the PlaSmart Inc. Blog

2012-02-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Countdown to New York Toy Fair #TFNY! It is the 10th Anniversary of the PlasmaCar this year!

Perplexus on Consumer Reports

2010-12-07T08:26:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share a link we received this week from Consumer Reports! It's about Perplexus! Check it out!

Happy Holidays!

-j.wu

A little press on Perplexus

2010-10-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Any ideas for Halloween costumes? I'm in dire need of one (or many). I usually make my own costumes from scratch because (a) it's more original, (b) it's more fun, and most importantly, (c) it saves money! What was your best costume idea ever? May I steal it?

We've received some great news regarding Perplexus. It's been labelled one of the "Hottest Toys of the Hot Toys"! You can read about it HERE. Let us know what you think. Any other toys on that list you like?

In other news: Ew... what's that?

This is from Michael McGinnis's class. He is the creator of Perplexus, and students in his class were put to the task for creating a "Word As Image" project, where the word they choose is created out of the material aspect of itself. This was made by a student who cut letters out of white bread. It wouldn't mold after three 'moist' weeks, so he introduced coating milk onto it. This is what ensued.

Disgustingly creative, is it not?

Anyways, I thought that image would brighten your Monday morning breakfast!

-j.wu

September News

2010-09-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

As the fall season rolls in, so do thoughts of the holiday season (already?!). I've received many email requests regarding product reviews/giveaways in the last month or so. Needless to say, there will be many more review/giveaway links being posted periodically in the coming months. I'll try to post them as soon as they are published, though it's probably easier via Facebook or Twitter so if you'd like quick updates feel free to check there.

An update on our Twitter Account - As some of you may know, we could not access our Twitter account for a while. That big wale being air-lifted by birds kept showing up and indicated that Twitter was "over-capacity" and we couldn't login. I'm guessing Twitter was overloaded with Justin Bieber fan tweets or something... what do you think? Are your kids crazy about him? Anyways, we can now access Twitter again so feel free to contact us there. Sorry if we missed some responses from a few months ago; we couldn't get on at all!

Perplexus Update - Along with the PlasmaCar and Yummy Dough, PlaSmart is looking for bloggers to review Perplexus. Please note that we are looking for bloggers with older children for this product (at least age 6). If you'd like to be considered, leave a comment either here or on one of our affiliated sites and we'll get back to you.

That's it for now... hope everyone's enjoying time away from the kids while they're at school!

j.wu

Happy July!

2010-07-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I was just about to publish this post when the power went out in Ottawa, and unfortunately I did not save it in time so I had to write it all over again. Oh well - it's not the end of the world!

PlaSmart is happy to announce that there are a bunch of simultaneous giveaways happening right now for Yummy Dough and PlasmaCars. Here they are:

PlasmaCars: at MomVSBoys
Yummy Dough: AMomsBalancingAct, Blommi, and MommyLivingTheLifeOfRiley

Thank you to our bloggers, and to those who have entered already! Best of luck!

We're also happy to announce that we've reached 500 fans on Facebook. Thank you to everyone who has stopped by our Facebook page and become fans. We are very appreciative.

Until next time,

j.wu

June News

2010-06-20T15:03:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

This upcoming week PlaSmart employees will be embarking on a team-building retreat on June 23! Sorry in advance if we miss your e-mail/call on that day, but we promise we'll get back ASAP!

In other news, I've just received a few links to new giveaways. If you'd like to win a free package of Yummy Dough please jump onto these sites and enter for your chance to win!

Yummy Dough @ CICINAFAMIGLIA
Yummy Dough @ ETHERTONPHOTOGRAPHY

Best of luck to everyone! A special thank you to Laura and Lindsay for reviewing our product!

-j.wu

A Giveaway at ThanksMailCarrier

2010-06-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

For those who are interested, ThanksMailCarrier is giving a way one free package of Yummy Dough on its blog! Contest ends June 24th, 2010 so be sure to get your entries in quickly.

Also, if you are a blogger looking to blog our products, let us know. Please be advised that we do ask for statistical information, so if you are interested make sure you have a statistical app installed on your blog because we will ask for a screenshot of your information. SiteMeter and/or Google Analytics is preferred, but any suitable app is fine!

j.wu

We're number 8!

2010-06-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

We've just received word from the Ottawa Business Journal that PlaSmart Inc. is the 8th FASTEST GROWING COMPANY according to Profit Magazine over the past five years (04-09). In the span of those five years, PlaSmart Inc. has grown by 3,481%!

CEO Tim Kimber looks pretty happy...
We're thrilled about the ranking and we hope to continue our growth in future. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible - we hope you continue to enjoy our products.

Have a great weekend!

j.wu

Giveaway at Familylicious Reviews

2010-05-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that there is a PlasmaCar review going on right now at FamilyliciousReviews. It ends May 30th so get your extra entries in now!

j.wu

April News (2)

2010-04-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I just received over 100+ emails from a bunch of bloggers requesting to review/giveaway our products. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has shown interest in our toys; it makes our job so worth while! We'll be contacting you soon.

With more bloggers requesting our toys, I guess it's a no-brainer that there will be more giveaways happening in the coming month(s)! PlasmaCars and Yummy Dough packages are being sent out on a daily basis so keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming giveaways!

