"At Pentwater, the Williams Mark Corp. is the most successful. It's a foil cylinder you throw like a football. We had it since we opened our kite shop in 1998. It's not expensive, it's easy to master, it flies amazingly far and it wows people."

—Mike and Susan Castor, owner, Pentwater Toybox, Pentwater, Mich., December 2006

 

"The other thing we've been selling quite a few of is old-fashioned tops, metal tops. We usually carry them, and right now they're popular."

—Judy Bergelin, owner, Frankenmuth Toy Co., Frankenmuth, Mich., November 2005

 

"Flashcards, workbooks and games are popular. Jingo is very popular. We also carry the Summer Bridge Activity Books that are big sellers in May and June. We always have to reorder."

—Cathy Foland, Imagination Station, Fenton, Mich., September 2006

 

"'21 Easy-to-Knit Patterns for Irresistible Soft Toys' by Fiona McTague is a good seller."

—Beth Bingham, media relations representative, Borders Group Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich., December 2005

www.bordersgroupinc.com

 

"Groovy Girls by Manhattan Toy. The new fantasy line should do well."

— Bill Rayment, owners, Toy Crossing, Harbor Beach, Mich., December 2006

 

"Gund's new body puppets are cool."

—Sue Wrzesinski, owner, Toy House and Baby Too, Jackson, Mich., December 2006

www.toyhouseonline.com

 

"In our toy store, we feature a wide variety of dolls."

—Jim Dohrmann, retail division manager, Bavarian Inn Dolls, Frankenmuth, Mich., June 2005

 

"KidKraft is our best-selling furniture line. We only sell tables and chairs in two to three different sizes and price ranges. That's what people seem to want."

—Scott Bultman, owner, Play Child, Grand Rapids, Mich., August 2006

www.playchild.com

 

"Pacific Quest dba Flying Wings has a popular stunt kite. It was voted the best new kite in 1999 at the Kite Trade Show International, and its popularity keeps going. It's durable and easy to learn. It can be adapted for higher winds."

—Mike Castor, owner, Air Fun LLC, Pentwater, Mich., July 2006

www.air-fun.com

 

"[Mindstorms] is probably the most deluxe building set you can get."

—Patricia and Hans Masing, owners, Brain Station, Ann Arbor, Mich., April 2006

 

"We also do well with Magnetic Poetry. It has the big words and we have it on our bathroom door."

—Cathy Albrow, owner, Creative Learning Toys, Grand Rapids, Mich., December 2006

www.creativelearningtoys.com

 

"We sold a lot of everything. Games and musical instruments did really well. We have trumpets, guitars, etc. from Woodstock, and Schoenhut pianos. We also have Trophy."

—Margaret MacDonald, clerk, Generations for Children, Ann Arbor, Mich., December 2006