Toy Manufacturer Was Putty In Their Hands as Peers Voted For Best 2014 Specialty Toy
ASTRA’s annual Awards Breakfast and Business Meeting in Phoenix last week honored the best retailer, toy maker and sales rep among the thousands who work and create specialty toys for children coast to coast. It may sound crazy but the most popular toy manufacturer, as voted by ASTRA’s 1,300 members, was the fun and addicting Thinking Putty ($14) by Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld. The Pennsylvania-based company won the prestigious 2014 ASTRA Manufacturer Excellence Award.
Retailers have reported that the tactile Thinking Putty flies off the shelf once kids and grownups get their hands on it. In fact Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld won ASTRA’s 2013 Best Toys For Kids in the Just For Fun category for its Super Magnetic Tidal Wave Thinking Putty. Each 4″ metal tin is hand-packed with 1/5 pound of putty.
“ASTRA retailers are America’s play experts. They know toys inside out and they watch children play with them every day in their stores,” noted Kathleen McHugh, President of ASTRA. “Our annual gathering at Marketplace & Academy is an appropriate time to pause and recognize those leaders who have had a big impact on growing the specialty toy industry. Our honorees exemplify what makes the specialty toy industry special: an appreciation for the role of play in healthy child development; a commitment to top-notch service; and a willingness to help others in the industry succeed.”
One reason ASTRA retailers experience such successful sales with Thinking Putty is Crazy Aaron’s attractive POP displays packed with an assortment of colors and styles.
Retailers report that they need only un-box the display and set it on the sales floor. No fancy or complicated sales pitch is ever needed, the putty practically sells itself!
With 40 colors and some amazing effects, Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld has caught the attention of kids and not-so-grownup adults. Among the many national magazine shout-outs, Wired named them the perfect last minute stocking stuffer.

“For me, there’s no holiday memory more vivid than playing with Silly Putty,” wrote wired.com’s author. “Pulling it, stretching it, smashing it with a hammer and using it to pull ink off the Sunday comics. Crazy Aaron’s Putty takes that to the next level, with heat-sensitive, magnetic, translucent and other varieties. Wired.com’s GeekDad blog has been featuring it as part of the ’12 Days of GeekMas’ celebration.”
Both the 4″ tin and smaller 2″ tin of silicone bouncing putty are proudly made in the USA. Another source of company pride is their employment of over 500 intellectually and physically challenged adults across eight Philadelphia, PA vocational centers. Their job of hand stuffing each tin allows workers to participate to their level of ability while earning a paycheck and instilling a sense of pride and independence.
Crazy Aaron’s products can be found in specialty toy, science, museum, gift, bookstore, college, hospital gift and arts & crafts stores. See all of their colors and seasonal specials like their 4th of July red, white and blue putty at their online store, www.Puttyworld.com. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and get a little “crazy” with the pliable bouncy toy.
ABOUT ASTRA
With more than 1,300 members, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is the largest association for companies in the toy and children’s products arenas. ASTRA and its member companies promote the growth of the toy industry by delivering products that serve children’s best interests. For more information, visit www.astratoy.org
ABOUT CRAZY AARON’S PUTTYWORLD
Many entrepreneurs see potential as a lump of clay—and dream about shaping it into a thriving business. “Crazy” Aaron Muderick thought in terms of that metaphor too—but with a lump of putty. In 1998 Muderick was working as a software engineer. Writing code all day offers periodic pauses as code is uploaded to the server. During one of those pauses, Muderick picked up a piece of Silly Putty on his desk and squished it mindlessly waiting for his code to process. Soon his co-workers wanted a piece of the putty too. Muderick decided to make his own and 16 years later, Puttyworld is a hit with kids and adults alike. The popular metal tins of non-toxic silicone putty are sold in thousands of specialty stores and online at www.Puttyworld.com.
