The Office Playground Blog

Host Your Own Office Olympics

Are you one of the estimated 28 million viewers watching the 2010 Winter Olympics? Do you dream of being an elite athlete competing against the best of the best for the gold? Or maybe you just wish you were there at the games in the heat of the action. I'm a little of both. In the past, I loved to compete in sports and I was fortunate to attend a live event at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

There is really something special about this sporting event that brings the world together. Let's check out the current medal count for the top three leaders. Go USA!

Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
United States	6	5	7	18
Germany	4	4	3	11
Norway	3	3	2	8
(Results as of 8:00am PST, 2/19/10. Source: Comcast.net)

You can get into the Olympic spirit and bring your co-workers together by hosting your own Office Olympics. Compete against your colleagues (and even your boss) for some friendly competition. Pull out your snowboards, ice skates, and bobsleds and let the games begin!

Okay, so not everyone has the equipment (and snow) to host a full winter Olympics at work, but there are still plenty of events you can compete in. We know it's not too practical to build a Speed Skating rink in the parking lot. Therefore, we put together some events that you can do in your office.

Competitive Events

Timed Events
See who can find the most objects in the Find It - Sports within a time limit. One person is the player and another verifies the finds.
Liquid Motion Time Trials – Choose a variety of similar liquid motion timers and have each person flip them over at the same time. The person with the timer that finishes first wins. (This one is great because there is no skill required.)

Competitive Sports
Get an Air Hockey Table and players win the best 2 out of 3. Set it up tournament style.
Slingshot Animal Shooting – Fire off slingshot animals for distance and for accuracy.

Skilled Events
The Basket Case Hoop Game is a hoot. We did it at our office during the Office Playground Summer Games; it takes a steady hand to get them all in.
Whack-A-Mouse – who can get the most whacks in.
Dartboard Toss is easy. Set up a dartboard and aim for the target.

Off to the Races
Line up a bunch of wind-up toys and send them racing. Race the same styles against each other or mix it up by doing a variety of styles. Place bets on who will win. (Or maybe not, office gambling is probably frowned upon. And while we're at it, steroids probably won't help participants wind faster.)

Puzzle Solving
Find out who can solve a given puzzle in the fastest time. We recommend the Puzzle Pen for beginners and a Rubik's Cube for puzzle masters.

Design your Own
Be creative and develop your own games to match your tastes and co-worker skill levels. Check out the Sports & Games category to get started.

Once you decide on your events, set up game stations and assign point values to each activity. Have folks go in groups of two or three to each event simultaneously. People rotate through each station and post their scores as they complete a game. Keep a scoreboard on the wall. Tally up the points at the end and award 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. You can also give out consolation prizes to everyone who participates.

Speaking of prizes, adding a reward enhances the competition and encourages people to be more playful and to have fun. You can be creative with your prizes and here are some suggestions:

• An extra paid day off.
• Gift certificate to Office Playground, Inc.
• Extended lunch break.
• Gift certificate for a local store or restaurant.
• Higher end office toys (Zen Garden, Newton's Cradle or Stellanova, to name a few).
• The office toys you used during competition.
• Awards to post on the desk. Who doesn't love bragging rights?

Serve up some lunch or have folks bring a potluck. It's fairly easy to put together some games and it is a lot of fun. At Office Playground, we host an annual Summer Olympics and have a blast each year. And you may remember that hilarious episode of The Office.

Whether you win or lose, we hope you enjoy being more playful at work.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Winter Blues? Think Beach!

As I write this, I see that it's raining outside... again. My finger tips are a little bit colder than my toes (I'm wearing socks). It will be dark soon and work isn't over yet. Sounds like I've got the winter blues. Do you find yourself daydreaming about summer bliss? Can you feel the warm sand beneath your feet? Is there the aroma of hamburgers barbequing on the grill? Can you taste the cocktail you're having with friends while watching the sunset? Do you still feel the sting of that jellyfish that snuck up on you? (WHOA, time to snap out of this daydream... it just turned ugly).

