On the Shelf in Fall, Closeout in January

Wednesday, 09 September 2009 06:04

Posted September 9, 2009

As inventors, everything we do is speculative. No one pays us for anything until they like it enough to invest their own hard-won dollars, often millions of dollars in the case of a TV advertised toy, to develop and bring to market one of our products. I think my father-in-law viewed my profession as something like being a Mississippi River Boat.

Not having enduring brands that generate income for us reliably year after year, we have to start all over every year to create new products that can be licensed just to sustain ourselves another year. The life of our products is typically 6 months. On shelf in the Fall, and closeout in January. Repeat. For 30 years and counting.

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written by Darryl, September 09, 2009

How much did Fireball Island originally retail for back in the mid-80's? I wonder if a game like that could be published today. Maybe by a German company like Ravensburger (and that's still a big maybe) but I don't think it could be published in the current American market. I suspect there is far, far too much downward price pressure in the US nowadays.

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written by bruce lund, September 10, 2009

Thanks for your comment and interest. I recall it was a hit and now the subject of two websites, and called a cult classic. I recall $19.95 retail back then, although size would preclude hitting that price point if it were brought back one day. And you are right. There is a great deal of price pressure, and boys are often drawn to video games, rather than real world games. A pity, because Fireball Island is a rich, highly interactive, intensely engaging game experience. As you may already know.

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Bruce Lund, Founder
Lund and Company Invention, L.L.C.

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