Creepy, Squirmy, Crawly Fun

"If people don´t buy one the first time, they always come back. I can´t keep enough in stock." — Derek Sanders, owner of Toys, Toys, Toys

Sea-Monkeys, butterflies and ants — oh, my! Kids and creepy crawly things; every budding scientist starts somewhere, and live-animal kits have been perennial sellers for almost 50 years, starting when Uncle Milton introduced the Ant Farm. The capricious Sea-Monkeys followed that, and the rest is toy history. So, should you sell nature in your store?

“Of all the toy categories out there, nature/learning toys were one of only two that increased sales last year — in fact, it had the number one growth at 19%,” according to Reyne Rice, Toy Trends Specialist for the Toy Industry Association. As Pam Mikula of The Nature Store says: “Trends come and trends go, but curiosity is always there.” And the #1 selling nature toy out there? Butterflies!

“My hottest seller, specifically for the girls,” said Star Toys owner Leonard Lieberman, “is the Butterfly Garden. They fly off the shelf.”

Randi Jones of the Butterfly and Nature Gift Store concurred about the winged wonders: “Butterfly Pavilion by Insect Lore is the best seller, by far. It started off strong 5 years ago and has been growing in sales since, now creaming everything. And another friend’s store shows the same pattern, though her best seller is the Butterfly Garden.”

John White, of Insect Lore, the makers of both the Butterfly Pavilion and the Butterfly Garden sees a trend: “Catalogue and on-line, because of the slightly higher price, tend to favor the Pavilion, but our number-one best seller is the Butterfly Garden. The nicest thing about these habitats is that they work, from larvae to adult butterfly. We have nothing but good response.” And the future: “We’re working on a few very interesting live things for Toy Fair.”

Getting back to basics, the Ant Farm is a constant seller year in and year out. Uncle Milton keeps refining the product, using less breakable plastic, redesigning to stop “ant-escapes” and constantly pushing the “play factor” in their toy.

There are a few competitors, like Educational Insights´ (ToyDirectory) Ant Factory. George Atamian (president of EI’s Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys branch) even invented his own escape-proof ant habitat: “I got fascinated, tried to do better, and here it is.”

And speaking of Sea-Monkeys: It’s war under the water (see Side Bar: Underwater War!). Sea-Monkeys have the brand recognition, but Triops are faster sellers. Both bring in revenue.

Selling to customers who don’t have a “green thumb” with underwater animals? The Small Pod EcoSphere can come to the rescue. This higher-end, completely self-contained, doesn’t need a thing but sunlight eco-ball is a mini-world under glass. “I have two on my counter,” explained Derek Sanders, owner of Toys, Toys, Toys in Washington D.C., “and kids and adults both will stand there for tens of minutes, staring, completely captivated. Those things are their own best advertising. If people don’t buy one the first time, they always come back. I can’t keep enough in stock.”

Nature toys are on the rise, but a word to the wise: shipping and handling for animals is extra and can take anywhere from a week to a month. Many retailers suggest contacting the manufacturers and ordering animals to have on stock for big occasions: summer runs, special sales and Christmas. That way the buyer can have instant gratification. Having a “live” toy on the counter is a big help to sales, too. It’s hard to resist the lure of nature.

The following products reflect the live animal growing kit trend: