Product Counsel’s Robert Yusim talks ZipString, Nockles – and the key to fruitful collaborations

Robert, it’s always lovely to chat. What has kept you busy over the past year?
I’ve added a whole new segment to my business, which is really all about mentoring companies. As you know, I’ve launched direct to consumer campaigns and brands using direct to consumer for many years; I’m well known for that. And I’ve also worked on licensing inventions. But there are several companies that have inventions that need mentoring and want to eliminate the learning curve. They need Strategy… They need the architecture of distribution… They need to manage margins…

One nice example is that I’ve started working with ZipString. The company was created by two young gentlemen in their early twenties, straight out of college. They went viral with a prototype, did a Kickstarter and then went on Shark Tank in the US. I began working with them in October 2023 and we’ve really re-structured their business, eliminating a previous structure that wasn’t optimal. Now they are well positioned; with significant growth of the business year on year and… with better margins. We’re merchandised globally – the product is in Hamleys in London through Marvin’s Magic – and we’re in retailers like Walmart. They are working on many new innovations… My goal with them is not just to help them build their brand, but to help them become a very successful multi-brand toy company.

Sounds exciting!
I am also working with a few other companies to launch their brands and provide guidance as well as licensing out a number of inventions And…Then I’m also working with a very famous rock star and his wife – who will remain nameless – who with their young daughter have inspired a property and a toy. I’ve been working with them to position that toy and the brand to the marketplace. We’re in the early days of that.

How did that come about?
It’s funny, I’ve talked to numerous celebrities over the years about various projects. And actually, the first product I ever worked on was celebrity driven. It was a fitness product – the Suzanne Somers ThighMaster. Have you heard of Suzanne Somers? She unfortunately passed away recently.

No… But tell me more.
She was on a show called Three’s Company in the United States. I think there was also a Three’s Company in the UK as well, but she was on the US version. She put her name to that product and at the time I worked for a company that among other things, owned the Canadian rights and I was put in charge of managing the market.

But with the rock star, we had mutual connections from the ‘As Seen on TV’ world. They needed someone with toy expertise to give guidance and find them the right path to manufacturing and the marketplace. I’ve gotten to know them and they are amazing people… It’s been a very interesting project to be involved with.

Very cool. Any other recent projects that you’re excited about?
I’m still helping NSI, who I’ve worked with for over 13 years. We launched Wubble Ball and LaserX and a number of other very successful brands. We’re now in the midst of launching a high-performance blaster brand called SIREN. So on the business side, I’ve been very busy and very fortunate.

And then on the personal side, my daughter had twins over 10 months ago, and it’s been wonderful to have those beautiful lives in my life – but not have the direct responsibility for them!

Ha! Perks of a grandparent! Looping back to your mentoring work, what makes a company or product appeal? What gives something potential?
It’s all about innovation and recognising something special when you see it. The funny thing about ZipString is that I approached them. I was watching their episode on Shark Tank and I wrote them a note immediately after that episode… I was so taken with the product. They did a deal with two sharks, so I never expected to ever hear from them – but the deal didn’t go through and six months later, they replied. And one thing led to another and we hit it off.

And it was the fact that they didn’t know very much about the toy industry but were able to pull off assembling 4,000 units to fulfill their Kickstarter… Getting all the batteries, the motors, the string, the gears and putting it all together – that was incredibly impressive to me.

You mentioned your goal with ZipString is to help them become a multi-brand toy company. What areas do you feel they could play in?
What they’ve hit on is something that’s very broad. It’s kind of like Shashibo in that sense, It’s for teens, it’s for adults and its for kids. You can be mesmerized by it, or relax with it, and use it as a kind of fidget toy…. They’re not going to all of a sudden go into a big departure like pre-school, they’ll stay in categories like outdoor sports and electronic toys that serve multiple age demographics.

It’s not an easy product to define. Has that been a help or a hindrance?
You’re right, but it had a level of buzz that caught the attention of the retailers and caught the attention of the international trade. Their TikTok video got 20 million views in four hours. Then they did the Kickstarter… Then they went on Shark Tank… So there’s been attention on the brand and the product and that’s helped it overcome the fact it’s difficult to pin down into a single category.

