My name is Jill Gomez and I originally created this toy for my son Gavin. When he was about 12 months old he was fascinated with the buckles on his stroller and high chair. He would stand at his high chair for long periods of time just clipping the buckles together, and then would cry when he needed me to come over and unclip them. I went online to find a toy for kids with multiple buckles that would be easier for him to unclip himself. I really could not believe that there were no toys available that had multiple buckles. All the toys I found had only one buckle, and they had zippers, buttons, shoe laces etc. My husband and I both said we couldn’t believe that no one had come out with anything like this. A light bulb went off for me and I thought this is my chance. Being a working mom I was always trying to think of ways I could work from home, work less, or make more money so I could spend more time with my son and husband. I figured I could sell this toy online and other parents who noticed their children liked buckles, would search for “Buckle Toy” and would find my site. So had a lawyer do a patent search for a toy with multiple buckles, and found nothing. I then decided I wasn’t going to just sit around and wait for someone else to come up with this idea, and I got a manufacturer, started my company, and built a website. There were, and still are, a lot of things to learn but we are so excited that this concept has been a huge hit and we can’t wait to see what happens next year.
January 16, 2010
This toy is designed to help develop a toddler’s fine motor skills by strengthening their hand/eye coordination. The buckles have been specifically designed for little fingers to be able to control both ends as they learn to fit one side into the other. All of the buckles used are easy release buckles, meaning they do not clip tight enough to pinch, and are easy enough for little ones to un-clip!
“Bucky” has 4 colored straps and buckles, numbers 1-10 on his tummy, 6 shapes on his shell, and a zipper down the middle of his shell that opens to a pouch that can store toys. This toy is all soft plush so it is very easy to compress and fit in or attach to any diaper bag. This toy is great for airplane/car rides, waiting rooms, or any time you want to help your child learn while they have fun.
Inventor: Jill Gomez
Jill Gomez is a working mom that is currently finishing her Bachelors in Nursing at South University in Tampa Fl. She is the inventor of Buckle Toys, and also ran a successful Cell Phone company for 5yrs with her husband Seth. She now works part time as a Real Estate agent and the rest of her time is split between running her Buckle Toy product, going to school, cleaning her house, and playing with her son. She enjoys working out, cooking, reading gossip magazines, and hanging with her family. Her dream is to make Buckle Toy a brand that moms trust, and she would like at least 5-6 more versions so she can market them to the large retail chains nationwide.
Jill was taped for a segment for the “Million Dollar Idea” for the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch show on CNBC in September 2008. It was supposed to air in early October 2008. But with the presidential election and economic crisis, it never made it to the air. So Jill and Seth went back to work, looking for the next big opportunity to get the word out on the product.
The Mood Swinger Refrigerator Magnets are a fun way to share how you feel and express yourself. We offer several different versions that can be used at the office, at home, at school, in lockers, or anywhere else where there is a metal surface. They can be used as communication tools to show others how you feel, to teach kids about different emotions, or just for fun to share your moods. Each version includes a large and colorful magnetic frame and 32 funny cartoon magnet faces each displaying a different mood.
Life is chaotic and stressful at times and the bottom line is, my wife is moody. One day I thought I would be funny and drew some moody cartoon faces to stick on the fridge so my wife could warn me about what mood she was in when I got home from work. It seemed silly at first, but it became fun and actually helped us communicate better. When people came to our house they also thought it was a fun idea and could totally relate.
We figured other people might enjoy and benefit from this fun new way to express themselves as well, so we refined our idea and created a business out of it. The "Original" Mood Swinger Refrigerator Magnet Set was born. Of course we started from scratch, made a bunch of mistakes, but eventually got our product developed. As orders started coming in we got valuable feedback and applied that toward the development of several different male and female versions of Mood Swinger Magnet Sets.
Our retail success has helped us recently move into the advertising magnet space where we can now produce unique customized mood magnets for businesses to use to promote their products or services.
Inventor: David Unger
The Mood Swinger is a part time moonlighting gig that my wife and I work on when we are not dealing with the kids, work, school, sports, family, and everything else that makes up the daily grind. While we would love for this to be the next "Magnetic Poetry", we aren't there yet, so we will keep on trying to innovate until word spreads and demand for Mood Swinger Magnets becomes overwhelming. My background has mainly been in Finance and Marketing roles while my wife has been a teacher, salesperson, and stay at home mom.
I had a little brother who died of Neuroblastoma Cancer when he was 5 years old. For years I wanted to do something in his memory, but never did. When we created this business, I pledged that I would donate a % of each sale to The Valerie Fund which is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide support for the comprehensive health care of children with cancer and blood disorders.
Carmelyn Calvert says:
Jan 16, 2010 at 1:12 pm
What a great ice breaker!! I agree even people living in the same house have trouble communicating.The large variety is really good too. Moods are not just happy or sad. This product seems to cover all the basis. Good Idea. I love it!!
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jamie chumsae says:
Jan 17, 2010 at 12:06 am
I love it! My daughter loves buckling her high chair so this would be a great alternative. I saw on the website that these buckles wont pinch little fingers like the regular ones do and they are smaller buckles so its easier for kids to hold and control. … more We travel alot and this seems like it would be a life saver on a long air plane ride.
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Susan says:
Jan 16, 2010 at 11:34 am
Mamamama, I agree. It is not teaching kids the right skills as these buckles are usually used to keep them safe. Turtle is adorable if you could attach something different to him. Maybe straps that would hold a bottle or pacifier then buckle onto the … more turtle's straps. I think would be of great value. In this form I would not buy it.
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mamamama says:
Jan 16, 2010 at 9:23 am
While this is a really pretty toy, I do wonder about teaching children to UNbuckle. They are escape artist way too quickly in their high chair and the seat at the grocery store.
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