After making their dazzling debut on television during the Indian Premier League (IPL) second edition concluded earlier this year, the highly adorable and popular egg-headed Zoozoos have found their way onto birthday cakes, T-shirts, shoes, comic strips, newspaper mastheads, wedding cards, key chains and now even rakhis. Smart local and Chinese marketers are fast cashing in on their rapport with fans.

E-commerce site Indiangiftsportal.com stocks products that feature the Zoozoos. In a span of fortnight, the website sold over 100 Zoozoo rakhis, according to its MD Manan Sharma. The Zoozoo rakhi costs Rs300 and includes a handmade box, a card, along with credit card and courier charges. The cute Zoozoo characters are made and sourced from China, whereas the attractive rakhi ribbons and threads have been added here.

Meanwhile, their original creator Vodafone Essar will soon come up with official Zoozoo merchandise in collaboration with retail chain Shopper’s Stop. A senior official from the shopping chain was quoted as saying in The Mint publication that they are already in discussions and are very close to finalizing the deal.

The development was confirmed by a sr. advertising executive, according to whom Shopper’s Stop was scouting for reliable suppliers to make quality Zoozoo merchandise. Shoppers Stop is most likely to manufacture as well as market zestful Zoozoo T-shirts, clocks, dolls, bags, mugs etc. These are sure to be among the most popular gift items once they are released in the market, depending on their price range.

The merchandise should be possibly within a couple of months, the report mentioned executive creative director (South Asia), O & M, Rajiv Rao, as saying. Incidentally, Rajiv Rao created the much fancied Zoozoo campaign.

Shoppers Stop has already produced branded accessories and apparel for films like Om Shanti Om and the Saif Ali starrer Love Aaj Kal. They are giving branded character merchandise a try.

The Zoozoo rakhi and other merchandise – branded or otherwise - should make memorable collectibles.

Bookmark to:

“Ever spent hours just wandering from store to store, searching for a gift for someone, which would be useful still not a commonplace one? Why not consider an option that has been around for quite a while, though is still relatively unknown.”

These are the lines from an interesting article in the Business Line publication that explains how a gift card can make a really ‘presentable’ idea. Incidentally, it can also be a perfect Rakhi gift. 

The writer of this informative essay, Bhavana Acharya is referring to a prepaid gift card.

Clearing some basic things about it, she mentions: “You may think that a gift card and a gift voucher are one and the same. Well, even though they are closer to each other in conceptual terms, there is slight difference between the two.

Let us try to follow how and where the two differ.”

• Basically speaking, a gift card is a hybrid between a debit card and a gift voucher. Being so, it provides the receiver with a twin advantage – flexibility of the former with the functionality of the latter.

• A prepaid gift card is fashioned after a debit card and a gift voucher, combining their beneficial features.

• A prepaid gift card is worth a fixed amount of sum. It can
be swiped, well at any top mall or shopping complex.

• Depending on your budget and the money you want to spend for the person, you can determine its value. Accordingly, you may load the amount on it. It is entirely up to you, making it absolutely convenient. For example, if your gifting budget allows you to spend not more than Rs 1,000, you can purchase a gift card exactly worth that denomination. Obviously, the person whom you are gifting it will be able to make a purchase of his choice up to Rs 1,000. 

Bookmark to:

Facing a stiff competition from the Internet, television and other distractions, the Indian toy industry is trying to bring about revolutionary changes in its mindset. A prime example of this is Funskool. A joint venture between Hasbro Inc. and MRF, this leading toy company, is also among the largest in India.

Hasbro, a worldwide leader in the domain of children’s and family leisure time entertainment, provides vital inputs for India-centric gaming products and services. This includes the design aspect, precise manufacturing and smart marketing. Here we provide a glimpse of games on offer courtesy Funskool website:

Action based games: Your passion for never ending, fast paced action finds its right match here. The action games pump energy in your system and are bound to raise your adrenaline level to unmatched highs. These games demand involvement of both your mental and physical faculties. 

Children’s games: There are so many different ways to make your Children develop an attachment for you and love you the most. Here is a fabulous series of games that matches your child’s imagination and energy level.  

