Toy Theory
Topic: Toy Museum News

 

 

TOy Theory: What Toys Can Teach Us About Business

 Matt Cohen is an MBA and a writer for MAD Magazine. Read more at www.UnexpectedExperts.com Posted: February 9, 2011 10:56 PM

 

 

Toy Fair -- the game and toy industry's annual expo -- starts on Sunday, so I thought it might interesting to take a look at game theory. I confess that I was mildly disappointed when I first learned that game theory had nothing to do with Othello, Trivial Pursuit, or Risk. Instead, game theory is concerned with "games" like Dictator, Ultimatum, and the famous Prisoner's Dilemma. These memorable scenarios are used as models for solving real-world problems.

Game theory is a study in strategy--how we play against other players with the end goal of winning. (Or at least maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage.) Game theory is a wonderful tool for determining optimal strategies, but most people don't have time for strategy in their work. Instead, their days are filled with the simple goal of getting the job done on time and on budget: Finish the presentation. Write the proposal. Manufacture the product. Meet the sales quota.

If game theory is for strategy, perhaps we can develop a similar tool set to help with daily operations: Let's call it "toy theory." Using the toy metaphor, here are five examples of toy theory that can be learned from your favorite playthings.

1. The Wind-Up Theory: One broken gear can stop the whole thing from running. The corollary to manufacturing should be self-evident.

2. The Construction Set Theory: When starting a new venture, look at your assets and core competencies to see what you can make out of them. If you have a set of traditional Lego blocks, your best option may be to construct a building. There is a reason, after all, why the standard pieces are called "bricks." Suppose instead you have a set of Zoob, which is another construction toy. Zoob pieces come together to form joints and they have parts that look like eyes and claws. Your best bet may be to build some sort of animal, bug, or alien. The properties of Lego bricks are suited towards architecture, whereas the Zoob pieces lend themselves towards organic creatures. Yes, you can use pretty much any construction set to build anything you dream of, but different sets lend themselves to different types of play. As they say, play to your strengths.

3. The Woody's Roundup Theory: When collecting assets, the value of two assets is simply equal to the sum of their separate values--unless you can bundle together assets that will complement each other. This will make the merged set of assets worth more to an outside investor. From the perspective of a toy collector:

For unrelated toys, the value of the toys together is equal to the sum of the values of each toy seperately: (The Value of (Woody + Buzz)) = (Value of Woody) + (Value of Buzz)

Whereas:

For toys that are part of a set, the combined value is significantly greater than seperate values of each toy: (The Value of (Woody + Jessie + Bullseye + Stinky Pete)) > (Value of Woody) + (Value of Jessie) + (Value of Bullseye) + (Value of Stinky Pete)

This is true whether you are expanding your product portfolio through R&D or whether you are expanding the scope of the entire company of companies through M&A.

4. The Action Figure Theory: You can often achieve better results by collaborating with other partners (even though those partners can sometimes be your competitors when you shift from creative play to competitive gamesmanship.) You can play both Luke and Darth Vader and have a good time, but there's more unexpected discovery when you have a friend play half the parts.

5. The AA Battery Theory: If accountants played with Tickle Me Elmo, they would point out that keeping the toy supplied with batteries adds to the total cost of ownership.

Finally, a meta-lesson concerning the interaction of game theory and toy theory: Remember the game Mouse Trap? The goal of the game was to eliminate the other players--the last player standing wins the game. But you didn't play it that way, did you? Mouse Trap was both a game and a toy. Most people ignore the game aspect of Mouse Trap and instead focused on playing with the really cool toy. It was fun to set up and it was fun to set the chain reaction in motion. The game component of Mouse Trap couldn't compete with the toy component of Mouse Trap.

Applying this observation back to business, daily operations aren't necessarily fun, but they are necessary. How often does the need to deal with toy theory distract from the task of focusing on game theory?

