HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 2007-8

As 2007 comes to a close, we celebrate a sensational year. Despite all the buzz in the news about toys made in China and safety issues, sales were up for our team. We reassured our customers of the independent testing that is done to insure that our toys are non-toxic.

Lisa S earned the incentive trip, and she, Simone W and I will all be receiving lots of free toys and $500 in cash at the Spring DT Kickoff in Pennsylvania March 7/8, 2008. Contact me if you'd like to join us there.

Starting January 1, we kick off our big sale event. Many of our favorites will be blowing out at 60% off to celebrate our 30th year! Board games like Timing it Right and Totally Tut will be selling for $9, Doubles Wild for $12, and a "nostalgia" version of the 1956 Chutes and Ladders game will be $12.

Orders at my site for over $50 can receive a refund on shipping cost if you email me your order confirmation.

Happy Holidays...

... from Billie Elias, Executive Manager, Discovery Toys.
Have you made all of your holiday gift purchases for the children in your life?
There's still time. Visit me at http://www.toysofdiscovery.com/ and place your orders now.
Not sure what to give? Just ask! I'll help you choose an appropriate gift.

Disneyland Incentive Trip

Lisa S and Simone W, both of the Pearl Team, are near the top, company-wide, of sellers in October and November. Their efforts will earn them loads of entries in the drawing for a trip for 2 to Disneyland.

Autism Donation Program

YOU CAN HELP!
DISCOVERY TOYS AUTISM DONATION PROGRAM
For every dollar donated through Discovery Toys Autism Support Program, we will donate a matching value in retail toys to Princeton Childhood Development Institute, (PCDI) a prominent school for autism research and intervention programs.
Here’s how it works:
Customers can add their cash donations to their toy purchase.
Please use the following item numbers to add donations to your order:
#8895 $10.00
#7762 $ 5.00
#7760 $ 1.00
Important Details:
Discovery Toys will ship up to $10,000 retail value of products to PCDI.
Donations will be accepted through December 31, 2007.
Because these donations are being made through Discovery Toys as a third party, they are not tax deductible. The advantage to the customer is knowing that in addition to her donation, PCDI will be receiving a donation of product from Discovery Toys equal to the amount collected.
Not available through our shopping cart. Email me for further instructions.

Billie Jean King:

"It’s all about what you want to look back and say. You can look back and say, ‘I could have been…..’, polishing your unused endowments like trophies, or you can look back and say, ‘I gave my all for the things I valued.’ Think about what you want to look back and say. Then choose your mindset."

The Pearl Team

The Pearl Team (the Discovery Toys downline of Billie Elias) occasionally receives The Pearls of Wisdom newsletter. Each issue contains a quote from some wise seer, offered to motivate or inspire the Pearl Team. A recently published "pearl" was from Aristotle:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

Made in China

Due to recent recalls of toys made in China, many of you have been asking about the safety of Discovery Toys. The company's primary concern has always been safety, and rigorous steps have been in place since the beginning of the company nearly 30 years ago. An independent testing firm tests products before they leave the factory, and again upon arrival at the US warehouse. Heavy metal lead testing is done, as well as bacterial and flammability testing, where applicable.

Discovery Toys, Inc. displays this Quality Promise on their website:

Our Quality and Safety Promise to Parents…
Discovery Toys promises that all of our products meet or exceed all standards set by the US and Canadian governments regarding safety. These are the most extensive, effective, and widely emulated standards in the world – regardless of where the products are manufactured. All products are tested for flammability, hazardous materials and toxic elements - including lead, by an independent laboratory prior to shipment from domestic and foreign manufacturers. In an ongoing effort to ensure the quality and safety of our products, we regularly review the labor practices, raw materials and manufacturing processes used by our vendors.
Copyright © 2007 Discovery Toys, Inc.

Fall Kickoff

Get ready for our Discovery Toys fall kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 16. in NJ. Email me billietoy@aol.com if you'd like an invitation sent to anyone. We'll have many of the new products available for you to see and play with. We'll also have Diamond Sales Director Emily Krisko, DT President Jane Leitch and Chairman of the Board Tony Calandra on hand.

Discovery Toys convention

I'm back from Discovery Toys convention in Oakland (where there was a 4.2 earthquake, lucky us!) Many exciting new things are happening at our company. This Fall, our catalog will include a dozen exclusive Playskool(r) toys, meaning they are not available through any other channels, just DT. There are 40 other new products, too. Plus many enhancements are slated for our website, as well. Yippee! Long overdue!

Since I last wrote, my son redesigned my personal website. Please check it out:
http://www.toysofdiscovery.com

The Pearl Team and uplines in Rio de Janeiro

What an amazing time we had with our friends and families in fabulous Rio de Janeiro!! Once a year, DT provides a spectacular incentive trip. We walked the beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema, and drank caipirinhas, the national drink of Brazil. My carioca (native of Rio) buddy from grad school who I hadn't seen in ages, sent us home with a beautiful bottle of cachaça, the alcholic component of this lime drink. A trip to remember