You can't easily jump on a plane and fly to a warmer climate (chances are flights are grounded anyway, due to bad weather). But, you can use the power of your imagination and some thought management to get through the last stage of winter.

Once again, we're here to help you out. We created a fun list of our best summer themed office toys and put them on sale. Our suggestion is to pick out some of this stuff and play with it at your desk. You can live that summer lifestyle now, in your mind. Thinking of positive things will help lift your spirits. Warm your soul with these playful toys and drift off into another summer daydream. Don't worry, we don't sell jellyfish, just an octopus.

Beach in a Box	Cool Sun	Dolphin Stress Toy
Pineapple Stress Toy	Exec. Sandbox - Day at the Beach	Inflatable Palm Tree
See more Summer Desktop Toys

Celebrate the spirit of summer without mosquito bites, sunburns or jellyfish stings. (You do know the home remedy for neutralizing a jellyfish sting, don't you? Remember that episode of Friends? Eewwww.)

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Top 10 Toys that Promote Creativity

How important is creativity in your job? Being "creative" and thinking "outside of the box" are huge business buzzwords these days. We don't claim to be business consultants who can help you creatively "re-engineer, re-organize or re-invent" your business model. We do claim to be experts at playing with creative toys at work. We believe that if you can express creativity with desk toys daily, the bigger picture stuff will fall into place naturally. To make sure you have the right creativity toys on your desk or meeting room table, we have compiled a list of our Top 10 Toys that Promote Creativity.

Often, it's hard to have a breakthrough moment when you are focusing too hard on finding a solution. By playing with toys, you actively work your brain while giving your subconscious a chance to come up with the answer. With these fun office toys, you can maintain a clever and productive mind while creating sculptures, shapes or designs from putty, magnetic art, or buildable puzzles. Have a pumped up brainstorming session with a fun shaped wipe-off board. Take your drawings and doodles to the next level with a pin art board, magnetic drawing board, or Wikki Stix.

Check out our Top 10 Toys that Promote Creativity. What will you create?

		Magnetic Cubism
		Human Pyramid - Color
		Thinking Putty - Chameleon
		Wikki Stix
		Ball of Whacks - Red
		Incrediwall - Talk Bubble 24x18
		Executive Sandbox - Day at the Beach
		Finger Drums
		Etch A Sketch Keychain
		Pin Art - Metal 5x7"

Are you inspired? Send us a photo of your creation using a product from Office Playground for the chance to win a free surprise gift. Send entries to officetoyguy@officeplayground.com by 2/28/2010. Click here for more details.

Playfully,

Bill Ross
The Office Toy Guy
OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com

www.OfficePlayground.com
We help you play on company time.

Be the Best Secret Santa Ever!

Image Credit: Michael Wade   What is the most embarrassing thing that can happen to you at work during the holidays? Sure, getting too drunk at the company holiday party, telling the CEO he looks like Screech and photocopying your behind are all pretty bad. But, we're talking about never being able to live down being a lame Secret Santa. Maybe you didn't even want to participate in the first place. Some people don't believe in Santa anymore. Yet, we all still stand in line to pick one of our co-worker's names out of a hat. You don't have to dread the workplace Secret Santa. The Office Toy Guy wants you to embrace it! This year, your co-workers will refer to you as the most amazing Secret Santa gift giver in company history. Or, at least they will think you are really cool and thoughtful for getting them such an awesome gift. OfficePlayground.com is ready to help you be the best Secret Santa gift giver you can be. Check out these unique gift ideas for your next Secret Santa exchange and really nail it this year!

