Father-Husband-Marketer-Geek

Recently Microsoft revealed their big search engine plans to try and win back market share from Google - they're going to reward shoppers for using their search engine. I was skeptical at first, but then I tried it, searching for a Chicco crib for our baby, but I did the search - it would have cost $147 with a $12 cash back to my PayPal account - a net cost of $135...That was over $20 cheaper than Babies R Us. Free Shipping, to boot. Searches only compile from Microsoft partners who agree to be in the Cashback program, but I've never seen a shortage of search results. Of course, my next step was to perform a search for Department 56 items on Microsoft Live for Cash Back -- over 200+ results where you could get money back and free shipping. For example, the "North Pole Around the World 24 hour flight center" would earn $8 cash back. Note: this one did have a shipping charge, so you'll have to make sure to double check. Related articles Google's search marke

I had the opportunity to interview Melinda Seegers this week. She's better known as "MsLitTown", Department56's Manager of Consumer Services. She makes herself available to answer consumer questions for the company. * When did you start with D56 and what was your background? I started at Department 56 in 1989 right here in Consumer Services. Believe it or not, my background is in education. I am a former junior high school teacher. I have always been interested in the history of things so I thoroughly enjoyed researching the history and architecture of the Villages and Snowbabies. * What was the most successful new product introduction to date? This is tough, but the most exciting introduction I've seen was probably when we introduced the North Pole Series in 1990. It was great fun to be part of a completely new Village series that interested so many people. * You've answered a lot of questions for D56. I'd like to ask you what YOU col

Greg Beilke Series: Dickens' Village, Alpine Village, Universal Monsters As a member of the Department 56 Creative team since 1988, Senior Product Designer, Greg Beilke has seen many changes in the lit Villages and accessories he works to design. Because of the variety of projects he has been involved with Greg takes the time to correctly research each design to be sure it fits into the existing Village accurately and works with the current style of the Village. “If you think of the Villages, whether it’s a building or a group of characters, a certain amount of research needs to be done for each and every project. We’re all very concerned about keeping the style of architecture, costumes and vehicles appropriate for each Village.” “I draw a lot of inspiration from other artists. I always have. If I’m working on a set of people for the Dickens’ Village Series®, for example, the first place I turn to is an illustrated copy of “ A Christmas Carol .” Those 19th century illustrations h

This online shop came up near the top in a Google Shopping page search for "Department 56 sales". I had never heard of them, so I had to check them out. Their site has a nice, fun, and whimsical layout. Click here to visit their search results page for Department 56 products . I really liked the way they explained their differentiators: * All of the products you see listed on our website that are orderable are typically in stock and ready to ship. If for some reason the item you ordered is out of stock, we will notify you immediately. Orders usually ship within one business day (unless an item is on presale, which is clearly marked). * Some competitors take days to ship (to our amazement, one even takes weeks) the products you ordered. We, on the other hand, ship your order the same day or the next business day. After your order is shipped, you will have a tracking number e-mailed to you. * We do not drop ship items like some competitors do. When you order product, it is ship

Just as the Original Snow Village has its' own Halloween brand extension, wouldn't it be great if some of the other series had their own Halloween collections? I think a North Pole Halloween series would be fantastic. Some of my ideas for buildings and accessories are: * Playing Trick or Treat at Santa's Castle * Gooey Candy Factory * Elfenstein's Laboratory * Count Elfula's Castle * Curse of the Were-Elf * The Haunted Toy Store * Penguins Bobbing for Apples * Build-A-Scary Bear Workshop * Mrs. Claus's Costume Shop * Witch's Brew Hot Cocoa Stand

Recently I emailed Brian Jones, owner of the "A Christmas Story" house and all related licensing: "Its going well. I am in on everything Christmas Story, that includes the musical. I gave Jerry all the contacts he need last year to get all the legal rights to make the musical . He has all of that in order and should know more about the production by the end of the month. Its going to have a 2009 debut. We have a bunch going on for merchandise and the convention this year. The schedule for the convention is here: http://www.achristmasstoryhouse.com/index.php/convention/ The highlights include the premiere of 2 documentaries about A Christmas Story , rides in the original fire truck from the movie, the display (for the weekend only) of one of the original bb-guns, and a speakers series with crew members who worked on the film, and a look a like contest. Here is the big one for your blog: There will be 3 new Dept 56 pieces for "A Christmas Story&q

I finally added my Snow Village collection up on Ebay. Starting bid was $99, and there are currently 3 bidders. You can check the D56 auction out here and make bids until 5 am EST on Thursday, May 15th. We hate to give these pieces away at such a discount, but we are forced to because of storage space issues. We are adding a baby to our family and we are going to collect North Pole for him instead. All buildings and accessories are in good condition and have been set up and used once. All boxes are also in good condition, except Dinah's Diner, which is missing the box entirely, but is still packed in the foam properly. Campbell's Soup Counter and Mm-Mm-Good! Accessory Gus's Drive In Dinah's Diner Pillsbury Doughboy Bakeshop Long Haul Truckstop News Gazette Let's Play House Village Train Station Budweiser Factory Budweiser Clydesdales Mighty-Fine BBQ Grill Master & Friend American Hero Comics Dairy Land Creamery A Pool Tournament at Sharkys Fresh Daily Delivery