The beautiful thing is that Hamleys or FAO Schwartz or Learning Express in Lake Zurich are all places where the product is being demonstrated in store. Those demonstrations generate accelerated sales on a daily basis. Learning Express’ Richard Derr sent me a note recently saying: ‘If I was going to demonstrate this every day in store, it would be my number one product.’ It has a real visual excitement to it – that’s why it went viral and that’s created this ecosystem of interest. That’s bubbled up to the retailers and they want to get involved.

What are some of the key ingredients that make your collaborations with the likes of ZipString, Pixicade and NSI successful?
NSI is a nice example of a business relationship that grew into friendship. It’s like that with a lot of my clients – we care about each other, and I care about every project that I’m in. I’m friends with Stephen and Austin from ZipString. I’m friends with Martin and Alysha from Pixicade…I’m friends with Kevin and Jimi from Fun in Motion… I licensed Nockles to them and that’s finally launched which is very exciting. The way I approach things with these partners is that we’re all rowing in the same direction, caring about the end result and being committed to doing whatever is necessary to be successful.

You mentioned Nockles there. It’s a line of connectable fidget toys… How did this item find its way to you?
I was at the People of Play Invention Conference and I’m in a meeting with an inventor I had just met for the first time. His name is David Silverglate. He’s a prolific inventor – he invented Oball, a classic baby toy. He was showing me five or six things, and it was kind of like a “no, no, no, no.” And then he got to the last one I thought it was gold. It had all the elements of what I look for – and what it really reminded me of Shashibo because there are these form factors that you can magically transform into other shapes. There’s a whole ecosystem to Nockles. I fell in love with it right away and we had a license within four months.

Amazing. Before we wrap up, are there any other recent launches that you’ve been involved in that we can highlight?
Well, back in 2015 I had a really successful kids bedding product called ZippySack. It was invented by a gentleman from Chicago who developed the product to keep his kids cosy in bed at night. I thought it was brilliant. It’s basically a fitted sheet that goes on a mattress, and it has a fleece top. You zip it up with the child inside and it’s cosy and tight. Then, in the morning, when you want to make the bed, all you do is zip it up and it’s done in seconds.

The only thing that was missing with his prototype were characters – so we put characters on it and licenses… It had a great success and then it had an unfortunate sudden end. But we’re bringing it back and I’ve just relicensed it. So ZippySack will relaunch in 2025 and it’ll be all over the place, like it was the first time around.

Nice. I realise we’ve now covered everything from bedding, to ZipString, to the Suzanne Somers ThighMaster… Quite an eclectic mix! Is it an intentional move to work on quite a diverse range of things?
It is in the sense that every day is different – and that means I’m refreshed every day. I would hate to be sitting behind a desk pushing the same piece of paper every single day of my life. And that wouldn’t happen anyway because I’m basically unemployable.

Ha!
The beautiful thing about what I do is getting to work with so many different people… There’s been so many great ideas, innovations and experiences. It’s really refreshing. I can be refreshed from one hour to the next, not just one day to the next! I genuinely wake up in the morning excited about what I do. I love it and I’m passionate about it. I live by the credo of just doing the best for whoever I’m working with.

It sounds like the right approach. I have one last question… Out of all the products you’ve helped launch, which has been the most underrated?
It’s one I continue to work on to this day – Pixicade. It’s a video game maker and it is successful but could – and should – be like a mini-Roblox. It’s done very well, is in every major retailer and we’ve got a user community of 800,000. It’s a physical kit, but the magic is also on the digital side.

We recently did a deal with Abacus Brands for them to take over domestic US and International sales. They are doing a great job and are seeing a great initial response. Having Abacus take on the distribution of the physical kit is allowing us to focus on our digital strategy, which is about to launch with the goal of exponentially increasing our user base. Keep an eye out for Pixicade… Exciting things are happening.

Good pick! Robert, it’s always a pleasure. Thanks again.

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