Travel Guide for Argentina
Topic: Bob Frassinetti
Argentina Arts and Antiques for the Traveler by Bob Frassinetti Travel Guide from San Telmo and Buenos Aires to All Argentina, from Arts to Antiques from A to Z from Gallery and Street Art to Flea Markets and Auctions in and around all Argentina: http://wbxapp.com/arts-antiques-argentina

Arte + Juguetes Retro
Topic: Toy Museum News
nuestra propuesta de Arte + Juguetes Retro y Clasicos Argentinos 

 

Me dirijo a Ud. a fin de formalizar el ofrecimiento del Buenos Aires Toy Museum para realizar en el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Latinoamericano de La Plata una muestra integral de Arte contemporáneo + Juguetes Retro y clásicos Argentinos.

 

Nuestra propuesta consiste en un abordaje artístico de los juguetes, entendiendo que se trata de objetos culturales y de diseño de gran importancia; reflejos artísticos de su época.

En este sentido es que desarrollamos un concepto amplio en donde estos objetos lúdicos y artísticos de producción nacional se combinan con la muestra de las producciones de pintores y artistas de nuestro tiempo.

 

Las piezas de arte son combinadas con los juguetes y de este modo aportan una concepción artística y estética inherente a cada una de las piezas en exhibición.

 

El atractivo esencial de los juguetes de producción nacional durante el período mencionado es dual. Por un lado está el valor cultural ineludible que presentan para las generaciones que crecieron jugando con aquellas piezas y que las atesoran como reflejos de un momento histórico específico. Pero quizá tan importante como éste,  es el aporte histórico de dichas piezas que favorecieron el posicionamiento de la industria juguetera argentina en el plano internacional. Si bien los juguetes argentinos desde los inicios de la producción industrial en nuestro país en la década del 50 se han caracterizado por su calidad y diseño, con este nuevo giro en la industria se alcanza un status mayor. Aquellas empresas de renombre en los países centrales tales como Hasbro, Mattel, Solido, etc que concibieron y produjeron estos juguetes, eligieron a la Argentina como localización perfecta para que estos juguetes norteamericanos y europeos pudieran ingresar al mercado latinoamericano con una impronta cultural propia. Es así que aquellos modelos fueron sutilmente modificados en las plantas argentinas y de allí distribuidos tanto en el país como en países vecinos de la región.

Esta nota distintiva es el resultado del conocimiento profundo que hemos desarrollado sobre nuestras piezas producto de años de investigación y colaboración con coleccionistas y empresarios nacionales de la rama. Lo que nos ha permitido reponer en su amplitud estética y artística al objeto lúdico como objeto cultural.

 

La exhibición consta de muebles temáticos especialmente confeccionados para este propósito los juguetes en exhibición son los siguientes:

 

- Autitos die cast de producción nacional por las marcas Buby, Muky y Jet

- Autos de juguete de caucho de la famosa marca Duravit

- Autos de Juguete de Roller, Gorgo, Corgi y Galgo

- Juguetes de circo de lata, madera, plástico

- Animalitos de felpa de producción nacional

- Figuras de acción de marcas internacionales cuya producción para el mercado Latinoamericano se concentró en la Argentina, como:

 GI Joe

 He Man

 COPS

 Thundercats

Transformers

 

-Muñecas argentinas

-Mi Pequeño Pony

-Frutillitas

- Figuritas argentinas Basuritas en todas sus series que evidencian la convergencia entre lo lúdico y lo artístico en tanto diseño y caricaturas.

 

Buenos Aires Toy Museum es una propuesta cultural integral con más de 10 años de trabajo, en donde se combina la recuperación histórica y cultural de juguetes hechos o encontrados en la argentina, y las producciones de jóvenes artistas argentinos y latinoamericanos de nuestro tiempo que trabajan la temática del juego y la infancia, la fantasía y la creatividad.

 

Con un acervo de más de 10,000 juguetes propios el Buenos Aires Toy Museum ha desarrollado su primera muestra conceptual en el BAC, British Arts Center que consiste en una muestra de algunos de juguetes y juegos, y como obras de arte del joven artista porteño Juan Francisco Adaro.

A partir de la repercusión que resulta de la exhibición del mes de Julio, que estará concluyendo el 6 de Agosto, tenemos la intención de continuar mostrando nuestros juguetes y obras de arte. 