Janet recently sent a message wishing good tidings. She said she has recently redesigned the entire North Pole village at The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee! Relating to my post about my son and collecting North Pole Village, she said "Most little boys enjoy playing with trucks, and new in the line this year is "Dumpy's Toy Trucks" which is a store in the shape of, you guessed it, a dump truck! It is really cute. Another new and charming piece for this year -that is also animated- is the "Rubber Duck Factory," which includes an elf "swimming" in a pool of ducks, conducting product testing... Still in the line are Mickey Mouse Watch Factory, Sesame Street at the North Pole, and Christmas Critters Pet Store. Of course, the list goes on! You can see pictures of Dumpy's Toy Trucks and the Duck Factory here! " Boasting one of the largest Christmas stores in the south, the Christmas Place carries the full Deptartment 56 line.

Image via Wikipedia I've added a new poll to the blog. Which new licensed series should be added by Department 56? Chronicles of Narnia : With the upcoming second movie in the series, this could be an excellent marketing vehicle for Department 56 to reach a new, younger audience. This would be the same audience which clamored for Harry Potter in last year's poll. Marvel Comics Super Heroes: Also catering to the new youthful audience, who can deny the fantastic landscape possibilities, full of color and excitement? Sesame Street : I'm surprised this hasn't been done already. Gone With the Wind: This classic film could easily have a series of figures, and of course, at the center, the southern estate of Tara. American Civil War : Perhaps in conjunction with Gone With the Wind, history buffs would rejoice at the various Civil War battlefields and D56's take on the blue and the grey. Saving Private Ryan : Starting with the beaches at Normandy, and ending with the memo

I hope you all enjoy this story as it is told every so often. It's an original, fictional story mixing a coming of age tale with the holidays, the supernatural, and topical issues...if you missed the first chapter, you can start by reading Chapter One . Underneath the Tree - A supernatural tale of Christmas "Underneath the Tree" Chapter Two: The Gambler Interlude: A CNN announcer tells us that US troops arrive in Iran and have cornered overthrown the regime. End Interlude. For what seemed like the entire bus ride, I couldn't get the vision out of my head. It was as if Stanley Kubrick met Oliver Stone and then they collaborated with Spike Lee and said "hey, let's mess with this kid's head…". The cinematography was excellent, guys. Part of me felt guilty for blowing off the last week of classes, like I was spoiling the money my parents spent on sending me to school. The guilt lasted all of ten seconds as I thought of how my Dad earned his living. My Da

The latest issue of Village D-Lights , a wonderful magazine of village collecting, display tips and product information, arrived in my mailbox about a month ago. I've just finished reading it cover to cover. I never feel I can really blog about it until I've absorbed it all. This edition's cover features "Frost University" for the Original Snow Village collection. Here is what you'll find in this (April/May) issue: * The cover story continues unveiling the new introductions for each series. * A look back at the busy year the NCC enjoyed in 2007. * Brandon Taylor looks at variations produced over the years, including misspellings which had been stamped on pieces. * A complete list of 2008 introductions * The NorthPole series word search! * The largest model runway in the world... * A letter from Mrs. Dickens There's also many regular sections of the magazine: reader submissions, letter from the editor, trivia, display ideas, hints and tips, and much more!

Lenox Group Inc. Reports First Quarter 2008 Results for its first quarter ending March 29, 2008. - courtesy of the Trading Markets website An excerpt from their article: Net sales for the first quarter 2008 totaled $71.4 million as compared to $86.4 million for the comparable prior year period. Net loss for the first quarter of 2008 was $9.1 million as compared to a net loss of $13.0 million in the comparable prior period. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) adjusted for special or one-time items for the first quarter of 2008 was a loss of $5.2 million as compared to loss of $11.4 million for the same period in 2007. (See table below). The Company's business is highly seasonal and historically operates at a net loss in the first quarter of its fiscal year. Marc Pfefferle, Interim Chief Executive Officer, said, "The reduction in net sales is primarily due to lower inventory liquidation sales in the first quarter of 2008 as compared to 2007

I originally wanted to sell these in one fell swoop, but shipping costs for that were outrageous. I am now going to open these up for individual sale for $25 each plus the actual shipping fee. All are in very good shape. I won't ship anything with any imperfections. Please feel free to contact me via email if you are interested. Campbell's Soup Counter and Mm-Mm-Good! Accessory Gus's Drive In Dinah's Diner Pillsbury Doughboy Bakeshop Long Haul Truckstop News Gazette Let's Play House Village Train Station Budweiser Factory Budweiser Clydesdales Mighty-Fine BBQ Grill Master & Friend American Hero Comics Dairy Land Creamery A Pool Tournament at Sharkys Fresh Daily Delivery Village Trees Accessories Road Side Billboards Silver Bells Christmas Shoppe