Dependable and Classy Need to play it a little safe while making a good impression? Give a Zen Garden, Newton's Cradle, Kinetic Motion or Liquid Motion. Zen Gardens Newton's Cradles Kinetic Motion Liquid Motion Vulgar and Irreverent Do your co-workers appreciate low brow humor? Are your company's policies a little loose? Share a chuckle over our Vulgar Stuff and Desk Toys. Vulgar Stuff Desk Toys Cute and Cuddly A desktop plant or an animal toy will win you the cutest gift award. There are many adorable items in Desktop Gardening and Animal Toys. Desktop Gardening Animal Toys Stress Relieving If everyone is stressed out in your office, you can't go wrong with a Stress Ball, Stress Reliever or Foam Stress Toy. Stress Balls Stress Relievers Foam Stress Toys Silly Yet Practical Sometimes goofy can be useful. Give a Funny Office Supply or Gumball Machine for a fun twist on the regular. Funny Office Supplies Gumball Machines

You don't have to be a lame Secret Santa this year. Just make your picks, place your order and we'll get that awesome Secret Santa gift to you really fast. We wish you the best at your holiday office party and may you be remembered for your non-lame Secret Santa gift and not for dancing with a lampshade on your head. Lamelessly, Bill Ross The Office Toy Guy OfficeToyGuy@OfficePlayground.com www.OfficePlayground.com We help you play on company time.

How Scary is Your Office?

It’s the time of year where ghosts, witches and goblins are making plans for their favorite day of the year, Halloween. Have you let them visit your desk yet?

Halloween isn’t just for children dressed as spooky (or sometimes adorable) creatures, going door-to-door asking for candy; you can have just as much fun at work! This year, bring the spirit of Halloween to the office. Here are some ideas for making your workplace "spooktacular"!

• Decorate your desk or cubicle walls with a row full of smiling pumpkins
• Host a number of spooky Halloween contests: Scariest Costume, Jack-o-Lantern Carving, Pumpkin Seed Spitting, and Best Decorated Desk
• Hide fake giant spiders in your co-workers’ desk drawers
• Ask each of your co-workers "Trick or Treat?" Give those who say "treat" a piece of candy; pull a fun office prank on everyone else
• Host a Halloween Fright Wind-Up race
• Bring a large bowl of Halloween candy to share or bake a batch of Halloween cookies

Adding a little Halloween spirit to your workplace can make your day a little more exciting and everyone a little happier. Try out some of our ideas and let us know how it goes!

Image courtesy of Elvia Dametto.

Business Decisions

Bad business decisions are something every company tries to avoid, but they happen. Some legendary ones include the makers of M & M's decision to not allow their candy to appear in the movie ET. Reese's Pieces were used instead and the sales exploded. Jerry Yang decided to walk away from Microsoft and missed out on receiving $44.6 billion of Bill Gates' money. Many book editors rejected the Harry Potter book series and Decca Records had the opportunity to sign the Beatles and didn't.

An example of important decision making can be shown through choosing stock investments. The Chicago Sun-Times wanted to illustrate the often chance nature of picking stocks, so they had a monkey sit on newspaper stock pages and make marks on five stocks. As of January 2007, the stock-picking monkey had beaten the market four years running.

If you don't have the resources to hire a monkey, perhaps a fortune-telling item such as the Wall Street Guru Ball, the Mystical Orb, or the time honored Magic 8 Ball may help. The Dartboard Decision Maker is a fun and active alternative.

Next time you're faced with a landmark decision, give the Affirmation Ball a shake; its response might be "Brilliant Idea!" However, the Sarcastic Ball might warn "Not a Chance!" and the Wall Street Guru might suggest "Ride it Out". The Dartboard Decision Maker offers many options. Give it a spin and toss the dart, which might land on "Take a Vacation," "Stay Late," "Call a Meeting," "Hire" or "Retire". A fortune telling ball or decision maker may not offer the appropriate advice, but it's sure to generate some lighthearted stress relief.

The Dog Days of Summer

It's the Dog Days of Summer, the time of the year when you give thanks for working in an air conditioned office. The term "Dog Days" comes from ancient times, based on the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. The name Sirius is derived from the Greek word Seirius, meaning searing or scorching. Because of it's brightness and its dawn rising during the peak of summer, the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all blamed the hot sultry weather on the Dog Star.

