Fun & Games

By Becky Wright
Standard-Examiner staff
bwright@standard.net

SimplyFun creates products that promote play for everybody

Twenty people met in the basement of Melissa Beyer's home for a party -- a sales party. After a short pitch by the sales consultant, they broke into groups to try the products. And then they broke out laughing ... and shouting and cheering. One group of women even broke into song.

"You know what's funny?" Beyer asked, pointing to the loudest table. "They didn't know each other when they came in."

The consultant, Brenda Sonoda of Ogden, said that's not unusual at a SimplyFun party. The company sells games, and representatives are fond of quoting Plato: "You can learn more about a man in an hour of play than in a year of conversation."

People are getting to know SimplyFun pretty quickly, too. The company, based in Bellevue, Wash., started in 2005, and already some of the games are getting national attention.

Liebrary, designed by actresses Daryl Hannah and Hilary Shepard, was discuse Ellen Degeneres Show" and in O, The Oprah Magazine.

Walk the Dogs, Aargh! and Ooga! were winners of the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and Sneaks was on Parenting magazine's Toys of the Year list for 2006.

The success of SimplyFun is based on a formula.

"We wanted to create products that would promote play for everybody -- broad in age range, short in time to play, and simple enough to learn quickly. Simple to learn, fun to play -- that's how we came up with the name SimplyFun," said Matt Molen, vice president of marketing and one of the company's co-founders.

The company prefers direct-selling parties, similar to the approach taken by Tupperware, Mary Kay cosmetics, Stampin' Up! and others, to putting products on toy store shelves.

"When people can play the games, and experience the fun, they can decide for themselves whether it's the right product for them," Molen said. "You need to have experience with a game."

Signing on

Sonoda visited the SimplyFun Web site, www.simplyfun.com, on the recommendation of a friend who knew she loved games. She liked what she saw.

"I adore the mission of SimplyFun, of getting away from TV and video games and having face-to-face entertainment," said Sonoda.

She decided to take a chance and sign on as a sales consultant.

"I'd never been to a party, and never seen the games. ... I went out on a limb and ordered all of the games," she said, adding that it wasn't necessary because there is a $169 kit for consultants.

"The games came, and I fell in love with them. My parents have a cabin at Bear Lake, and I sat up there with my husband and learned all the games."

Sonoda returned home, invited friends to a sales party, and things took off from there.

"The first month, with four parties, I made $580," she said. Within three months, she was promoted to team leader, working with 10 other consultants.

Sonoda, who has scheduled as many as three parties a week, has been a little surprised at her quick success.

"I'm not a sales person -- it's weird that I'm doing tt wanted the games, and to introduce them to my friends and family," she said. "It seems like it got handed to me, and the games sell themselves."

An excited clientele

The games did seem to be selling themselves during the party at Beyer's home.

"We're ready for another game," came a shout from one table, and from a second table, "Show us another one."

"Everyone loves the party style," said Sonoda. "It's not just me talking -- they're sitting around the table playing games with friends."

Nancy Mitchell, from Roy, was attending her second SimplyFun party because she wanted to learn more games.

"These are new, different games, not just the normal games everybody has, like Life and Sorry," she said. "I can invite friends over and say, 'Come to my house and play a different game, and it'll be easy.' That's important -- I know I don't want to go to someone's house and really think; I want to have fun."

All of the people invited to Beyer's SimplyFun party were women, but Sonoda says that's not always the case.

"This appeals to everyone; you're not limited on who to invite -- it's not like a makeup party for women," she said. "Usually, it's adults, but a lot of times kids come, and I've done couples parties."

One of Beyer's guests, Chedar Steele of Layton, was a little surprised she was invited.

"I was thinking, 'I don't have children -- maybe this is for people who have children,'<2009>" she said. "But I'm enjoying this. It feels good to laugh. ... You forget you can enjoy games without kids."

Most of the games are kid-friendly, so the entire family can play together.

"Our whole mission is to promote the importance of play," said Molen. "We realize that life is busy and hectic, but if people take a little time to turn off the extra noise and play together, they create long-lasting memories and bonds that tie families together."

PLAYING THE GAME

SimplyFun, a direct marketing company that sells board games through home parties, lists 35 games in its catalog. The most popular games with guests at a recent SimplyFun party in Hooper were Sneaks, Linkity and Walk the Dogs.

Some of the games can be played by children as young as 3 years old, and others are recommended for ages 12 and older. Prices range from $9 to $48.

Sneaks: Players pass numbered cards quickly around the table, trying to collect four of a kind. The first player with a full set of cards grabs, or sneaks, a red plastic sneaker off the table. When other players notice that a sneaker is missing, they grab for one of the remaining sneakers -- but they have to hurry because there aren't enough to go around. If you're missing a shoe enough times, you're out of the game. The last player in the game is the "sole" survivor. Recommended for two to eight players, ages 6 and older; takes 20-30 minutes to play.

Linkity: This is a fast-paced word association game. Players are given seven cards with letters on them. The starting player comes up with a word that begins with the letter on one of his or her cards. For example, one of the players at a recent party in Hooper put down a card with the letter "T," and said "turtle." Players try to get rid of their cards as quickly as possible by saying words that can be associated with the last word mentioned. Cards linked together after T-turtle were D-dove, S-soap, and C-clean. Choose word associations carefully -- other players can challenge if your word doesn't make sense. For three to eight players, ages 8 and older; takes 15 minutes to play.

Walk the Dogs: Sixty-three plastic dogs are lined up nose to tail in random order. If you draw a card showing three dog heads, take three dogs from the front of the line; two dog tails means take two from the end of the line. Place your dogs in a new line in front of you, but think about what order to put them in because you won't be able to rearrange them. Earn points by putting together the longest lines you can of the same breeds of dogs, or win by getting five dogs of the same breed in a row. Beware -- players who draw a leash card can steal dogs from other players, and a dog catcher card makes all players lose their longest grouping of dogs. Winner of a GAMES magazine Family Game Award. For two to five players, ages 8 and older; takes 30 minutes to play.

To learn more, visit the SimplyFun Web site, www.simplyfun.com, or contact Northern Utah sales consultant team leader Brenda Sonoda at 393-9354.