An excerpt from an email this week
I think I'd like to start something on this blog called Email Excerpts (EE)... or something to that effect. I get some pretty hilarious/touching/random messages from bloggers out there and I think I'll start sharing them with you! Here is this weeks EE from Kelly, addressed to Tim (our CEO):

Dear Mr. Kimber,

I won a PlasmaCar in Nov. 2009 in a blog contest. The curious-looking purple and red car was under our tree Christmas morning for my four year old... She has ridden it every day since then and absolutely loves it!

I'd classify this in the 'touching' category, wouldn't you?

More entertaining EE's to come!

j.wu

Perplexus in Brazil

2010-04-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we mentioned that we're in the process of releasing a brand new product called the O-Ball, and we received some great feedback! Thank you for participating in our discussions. If you have any questions/comments about the O-Ball, or anything else for that matter, let us know (either here, on Twitter, or Facebook).

Last week we also received some great news about Perplexus. It has been the recipient of a Brazilian Excellent Toys Award in the 'Open/Free' category! Here's a picture!

More to come soon,

j.wu

April News

2010-04-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

What's HOT, then COLD, then HOT, then PERFECT, then COLD, COLD, COLD?

Answer: Ottawa weather.

I hate to admit it, but I'm used to this by now. I'm also insanely jealous of the followers who are in Florida, California, or any other warm state. If that's you, leave a message just so you can fuel more of my jealousy!

Anyways, enough about the weather. I wanted to inform everyone that there is a giveaway happening at ThanksMailCarrier right now for a PlasmaCar! It ends on April 29th, and it's closing in on 1,000 comments already so make sure to get your name in before it's too late! Best of luck everyone! We'd also like to thank Xenia for writing a great post; you were a pleasure to work with.

In other news: PlaSmart Inc. is pleased to announce that another new toy has been added to our product line. The O-Ball is an active, fun, energetic sphere (see picture) that can be stomped, crushed, and compressed by children (and adults! - why not?) before it bounces back to its original shape. There are a few variations of the O-Ball:

- OBall Rattle: a baby's first ball, with built in rattles
- OBall Football: a durable, super light, and easy-to-spiral ball
- 4" OBall: an easy-to-clutch/roll ball, and is great for indoors and outdoors
- 6" OBall: a fun, bigger version of the original!

I'm not completely sure of the release date yet, but I will let you know as soon as possible! Best wishes,

-j.wu

Perplexus

2010-04-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Happy April everyone,

Has spring arrived in your town yet? Spring showed up for a day or so in Ottawa before speeding right into summer. I think at one point this past weekend temperatures climbed over 25C - a ridiculous high for April. I'm pretty sure it set some new city record.

Anyways, I just wanted to let everyone know that Perplexus has been receiving great feedback! You can check out an article about it here! We will be looking for potential bloggers to review Perplexus soon (very similar to what we've been doing with PlasmaCar and Yummy Dough). It will be happening within the next few months I am told, so stay put and keep your eyes and ears open for potential giveaways.

Best wishes,

-j.wu

March News

2010-03-07T09:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that there is a giveaway happening at SugarPopRibbonsReviews&Giveaways for Yummy Dough. It's the edible modeling clay! Best of luck to all entrants!

We're constantly looking for bloggers so please feel free to leave us a message at the end of this post. We're interested in expanding our connections with the US/Canadian market so if you're in that geographic let us know!

j.wu

Gelli Baff

2010-02-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

The weather has been pretty crazy in Ottawa as of late. Lots of snow, but lots of warm weather as well, which means lots of slush. I can't walk more than 10 steps outside before risking a hectic fall into a cold swamp. It also doesn't help that all the sidewalk plows are taking a vacation. Needless to say, I am extremely jealous of those who are south of the border because everything outside my window is soaked!

Speaking of soaked, I've been told that PlaSmart has a new product! It's called Gelli Baff!. What is it? For those who like videos, click here (ABC News Feature). If Youtube is your thing...

If text is your kind of thing, here it is: it is a bath powder that when added with bath water turns into a thick goo. It puts a new twist on taking a bath! The main ingredient is Sodium Poly Acrylate that retains water on contact which turns the water into a thick jelly. A gel dissolver powder is added at the end of the bath to turn the goo back into water so it can be properly drained. A completely safe, fun, gooey adventure!

Bests,

j.wu

60th Blogpost. Let's celebrate!

2010-02-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

It's our 60th blog post!

We've received a bunch of new followers here on Blogger and on Facebook in the last few days! Thank you so much for spreading the word about us. We've (somehow?) gathered 400+ loyal fans on Facebook, and are closing in on 200 readers. We hope this growth continues! If you have any suggestions that would make our blog/Facebook page better, please let me know (there may be something special in it for you too!).

On that note, I'd like to mention that Born2Impress is hosting a PlasmaCar giveaway which ends February 25th!

If you'd like to help us out, please spread the word about our new Yummy Dough blogsite!

-j.wu

PlasmaCar Available

2010-02-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

Dear readers,

Just wanted to let you know that in addition to the number of Yummy Dough giveaways, PlaSmart Inc. is still partnering with bloggers and running PlasmaCar giveaways too!

On this note, I'd like to inform all of you that Jenny from Picky-Palate.com is currently running a PlasmaCar giveaway which runs until Feb. 19 2010. Check out what the hype is all about by heading to the site and reading her wonderful review!

-j.wu

OneBoredMommy has OneYummyDoughGiveaway

2010-02-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

Another fantastic week, another great giveaway to bring your attention to!

We have partnered with @OneBoredMommy and she has graciously reviewed our Yummy Dough product. She is currently hosting a giveaway at OneBoredMommy.blogspot.com for US Residents which ends on February 22 2010. Please hop on over to the site and enter for your chance to win some Yummy Dough for your household!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

-j.wu

Yummy Dough Giveaway

2010-02-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Start off your Monday with a chance to win some Yummy Dough at IEMommy! Best of luck!

-j.wu

Add some Yummy Dough to your Friday

2010-02-05T17:43:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone,

I've just been informed that Clueless Mama (Twitter: @Clueless_Mama) is having a Yummy Dough giveaway right now! If you'd like to get some Yummy Dough (free of course!) on your hands, head over now!

We'll be having more giveaways to come in the near future! If anyone does find any giveaways lingering on the internet, feel free to mention it in the comment section. I'd love to know what other contests are going on!

-j.wu

Congratulations to...

2010-01-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

We'd like to say congratulations to Ruth for being the first PlasmaCar winner of 2010! She has won a free PlasmaCar from GiveDaddy.com!

We'd also like to thank Courtney from GiveDaddy.com for running a successful campaign and being a pleasure to work with :)

In other news: it's been insanely cold here in Ottawa. It was about -30 C last night with the wind chill, which is about -22 F. I'm insanely jealous of all our southern followers!

-j.wu

PlasmaCar Giveaway

2010-01-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

Hello loyal followers,

Just letting everyone know that there is a live giveaway happening now at GiveDaddy. Enter now for your chance to win! Like most giveaways, you can obtain extra entries by participating in the blog comments, tweets, etc. so be creative!

Have a good one!

-j.wu

PlasmaCar Giveaway

2010-01-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone,

Any #FF mentions? We're always looking for interesting people to follow on Twitter so let us know! And don't be afraid to leave your own Twitter name either!

In a previous post I mentioned that there is a PlasmaCar giveaway happening at TheFiveFish.com, but I forgot to mention the deadline. The deadline is:

FEBRUARY 2ND @ 11:59PM ARIZONA TIME (best of luck!)

*NOTE: Entrants can only reside in US or Canada. Sorry!

So, any big plans this weekend?

-j.wu

Road Trip!

2010-01-21T08:18:00.001-08:00

Dear readers,

I just wanted to let you know that PlaSmart will be hitting the road in the next few weeks. Members of the team will be at the following shows:

Canadian Toy Fair, Booth 136 (Jan 31 – Feb 2)
CGTA, Booth 5667 (Jan 31 – Feb 4)
Nurnberg, Booth H8-A-14 (Feb 4 – Feb 9)
NYTF, Booth 1663A (Feb 14 – Feb 17)

If you plan on attending one or more of the shows, be sure to stop by and say hello! We'll have catalogues, as well as free samples of Yummy Dough and Perplexus.

ASIDE: just wanted to thank those who have joined us on the Yummy Dough Blog!

-j.wu

Giveaway at the Five Fish

2010-01-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Just letting you know that you can win a PlasmaCar at TheFiveFish.com. Be sure to enter today!

More to come soon!

Also: who here has seen Avatar? What do you think of it?

j.wu

Reviews

2010-01-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

Just received an e-mail from a staff member at PlaSmart and it included two positive reviews regarding Perplexus. Here are the links:

KevinKelly (from Wired Magazine)
BoingBoing

We are really happy that Perplexus has been warmly received. If you have any questions/comments/suggestions about it, please feel free to drop a message to us and we would be happy to talk to you.

IN OTHER NEWS...
I received a bunch of e-mails regarding Yummy Dough reviews, and a few packages have been sent out to bloggers this past month. The first review is up and can be found at OneBoredMommy. A giveaway feature will be available in February, so make sure to mark your calendars and head back to the site then!

More reviews/giveaways to come soon!

j.wu

Perplexus Success!

2010-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Guess what?!

Perplexus has been climbing the rankings on Amazon.com! We are thrilled that our new product is receiving great attention from the online community, and we'd like to thank everyone who has taken a peak/purchased it. If you happen to own one, please leave a comment and tell us what you think!

Perplexus managed to crack the TOP 100, and is projected to turn in a #2 and #3 ranking for board games and travel games, respectively! You can see the ranking yourself; it is shown at the end of this post! If video is your thing, check out the Perplexus Video now and see what the craze is all about (this toy is the BIGGEST time waster since the Internet!).

Yummy Dough and PlasmaCar etc.

2010-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

TGIF!

I just received an e-mail from a customer who had purchased a PlasmaCar over the holiday break. She also took the time to write a sweet, concise review. Check it out here on her blog: Click Here!

In other news, we have had some great response from bloggers regarding Yummy Dough. If you are interested in reviewing it, please head over to the Yummy Dough blogspot and follow so we know who you are!

j.wu

2010

2010-01-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Decade Everyone!

PlaSmart had a great 2009, and we're very excited for the coming year. I spent a lot of time with the family this holiday break. What did you do?

I just received a bunch of e-mails from various PlasmaCar winners! Thank you to those who took the time to enter the contest(s), spread the word, and of course to the bloggers who took the time to write lovely reviews. We really appreciate it.

For the coming year, we will be looking for more reviewers for some other products. If you are interested, or know of someone who may be interested, please let us know (leave your link in the comments). A few of our products are designed for slightly older children as well, so if you know of any bloggers who review toys for older kids, send us a message!

