The Romney Etch A Sketch Boom! Seven New Products From Other Big Toy Companies Hoping To Cash In Too!
Two days ago on CNN, Romney campaign Communications Director Eric Fehrnstrom famously stepped in it, big time. Since then, Etch A Sketch sales have jumped, and more toy companies are rolling out their own versions. Below are seven great new ideas applied to old standards like Gumby, Mr. Potato Head, Lincoln Logs, and Tinkertoys . . .
First, here’s how it all started on CNN:
HOST: Is there a concern that Santorum and Gingrich might force the governor to tack so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the general election?
FEHRNSTROM: Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all of over again.
A Freudian slip? Accidental truth telling? Whatever caused it, Mr. Ferhnstrom – a communications director, for gosh sake – had a brief bout of failure to communicate. Nonetheless, his summoning of the Etch A Sketch imagery suits his candidate splendidly (unless, of course, you are hoping to get Mr. Romney to the nomination and then elected President). Romney’s always and everywhere blithely trying to erase his past with no more thought than a seven year old erasing a silly etched sketch. This latest character sketch won’t be easily erased, another “unforced error” that’ll dog the Romney forces, precisely because of the dead on accuracy of the image. This story’s got legs.
Of course, there is a predictable Etch A Sketch boom, both in product sales and in Ohio Art’s stock price. Also predictable, other toy companies took the lesson: there’s money to be made from Romney’s flip flopping! Since yesterday morning toymaker giants have pitched their ideas to Romney campaign staffers, and, some say, the candidate himself. Below are some of their concepts. I like them all, how about you?
1. Hasbro’s (HAS, NASDAQ) creative department quickly chimed in!
2. Japanese toy company Nikko called an emergency group think and 30 hour’s later emerged with this idea!
3. The French company Kapla, maker of children’s blocks, wasn’t caught sawing wood either. Here’s there entry!
4. K’NEX Brands, owner of the Lincoln Log franchise, found a new way to position a product that, like Etch A Sketch, allows children to imagineer any Mr. Romney in any structure they like!
5. Here’s yet another Hasbro concept!
6. As a Gumby fan, this is my personal favorite!
7. Hasbro seems to own everything. The Playskool Division produced this one!
