexpected? Yeah. And, you know, it's certainly possible with a.
Azhelle Wade: Product like this. Do you find yourself like, I don't know, in China, Canton Fair, just looking for new materials, like the biggest source of inspiration? Yeah.
Paul Weingard: Yeah for sure. I think a lot of what we're doing now is working very closely with our suppliers on new formulations and new materials. And sometimes it starts with the experience we're trying to achieve. And sometimes it starts with a material that is, you know, might be a viable filling or, you know, something that our supplier is. It's unusual right now for us to sort of stumble upon something at Canton Fair that we haven't seen because we're, you know, we're living this every day.
Azhelle Wade: But what percentage can I of, of the business or the team is focused on NeeDoh Nice Cube? But how important is this to the company?
Paul Weingard: Well, I think NeeDoh in general has become, you know, a, it's a very important part of our overall business, you know, very significant. And Nice Cube and extensions of Nice Cube are, you know, right now they're top of our list on. But we're also looking at what's next.
Azhelle Wade: Yes.
Paul Weingard: What's the next?
Azhelle Wade: You're on that. Is your last idea. Someone on the podcast. So that to me you're always going to.
Paul Weingard: Yeah absolutely. And you know, and that's what makes it exciting to us because we have, I would say we probably have about ten years worth of product already on the drawing board. So it's, it's, you know, it's one of those from our perspective, the tactile sensory category is kind of coming into its own. Now. But but it's been around forever, right?
And I think we've got a world where people are on their phones, they're on their screens. And, you know, that opportunity to have something in your hand and. Yeah, and fidget, use it in school, wherever. Is one of the great things we have wide acceptance from in the classroom because it's quiet. It's quiet, right?
Azhelle Wade: And, oh, that's so funny. I'm just wondering the first item you said you had reorders within 30 days. I mean, now you probably can predict demand better, but still, like you said, you're chasing. Is the Swirl, you know, that same experience? Like landed, you sold more than expected in your.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, absolutely. That's been the case for almost every item we've launched. So you expect to have something that. Yeah. Right. Really we've been fortunate to get it right a lot more than we have it. So, I think that's again, it's because, you know, we're looking to create things that we love, but also we're listening a lot to consumers. Right? And there's no shortage of feedback out there. Right. Is it just.
Azhelle Wade: Inspiring? I have to like hearing you talk and touching it. I can't help but be inspired myself. Like it's a creative toy. It makes you think. It makes you feel. It makes you. It's, yeah. You sit down and focus.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. You know, it's interesting, some of the things we see people doing, they're so, so simple. Like, wow, it's almost. I think it's again as it relates to the therapeutic qualities, if you will, like, you know, you see a lot of people stacking the Nice Cube, the Nice Cube and then a Nice Cube Baby. Yeah. For some reason this has become sort of a thing to do.
Just come up, right?
Azhelle Wade: Yes. I need to think of that. Yeah. But yeah, that that's true. It reminds me of that. Like little kids stacking.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. But anyway, it's, it's, you know, stacking is.
Azhelle Wade: I'm like, seeing how far they squish into it. I think so, I think so. Kind of like.
Paul Weingard: There's a slow motion, kind of like, yeah. Settling down. Right? Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: It's all. It's like a simple man. Yeah. It's stack your snowball cube. One snowman cube. So this is your first TOTY nomination. Have you won other awards for the NeeDoh?
Paul Weingard: We've been recognized for NeeDoh in a number of areas, but, but the first TOTY nomination.
Azhelle Wade: So who encouraged you? Did you go after the nomination? Did someone tap you? Oh, yeah. Sure. Yeah. So you guys should apply for this?
Paul Weingard: Yeah. I think the motivation came from our, marketing agency, and they were really strong believers in what we were doing. And so that was the start. But, you know, we've had a lot of people asking us over the years, you know, why are you guys? You guys, the volume is selling and the popularity of, last year, NeeDoh and Nice Cube was the number one on Amazon for months and months in all toys.
Azhelle Wade: And all.
Paul Weingard: All toys. Right.
Azhelle Wade: And if you know, that's way hard to beat.
Paul Weingard: It's hard. And it is, it is.
Azhelle Wade: And then this year. Yeah, I mean, it's bad for our economy. Great for your company.
Paul Weingard: Well, that's true.
Azhelle Wade: Says in the, in the poor economy toys that are under. They're saying under $20, you're under.
Paul Weingard: The under ten for sure.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, five. So, you know.