If 'following' is your thing, stop by our other page - YUMMY DOUGH - and subscribe!

We just posted some new pictures on our Facebook page. Let us know what you think!

j.wu

November Updates

2009-11-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,

Only a month left until we hit December - can you imagine that? As I am typing this post in Ottawa (Canada) I can see snow falling from the sky, and it's actually staying on the ground. Looks like autumn is officially coming to a close.

Recently Tim Kimber (CEO of PlaSmart) was on CBC's Dragons' Den with our up-and-coming product Yummy Dough. The show was a great success, and received a lot of valuable media attention! You can see a summary of what happened here:

If reading is your thing (and why shouldn't it be?!) here are some articles related to PlaSmart's recent Dragon's Den episode:

Dragons decide there's dough to be made (Financial Post)
Putty in his hands (Ottawa Citizen)

If anyone has additional links please let me know - we'd love to document them!

In other news, there are a few PlasmaCar giveaways still happening - please check our Facebook Page (Notes section) to see a complete list. I know there are a few coming in December for the holiday season so brace yourselves!

Lots more to come in the coming weeks!

-j.wu

Perplexus Press Release

2009-10-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

FULL ARTICLE AT http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/10/prweb3064004.htm

Toy Company Discovers Biggest Time Waster Since the Internet

PlaSmart Inc. is thrilled to introduce PERPLEXUS - a 3-D labyrinth game with 100 barriers, twists, turns, and cliffhangers. PERPLEXUS may well be the biggest time waster since the invention of the Internet.

(PRWEB) October 18, 2009 -- PlaSmart Inc. is thrilled to introduce PERPLEXUS - a 3-D labyrinth game with 100 barriers, twists, turns, and cliffhangers. PERPLEXUS may well be the biggest time waster since the invention of the Internet.

PERPLEXUS is enclosed in a transparent plastic sphere. It provides hours of fun and frustration as you twist and turn the sphere trying to maneuver a small, steel ball through an intricate labyrinth of narrow plastic tracks. Navigate obstacles of varying difficulty to reach the end. FULL ARTICLE

October News Update

2009-10-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!

Keeping up with this blog has been a tad difficult as of late. I finally got some time (on a Saturday night?) to post an update.

For those crazy Canucks who are reading this post, PlaSmart Inc. is going to be on CBC's Dragon's Den, EPISODE 5, scheduled for October 28. Tune in to see it for some 'yummy' conclusions! (Actually, I have no idea what happens - no one in the office does. Tim's been really good about keeping this under wraps. It's impressive.)

Dragons, Dragons, Dragons
For our U.S. and International readers, I'm not sure if you'll be able to view the video online (sorry!), but I have another video that you can watch in the meantime! Here is a video of our brand new toy called PERPLEXUS.

Until next time,

-j.wu

... wish I spoke Japanese!

2009-09-25T20:34:00.001-07:00

Hello to our Japanese fans! We love you!

-j.wu

Perplexus avaialble online!

2009-09-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

We're pleased to announce that Perplexus is finally available online! It can be found at ToysGamesPuzzles.com.

-j.wu

Happy Fall Everyone!

2009-09-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Greetings Blogosphere!

It's been a long time since my last post. I'm currently juggling this job as well as a full semester of school so things have been a bit hectic. I was shocked to log in today to see that we have over 100 followers! Thank you so much for visiting us. Has anyone won a PlasmaCar yet? I'd like to know if any of our loyal followers have won!

There are some giveaways still going on right now:

CountryCityMouse (ends September 26 2009)
EnergizerBunnysMommyReports (ends September 26 2009)
ABookwormsDiary (ends October 7 2009)

We have had increased activity on our Facebook page lately. I've currently posted a question on our Facebook Page - don't be shy to respond!

We will be looking into more Mom Blogs soon for another product review (the Perplexus). We are looking for families with older children because the toy is more for that age group, so if you qualify, leave a message!

-j.wu

Reader Response

2009-09-09T15:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Blogosphere,

PlaSmart has received excellent online response in the last few weeks. We'd like to thank everyone who has been participating in our PlasmaCar Review/Giveaway campaign, especially to all those dedicated bloggers who took the time to give an honest opinion on our products. A number of giveaway winners have been announced - don't forget to see if it's you!

Here are some giveaways that are about to end:
SimplyBeingMommy (ends September 11 2009)
JollyMom (ends September 12 2009)
MKOKOPELLI (ends September 15 2009)

A full list of giveaways can be found in our NOTES section on our FACEBOOK page.

For those who use Twitter (that's almost everyone, right?), have you found that it's been acting slow as of late? Am I the only one who has experienced this?

-j.wu

PlasmaCars, Perplexus, and more...

2009-09-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

Happy September everyone!

Our long weekend has been greeted with fantastic weather. Over the summer, Ottawa had nothing but rain for what seemed like an eternity, so this is definitely a nice change. We haven't had rain for over a week I don't think, and the temperature has been a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius for the most part. Just watch - it'll probably rain in the next few hours because I said that.

Our PlasmaCar giveaways are still happening, now more than ever since the giveaway contests are picking up. If you haven't checked them out, don't worry - there is still time! Here are the links!

IceFairyTreasureChest (ends September 8 2009)
AFamilyCompleted (ends September 9 2009)
SimplyBeingMommy (ends September 11 2009)
JollyMom (ends September 12 2009)
MKOKOPELLI (ends September 15 2009)

In other news, we have a new item coming onto our product line! It's called PERPLEXUS! We'll soon be looking for bloggers to review this fantastic new toy, so if you think it would be something you're interested in, please let us know. The toy is for a slightly older demographic, so please take that into consideration!

