Calling past toy makers - How did you make money?

[Brian Sommers]

I'm working on this one truck and it's taking me way to long. Grant it - I'm a beginner.

Those of you who used to make and sell toys how fast could you make a "standard" toy? (yes, I know standard there is very very subjective)

I'm not sure I'll be able to make them fast enough to keep my price down.

[Garth Almgren]

Only based on what I've read, templates and jigs are really the key. Anything that helps you to batch parts out really, really quickly.

[Frank Drackman]

Not a toy maker but I think I have a general understanding of the issue. I find that unless you have high-end commisions you have to turn you shop into a little factory and make batches of specific parts then production runs of a specific model. Trying to make one offs felt like pushing a large wheel uphill.

I think that it also helps if your design looks really complicated... but isn't.

[Steve Peterson]

We usually spend a day with the family at one of the local craft fairs. This is a place that is open from labor day through Christmas with a reasonable amount of foot traffic. One of the vendors makes wooden trucks and other toys. My son keeps asking for a jet plane and I kept saying that we could build a much better one. I ended up just buying one for $20 because we haven't found the time to make one yet.

After looking at it closely, it is obvious that the guy builds them very quickly. Most are made from pine, redwood, or doug fir. There are very few cuts and very little sanding. The finish looks like it was dipped in poly and left to dry. However, it still has a nice pleasing look while still retaining the "handmade" character. Only a woodworker will notice the flaws. My 10 year old son loves it.

He uses standard components for the wheels and axles. A quick search online shows 1.5" wheels for 9 cents and 2" wheels for 20 cents in 500-1000 piece quantities. Axle pegs are 4 cents. There is no need to make every single component if you are trying to make them quickly.

Steve

[Jim Finn]

I have made and sold toys in the past and still make a few. One sale I sold $1400 worth of toys Priced from $3 - $10. Simple toys for toddlers. Cars, trucks, critters, trains, almost all with one inch wheels. Buy wheels by the thousand and use 1/4" dowels for axels. To save the time normally spent on sanding I cut the toys out of 2x4's with a scroll saw. The cut of a scroll saw is slower than a band saw but requires no sanding. The most lucrative toy I ever made were rubber band shooters I sell for $5 and I can make four per hour. I use free scraps from construction sites (with permission to take them) pine,scrap ply, or MDF, and a three cent clothes pin. Another way to keep costs down is to buy Elmer's white glue at less than $15 a gallon. I have made some cute pull toys and some cute push toys also. All well received. I put no finish on any toy. I have found that adults like little toys with one inch wheels and kids like bigger toys with 1 1/2" wheels. Adults do the buying so I mostly made the smaller toys. Email me at Jimtfinn@aol.com and I will send you some patterns and ideas that worked for me. Attached are just a few photos.

[Brian Sommers]

Ah! The key is simple toys. I'm working on this one right now: http://toymakingplans.com/website/eMailSignUp/Freightliner-SignUp.html

[Lee Schierer]

I make toys, primarily for my grandkids. I find that I can make a quantity in almost the same time I can make one. However, even making 3 or four takes quite a bit of time and if I were to sell them they would be priced above $50 to make minimum wage and not cover my overhead costs if I were doing this as a business. A while back I made a cute little Model A car out of maple and cherry for a charity auction. 326895It sold for $35. I had at least 4-5 hours in the car. You can do the math.

[John K Jordan]

They are not ducks or trucks. They are not necessarily for little kids who may poke someone in the eye, but toys for big kids and to more adults than kids. I've made and sold a BUNCH of these magic wands.

At one Harry Potter book release I sold $1750 worth in three hours, $25-$50 each. I've sold a bunch more one or a few at a time without even trying, by word of mouth or to visitors who see my stash. I've never advertised but when I see some of the junk offered on the Internet, I could probably sell a bunch more if I did advertise. Sounds too much like work though...

Of course, these are quite well made (if you ask me!). Those in the picture below are from a few years ago; I make some quite a bit fancier now with more hand carving.

There are a bunch of Harry Potter fans out there.

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(The pot is figured maple)

Turning long, thin spindles can be tricky. I have developed methods for speed and success.

BTW, I usually don't make things to sell but give them away. In fact, these wands and one other item (which is not a toy and sells for a lot more) are the only things I ever sell.

Good clean fun!
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JKJ

[Bill Ryall]

I still do some. The keys are simple designs, low materials costs and efficient mass production.

My my most popular ones are simple cars and trucks I make mostly from construction off cuts. I have built multiple jigs that speed the process as well. It helps to have multiple machine setups- example one drill press set up for drilling big holes for windows and inside curves (same diameter), another set up for axle holes and a third for drum sanding; 2 band saws- 1 for scrolling and a second for general work and really good templates so there is no measuring.

Buy small things like wheels. As efficient as I am, I can but quality wheels for a tiny fraction of what it costs me to make them.