Paul Weingard: It does work into the current. Yeah. And, but, you know, very good Christmas. Absolutely, absolutely. I think we're sold out almost everywhere right now. So, it's.
Azhelle Wade: It's a great thing. I do have to tell you, because I've interviewed several TOTY nominees and then winners that get ready because I believe in you. I think you're nominated for the best possible category to win for your product, because you've already proven yourself to the people that are going to vote for this category. And if you win here and have to airfreight some.
Paul Weingard: Great, yeah.
Azhelle Wade: So product over here real quick. Yeah. So, all right. Every planning.
Paul Weingard: All right, all right.
Azhelle Wade: Getting ready.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Absolutely. We're, we've been shipping a lot already. Okay.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. Because I've heard stories. Yeah, yeah, I've heard stories sold out before. What is it like April or something? Yeah. Sold out before April because of the TOTY win. Well, I've heard some tales.
Paul Weingard: That's great.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. Hopefully. So anything throughout the process of development that you think would be helpful for somebody who is unsure of who to vote for in the specialty toy category? They're thinking, "I don't know, it just looks like a stress ball". Yeah.
Paul Weingard: That's right.
Azhelle Wade: I see NeeDoh Ice Cube.
Paul Weingard: Right? I think finding ways to innovate in basic product is among the most challenging things we can do, right? At a low price price point and to bring something that almost instantly catches people's attention in a broad range. So yeah, that's what I think is, kind of the achievement from our perspective is like, how do we take a category and a brand that we've already been doing well with for at that point six or seven years, and then take it to a whole new level with something?
Again, very simple. Yeah. So that's been our goal. And I think the level of, we'll call it public support has been enormous.
Azhelle Wade: Do you do things like market research before you make a decision, like with an Ice Cube Swirl? Before you put the Swirl on the NeeDoh. And you did, did you actually ask your audience secretly, do you think this is a good idea?
Paul Weingard: You know, we're listening more than we're asking, right? And I think that, again, with the level of, you know, social media activity that's happening organically, there's a lot to listen to.
Azhelle Wade: The, yeah, you're so blessed in that.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, it's, it's a rare situation to have. And then the kind of, you know, content people are creating and what they're talking about. It was actually one of the inspirations. We saw somebody trying to actually paint on the cube itself. Right? Which is really difficult to do because it's stretchy. And in fact, somebody had taken Swirl Easter egg dye. If you, you know, how they did that swirled egg and they were trying to dip their. Yeah.
And I know, but we could do that. We could do that and, you know, do it on the inside, which is where that swirl is.
Azhelle Wade: Right, right.
Paul Weingard: So it can't come off.
Azhelle Wade: Right. Oh, that is so smart. Wow. That is so smart. And then you expanded. Tell me about these little Mini Cube.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. The Nice Cube Baby. Yeah, yeah. And you know it's, it's again it's something to serve people wherever they go. Right. Stick it in your pocket. Right. And yeah. Yeah. And, and we know that it surprised me. For some people this is their favorite. They like, they like it on the fingertip size. They like just having in the palm of their hand and and kind of discreet.
That discreet. That's a, yeah.
Azhelle Wade: You need to know I'm viewing. Yeah.
Paul Weingard: That's, that's right, that's right. And then, you know, but some people want I got a big hand. Yeah. They like the big grip. That's, that's.
Azhelle Wade: Great to keep on the desk. That's great to take. Be a necklace or my ring. Yeah. Just no one can stress me out. Honestly, this is the calmest I felt in an interview.
Paul Weingard: That's great. That's great.
Azhelle Wade: I'm glad NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl. I am voting for you. I hope all of our viewers and listeners are going to vote as well. But I do want to ask a few of my key closing questions. Right? Number one, what do you hope for NeeDoh in the coming year?
Paul Weingard: Yeah, great. Well, you know, I hope that the enthusiasm we see from consumers continues. And and I hope that as we continue to launch new products that we get anywhere near the same reception that we're getting here. And we've got a lot of great stuff in the pipeline.
Azhelle Wade: How frequently can we expect new products to come?
Paul Weingard: At multiple times a year. But, you know, typically spring and fall, yeah, normal kind of discovery launches.
Azhelle Wade: Like five products drop in spring and fall.
Paul Weingard: Oh yeah. Yeah. Well this year we will probably be launching about 20 new products. Yeah. So we got a spring and stock between spring and fall. We got a really broad array of very interesting, new, new sensory experiences, new kind of, form factors and some very different from what we're doing here too.
