See Jane Fun’s Jane Bredemus on creating crafts designed for play, not display

Jane, it’s great to connect. To kick us off, how did your find your way into toy invention?
Well, I wish I’d found my way into this sooner! I stumbled into it… I was in the shopper marketing world, coming up with campaign ideas and I loved it. Once I had my first daughter, I started having product ideas as a result of seeing gaps in the market… Then, a former colleague posted on Linkedin that he’d signed a game with Fisher-Price. I asked how he’d done that and learnt about the whole licensing opportunity, which felt like a perfect fit for me.

Lovely – and what was the first product you licensed?
I went to ChiTAG in 2019 and had a new inventor booth. Josh West told Aaron Muderick of Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty to go check out a slime concept at my booth – and that was the first item I placed: Prediction Putty.

Amazing. From the outside, slime and compound play seems a tough category to invent for – especially if you’re not a chemist!
I’ve always loved compounds. Play-Doh was my favorite as a kid. I saw a gap where compounds could be more than just something tactile to play with. I thought about the Magic 8 Ball being a very familiar object… From my retail background I know that if an item immediately resonates with a buyer, they’re more likely to place it. So I took the idea of a Magic 8 Ball, turned it into compound play and that led me to Prediction Putty.

Fantastic. Is that indicative of how you like to invent?
Absolutely. I love to take something familiar and turn it into something new for the next generation. To me, simple innovation is powerful. An immediate get is essential and allows for easier sell-in at retail and it drives conversion at shelf.

And for anyone that hasn’t got to grips with Prediction Putty, how does it work?
It’s super simple. We dropped little word gems into the putty. So you play with the putty and pull out a gem which answers your question for you.

Lovely idea. So, first pitch, first deal – super simple!
Ha! Well, you realise quickly how hard it is to place the next thing! But I was lucky. Crazy Aaron’s were intrigued by the way I was thinking about putty and gave me the opportunity to continue developing concepts for them. I placed another item pretty quickly, which was amazing. It is called Hidden Adventure and it is a see-through red putty. When you place it over the little booklet that comes with it, it reveals hidden messages. Again, I took a familiar experience and applied it to putty.

Fantastic. And what guides your invention process today?
In general, it’s kid-centric. I get so many insights and/or ideas from being around kids. They’ll do something or say something and that is the inspiration I need. Testing is also a key part of my process, kid feedback is ruthless – and awesome! I also listen to parents. When they share insights, I drive a concept forward with those in mind.

Store visits are key to my process and I love to go with kids. I love to see what they gravitate to. I put myself in the buyer’s shoes and assess trends and key opportunities. I photograph and track endcaps and shelf sets at key retailers and learn so much from doing this. I need to see where an item will go in store before I dive into development.

Can you point to an invention where that kid-centric approach really shaped a key aspect of the concept?
Absolutely. Sticker Stackers – an arts and crafts item I placed with Fashion Angels. It all started as I watched my three-year-old daughter stack stickers. In the moment, she was driving me crazy, because I felt like she was wasting stickers – but then I saw that she was building with stickers… And that is where Sticker Stackers was born!

Was it as ‘easy’ a sell as the putty items?
No… Many people saw it as ‘just stickers’, so this was a tougher one to get placed. It’s a simple idea, but I was able to prove that there was a pretend play aspect to the product after kids built their creations. I highlighted the richness of that, and why it could be enough to convince the parent to make a purchase.

To me, it’s all about the play value that’s delivered after the craft. A pain point for parents is ‘my kid created this… Then what?’ I love crafts that do something besides being displayed. Sticker Stackers is themed around food and allows kids to play ‘restaurant’ afterwards. Fashion Angels did four different SKUs – which was amazing.

Fashion Angels also gave me the opportunity to help their team with development. I’m grateful because I learnt so much about the other side of the process — what happens after your item is licensed. I also did this for Bead Stackers and that item is doing quite well and currently in both Target and Walmart.

You’ve pitched to plenty of companies. What qualities make someone good at inventor relations?
Frank and honest feedback is everything, and when someone gives you feedback on how you could improve your pitch or sizzle, that is much appreciated.

Absolutely. Before we wrap up, as a solo inventor, have you embarked on many design collaborations? Does that appeal?
It’s actually something I’m just starting to focus on; going down the path of partnering with more experienced inventors. It’s a huge opportunity, especially when there is a skill gap or a capability needed. Specifically, I have a number of ideas that will require a partner for a highly mechanical or electronic toy and I’d love to connect if anyone is up for collaboration.

Let’s put the call out! Last question… You recently had a baby – big congrats! Does having a 10-month-old in the house fuel ideas?
Absolutely… And thank you! With the little one, I took some time off but really I’ve been deep in R&D mode and my idea book is overflowing. I look forward to bringing these ideas to life and pitching them soon.

Jane, this has been fun! Thanks again!

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