Alex Tongue and Makenzie Elliott discuss how Vango’s new range elevates the tween activity category

Alex Tongue, thank you for joining us. You’re the founder of Vango and the designer of The Upside Down Game… You spoke to Billy Langsworthy about that here. But we’re here to talk about Loveté. What is Loveté?
Alex Tongue: Loveté is our new tween activity brand. We recently identified girls making their own DIY hair bows as a huge trend on TikTok. As you know, some US retailers have great displays of ribbon at the front of their stores at the moment. So girls creating ribbons for their hair is a really big thing, right?

Um… It’s a little outside my wheelhouse if I’m honest, Alex. I don’t have kids, a sense of fashion – or hair…
Alex: Ha!

Ha! I’ll take your word for it, though! Either way, you noticed this trend and wanted to create DIY hair bow-tying sets?
Alex: Right. And that led us to a deep dive into the tween activity category. The key thing we saw was that it was stuck in the year 2000: the branding, the aesthetic, the unboxing experience… It’s all stuck in the past. You go to that section, grab a product, open it and what do you find? Plastic bags hot glued to a piece of brown corrugated card! As an unboxing experience, that doesn’t seem right to me – because look at how sophisticated tweens are…

They’re no longer watching Nickelodeon; they’re watching influencers on social media. They’re shopping on Sephora; their tastes are upscale… They’re posting on social media themselves and they’re increasingly sophisticated. They expect a premium level of experience with the products they have.

And Loveté is the opposite experience to the usual tat?
Alex: Tat?

Do you not say ‘tat’ in America? Tat – cheap rubbish?
Alex: No, but I can start saying it! And yes, Loveté is the opposite. Let me show you… You open it up, and pull it out. Like any high-fashion product, the first thing you see is a tissue paper wrap. Below that, you have this beautiful textured card with QR codes. You scan those to watch premium-quality tutorial videos that show you how to tie and assemble each bow. And the bows themselves look amazing when you assemble them.

And how did this idea come to you, Alex?
Alex: Makenzie Elliott brought the hair-bow trend to us. She’s the marketing specialist here at Vango toys.

Makenzie Elliott? That Makenzie standing over there?
Alex: Yes!

Then why the heck am I talking to you?! Ha! Makenzie! Come and join us!
Alex: Ha!

Makenzie, we’re talking about Lovett… Alex just said you brought in the idea! So what inspired this?
Makenzie Elliott: Gosh, hello! Well, you know, it seemed to me that everybody on TikTok suddenly had a bow in their hair. Not just their hair: they were tying them on their shower curtains, on their bags, in their cars. Bows we’re everywhere! I thought we should think about making an experience out of the trend… At the same time, we’d been talking about doing a DIY product – so why not a make-your-own-bow set?

Brilliant. And before you said yes to this, Alex, I’m assuming you researched it? How did you go about that?
Alex: We spent a lot of time looking at what we didn’t like in other sets that we’re available – the tat! That’s what led to us the high-end concept, the branding, the aesthetic of Loveté. We asked ourselves how we could make the packaging beautiful and the experience surprising. We hired a watercolor illustrator that does fashion design to do the artwork for a more sophisticated look. Then – to continue your unboxing experience, Deej – you’ll find a little surprise underneath that top layer.

And I’ll just clarify that, while we’ve been talking, I’ve opened one of three beautiful little boxes. I’m making a Black Swan hair bow! But there’s another little box hidden under the main three…
Alex: Exactly. And this comes as a little extra – it’s not advertised on the box or in the marketing. You just discover it as you lift up that layer! It’s a little bow hanger. You can clip your bows on there to hang them up.

Oh, this is cute. I love this! And this is still a trend?
Alex: Yes – I don’t know if you saw the Oscars last night, but the press went all in on the bow trend…

Makenzie’s online! These are all headlines?
Makenzie: “Bow Trend Stole the Show at the Oscars”; “Hailey Bieber is Covered in Bows at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.” “Bows are Key Style Trend at the Oscars.”