 

La muestra itinerante de Arte + Juguetes Retro y Clasicos Argentinos, gracias a la variedad de piezas propias con las que trabajamos nunca se repite.

 

Nuestra propuesta incluye muebles íntegramente diseñados para la ocasión que han sido concebidos especialmente para resaltar las cualidades intrínsecas de las piezas en exhibición, de una manera novedosa y vanguardista, en el marco de un approach temático.

 

Hemos desarrollado un abordaje propio para revalorizar la historia de los juguetes argentinos en términos didácticos y lúdicos al mismo tiempo que resaltamos sus cualidades estéticas, artísticas y de diseño. Justamente gracias al trabajo de investigación llevado adelante por el Buenos Aires Toy Museum, contamos con producciones propias que detallan la historia de los juguetes exhibidos revalorizando de este modo su contexto de producción al mismo tiempo que las características intrínsecas de cada una de las piezas.

 

Por eso nuestra propuesta de Arte + Juguetes Retro y Clasicos Argentinos atrae tanto a niños como jóvenes y adultos. Es una muestra polifacética que interesa también a los hombres y mujeres de nuestro tiempo que valoran la cultura Retro, los juguetes de antaño principalmente aquellos de las décadas del 70 y 80, donde el diseño local de vanguardia y las expresiones artísticas ligadas a la temática retro-clásica de los juegos y juguetes se expresaron tan profusamente. Dentro de este amplio espectro de público, el interés particular de artistas, curadores y coleccionistas de arte y juguetes encuentran un abordaje integral y novedoso.

 

 

 

About Bob Frassinetti
Topic: Bob Frassinetti

Bob Frassinetti, art and antique dealer and free-lance journalist from Argentina, Buenos Aires, working on the web, writing both for pleasure and work on art, antiques and collectibles, in and on Buenos Aires, Argentina as well are neighbouring countries, Chile and Uruguay. "I've written for several Travel Adventure, Art & Antiques Magazines on and off the web and have researched Toys made here in Argentina, as well as Travel Adventure from Route 40 and Lighthouse Adventures along the Atlantic and Pacific coast, Dakar Rally  2009, 2010 and now for a 3erd time, 2011, and now we are “Building a Gallery Museum in the Province of  Cordoba” Real Estate Investment  ........  Travelling for Art and Antiques"   and I have been on line since 1996 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living with art and antiques and travelling the south of South America. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay 
San Telmo, Buenos Aires 2010
Argentina
ph: +54 911 6965 1955
alt: +54 911 4475 3983
admin@frassinetti.com

 

Toy Museum Funds by Fundacion para el Arte en Villa del Valle de Tulumba
Topic: Donate
Donate in the Buenos Aires Toy Museum Funds by Fundacion para el Arte en Villa del Valle de Tulumba" "Doña Eva Staub de Rona Eva Staub de Rona" here in Argentina. Bob Frassinetti: For more information: Email: Bob Frassinetti. Press here for the Donation Link:Donate to the Buenos Aires Toy Museum Funds by Fundacion para el Arte en Villa del Valle de Tulumba" "Doña Eva Staub de Rona Eva Staub de Rona" here in Argentina., Phone me thru Skype, ID: Bob Frassinetti When you purchase ( or donate funds ) on any item at the Buenos Aires Toy Museum all profits are invested in the development of the Museum. When buying a toy from our Toy Museum you're not only buying a bit of the History of Argentina, but also contributing to the conservation of vintage and antiques toys, and to furthering the museum's research project on Argentine toy industries and to rescue valuable items for forget and the pass of time. Thank you for helping us to keep on developing this fantastic project! The Buenos Aires, “Toy Museum Team”.

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Topic: Bob Frassinetti

Bob Frassinetti, Art Collector & Antiques Dealer in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Press this Link My name is Bob Frassinetti. And I sell art and all kinds of antiques from Buenos Aires, Argentina as well as Chile, Paraguay or Uruguay.

Buy Art Invest in Bricks and Dodge Inflation
Topic: Art Toy Museum Gallery
The received wisdom in countries like Argentina, with years of painful experience of surviving inflation, is that when prices start to gallop, you invest in bricks and mortar. Or a car. Or consumer durables. Or now, perhaps, art.

