Toy-Making 'Tag Team' Procures Patent

It’s safe to say that most parents spend a good deal of time observing their babies, watching with wonder as they discover the world around them. For Westport resident Paul Oestreicher, a scientist and father of four, observation led to innovation – he is the creator and founder of TagsMania, a company that designs toys for babies and toddlers.

“I watched all four of my children spend more time playing with the tags and wash labels attached to their stuffed animals than they did with the actual toys,” explains Oestreicher.  As he watched all four of his children he had the idea to create a toy entirely made of tags. “I like to say that the company was conceived in 1998 but born in 2010, it had a long gestation period,” he joked.

As his children were the inspiration for the toy line, it seems only fitting that his youngest daughter, 13 year old Rebecca, collaborated with him on the latest addition to the product line.  Rebecca is listed as the co-inventor on the "Tagsdale" plush toy.  Tagsdale looks like a Clydesdale horse but his mane, tail and hooves have been replaced with soft fabric loops. 

Oestreicher says that he and his family were sitting around the kitchen table bouncing around some new product ideas when Rebecca, who was 11 at the time, had the idea of a tag toy in the form of a horse. 

“I promised her that if we ever moved ahead and developed the toy, she would be listed on the patent,” said Oestreicher.  “She really made an impact on the design of the toy.  We had so many opportunities to incorporate the tags into the design.  The placement of the tags is our signature design element.”

They applied for the patent on the Tagsdale a little over a year ago, in March 2010.  “When my dad handed me the papers to sign for the patent application, I was stunned,” said Rebecca Oestreicher. 

The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent in May, “It feels pretty great,” Rebecca said of her achievement, “I’m proud.  It feels really cool to have designed something that little kids play with.  I feel honored,” she said humbly. 

Rebecca lists math, science, and French as her favorite subjects in school and adds that she hopes to pursue a career in aerospace engineering or architecture in the future.  Right now, though, she is continuing to assist her dad in the development of other TagsMania products and holds the title of Product Design Assistant, with her own business card, of course.  “It’s been a very good learning experience. I’m learning a lot about design through testing and trial and error,” she explains.

Dr. Oestreicher’s original TagsMania product was the TagBall, a ball made with a series of soft fabric loops.  He said that the product went through six generations of prototypes and extensive safety testing before coming to market.  He explains that babies like tag toys not only for their aesthetic properties and gentle crunching sound, but through play babies are developing motor skills, exploring their environment tactilely, and responding to the color and texture of the product. 

Last year, Oestreicher was named an Honors Award winner in the National Parenting Publications Awards for children’s products.  The TagBall was named as a standout among children’s toys.

TagsMania toys are sold in stores in twenty states nationwide as well as through the TagsMania website and Amazon.com.  Oestreicher recently partnered with the American Museum of Natural History to make the Tagasaurus, a tag toy in the shape of a dinosaur, available in their gift shop.  Locally, TagsMania toys can be found locally at Achorn Pharmacy, Learning Express in Westport and Darien and at Giant Steps in Fairfield. 

In addition to teaching at New York University, managing TagsMania, and being a parent, Dr. Oestricher is also an author.  His latest book, Camelot, Inc.: Leadership and Management Insights from King Arthur and the Round Table was released this year.  He spoke about the challenges business leaders face and providing insights into overcoming them at the Westport Library on June 2.