Gosh, it’s everywhere: “Clint Eastwood bowlegged at Oscars.” I made that one up, Alex. Don’t look for it! And in terms then, Makenzie, of you seeing a finished product, how close is this to what you originally envisioned?
Makenzie: A very good question!

Thank you. If you want to wrap things up, just say “It exceeded my expectations.” There’s poppy-seed cake on the Press Stand…
Makenzie: Ha! Well, it DID exceed my expectations! Because when we first started, I was just tying bows with random bits of ribbon that I had throughout my house. So it was great to see it come to life exactly as I was envisioning it… Everything from the fabric and the pearls to the bow hanger and the illustration style. We also had a wonderful team working on it so it was really fun.

Alex: Another thing that we thought would be cool about this is that it’s SO far removed from The Upside Down Challenge. I felt we could do that because we never set out to be a games company… It just happens we had a start in games. And obviously, we have our preschool item, Bizyboo. But we’re always on the lookout for hot trends and areas that we think can be changed in some way.

And I think, Alex, that Billy covered your origin story when he first spoke with you. But, Makenzie, how did you get into the industry?
Makenzie: Oh, man…

You said that like the story’s going to be awful… You have a background in larceny?
Makenzie: No, I was a journalism major! Then I worked in breaking news for a little under a year at a local paper. At the time, I was living in Eugene, Oregon. But I happened to know Alex’s sister in law – we went to middle and high school together… So when I moved back to Portland, I mentioned my needing a job to her. I think I said I was looking to get more into communications or marketing. When she said she knew of something in toys, I thought it sounded cool.

Happy days! I’ll put a few photos of the product in here, so people can see it for themselves. But tell me, Alex: what’s the most interesting object in your office or on your desk?
Alex: The most interesting object in my office? Hmmm. I’m trying to think… What’s on my desk? I don’t think there’s anything interesting…

Makenzie, I’ve a feeling Alex is going to let us down. I’m coming to you next if you want start thinking!
Makenzie: Well… On the shelf behind my desk, I have my great grandmother’s old typewriter.

Alex: I LOVE that! See, that’s the whole journalist background, right?

Right! Knows what the people want! This is awkward now, Alex, because that’s a great answer! You’re not going to say anything better than that…
Alex: No – I mainly just have boxes of old prototypes. I also have a pile of knockoffs of our products. As they say, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness”.

Good quote! Still… The actual answer is, “Boxes of shit!” I can’t end on that! It’s the most anticlimactic answer in the history of Mojo Nation.
Makenzie: He’s still trying to think…

Alex: Ha! I’m sorry! Honestly, You’d be so disappointed with my desk! Ha!

Alight. I’ll ask you another question. What’s the one thing I could’ve asked you today but didn’t?
Alex: You could’ve asked me what I wanted to do before I chose to do this!

Aha! We’re back in business! Tell me Alex: what did you want to do before you did this?
Alex: For a couple years, I studied anesthesiology. That was short lived, though… After high school, I used to race downhill: skateboarding, longboarding, you know?

Let’s assume I don’t. What is it? Like a long skateboard that you race downhill?
Alex: Yes! I did that professionally for several years… That’s why I didn’t become an anesthesiologist. Then the longboarding took me to toys because I needed a job after losing a title sponsor. So I got a job at a toy company.

That’s a great answer!
Makenzie: I love that question! I used to ask everybody that when I was a journalist because I think that’s how you get the best answer… Ask them what you should ask them.

And if I’d asked you the same question, McKenzie, What would’ve been your answer?
Makenzie: Do I wear hair bows!

Perfect! And do you wear hair bows?
Makenzie: I’m not currently wearing one, but yes – I do!

We’ll, look: you can have this one. Because they look amazing, don’t they? Hey, listen: I’ve enjoyed this. Makenzie, what a pleasure to talk to you, thank you so much! Alex… Meh.
Alex: Ha! I need practice!

Ha! No, I’m pulling your leg. This has been great. Thank you both for making time and making it fun.

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