On Thursday, the city bank of Buenos Aires, Banco Ciudad, which prides itself on being the country’s top bank in the auctions business, holds its third “super special” auction of the year - and is already bracing itself for a packed auditorium and telephone lines buzzing with bids, amid what it says is a “sustained growth in public interest in investing in art”.

In Argentina, where private estimates reckon inflation will end the year at 25 to 30 per cent (well above the discredited official data, which reports that prices have risen 6.7 per cent so far this year), buying art may be a new hedge.

It could also be a way for Argentines to maintain a sense of sophistication. Argentines gloried in their humble peso being equivalent to the mighty dollar during the 1990s - until the unsustainable currency peg spectacularly collapsed in 2001-02.

Whatever the reason, visitors to the auction section of Banco Ciudad’s website have doubled in the past month and there are 20 requests a day to receive auction catalogues online for bidders to browse the relative bargains on offer.

Reserve prices for Thursday’s auction of Argentine artists start as low as 1,500 pesos ($380) and the biggest ticket work is Vito Campanella’s oil on canvas, “La Payada” , which starts with what the bank calls the “very tempting” price tag of 15,000 pesos ($3,800).

The bank’s first two auctions this year raised more than 4.4m pesos ($1.1m) and artworks have gone under the hammer for more than 50 per cent more than their reserve prices.

This experience in Argentina illustrates a wider trend: the rise of art as a new emerging asset class. Forget bonds, stocks, forex or even copper and soya. Bric art is booming, as this article highlights.

Latin American art was the best performing regional art index in the past 25 years at the end of 2009, according to Beautiful Asset Advisors, whose founders Jianping Mei and Michael Moses track the performance of fine art sales against equity market returns via their MeiMoses fine art indices.

Latin American art’s performance has sloped off this year - the following graph shows how it lags the resurgence in demand for post-war and impressionist works - but it remains “very vibrant and viable, especially as wealth continues to accumulate”, according to Mr Moses.

Castlestone Management, a UK fund manager which last year launched the first retail art fund, offering institutional and individual investors the opportunity to diversify out of traditional asset classes, says that when the value of money falls, the value of art, like that of gold, rises.

As its CEO Angus Murray, puts it, art is “an irreplaceable, unleveraged real asset which responds well in a time when the possibility of inflation is on the horizon alongside the rapid decline of the real purchasing power of money.”

Soaring bid and sales volumes at New York and London auctions since late last year prove confidence in the art market is back. “People haven’t suddenly become cultured, it’s a hedge against inflation and shows art is becoming more and more a respected asset class,” says Constanze Kubern, Castlestone’s senior art adviser.

Though “blue chip” artists can prove costly investments - Pablo Picasso’s “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust” sold for $106.5m in New York in May, setting a new world record - art gets good returns, as the following chart from Castlestone shows:

And there is plenty of upside yet. Castlestone expects art prices to rise 40 per cent over the next couple of years as the market recovers from lows in 2009.

Emerging market and Latin American art was on the up before the 2009 economic downturn, and is now picking up steam again. Phillips de Pury, one of the other big auction house alongside Sotheby’s and Christie’s, held a Bric auction in London in April, and Latin American art was showcased in the Pinta art show in London in June, a expansion from Pinta’s roots in New York.

Bric and Latin art can be speculative and thus risky, and Castlestone doesn’t own any Latin American art yet - it focuses on the “golden middle” of post-war art where prices and returns are good. But Kubern said she had Colombian artist Fernando Botero on her shopping list.

So emerging market investors may want to grab their cheque books and rush to get seats at the October-November auction season in London and New York. And make sure they have enough cash left over for the ArtBasel fair in Miami Beach in December.

Related:
Nigeria’s art collectors: a nice new market, The Economist
The Rise of the Emerging Art Economy, Businessweek

Tags: art, inflation

About Bob Frassinetti
Topic: Bob Frassinetti

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Las construcciones de lujo se mudan al interior
Topic: Art Toy Museum Gallery