BELOIT — Steve Adolph has fun at his job as CEO of PlayMonster, Beloit’s game and toy maker. On Monday, he was batting around a Kush ball with a racket, and playing the company’s new game Pigs on Trampolines.
“If you can’t have fun at a toy and game company, where can you have fun?†he asked.
Adolph and his employees have a little more to smile about lately. The company recently won a Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award for its game 5 Second Rule Relay.
The award was presented at the National Toy Fair in New York City.
This is not the first time the Beloit toy and game company has earned national recognition at the Toy Fair. Last year, the company’s Craft-tastic Nature: Scavanger Hunt Potions line won a TOTY award in the specialty toy category. In 2017, PlayMonster won a TOTY award in the game category for the Yeti in my Spaghetti board game.
“This is sort of like the Oscars for our industry,†Adolph said. “Any time a small company like ours can win, it really makes us proud. We’re punching above our weight.â€
PlayMonster had some stiff competition this year, going up against some major names in the game-making business such as Mattel and Goliath.
The 5 Second Rule Relay game was launched in August and it can be found at major retail stores such as Walmart and Target.
Players of 5 Second Rule will draw a card which provides a question for the players. For example, the question may be, “Things you do while no one is looking.†Then the battery powered baton is activated and it starts counting down the five seconds. The first player must give an answer before passing the baton to the next player. Players may use their “pass†card if they can’t come up with an answer in five seconds.
Adolph said the award is a testament to all the hard work of the PlayMonster employees — from those working in packaging and design to those in marketing.
The award comes as the company moves into its busiest time of year. As the holiday season starts to get into full swing, workers are busy shipping toys, games and products to stores. Adolph himself took a turn in the warehouse in Beloit on Monday to lend a hand as business picks up.
PlayMonster has about 70 employees in Beloit, and it has facilities in 60 countries, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Turkey. While the company has warehouse facilities and its home office in Beloit, manufacturing is done overseas. Adolph said that is common among about 90% of toy makers.
Besides the 5 Second Rule Relay game, the company is finding some success with its new Pigs on Trampolines game. Players try to bounce small plastic pigs on a small trampoline in an effort to have them land in the mud pit. If the player is successful, he or she can collect a mud pie.
Other games the company is proud of include the Disney Trivia Game. Since Disney is observing its 100th anniversary this year, company officials are hoping for an increased interest in the game.
Also PlayMonster has licensing to market and distribute some classic play items such as Spirograph and Playschool toys, such as the classic Sit n’ Spin.
PlayMonster also helps support many causes in the area. The company provides toys and donations to area schools, to the Rock County Jail Chaplaincy as well as to people and families who are challenged by health conditions. The company recently donated some toys to an area hospital’s burn unit.
PlayMonster had its beginnings in Beloit in 1984 when it was Patch Products. The company became PlayMonster in 2016.