Azhelle Wade: I'm sorry. And roll back, because you've been with Schylling for 16 years. You must remember the moment that someone said, or maybe it was you who said we should get into the sensory space. Yeah, yeah, and I want to encapsulate that moment, if you will.
Paul Weingard: Right. Well, I do remember when it went from from one level to the next level. You know, we'd been, we were making a Lava Lamp slime. Right? So in a lot. And that was before the slime trend really started to happen. Right? But, but, you know, the success of that, you know, really opened our eyes and certainly my eyes to what was happening in kind of that whole like, tactile experience.
And so that was the point when we said, we need to really look at this category and find something that that feels different, feels fresh, but also honorable. All right. Something we can brand and. And so there was that moment when the first sample of this came from our supplier, because we've been experimenting. And when that first sample came, that was the moment we knew we were going to go all in, in the, in the sensory category. It just, it was just, you know, an instantaneous feeling.
Azhelle Wade: I'm sorry. No, I said I was going to go to the closing questions, but you're just inspiring. So why at the time, was there nothing quite like? Nothing?
Paul Weingard: Quite like it. You know, there were, you know, there were water filled balls and there were other kinds of and, you know, things actually feeling closer to this, which has been more of a traditional. Yeah. But there was, there was nothing quite as super soft as vibrant.
Azhelle Wade: Oh.
Paul Weingard: And and it was typical to treat a product like this again. Like a commodity. Yeah. Just throw it in a, you know, a bin or in a mesh bag or plastic bag.
Azhelle Wade: It's called like stress ball. Let's just.
Paul Weingard: Stress ball.
Azhelle Wade: Right. It's not, you know.
Paul Weingard: It's like, and we felt that this was like so in its own way, you know, beautiful. And we wanted a package and a brand that could be, you know, almost synonymous with that team together.
Azhelle Wade: All right, we're rolling. Yes. Great. I'm not letting you go until we talk about this package. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry. Yeah. I keep telling him I'm going to let the busiest men in the world go. But I am not. So packaging. Yeah. For NeeDoh, it is has a psychedelic, it modern like vibe. Where did that inspiration come from?
Did you do the entire package internally? I want to hear a little bit about the packaging story.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, the packaging really is what kind of brought every buddy together and rallied around the products from the beginning. But we want it again. When you look at this, so you can see why it just feels so electric and almost like something that has been around in the past. Yeah. But so what we wanted to do was find a way to treat it like, like maybe a retro product, like something that had never existed, but felt familiar to people.
And we do a lot of, of retro as part of our business here at Schylling. And we, we look to the entire history of toys. We've got toys that are 100 years old and toys that are 20 years old, and that's all part. So we like to pick and choose from the entire kind of history of, of toys and, and graphic treatment. So we wanted something here that felt like it might have been launched in, in the 70s. Right? And then just the.
Azhelle Wade: Groovy idea that says the.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, they get the Groovy Glob. It started its name. Right? And again, this is all about how do we lift from the past and make it contemporary in a way, if you're not familiar with this kind of treatment? And so it really all happened. Almost the entire design happened over a 24 hour period. Just, yeah, I'm talking with our head of design at the time, Matt Frigge.
He is an incredibly talented designer artist, and it has, just a love for for vintage graphics. You can.
Azhelle Wade: See like, the love for it. Yeah. I mean, it's like. Yeah, it's like everything just to evenly place a cube.
Paul Weingard: That's right, that's right. He's he's very gifted in that regard. So, so we brainstormed for hours just kind of kicking around names and looking at treatments. And I think kind of the first step was let's put this in a box, which seems.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, nice.
Paul Weingard: Simple. But it's kind of radical. It's like, well, why would we add costs to a product like this? Let's just this and that gave us the canvas to create something really cool. So I think you rave. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. Yeah. And also, one of the things we do is we, you know, we, we spot print the fluorescent colors on there.
Azhelle Wade: Yes.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. So it's.
Azhelle Wade: Punchy muddy if.
Paul Weingard: You won't get the same effect. So yeah, it's, it doesn't.
Azhelle Wade: Have a smaller footprint. So it kind of.
Paul Weingard: Yeah it's a little added cost but it's worth. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Been worth it. And you have what I think is interesting knowing what your packaging is like. So on the package they have like on the sides, "touch me, pinch me, squeeze me, squish me". So really inviting people to touch it. This was the original. Yes. And now as people know the brand it's like, great, it's a protected.