Disney games: Get engrossed with your favorite Disney characters, Donald Duck, Micky, Mouse and spend time playing a wide variety of mesmerizing games and puzzles! Enter the world of Disney – the one of endless joy and laughter.

Family games: Here is a way to make your bond with your family even stronger. Enjoy the inquisitive series of games for the whole family. ’s family games can be played at any time and will be cherished all time.

Memory Games: Ask a child where he buried his marbles and he will immediately point out even years later! Mysterious memory games help develop their visual recall, object color and shape related recognition faculties. The games can develop their memory skills if played without parental supervision.

(Information and image courtesy: Funskool)

Bookmark to:

It’s not just in India but almost all across the globe that board games are clawing their way back into the popular party circuit. They are grabbing newspaper headlines and drawing everyone’s attention.

Even Hollywood is fast realizing the immense potential of scripting tales around such traditional games. Ridley Scott will be working on a film along the lines of popular Monopoly.
On the other hand, Universal is also keen on scripting a saga around Battleship, it is rumored. Research has shown that parents who played any board game at least once every week with their children during spare time tend to develop strong relationships later.

The board game loving fathers tend to bond better with their children than those who didn’t. All these are good enough excuses to jump onto the board game bandwagon. You can bond better with your family members, colleagues and friends through board game. Gifting them will add value to your relationship.

One fantastic resource for accessing a wide range of wonderful in house entertainment is Funskool. It offers among the most exciting options towards complete child and family entertainment. Their website describes the venture as ‘a world of Happy Kids & Happy Families.”

Outlining their business philosophy, it adds: “We at Funskool uphold the highest standards of excellence and quality. We believe fun and education form a natural alliance. Infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and schoolchildren, all can learn as they play. The wide range of our toys help children across all age groups to improve creativity, logical thinking, hand-eye-co-ordination, auditory discrimination, vocabulary, problem solving skills, and even general-purpose academic intelligence.”

Funskool’s vice president (sales & marketing division), R Jeswant, asks, “How can board games make a comeback? In fact, they never left us.” He adds that the company has registered a good 40 percent growth in the current financial year in the popular board games category alone. Funskool recently tied up with IIT Mumbai for developing a host of ‘homegrown’ games for consumers.

Students made board games as part of their industrial design course and Funskool opted to distribute them. Jeswant explains that the fascinating family games demand skill and aptitude. With its large customer base the company continues to offer well researched and time-tested toys.  Importantly, their products are safe and durable. They provide children with excellent play value.

Know more about Funskool

Tags: , business gifting, corporate gifting for employees, gifting etiquette, corporate gifts companies, Gifting occasions, Business Gifting
Corporate gifting, Best business gifts, promotional products, Gifting events

Bookmark to:

In the previous blog, we glanced through some interesting games on offer from Funskool. Here are some more vivacious variants of board games.

Fun Carrom: A game of carroms with 9 white coins, 9 Black coins 1 Red coin set as per the game rules, ready to strike and pocket… But hey! Who shrunk the board? Yes, this is one of the smallest carroms you can find with all similar features of the regular board. It’s a never ending fun playing on this Fun Carrom!

Twister: This one is a real bodybender! Twist bend stretch and perform a whole lot of tricks to stay in the game! A hilarious game with loads of fun and a great way to stay fit.

Littlest pet shop game: These little pets are on an adventure to win the blue ribbon at the Pet Show. The first pet to collect its 3 items and get to the Pet Show wins the blue ribbon.

Tom & Jerry game: The game is all about running and chasing through the party.

Taboo: The game where the players have to try to get their team to guess the secret word, without using the five Taboo clues. If the secret word is ‘kitten’, they can’t say ‘meow’, ‘cat’, ‘purr’, ‘furry’, or ‘animal’. If they do, they will be unceremoniously ‘buzzed’ by the opposing team. Participants have 60 seconds to get their team to guess as many words as possible. But clues need to be chosen carefully because they might be Taboo.

Yahztee: It’s America’s all time favorite dice game. Since 1956 players have been rolling classic dice combinations like full house. Large straight and five of a kind - that’s Yahtzee. The object of the game is to score the most points by rolling five dice to make certain combinations. The dice can be rolled up to three times in a turn to try to make one of the thirteen possible scoring combinations.