Modern Dog Days of Summer rituals include sacrificing hot dogs on the barbeque, eating watermelon and spitting the seeds; licking ice cream cones; splashing in swimming pools; lounging on beaches; and panting like a dog in front of a fan. Summer is winding down and despite the weather many people hate to see it end.

There's no shortage of references to "Dog Days" in popular culture. If you're stuck inside hiding from the heat, check out some Dog Day entertainment:

• Dog Day Afternoon, a 1975 film
• Music by the band Dog Day
• Dog Days, a 1975 album and song by the Atlanta Rhythm Section
• "Dog Day Sunrise", a song by the band Head of David
• Dog Days of Summer, a 2008 film
• "Dog Days are Over", a 2008 song by Florence and the Machine

Image courtesy of Susan E. Adams.

Gumby vs. Mr. Bill

Who would win a battle between Gumby and Mr. Bill? Both are animated clay figures that made their debut to the public on popular TV shows, both have made their way into feature length films, and both are immortalized as bendable figurines. We decided to collect the facts to predict the winner of this potentially famous battle.

Name: Gumby
Debuted: August 1956
Creator: Art Clokey
Best Friend: Pokey
Nemeses: Blockheads
Claim to Fame: Gumby starred in his own television series, The Gumby Show, that aired from 1957 to 1967 and in 1988
Best Characteristic: Flexibility
Accomplishments: cameo appearance in 1987 film The Puppetoon Movie; 1995 feature length film Gumby I (aka Gumby: The Movie); 8 DVD collections (2000s); video game Gumby vs. the Astrobots (2005); appeared in campaign ads for Library of Congress (1994-1995) and Cheerios (late 1990s)

Name: Mr. Bill
Debuted: February 28, 1976
Creator: Walter Williams
Best Friend: Spot (his dog)
Nemesis: Mr. Sluggo
Claim to Fame: Mr. Bill starred in several short sketches on the television show, Saturday Night Live from 1976 to 1980
Memorable Quotes: "Ohhhh noooooooooooooo...", "Perfectly awful!", "Stunningly bad!"
Accomplishments: 1986 live-action movie Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures; 1998 television show Ohh No!!! Mr. Bill Presents; appeared in television ads for Pringles (1980s), an anti-drug campaign (1988), Pizza Hut (1990s), Subway (2008), and MasterCard (2008)

Based on the character's personality, history and popularity, Gumby wins the battle hands down. However, we believe it's all up to the circumstance and personal preference. Take the battle into your own hands to determine who you think is the real winner.

The Evolution of Casual Fridays

Fridays are probably every working person’s favorite day of the work week. Other than the obvious springboard to the weekend, another contributing factor may be the observance of Casual Friday. The custom of relaxing the formal dress code on Fridays started in America and spread to Canada almost immediately. Now, it is observed in many parts of the world.

Originally begun in the late 1950s, Casual Fridays were an attempt to raise worker morale in the new office-oriented white-collar working environment. The slowly spreading custom got a big boost in the 1970s when manufacturers of casual clothing launched a massive advertising campaign for comfortable inexpensive clothing that they labeled appropriate for business casual dress. During the Dot Com hey-day of the late 1990s and early 2000s some companies allowed workers to wear shorts and sandals to work. After the Dot Com crash, a whiplash effect rippled through many work settings and dress codes were reinstated.

Today, Casual Friday continues to evolve. Many offices generalize Casual Friday into a mini celebration of a successfully completed week. Refreshments often adorn the break room tables; coworkers go out to lunch; theme attire such as Hawaiian shirt day or funny hat day are initiated once or twice a month to infuse some lighthearted spirit into the office setting.

With the rough economic times of the late 2000s, stress levels are high in every level of working society. In addition to Casual Friday attire and refreshments, there’s an active trend toward addressing stress by allowing stress relief items on desks and personal decor in cubicles and offices. Maybe Casual Friday will evolve into Casual Thursday, then Casual Wednesday and Casual Tuesday, leaving Business Monday as the new custom.

