Riley writes ad copy

From Dan: So, we had a thought to run an ad in our local paper for the holidays. We wanted to convey an idea that our toys may cost more than Walmart's, but they have greater play value, meaning your kids will spend much more playing with them than a disposable plastic toy.

I was already having trouble formulating a succinct turn of phrase that conveyed this idea, when Millie said, "I want something that says, these are the toys that you'll be happy to see your children open under the tree. These are the toys that you'll feel good about watching them play with...Can you combine that with your idea of play value?"

Umm...

The best I came up with was "Authentic Toys that Inspire". Jule said, "Inspire what, exactly?"

Just then Riley wandered into the office and asked what we were up to. I asked if he had any ideas.

How about "Toys that Make You Smile"? he asked.

Indeed. Toys that make you smile.

Motrin Feels Your Pain

So, Motrin thought they'd appeal to baby wearing moms with a condescending ad about back pain and baby slings.

Reaction from moms was swift and decisive. According to Forbes, "a flood of scathing items appeared on Twitter...The Motrin.com website went down Sunday night and as of Monday morning still hasn't come back up." We imagine that'll be a hard pill to swallow for the Johnson & Johnson marketing department.

More Good News

So, November 4th was Duncan's fourth birthday! Like the night before his birth (when Bush was reelected, poor kid), the event was partially imbued with politics.

Duncan didn't mind, though. When we called the kids together to watch Obama's speech in Grant Park, Duncan exclaimed, "What? Barack Obama got elected? On my birthday?!" How cool is that?

For those wanting more good news, check out this issue of the New York Times! After all, anything's possible.