Check more Funskool games here
(Information and image courtesy: Funskool)

Bookmark to:

Telescopes essentially act as buckets that collect light. The bigger your telescope, the more the amount of light it will gather, and obviously, the better you will be able to watch even faint and distant objects.

The three broad categories of telescopes are reflectors, refractors and catadioptrics. Work out which type suits the person for whom you are planning to buy it and his / her level of interest and expertise. They are expensive, though.

So before you decide to purchase one, put some thought.
Then there is a wide range of telescope accessories that you can get for someone keen on a stargazing venture. Some of them are an absolutely must, whereas others are needed only by professionals.

We list some of them below:

Mount: It is an essential accessory. A mount is necessary to hold the telescope steady. It lets a user aim it skywards at different points. Two main types of mounts are azimuth and equatorial. The former suit the beginners.

Eyepiece: it determines a star gazer’s field of view. An eyepiece is also an essential accessory for telescope stargazing. A telescope invariably has one, but it may not be of desired quality. Eyepieces are categorized on basis of barrel size (standard size is 1.25″) and focal length (measured in mm).

Filter: It is not an absolutely must. Yet, a filter is useful as it cuts down on glare and increases contrast as well as the definition of what one sees through the telescope. It protects a user’s eyes. Lunar, planetary and solar filters are among the most popular filters.

Drive system: It makes the telescope track the sky more effectively, and keeps objects within one’s field of view.
Computer-driven mount: It allows one to ‘tell’ the telescope what is to be observed. The computer then finds it for a user.

Dew shield: It’s an optional accessory. A dew shield slows down the condensation of undesirable moisture on the telescope, accumulating on damp nights.

Barlow lens: This optional accessory connects to the eyepiece. It can bump up magnification by at least 2x or more.

You can check star gazing accessories to gift here…

Bookmark to:

Funskool continues to be in the forefront of developing dynamic games for creative and alert children keeping pace with today’s competitive world. Their products - ranging from traditional to high-tech - are developed keeping the evolving needs of children and changing times in mind. 

In the next few blogs, we shall be checking some interesting games across broad themes. They also have on offer tantalizing travel games and superb strategy games for those who ‘have or claim to have a greater percentage of the gray matter, or for those aspiring to increase that.’

These games are a series of intriguing and exciting ideas that sure will enrich and sharpen your thinking process. On the other hand, their series of travel games ensure that you do not miss out on fun quotient when going on a picnic or a vacation with your family, friends or office colleagues.

Funskool’s fun-filled travel games are compact to carry. They are thoughtfully designed and come with self-contained storage trays, making them absolutely convenient. Plus they have quick set-up facilities. Just open them up and enter a world of boundless fun!

Here are some interesting games on offer from the leading toymaker:

Snakes & Ladders: A game that’s been around for centuries! Land on a ladder to climb, on a lippery snake and oops it’s downhill all the way. Find out who makes it first!

Tr. game stay alive: It’s all about staying alive! A subtle game that needs an alert mind and thoughts that keep racing!

Game of games: For those who can never be satisfied with one game here are 14 games in 1! Action strategy words and chance come together on a single board. 14 times the fun!

Globetrotters’ game: Jet set around the world answering questions on each region. A Trivial Pursuit game that takes you at break-neck speed across continents!

Monopoly deal card game: The fast-paced, addictive card game where your luck can change in the play of a card. 
(Information and image courtesy: Funskool)

Tags: business gifting, corporate gifts companies, Corporate gifting India, Best corporate gifts, Business Gifting
Corporate gifting, corporate gifting for employees, Popular corporate gifts, gifting to clients, Best business gifts, gifting india

Bookmark to:

Ystari Games, a renowned global games publisher, has recently launched a strategy game. 

Priced at Rs 1,750, the game has already drawn attention of avid gamers. Based in Mumbai, it involves players who move around every nook and corner of the buzzing city in order to market goods with an elephantine help. The designer of this ‘gigantic’ game, Cyril Demaegd, may not have been so much familiar with Mumbai where elephants would hardly have the space to move around in the real life scenario, after all?

The game has still been a big hit! Ashish Kothari, who is afflicted with a debilitating physical condition and is left with just 10 per cent of his natural vision, has also designed some unique and innovative strategy board games based on the places of Mumbai.