Paul Weingard: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And one of the things that we learned pretty early on is that people love to not just touch it, squeeze it, but pull it out of the hole. So the hole it's gotten progressively smaller. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because I was like, oh, how can we get it out of there? Wow. Right? It's, it's loss prevention.
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. But it's still nice to have that little tactile.
Azhelle Wade: It's like a great introductory skill. And then as people know, the brand, like, they don't need to touch and squeeze. They trust the brand. Which is it supposed to be modeled after? NeeDoh.
Paul Weingard: Well, when you think it's really a completely made up word, but it's like neato, right? It's also a kneading dough. Yeah. Right? There about five or six influencers in the name that all kind of came together. And we were just looking for something that when you heard it, it could stick and felt synonymous with the product in some way.
It also feels like something it might have come out in 19.
Azhelle Wade: 73, 100%. That's why. Because it has a neato.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Sounds it's out of its neato. That's, yes. Okay. What is something about the toy development or the toy award application process? Do you think more people should know about it?
Paul Weingard: Yeah, that's a good question. Yeah, I think so. The toy award process. Right? Yeah. I think that, I think it from, from my perspective, I think, you know, recognizing I think the great range of, oh, we'll see other nominees out there. That's something that we know there's a lot of great product. It's also nominated.
But I think that keeps us kind of focused on, well, how can we make sure that everybody out there knows about NeeDoh, knows about Nice Cube Swirl.
Azhelle Wade: Well, yeah. So like, just making sure that you stay top of mind, considering you have so many strong competitors in the category. We don't need to worry about that. Yeah. We're focused. Yeah. Okay. But that's a fair point. And what about the toy development process? Like what about the toy development process in focusing on it like a commodity item?
Do you feel like more people should maybe take a second look at some items in their range that, I don't know, maybe they kind of shoved off to the side? They thought, those aren't. That's not that great. It's not gonna make us that much money. And try to see it through a different lens?
Paul Weingard: Yeah, absolutely. And I think NeeDoh proves out that trading something that might have been a commodity with with love, with something that you can build into a brand, and it is a way to actually brings value to the consumer as well.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah.
Paul Weingard: And I think that we're also in a kind of a world where pure commodity product is not cheap anymore.
Azhelle Wade: Right?
Paul Weingard: Yeah. So finding making sure that you're making good value product, we'll say at a lower price points, but making it accessible so people can spend $5 and get something really cool and feel like they didn't just get, you know, an open market item. And that's that's what we were doing here.
Azhelle Wade: Have you heard of the lipstick effect?
Paul Weingard: The lipstick effect? I don't know.
Azhelle Wade: So it's like this economic concept that when the economy is down and people don't have as much money to spend, they spend their money on cheaper things to kind of like feel something. So what's really nice is that you've created a commodity item. You've turned a commodity item into an experience that will allow people at a lesser price point to feel like they're getting an experience.
And rather than going to that like bargain bin and picking up a stress ball and feeling like I just, I'm stressed and now I have this ball that's a clinical piece of thing I need in my house. But now they get to buy a NeeDoh Nice Cube and feel like they did something special for themselves or their loved ones. And it's actually a therapeutic product and a play product. All right.
Paul Weingard: That's great. That's a great way to think about it. It is.
Azhelle Wade: You. It, I've heard about the effect online. But no, it's great. So, okay, I've got to ask you this question. You're going to be focusing on another toy for a second. What toy or game blew your mind as a kid?
Paul Weingard: Wow. Without being too focused on what we do and not not necessarily. Yeah, yeah. One of my favorite products when I was a kid was Lava Lamp. Oh, really? And I remember back at that time, you know, they were actually quite expensive. They were $40 back in the way back.
Azhelle Wade: They were like a luxury, a luxury item.
Paul Weingard: Right. So yeah, I think I must have, you know, begged my parents for a year for a Lava Lamp. And then they finally. And, you know, you think, wow, what, what is it you want a Lava Lamp for? Yeah, that's.
Azhelle Wade: Just there.
Paul Weingard: Integrity. Yeah. My, my brother and I had it in our room. We shared a room, and we had that Lava Lamp in our room for until basically until we went to college. And my brother took it with him for years and years. So. So, you know, not a toy per se, but, you know, but something that I think continues to fascinate people today as well.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. That it's, you know, you guys still do Lava Lamp.
Paul Weingard: Yeah, we do Lava Lamps, a lot of Lava Lamps. Right.
Azhelle Wade: So it's like kind of, it's, it's a different type of sensory experience, isn't it? It's like a mental sensory, I guess.
