BY WALTER GRIFFIN
FOR THE MIDCOAST BEACON

SEARSMONT — Robbins Toy’s Original Ultimate Spinner toy is the type of game that would make a grandfather get in on the fun.

In fact, the genesis for Robbins Toy’s award-winning game for children of all ages was company owner and founder James Robbins’ desire to come up with a safe and fun game his eight grandchildren could enjoy.

Robbins was concerned with revelations that toys imported from other countries contained materials that were harmful to children and could result in long-term physical problems. Robbins wanted a toy that could be made from safe, locally grown or made materials.

“He came in and said, ‘We need to make a toy my grandchildren can play with,’” recalled sales manager Dawn Manton. “We needed to do something different, try something different and work on something creative for children.”

The result was the Original Ultimate Spinner, a 12-game collection of educational, recreational, physical and mental challenges that recently received the 2009 Parents’ Choice Silver Award for games for children.

Established in 1978, Parents’ Choice is the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys. The Parents’ Choice Awards program honors the best material for children — including books, toys, music and storytelling, magazines, software, video games, television and Web sites.
Parents’ Choice Foundation’s panels of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents and kids themselves, identify the best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels.

“If your kids are like ours, and change moods and interests in a matter of seconds, The Original Ultimate Spinner is just what the doctor ordered,” Parents’ Choice reviewer Jeff Fogg said.

Hand-crafted from Maine White Pine, the Original Ultimate Spinner game operates off a wood base platter with wooden spinner.

Five colorfully printed interchangeable discs with games such as Baseball, Spin-do, Do-A-Dance and Spinner Speedway are placed on a platform and the spinner dictates the moves. There are also discs that help children learn to spell, learn addition, subtraction and multiplication and tell time.

“It’s all about being creative,” Manton said. “It makes children step outside their box and be imaginative. Plus, it’s an American-made toy, it’s all wood, it’s durable and it’s going to last forever.”

Robbins Toy is part of the value-added division of Robbins Lumb
er, a 127-year-old wood products company that has been in the same family for five generations. The company is one of the state’s largest and its woodlands are managed and certified under the Sustainability Forest Initiative.

Robbins’ three children are involved in the company. Daughter Catherine manages the human resources department, son Alden is the sales manager and son James Jr. is vice president and production manager.

“And, we have another generation of Robbins coming up,” Manton said, referring to James Robbins’ grandchildren.

Along with the Original Ultimate Spinner, the company also markets Lob the Lobster, a bean-bag toss.

The bags are in the shape of a lobster and filled with mustard seed from Aroostook County farms. The target is made of Maine White Pine and the same twine lobster fishermen use for their bait bags.

Other value-added products that are growing in popularity are the company’s Wooden Clothes Drying Racks. They, too, are made of pine with birch dowels. With the cost of energy on the rise, more and more families are going back to the traditional way of air-drying their clothing. The company also markets wooden ice buckets.

“All of these are made in Maine with Maine materials,” Manton said. “We do keep it all in Maine, and we do keep Maine people working and keep a business going in Maine.”

Robbins Toy products can be found in independent toy stores throughout the region or online at robbinstoy.com. The clothes drying racks can be found in local hardware stores and online at rlco.com. For information, call 342-5221.