Magformers: Interview with Senior Marketing Manager Freddie Jordan
Magformers is a toy company that is known for creating fun, safe, and snazzy looking magnetic building block sets in a wide array of shapes and colors. Most of their sets are perfectly suitable for use by small children, but the brand also offers more advanced kits for more skilled play.
Tileblox and Stick-O are among their newest releases. Tileblox features vibrantly colored flat blocks in square and triangle shapes. They can be shaped together to create beautiful three-dimensional masterpieces that resemble stained glass when placed in the sunshine. Stick-O is intended for younger children. The blocks are unusually shaped, brightly colored, and very smooth to the touch. The set comes with instructions illustrating how to use the blocks to create a number of figures…or think up some of your own.
After reviewing these items, I was very impressed and found myself wondering how Magformers consistently delivers to the construction toy sector. To find answers my questions, I reached out to Freddie Jordan, Senior Marketing Manager of Magformers, who provided an exclusive interview about the brand and its hopes for the future.
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you initially get interested in toys and how did you break into the industry?
Freddie Jordan (FJ): Our team has always been interested in perfecting a way to integrate play into education. Magformers was established back in 2005 and since then we have been dedicated to developing high quality, reliable products that inspire the creators of the future.
MM: What made you decide to build a brand like Magformers which pairs classic construction play with magnets?
FJ: What made us decide to build a brand like Magformers is we always believed that creativity is the driving force behind problem-solving and STEM education early on. With this in mind we went on to research and perfect what we believe would be the best product to nurture a child’s potential and creativity. What we ended up creating was ‘always attracting’ magnet building sets that feature rare Earth Neodymium. Since then our product lines have grown and diversified yet still allow kids to explore and learn about the world around them through hands-on play.
MM: Was it tough to find the right formula to do this considering that magnets in toys can be a safety hazard?
FJ: It definitely took some time, but our team wanted our magnetic tiles to be first and foremost safe for our customers. Once we established our products to include ‘always attracting’ rare Earth Neodymium magnets, we’ve been off to the races. These magnets are the strongest of their kind for guaranteed connectivity. Every magnet is kept safe and secure in a Sonic welded, BPA free, HQABS plastic. This process of manufacturing ensures each magnet is encapsulated with the utmost security, providing a safe, long-lasting play experience. Which of course even though it took some time, was well worth it in the long run since all of our customers seem to be very happy with our product’s quality and durability.
MM: Magformers is known for creating items with really unusually shaped parts. How do you come up with the ideas?
FJ: Our team is always looking for new and creative product ideas. All of our sets do include similar basic tiles such as those seen in our Magformers Basic Sets. We do however come up with new ideas each year for different themed products which is where our new shapes come into play. The new shapes are great for those looking to add to their Magformers collection.
MM: How did you design Stick-O — and it’s build options/instructions — while keeping very small children in mind?
FJ: When our team developed Stick-O, we wanted to create a product for the pre-school market that reflects a similar hands-on construction experience to Magformers. The Stick-O pieces are a bit bigger and connect from all angles which is great for little hands, so they don’t get frustrated. The whole Stick-O line was made with our target audience in mind and so far, the response has been really great.
MM: What are some of the coolest things you’ve seen built with Magformers?
FJ: Here at Magformers we are always amazed by the creations we see made by our customers. It’s hard for us to pick just one since almost daily we are tagged on social media of some amazing buildings, scenarios, etc. and love them all for different reasons.
MM: How do you envision Magformers expanding from here? Can you give us any hints about sets that are in development?
FJ: Our team is always brainstorming new sets and product ideas for Magformers, Clicformers and Stick-O. Right now, we have some outdoor themed Magformers sets that we are looking forward to releasing. These sets come with little characters that we believe our consumer will love and our team is excited to introduce them to the world.
MM: What are your ultimate goals for the future of the company and is there anything else that you would like to mention?
FJ: Magformers would like to continue to be innovators in the kids STEM and hands on educational learning space. Now more than ever with everything that is going on with the COVID-19 outbreak, it is very important to introduce toys that offer individualized educational opportunities early for childhood development. As a team we hope to continue to provide these learning opportunities to kids all around the world and create products that inspire the creators of tomorrow.
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To learn more, visit the official Magformers website. To learn more about their products for 2020, see below.