Have a great long weekend! (Anyone else watching US Open Tennis?)

-j.wu

Final Day!

2009-08-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

TGIF!

I was too busy to post yesterday, but I wanted to mention that it was Tim's birthday (CEO of PlaSmart)! Happy Birthday!

This is a rather bittersweet Friday... Today marks my last day here at the office - my COOP Internship is about to expire in 4hrs! I'd like to thank everyone who has ever crawled onto the blog (or our other sites), left messages, and helped PlaSmart along the way! For those who'd like to stay in touch, my own personal blog is at WuJiash.blogspot.com. Feel free to stop by!

Luckily I will be kept on part-time once I head back to school in the fall so I will be making periodic updates for the company! I'm very excited and honored to say aboard this 'Plasma-Train'!

Any good Follow Fridays? Let me know! Also, another PlasmaCar Giveaway just surfaced on the net. JollyMom is hosting a giveaway on her site and it ends September 12 if I'm not mistaken. Click on over and find out how to enter. Plenty of time still available to rack up those extra entries!

-j.wu

New Recruits | Giveaway Posts

2009-08-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday!

I've been surfing Blogger for the past few hours and many of you have some fantastic Wordless Wednesday photos. If you've posted some, please let me know; I'd love to take a look.

OFFICE UPDATE: We have some new employees! After a run of interviews the company has found new Sales Reps, as well as someone to assist in Accounts Receivables. We're still on the lookout for some help in the Warehouse, so if you know of anyone in the Ottawa (Canada) region, please let them know we are hiring.

GIVEAWAY UPDATE: There are a huge string of giveaways happening right now since it's 'Back to School Season'. We'd like to thank all our lovely blog reviewers for taking the time to test out our PlasmaCar. Head over for your chance to win one!

TheBraggingMommy (ends August 29 2009)
TheFabulousWon (ends August 31 2009)
LookWhatMom&DadFound (ends September 7 2009)
IceFairyTreasureChest (ends September 8 2009)
AFamilyCompleted (ends September 9 2009)
SimplyBeingMommy (ends September 11 2009)

Speaking of 'Back to School', a few of us in the office were just sharing some of our worst back to school experiences. One story takes the cake -> my supervisor washed all of her favourite clothes to get ready for her first day of school but left her lip balm in one of the pockets, therefore ruining all her outfits before school even started! Yikes! Do you have a story to share?

-j.wu

Perplexus

2009-08-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

I looked in my inbox today and found a link to a cool video on Michael McGinnis, the inventor of Perplexus. It's a Business With Passion feature on Michael regarding where he got the idea for Perplexus. It is a very interesting clip, and it really makes me wish I thought of it first! In the video they refer to it as Superplexus, but it's pretty much the same thing.

If you have a few minutes, go check out the video. You will not be disappointed.

-j.wu

Office Activities

2009-08-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone,

UPDATE - JOB OPENINGS
A few potential candidates have already filtered into our office, dropping off resumés, and some have even come in for interviews. We're really excited about having some new staff around here at PlaSmart; business has been expanding and the workload is piling up! I have the privilege of sitting near the entrance to our office so I get to see almost every single candidate. I really like seeing their expressions on their faces when they walk in to see me playing with toys at my desk. What else do you expect from an employee working for a toy company?

UPDATE - PERPLEXUS
Speaking of toys, I mentioned a few posts ago (feels like an eternity) that there was a new toy on my desk. Well, I finally got some images for it! I'm delighted to present to you PERPLEXUS. PERPLEXUS is the latest product to be distributed by PlaSmart. It's a spherical maze which houses a tiny silver marble and 100 obstacles that you must maneuver through. Players must twist, flip, and turn the transparent sphere strategically, working with gravity in order to control where the marble goes. We've been having little office competitions with this thing for the past week and we're loving it. I'll try to get some video footage!

That's it for now. Going back to the JOB OPENINGS, we are looking for candidates for our Accounts Receivable, Sales, and Warehouse positions. We are located in Ottawa, ON (Canada). I received a Tweet from @Nightowlmama asking if we were based in Ottawa, IL a few days ago so I figured I'd clarify. We had a chuckle! She's a good one to follow!

-j.wu

JOB OPENINGS

2009-08-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

What's better than working for a toy company? Not much! PlaSmart has position openings for Accounts Receivable, Sales (in-house), and Warehouse. If you are interested, or know anyone who may be interested, please let us know. E-mail jiash@plasmacar.com. Thanks!

PlaSmart is located in Ottawa, ON (Canada).

-j.wu

Review from Dr Mommy

2009-08-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

DrMommy reviewed our PlasmaCar a few weeks back and I didn't get a chance to post it on our blog until now. She had some really kind words to say, and even mentioned that it is one of the best reviews she has done to date! Thank you for the kind words. Included in this post is a video of her child Jakob using the PlasmaCar:

-j.wu

Five Going at Once?

2009-08-17T12:25:00.001-07:00

You know it's August when there are a bunch of back to school giveaways happening. Here is a list of LIVE giveaways happening right now for the PlaSmart PlasmaCar:

DealectibleMommies (ends August 21 2009)
AGiveawayEveryday (ends August 24 2009)
TheFabulousWon (ends August 31 2009)
LookWhatMom&DadFound (ends September 7 2009)
AFamilyCompleted (ends September 9 2009)

Best of luck to all entrants!

-j.wu

Back to School Giveaway

2009-08-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

There's another giveaway happening! This time it's from AFamilyCompleted, and it will run until Sept. 9, so there's a bit of time left for you to get your entries in. Head over - best of luck!

Just to recap, as of right now there are three LIVE giveaways:

ShopaholicMommy (ends August 15 2009)
DealectibleMommies (ends August 21 2009)
AFamilyCompleted (ends September 9 2009)

More updates to come!

-j.wu

New PlasmaCar Giveaway!

2009-08-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Check it out! Giveaway happening right now at DEALectiblemommies.com!

We'd like to thank Candace for her great review, and for hosing this giveaway. Make your way over there now for a chance to win. If you'd like to better your chances at winning, she's offering a few 'extra entries' to participants. Head to the site and read!

-j.wu

Back from Vacation

2009-08-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my summer vacation!

I spent a few days with family at Mont Tremblant, a resort in Quebec, Canada. Anyone ever been there? It's a pretty popular place in the winter since the ski hills are fantastic, but the summer also provides lots of activities. I figured out that my golf swing isn't exactly a beautiful thing, however. Sincerest apologies to those who had to see that.

A few of our PlaSmart employees are still at the CGTA, showing off some of our cool products! If you see them say hello! They should be back tomorrow I presume.

I received a bunch of e-mails regarding PlasmaCar reviews. Here are some of the latest reviews to go online:

GuessingAllTheWay - Thanks Laurie! (@clueless_mama)
theShoppingMama - Thanks Kate! (@TheShoppingMama)

Here is an additional video provided from Kate!

That's it for now! We'd like to congratulate the winners of the PlasmaCar giveaways so far! We will be shipping them out shortly.

-j.wu

Driving in Dubai

2009-08-07T06:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Who is looking forward to the weekend? I'm heading up to my cottage myself for a few days, so I am pretty exited. Tell us what you're up to!

I just received an e-mail yesterday from a reviewer in Dubai who got to test out a PlasmaCar. Her review is posted on www.sandierpastures.com. We were especially curious to see what they had to say since most of our reviewers are from Canada and the US. Needless to say, the people of Dubai like the PlasmaCar too - head over and say hello!

If you didn't tune in yesterday, I posted a brief video of clips I shot with our company camera. For those who are curious to see exactly who we are, watch it on Youtube, or you can go to our last blog post.

Have a good weekend! Who wants to bet that it'll rain? :(

-j.wu

Behind the Scenes at PlaSmart Inc.

2009-08-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

A few posts prior I mentioned that the office got a hold of a Flip Video Camcorder. Well I took it out a few days ago and made a quick 'behind the scenes' video and uploaded it to Youtube for those who are interested in learning more about us! Here is the video!

We're not too scary looking, are we?

-j.wu

Post Long Weekend Updates

2009-08-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hello again,

The August Long Weekend just passed and everyone in the office seems rejuvenated from the rest. A bunch of us are gearing up to head down to Toronto for the Canadian Gift and Table Association show, and we are extremely exited! It will be Plasmart's first appearance at the event.

There's some other exciting news: for those who missed out on the first few PlasmaCar giveaways, don't be disappointed! Sandy from Shopaholicmommy.com posted her review of our PlasmaCar, and it includes a giveaway opportunity! Head over to the site now and enter to win. We'd like to thank Sandy for being a great blogger to work with! Check out her video:

We've also received another review from an organization close to home. OakvilleMoms.com informed us that they have posted a review of the PlasmaCar on their site, and we are happy to hear that they love it!

Best wishes,

-j.wu

PlasmaCar Video from Karen C

2009-07-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

Just got this video from Karen C from 3GarnetsN2Sapphires. Check it out! Stop by her blog too!

*The video shows her children using the PlasmaCar on hard-wood floors. PlaSmart would like to mention that while the PlasmaCar works well on this surface, in few cases the PlasmaCar may scratch or leave marks on hard-wood. Use with caution!

Thanks for the video Karen!

-j.wu

Nutshells and Last Day Giveaways

2009-07-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth from ANutInANutshell.com sent us her review of the PlasmaCar today and the response on her blog has been fantastic! She's posted some great pictures of her children using the PlasmaCar, and perhaps with some persuasion from the blogosphere we can collectively convince her to post some photos of her on the PlasmaCar! Head over and demand photos!

In other news...
It's July 31 2009 - goodness the summer flies by, doesn't it? It's the last day of the month, and it's also the last day to enter to win a PlasmaCar from a few giveaway contests. If you'd like to enter to win a PlasmaCar, visit these websites and try your luck out:

GobsForGiveaways ENDS TODAY!
MommyLovesIt ENDS TODAY!

Best of luck to all entrants! There will be more giveaways/contests in August - we have partnered with a few bloggers out there who are running Back to School Events so check back frequently.

-j.wu

Reviews (x2)

2009-07-29T06:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier this morning I received a tweet from @ticklemom and she informed me that another PlasmaCar review has been posted on the TickleTickle Blog. We are delighted to hear that it has been a great hit with the family! The review even went further to say that the children were curious enough to ask how the PlasmaCar actually works. Future engineers perhaps? :)

For those who are curious, click here for a video to see the physics of the PlasmaCar. If reading is your thing, I found a write up from the University of Toronto about the physics of the PlasmaCar, and you can read it here! Enjoy!