Paul Weingard: Yeah. We, you know, in a way we think about NeeDoh and the whole look. Like we like to say, you know, it's just a, just, you know, chills you out. It's a, it's and and the same thing with Lava Lamp, right? It's, it has its own kind of therapeutic kind of, you know, calming effect.
Azhelle Wade: We need that so much. Like, just things that are interesting enough to, it's so hard to pull us away from screens. But for sure, I have, like, baby, he's only five months. God forbid you notice the TV is on. I'm like, "What are you? What are you looking at? There's nothing there". Yeah.
And like, it's me love to like, turn on a Lava Lamp because I think a Lava Lamp would definitely take his attention. Yeah, for sure. It's stimulating. It's weird. It's interesting. The light is there. We don't need, like, something like a TV on.
Paul Weingard: And it's organic, right? It's like. It's kind of like watching fire or fireplace, right? It's just constantly ever changing. Yeah. And that's what's always surprises me when people get a Lava Lamp. You know, I give them way out to a lot of friends and they're like, "Oh, a Lava Lamp". It's kind of. Yeah. And the next thing you know, like, "Oh my God, I love the Lava Lamp," right?
I got it on all the time. And, and then you get along. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. It's, it's surprising for people who, you know, it's of course it's iconic and everybody knows it. But a lot of adults, they're not really thinking, "Oh, I want a little Lava Lamp". Yeah. A neighbor of mine and her husband was, it was not well.
And she said, "Oh, you know, it might be kind of cool if you had a Lava Lamp in his room with". So we get him a Lava Lamp and he's like, "Wow, we love the Lava Lamp." Like, "We turn off the TV and we watch the Lava Lamp". Right. And and it sounds crazy, you know, it's just like, gets you into it.
Azhelle Wade: There's a Lava Lamp in. Yeah, yeah. So would you say NeeDoh is going to be, like, synonymous with sensory play, but not just what you typically think of sensory play and sensory like tactile sensory play? Is it going to be the optical play, an audible sensory play, and all that?
Paul Weingard: Yeah. Yeah. Well, you're on to something, right? For sure.
Azhelle Wade: I'm sure I'm secret.
Paul Weingard: And you know, that's that's that's our goal here is to how do we expand beyond just the, you know, the, the physical tactile and, and a whole, the whole full on sensory experience.
Azhelle Wade: Right. Oh, that's exciting. I do you see it matched with scent something over there?
Paul Weingard: Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, also a little sensory sensory game. Right?
Azhelle Wade: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it. Love it. Okay. Before we give away the farm and around a wrap up this interview. But where can people go to buy their own NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl?
Paul Weingard: Yeah. You can find a Nice Cube Swirl all over the place. You can find it at major retailers, Walmart, and independent retailers, on Amazon. I mean, it's very widely distributed out there. But for sure, you know, a lot of, independent retailers will love Nice Cube Swirl.
Azhelle Wade: Oh, awesome. Paul, thank you so much. And congrats. Galatians. I didn't even say congratulations on your TOTY nomination for Specialty Toy of the Year.
Paul Weingard: Thank you.
Azhelle Wade: It's huge. Congratulations. How does that even feel?
Paul Weingard: Yeah, it feels fantastic. Great. Yeah.
Azhelle Wade: Phone's already.
Paul Weingard: Ringing. So excited.
Azhelle Wade: Yeah. So if you want to vote for NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl for Specialty Toy of the Year. Head over to Toy awards.org or head over to thetoycoach.com/toty . That's TOTY where we're sharing all of our top picks for the Toy Award nominees. And we're sharing all the links so you can vote right away.
Now, if you are in the toy industry, you can vote for the NeeDoh Nice Cube Swirl for Specialty Toy of the Year. If you're not in the toy industry, you can still vote this brand for People's Choice Award. Now, if you are a toy influencer, I have a little bit of a secret for you. If you're a toy influencer, you can count as media. And if you're not already registered to vote, contact the Toy Association in the toyassociation.org for info.
The https://www.google.com/search?q=toyassociation.com to get yourself registered as media, you count as media. You can vote this toy for Toy of the Year. Paul, thank you so much for your time. Today was such an informative interview.
Paul Weingard: Great! Thank you, Azhelle.
Azhelle Wade: I'm so excited for you and I have. I think that this is going to be a win. Awesome day, okay? Thank you.
Outro: Thanks for listening to Making It in the Toy Industry podcast with Azhelle Wade. Head over to the Toy coach.com for more information, tips, and advice.
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