Basic Plus 14pc Set
Create 3D structures from 2D nets with Magformers Basic Plus 14Pc Set. Build with 4 Squares, 8 Triangles and 2 Inner Circle Square shapes. Create houses, towers and our ‘magic ball’. Learn to build using combine, roll and pull-up techniques and see what your imagination can create! Build along with the step-by-step instructions and develop color and shape recognition, fine motor skills and problem-solving ability. The original and authentic Magformers. Perfect for brain development, critical thinking and STEM education. Follow the Step-by-step educational idea booklet for ideas and instructions. Each geometric shape contains magnets that never reject, so you’ll always hear the Magformers click. When playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store. MSRP: $24.99; Ages 3+
Magformers Amazing Sets
Click and create your own adventure with Magformers AMAZING Sets! Magformers are a magnetic construction toy where the possibilities are endless. Kids now have the opportunity to live out their dreams and become one of their dream professions such as a firefighter, a police officer, and construction worker through one of the four new Magformers AMAZING sets! Great for children aged 3 and up. Create 50 ideas with the follow-along idea booklet or build your own adventure! MSRP $59.99; Ages 3+.
Magformers Mini House Sets
Click, Connect, Create! Explore endless construction possibilities with Magformers Mini House Sets! Your little one can build anything they can imagine when they use the Magformers Magnetic Rainbow shapes, characters and accessories included in Max’s Playground Set, Maggy’s House Set, and Milo’s Mansion Set and Minibot Kitchen Set. Compatible with all Magformers, add Milo, Minibot and Max sets for extended building fun! MSRP: $49.99; Ages 3+
Stick-O
Magformers LLC, the industry leader in magnetic building toys for children, continues to expand its diverse product offerings with the launch of Stick-O, a line of magnetic sets made of 3D sticks, spheres, cones, discs, and many more shapes and accessories. Toddlers ages 18 months and up are encouraged to explore tactile learning through hands-on magnetic play with Stick-O’s basic and themed sets. Each Stick-O shape contains magnets that rotate so toddlers creations always stick together for a frustration-free play experience. Stick-O’s unique 3D shapes contain a magnet pocket, designed so the magnet can find the right magnetic direction to stick to every time. Stick-O magnets are completely encased inside BPA-free, ABS plastic to ensure children’s safety. The 2020 Stick-O line includes multiple basic sets and various themed kits based on activities like cooking, construction, role play, and fishing. All Stick-O sets are compatible with each other for hours of creative play. This year, Magformers has released nine different Stick-O kits including, the Basic 10Pc Set, Basic 20Pc Set, Basic 30Pc Set, Cooking 16Pc Set, Forest Friends 16Pc Set, City 16pc Set, Construction 26Pc Set, Role Play 26Pc Set and Fishing 26pc Set. MSRP $14.99-$39.99; Ages 18m-36m+
Tileblox
Rainbow 20Pc Set
Discover the endless possibilities of Tileblox 20Pc set. With the step-by-step idea sheet, create one-of-a-kind masterpieces! A great set for beginner builders looking to explore and learn through play. Arrives with 8 Triangles and 12 Square in Rainbow colors. Each geometric shape contains magnets that let you build with endless possibilities! TileBlox is perfect for STEM education and when playtime is over, use the magnetic power to simply stack and store. MSRP: $24.99; Ages 3+.
DOLCE Primo
Develop, Observe, Learn, Create and Educate with DOLCE by MAGFORMERS! DOLCE plush toys encourage babies to develop sensory skills with a wide variety of sensory fabrics; observe colorful fabrics and explore the world with soft mirrors; learn to understand cause and effect through many interesting activities; create fun and educational role-play; and let the beautiful, interesting activity-rich toys educate through play. This year, DOLCE has a wide variety of new adorable plushes that are perfect for stimulating young children’s senses through different sounds and textures. The beautifully crafted line continues to expand, with the brand new DOLCE Primo line. Using the same principles of DOLCE, the Primo line ranges in contemporary colors and high-quality fabrics reflecting the importance of learning through play and educating newborns through elegant and sophisticated designs. Including a DOLCE Primo Anteater, Primo Kangaroo, Primo Aardvark, Primo Llama, Primo Activity Owl, Primo Flamingo, Primo Activity Camel, Primo Activity Hanging Hedgehog, Primo Activity Hanging Chameleon, Primo Activity Hanging Zebra, Shaker Chicken and Primo Shaker Peacock. MSRP $13.99-$39.99; Ages 0m+.
Clicformers
Clicformers, by Magformers LLC, is an advanced educational toy that uses a unique clicking system so kids can easily click, build and play! The award-winning, STEM authenticated construction line uses high-quality plastic and building blocks that snap together for an awesome building adventure! Clicformers construction toys present four unique connection methods to foster creativity and help children develop hand-eye coordination. All Clicformers sets are compatible with each other, so the building possibilities are endless. New for 2020, are the Clicformers Bag Assortment Sets where kids can build cars, trucks, and spaceships! This includes the new Excavator 23Pc Set, Police Car 23Pc Set, Space Battleship 23Pc Set, and Muscle Car 23Pc Set. MSRP $5.99; Ages 4+.