We had another review just come in today as well. I feel like we're going to get a huge barrage of reviews/giveaways soon because of the highly anticipated "Back To School" events happening in the blogosphere. This review was from TooMuchSugar4U and we could not be happier with the result. Please stop by the site and check out the review, as well as other great product information.

That's it for now. If you see any other reviews/giveaways that we are not aware of, don't hesitate to tell us via twitter (@PlaSmart), or you can message us on Facebook (facebook.com/plasmart).

-j.wu

PlasmaCar Review from BeautifulAngelzz

2009-07-28T06:06:00.000-07:00

Toni from BeautifulAngelzz was kind enough to write up a review of our PlasmaCar! We would like to thank her for taking the time to write a fun and positive review. She also snapped a few pictures and took a video of her daughter using it. You can view it below:

If you are a blogger and would like the chance at reviewing the PlasmaCar, please feel free to contact us at jiash@plasmacar.com with subject "PlasmaCar Review" to see if you qualify. Though we cannot guarantee that everyone who wishes to review our product will receive one, we do try our best. We encourage feedback too so feel free to drop us a comment or two!

In the meantime, we'll catch you later on Twitter (@PlaSmart) or on Facebook (if you aren't caught up with our recent news, we FINALLY got a vanity name: facebook.com/plasmart).

j.wu

PlaSmart's Facebook Vanity Name

2009-07-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

Finally. PlaSmart Inc. has an official Facebook Vanity Name. We weren't eligible to get one in June, but after a few months of gaining a following we were able to officially register for one in the wee hours this morning. We'd like to thank everyone who has joined us on Facebook; you made this possible!

Our Page can be found at www.facebook.com/plasmart.

In other news, Tim Kimber (founder, CEO of PlaSmart) got married over the weekend! The weather decided to cooperate (for once) and held off the downpour of rain Ottawa had been expecting to receive. Best wishes to the new couple :)

-j.wu

Summer Update | Gobs Giveaway

2009-07-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

It's been a pretty gloomy week in Ottawa, Canada. I don't think we've had more than one day without rain in the last few weeks. The temperatures have been below average too, so when you combine that with cloudy/rainy weather, it doesn't make for a good summer feel.

BUT we have some exciting news! Our boss/company founder Tim Kimber is getting married this weekend! The Weather Network is calling for 80% chance of rain, but it'll be all smiles on the weekend regardless of the climate. Exciting!

Additionally, we've just receive word from Kirsten from GobsForGiveaways.com that she is running a PlasmaCar giveaway. It ends on JULY 31 2009 so hurry over to the site and enter to win! There are a bunch of ways to get additional entries, so be sure to take advantage of those. Thanks Kirsten for running this giveaway!

-j.wu

PlasmaCar review from Outnumbered 3-1

2009-07-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

Check out these cute pictures!

Melissa from Outnumbered3-1.com has posted her review of the PlasmaCar on her website. She also mentioned that the PlasmaCar has been a hit with adults too, which is always nice to hear. She's done a great job and we'd like to thank her for her efforts!

More reviews/giveaways to come soon...

-j.wu

PlasmaCar review from Seeryus

2009-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sky from SeeryusMama.com has notified us that her review of the PlasmaCar has been posted. If you'd like to check out the review, click HERE!

We'd like to thank Sky for being very cooperative with the review. She's also posted a video of her children using it, so please go check it out! I'd post it here but I don't know how (unfortunately). If anyone knows how to do it please tell me :)

-j.wu

Review from dk Mommy Spot

2009-07-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Another review has just rolled in from dkmommyspot.com. We'd like to thank Diane for taking the time to post this review on her website. Show some love and head over there to read it for yourself!

-j.wu

A heartwarming review from TheDirtyShirt.com

2009-07-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

Another review has just come in! This time it's from Jennifer via TheDirtyShirt.com. We would like to thank her for taking the time to review our product.

Jennifer also mentioned the PlasmaCar has been a particularly special toy for her nephew (pictured above), who is on the Autism Spectrum. We were very touched by her story, and it makes our jobs even more enjoyable when we hear heartwarming stories like this (read for yourself at TheDirtyShirt.com). We wish all the best to her family, and we hope the PlasmaCar continues to be enjoyed by all :)

-j.wu

Mommy Loves It (the PlasmaCar, that is!)

2009-07-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Good Monday Morning bloggers!

I received an e-mail from Heather from MommyLovesIt.com, and she's informed me that her review of the PlasmaCar has been completed. In addition, the giveaway of the PlasmaCar is happening right now, and ends July 31! Get your game face on and head over to the site right now to enter! Her site is HERE!

We'd like to thank Heather (and her daughter!) for testing out the PlasmaCar. She's been a delight to work with and we would recommend her to any company out there who is wishing for some publicity. Cheers!

-j.wu

Review of PlasmaCar from Kimberly B!

2009-07-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

PlaSmart Inc. is pleased to know that Kimberly B, creator of Candid, Clever, and Cost Effective has posted a fine review of our PlasmaCar. Please stroll over onto her site and show some love! Here is a picture of her adorable child using it:

We'd like to thank Kim for being such a great person to work with, and if any other companies are looking for a positive review experience, we would recommend her! Again, her site is CandidCleverCostEffective.com.

Best wishes from j.wu and PlaSmart Inc.