Image courtesy of Kimberly.

This is not a Father's Day Blog

We have decided to not blog about Father’s Day. It’s not really a work related holiday. It’s on a Sunday—a day of rest, not work. Fathers don’t want stuff for work as a gift on Father’s Day; they want to forget about work for a day. Fathers want beer, meat and sporting goods. Sure, you could buy your husband or dad a nice toy from Office Playground. He’d love it and you wouldn’t have to spend a ton of money. The toy you buy him would sit on his office desk for years reminding him how much he loves his family. That stuff is all pretty awesome, but it doesn’t mean we have to blog about it.

Image courtesy of Bill Tyne.

Moms Deserve a Dose of Fun and Stress Relief

Mothers have the toughest job on Earth and their important role has been observed throughout history. Mother's Day is centuries old. It goes back to the times of the ancient Greeks, who held festivities to honor Rhea, the mother of the gods. The early Christians celebrated a Mother's festival that evolved into the current Mothering Sunday observance in Europe.

In 1907, Anna M. Jarvis, a Philadelphia schoolteacher, began a movement to set up a national Mother's Day in honor of her mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis. Mother's Day became an official observance in the United States in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as a national holiday in honor of mothers.

Mother's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, with the United States, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium celebrating it on the second Sunday of May. So, yes, moms deserve to have some fun and a healthy dose of stress relief from the lovingly hectic lives they lead.

Thank your mom for all the things she does for you with something different and entertaining from Office Playground. Shopping at our online store is quick and easy. May 10th is just around the corner. Show your mom you've learned not to wait until the last minute.

See our Mother's Day Gift Guide for help finding a great gift, or browse our wonderland of fun products. Thanks Mom!

Best Practices in Using Stress Balls for Meetings

Toys, such as stress balls, can make your meeting or training event more successful. Please refer to our blog posting, Better Meetings with Toys to learn why you should offer toys to your meeting/training attendees. There are certain variables to consider when you shop for your next batch of meeting stress balls. (See all of our Stress Balls here.)

Distribution – We recommend laying out a variety of stress balls together, maybe in a large bowl, and let the attendees take their pick. The folks who show up early get the best pick and the ones who are late get whatever is left (they won’t be late again).

Top Picks – Here are some of our best Meeting Stress Balls:

Koosh Ball	Mood Dude Happy	Cyber Gel Ball
Happy Face Ball	Gripp Stress Ball

Customize a Stress Ball – We can print your message/logo/tagline or whatever you wish on a stress ball. Print the main takeaway message of your training session so attendees are reminded throughout the day as they see it on their desks. Click here to see the range of stress balls we can custom imprint.

Make the best choice for your meeting:
Noise – Some stress balls make noise and that is too distracting for a business meeting or training event. Avoid balls with water or any liquid inside since they’ll make a squishing sound when squeezed. Also, some stress balls actually talk back when squeezed. While that is funny the first couple of times, it doesn’t work when the meeting really gets underway.

Filling – Any stress ball with liquid or gel inside has the potential to break. Our stress balls are strong, we don’t sell weak ones, but sometimes they do fail. You don’t want the contents of a Fishy Squishy all over the table during a meeting.

During these stressful business times, giving out the right stress balls at your next business meeting, training session or event will yield huge returns.

Bill Ross
Founder & CEO
Office Playground, Inc.