From a desi version of Scotland Yard, CID, to a game inspired by Esselworld, and other games (specifically for tier II and tier III cities) inspired by films like Spiderman and Titanic as well as TV shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati?, the rising appetite for board games has only gone up further, states Kothari. He himself is enormously crazy about Scotland Yards and Scrabble.

Aparna Jain, who runs a New Delhi based store designed for moms-to-be, encapsulates the spirit of new-age gamers, not content with partying, drinking, eating and gossiping. She now runs a club that is steadily growing in membership. In fact, the club gets new members on every game night.

She diligently surfs for board games on the Internet to strengthen her collection. It includes Buzzword, The Big Taboo, Cranium, Balderdash, Scrabble, Jungle Speed among other games. She is set to bring home a new game called Quiddler, the Cranium booster pack and a deluxe edition of Scrabble.

She says that members of the club contribute money to bring home the latest board games — but only after checking the net thoroughly. Why is it so important for her to unveil board games at parties? “It’s so much better to utilize your brains effectively instead of gossiping and sitting around with a drink,” she quips.

Tags: gifting etiquette, Corporate gifting, gifting india, , Business etiquette, corporate gifting for employees, business gift baskets, Corporate gifting India, Cheap corporate gifts, corporate gifts companies

Bookmark to:

The next time you happen to visit a friend or colleague don’t at all be surprised if you are asked by your host what you’d like to choose — not from food options - but from a stack of board games! Despite intense competition from the online games and Xbox 360 and Playstation, newer, more interesting and more exciting variants of the good old Snakes and Ladders as well as Ludo are here!

According to owner of Ram Chander & Sons, counted among India’s oldest toy shops, board games are doing well. Businesswise, he is very happy since eager customers are walking into his store armed with a list of games they have checked on the net. He has been quoted as saying in a newspaper interview: “Families walk into our store and ask for at least three different Scrabble versions.”

Board games act as a great binding force. For instance, the US based investment banker, Ajesh Shah, who returned to India a few years ago to launch ‘game clubs’ for likeminded gamers, is busy finalizing plans for the new round of ‘board game night’ in Mumbai. Shah’s Peacock Projects is a forum for organizing cultural festivals while also trying to promote newer names in the domain of dance, music and visual arts.

He is a board game ‘freak, and began a new club, entitled ‘Board Game Bash’, where members register and assemble to play board games. The response, informs Shah, who owns close to 20 board games, has indeed been overwhelming.

There are already about 150 registered members. Shah began the initiative with Tarun Durga of Zapak games. The duo is now in the process of launching a host of interesting board games for the niche market. So, if you are looking to present something interesting to your best friend or colleage, pick a challenging board game. He or she sure would relish it…

Bookmark to:

As we informed in the previous post, solar eclipse on July 22 has become a spectacle not to be missed with special tour packages planned to watch the spectacular event from up close. It has turned into a tourist’s delight in India. Travel firms are cashing on the opportunity to lure tourists with a ‘six-and-a-half minutes’ of irresistible show to their regular tour packages.

The eclipse event has been included in regular tour itineraries to make them more exciting. And they have become a big hit. The eclipse can be seen in states such as Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal among others. The holy city of Benares and Gaya have become the hotspots for the hottest event of the year just in a week’s time from now.

The solar eclipse will sure rekindle interest in star gazing. There are so many accessories and utilities that you can offer to sky watchers as a worthy addition to their kit. Binoculars are an affordable, lightweight alternative to costly telescopes. One can easily spot objects as faint as magnitude 10 with a good pair. Among the most common binoculars for stargazing are: ‘8×35’ (magnifies 8 times; has a 35mm aperture), and ‘7×50’ (magnifies 7 times; has a 50mm aperture). Aperture denotes front lens size

The ‘8×35’ binoculars magnify more powerfully but they collect less light than the ‘7×50’ type, so the former is not as powerful for observing extremely faint objects. On the other hand, high-end or supergiant binoculars range up to ‘20×100’ plus. They appear more like twin telescopes than just a standard binocular.

A handy accessory for using them is a binocular holder, also called a tripod. A user’s hands might shake while holding a pair of binoculars, hence it’s recommend that they prop up and steady their binoculars.

Bookmark to: