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a Snaggy diMe Blog Musings from the retail world. Menu A Wolf in the Fold Leave a reply A customer asked us about the difference between Call of the Wolf and Wolf Spirit product lines. Call of the Wolf is a line produced by Westland Giftware between 2004 and 2016 with wolf figurines in a variety of poses. Wolf Spirit was released in 2017 by Pacific Giftware and the initial figurines are of standing wolves only. The figurines are of the same size with the Wolf Spirit wolves being just a bit smaller, but at the same time more muscular and with greater detail in the teeth and fur. Take a look at the differences between Westand’s Americana Wolf (left) and Pacific’s American Wolf (right): This entry was posted in Call of the Wolf , Wolf Spirit and tagged Call of the Wolf , Pacific Giftware , Wolf Spirit , Wolves on January 4, 2020 by a Snaggy diMe . Cat Apparel Leave a reply This weekend we attended the Rocky Mountain Gift Show. Looking at the variety of vendors, we sometimes have to wonder if we’re missing a product line in our business model. We did not inquire how fitting rooms would work for the target customer base. This entry was posted in Apparel on August 24, 2019 by a Snaggy diMe . Stuffed Stuff Leave a reply One thing that never seems to go out of style are stuffed animals. Rag dolls representing people and animals date back to Roman times, but the modern version of a stuffed animal did not come around until 1880, when Steiff, a German toy company, reinvented this category of toys. The realistic looking animals with plush fur-like fabric were an instant hit. The Ideal Novelty and Toy Company copied this success in the United States and, in 1902, their success exploded with the creation of the Teddy Bear, inspired by a story of President Theodore Roosevelt sparing the life of a defenseless black bear while on a hunting trip. Stuffed toys have been good to us and we are always on the lookout for realistic looking, cute and cuddly animals . And some of our best sellers tend to be the more unusual animals – armadillos , bats , marmots , possums , skunks , squirrels , etc. It seems that everyone already has a bear , a moose and a wolf and while they are not poor sellers, they are easily trounced by the more esoteric members of the animal kingdom. At the Rocky Mountain Gift Show we met with our suppliers from Stuffed Animal House , Northern Gifts , Fiesta Toy and Wild Republic to talk about product lines and upcoming releases. There is always churn in manufacturer offerings and we pick up the more interesting animals to help them find new homes. Looking to find an animal companion with low maintenance needs? Come look at our collection! Stuffed Animal House offers a wide variety of North American wildlife. Northern Gifts is the king of novelty Canned Critters. Northern Gifts will be adding new faces to their Canned Critters line in the next few months. [whohit]2016-03-08 Stuffed stuff[/whohit] This entry was posted in Plush Toys on March 8, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . Trending to Funny Leave a reply Zoltar the Fortune Teller – we were offered no proof that Zoltar has magical powers. There’s a little bit of a retro trend that we’re seeing in the market this year, including gifts and collectibles reflective of the 50s and 60s, Victorian style furniture, a bit more lace in clothes. It’s not a huge wave of change by far, but there’s certainly something about nostalgia out there. Nostalgia also included movie memorabilia, ranging from modern day blockbusters to old classics and a lot of big names in between. Hollywood is definitely not dead when it comes to merchandising, even if movie ticket sales have been trending down. Star Wars was huge this year. And Frozen is still very popular. There’s also a lot of humor coming up in signage. Art prints and posters in 2’ by 3’ size are more prominent and are definitely designed to make you stop, read and laugh. Send More Tourists Every Bite You Take Minion There’s also more nontraditional statuary art out there. Oversized, uncommon materials, but without a doubt, trending popular themes. We don’t normally carry the unusual merchandise you see in this post, but if you fall in love with any of the wackadoodle items you see, just give us a yell. We know people. [whohit]2016-03-06 Trending to Funny[/whohit] This entry was posted in General , Merchandise on March 6, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . A Weekend at the Mart Leave a reply We head out to merchandise and consumer shows on a regular basis to see what’s trending in the market and what manufacturers are getting ready for the coming season. One of our favorite shows is the Rocky Mountain Gift Show, not only because it’s local, but also because of the broad cross spectrum of the retail market that it attracts. Rocky Mountain Gift Show The Rocky Mountain Gift Show brings together retail, tourism, jewelry, gift markets, home goods, apparel and many other specialty niches. The fare ranges from things you’re afraid to touch to things you’re afraid to put down. And that’s really the excitement of the market. Not everyone wants taxidermied still life or human-sized animatronic manikins, but there’s also plenty of cute and cuddly that spans the show, as well as down to Earth and functional. From cute… …to creepy. Saturday night the show hosts a banquet for all buyers and exhibitors, showcasing the fashions for the coming season. Season fashions, courtesy of the Denver Mart. The show is five days long. It can probably stand to be a few days longer. It’s hard to hit all of the vendors in this short a time. We’ll show off some of the cool stuff we’ve seen in the next few days. [whohit]2016-03-01 A Weekend at the Mart[/whohit] This entry was posted in General on March 1, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . Happy Valentine’s Day! Leave a reply Happy Valentine’s Day to all our friends! We love our customers! Heart to Heart, Trail of Painted Ponies [whohit]2016-02-14 Happy Valentine’s Day![/whohit] This entry was posted in Holiday on February 14, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . Trail of Painted Ponies Winter 2016 Herd Leave a reply The 2016 Winter herd of Trail of Painted Ponies is now in and shipping! Included in the release are Guardian Angel , War Eagle , Little Big Horse , Gift from the Sky and Cloud Hunter . Trail of Painted Ponies, Winter 2016 Do you have your ponies yet? [whohit]2016-02-13 Trail of Painted Ponies Winter 2016 Herd[/whohit] This entry was posted in Trail of Painted Ponies on February 13, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . Happy Chinese New Year! Leave a reply Happy Chinese New Year! Year of the Monkey [whohit]2016-02-08 Year of the Monkey[/whohit] This entry was posted in Holiday on February 8, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . Happy Groundhog Day! Leave a reply It’s tradition after all these years that once our Colorado prognosticator, Stormy Marmot, gives his Groundhog Day weather statement, we share it with our friends. Stormy Marmot predicts an early spring! Once again Stormy is predicting an early spring. We really have no objections to this as being snowed in does impact the retail world. You can see Stormy’s full prediction at is site, Marmot Adventures . Happy Groundhog Day! And don’t forget, if you want to take on the weathermen, all you really need is your own marmot or groundhog ! We’re here to help you get started. [whohit]2016-02-02 Happy Groundhog Day![/whohit] This entry was posted in Holiday , Plush Toys on February 2, 2016 by a Snaggy diMe . Merry Christmas! Leave a reply Merry Christmas from our family to yours! A Christmas Tradition [whohit]2015-12-24 Merry Christmas[/whohit] This entry was posted in Holiday on December 24, 2015 by a Snaggy diMe . 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