Have a Stress Free Administrative Professionals' Day

Administrative Professionals' Week is April 19-25 with Administrative Professionals' Day on Wednesday, April 22. Since 1952, the International Association of Administrative Professionals has honored office workers by sponsoring Administrative Professionals' Week. It has become one of the largest workplace observances outside of employee birthdays and major holidays. According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, there are more than 4 million secretaries and administrative assistants and 8.9 million people working in various administrative support roles in the United States. In the United States, it’s customary to give administrative professionals a gift of appreciation on this day such as flowers, lunch or a handwritten card. This year, consider a gift that keeps on giving, a fun item that also aids in stress relief at work. Studies done by the CDC’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, have found the percentage of Americans who are "extremely stressed at work" range between 29% and 40%. Stress in the workplace often leads to higher absenteeism, health problems, lower productivity and burnout. Playful or humorous items on a person’s desk or in the workplace add a little fun to a busy day which can reduce stress and make a cubicle or office a more relaxing environment. Stress relief products and office toys are available in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. Office Playground offers something for every personality, including desktop plants for nurturers, zen gardens for those looking for inner peace, and fun office supplies for the organized workaholic. We hope you have a stress free Administrative Professionals' Day!

Office Exercise – Get Moving!

Exercise is a way to eliminate stress and there is a good chance that your job stresses you out. According to Wikipedia:

"Stress is a prevalent and costly problem in today's workplace. About one-third of workers report high levels of stress. One-quarter of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives. Three-quarters of employees believe the worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago. Evidence also suggests that stress is the major cause of turnover in organizations."

You have to be at work at least 40 hours a week, maybe a lot more. You have all sorts of other personal responsibilities. When are you supposed to get in your exercise? Do it at work! We have assembled some resources for you to use in building your own office exercise routine:

• About.com discusses way to exercise in your desk chair
• Mayo Clinic discusses ways to exercise without your chair
• eHow discusses 11 more office exercises

How can Office Playground help? We offer a variety of items that will aid in your office exercise regime:

• Office Sports – Get some of this stuff and start some healthy competition in your office.
• Therapy Balls – Strengthen your grip, rehab an injury, avoid carpel tunnel and have fun!
• Flying Toys – Get an old-fashioned shoot out going at work. Our items are safe, of course.

Let us know how you get your exercise in at work. What products can we carry to help you get in an office workout?

April Fools' Jokes in the Office

April Fools' Day is less than a month away and some of us at Office Playground wondered if pranks are appropriate for the workplace. Our research says yes—within reason. Practical jokes add fun and excitement to long, stressful days at work. When there's more work to do and less people to do it, stress relief is essential for keeping sanity. However, be aware of the potential consequences of playing jokes in a professional setting. The target of the prank, and your boss, should have a sense of humor; you wouldn't want to lose your job just for some laughs.

Pamela J. Holland, the COO of BRODY Professional Development, gave Entrepreneur these additional tips for pulling pranks at work:

• Make sure it doesn't embarrass someone or cause disruption in the workplace.
• Think through all possible consequences of the joke.
• Don't use April Fools' Day as an opportunity to "get back" at someone you don't like.
• What's OK to do at home with family or friends may not be appropriate for the workplace.
• If your boss is the subject of your prank, be extremely careful. You need to know this person extremely well, understand their sense of humor and never do anything that would diminish your boss's authority.

Several well-known organizations, including Entrepreneur, Forbes, Monster and MSNBC all have web pages or articles dedicated to office prank ideas and tips.

We found dozens of practical joke ideas out there. Here are some of the most extreme office pranks:

(image credit: baraskit.se)	(image credit: cubejinx)
(image credit: Dan)	(image credit: Daryl Fox)
(image credit: Unknown)	(image credit: Matt Reinbold)

To take practical jokes down a notch, try out some of our ideas. Create an infestation of Wind-Up Mice, Squishimal Spiders or Mutant Flies in your neighbor’s cubicle. A few Stretchy Snakes around the office could do the job as well. Some of us here at the Playground have put several Bozo Bop Bags in front of a co-worker’s cubicle after she left the office for the day; she came back to a wall of giant clowns guarding her desk. For a simple and traditional practical joke, you can’t go wrong with the Self Inflating Whoopee Cushion or the Remote Controlled Whoopee Cushion.

If you’re looking to reduce stress and have some laughs, office pranks can be a fun idea, but only if they are done right. With some careful planning, and perhaps a secret nod of approval from your boss, manager or co-worker you’ll be having fun in the office on April Fools’ Day. Just be sure to use common sense!