A Mom's Review of the PlasmaCar

2009-07-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

We've just received word from Amanda Compton (AMomsReview.com) that our PlasmaCar has been reviewed on her website! We'd like to thank her for the insightful review and being a pleasure to work with. If your company would like a product review, do not hesitate to contact her. Please subscribe to her blog if you have the time!

She also included these gorgeous pictures of her children using the PlasmaCar:

Very cute. If you would like the opportunity to review the PlasmaCar, send an e-mail to jiash@plasmacar.com with subject "PlasmaCar Review". Thanks!

-j.wu

Off the Couch, onto a PlasmaCar

2009-07-06T05:56:00.000-07:00

We just received a link to a review of our PlasmaCar from Casey Deuce, blogger for A Couch With A View (follow her on Twitter)! We just wanted to say thank you to Casey for taking the time to write-up the PlasmaCar, and being a great person to work with!

You can check out her blog, as well as the review she gave us, HERE.

If you are reading this and thinking, "I want to blog about that too!" here's your chance! We're still looking for potential bloggers, so if you'd like to be considered, e-mail jiash@plasmacar.com with subject "PlasmaCar Review". Let's get started!

-j.wu

PlasmaCar's are on the road!

2009-07-02T11:29:00.001-07:00

We've just received confirmation from a few bloggers that they received their PlasmaCars! They will be reviewed shortly. We'll post the links up once we get notification.

If we sent you a PlasmaCar but it has not arrived yet, just sit tight and they will hopefully get to you by next week. It was just Canada Day, and July 4 is coming up, so please be patient!

-j.wu

Thank you Leslie Gosney!

2009-06-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ain't she cute? Can't get any better than that!

I just came into the office this morning and received a lovely tweet from Leslie Gosney. She wrote a little blog entry about our PlasmaCar, and included some very cute pictures and videos of her and her children using it. It's so nice to see that our products are being enjoyed by all ages!

So, here's to Leslie and her family! Thank you for making our day here at the office! PlaSmart Inc. couldn't be happier!

Feel free to follow her blog: Rants, Raves, and Pet Peeves.

-j.wu

Summer Updates from PlaSmart Inc.

2009-06-25T12:30:00.001-07:00

Just like the Ottawa weather (which has been ridiculously hot as of late), things have been heating up here at PlaSmart Inc. Summer means more outdoor time for kids, so PlasmaCar sales are doing well. Speaking of PlasmaCars, we've met a lot of great bloggers (via Twitter) who will be reviewing them in the coming weeks! We look forward to their feedback. We will post the links once they've been reviewed.

In other news, we are in the process of launching Yummy Dough in Fall 09! We're excited to be distributing the world's first edible modeling clay; we are thrilled!

Thanks for dropping by, and don't forget to use sun-block!

Best wishes from PlaSmart Inc.

Calling all Bloggers!

2009-06-22T08:41:00.001-07:00

Dear Bloggers,

As stated earlier, PlaSmart Inc. is currently seeking potential bloggers to review their PlasmaCar. If you blog, have a generous following, and would like to get your hands on a PlasmaCar, feel free to apply for a review!

E-mail jiash@plasmacar.com with subject "Request: Toy Blogger Review" to get in touch. We only have a limited number of PlasmaCars, so be quick!

Happy Monday,

PlaSmart Inc.

Are you a Toy Blogger?

2009-06-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings Bloggers,

PlaSmart Inc. is looking for toy bloggers to review some of its products. Is this something that would interest you or someone that you know? If so, don't be shy to contact us for details! Blogging can come in any form: via Blogger, WordPress, Video Blogging, etc.

Please e-mail katherine@plasmacar.com for more information with subject "Request: Toy Blogger Review" and be sure to include your name, blog site(s), and why you wish to review our products. Please feel free to provide any additional information regarding your blog(s), such as statistical figures.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes from PlaSmart Inc.

Special thanks to OCRI

2009-06-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

Members of PlaSmart Inc. participated in OCRI's Twitter conference yesterday, held in Ottawa, ON. The turnout was excellent, and the conference provided a lot of healthy information for any business interested in learning more about Twitter (as well as LinkedIn).

Thank you to OCRI for making this event possible!

2009's Fastest Growing Companies - PlaSmart

2009-06-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a great year for us here at PlaSmart Inc...

We are excited to hear that the Ottawa Business Journal has ranked PlaSmart Inc. as the 7th fastest growing company for 2009 (based on revenue growth). It is such a thrill to be ranked in the top 10! Feel free to check out the article here. Be sure to check out the other great local companies that were listed.

Additionally, PlaSmart Inc. ranked 13th on Canada's Fastest-Growing Companies on Profit100 (for 2008). Feel free to check out the list here.

We hope that this trend will continue, and hopefully PlaSmart will creep its way up even higher in the rankings! Perhaps the launch of Yummy Dough will help us out (to be available in summer 2009).

Best wishes from PlaSmart Inc.

Hello Bloggers!

2009-06-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to PlaSmart Inc.'s official Blog!

PlaSmart is a Canadian toy distributor, and is home to the world-famous PlasmaCar! Feel free to surf us on the net on these cool sites:

PlaSmart Inc. on Twitter

PlaSmart Inc. on MySpace

PlaSmart Inc. on Facebook

PlaSmart Inc. on LinkedIn

And if you're not satisfied there, you can always check our website at PlaSmartToys.com.