What’s your role at MAGNA-TILES?
Michael Scheffki, SVP of Marketing, MAGNA-TILES. As marketers, our team is constantly evolving and testing new strategies and tactics to keep up with the changing needs and expectations of our consumers. However, the focus of my role at MAGNA-TILES will always boil down to three critical things: 1) growing our brand, 2) growing our business, and 3) growing our people.
When I tell people where I work, the most common response is: “Our family loves MAGNA-TILES! That must be so much fun, right?” I will officially go on record now. The answer to that question is “YES!”
How has MAGNA-TILES evolved since its founding in 1997?
MAGNA-TILES is the original magnetic construction brand, born in the classroom in 1997 — invented by an educator, for educators. From these humble beginnings, MAGNA-TILES has grown to become America’s #1 Magnetic Building Sets brand (Source: Circana/Retail Tracking Service/JAN-DEC 2023/USD) and an essential tool for a child’s growing mind.
Our story is not an overnight sensation. Through word-of-mouth and hands-on experience, MAGNA-TILES sets steadily found their way into neighborhood toy stores at the urging of families seeking ways to bring education, enrichment, and Meaningful Play to their homes.
Today, while MAGNA-TILES sets are now a staple in millions of homes and classrooms across 80+ countries, our work is never complete because the MAGNA-TILES brand is fueled by a child’s endless imagination.
Our impressive growth over the years is a testament to the loyalty and support of parents around the world. They want the very best for their children and trust the MAGNA-TILES brand to provide high-quality building toys and endless hours of joy and entertainment for their little ones.
Tell us about the MAGNA-TILES Studio at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale.
First off, it’s awesome! The MAGNA-TILES Studio at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) is a place where children of all ages and their families are invited to dream and build. Located inside downtown Fort Lauderdale’s esteemed children’s museum, the MAGNA-TILES Studio inspires young imaginations as they step inside the immersive, rainbow-hued play space, filled with more than 10,000 colorful magnetic shapes and interactive creation stations.
The MAGNA-TILES Studio is a one-of-a-kind space designed to be an immersive, educational world where young minds will flourish. Playful activities focus on enhancing early cognitive skills, understanding primary colors, pattern recognition, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination development, early literacy, and mathematics exploration.
The new MAGNA-TILES Studio at MODS comprises five creation stations:
Magnetic Marvels: MAGNA-TILES pieces effortlessly attract and repel, providing a hands-on lesson in shaping our world. Explore and consider how magnetic forces contribute to the art concepts of shape and form and the fundamental building blocks for creating masterpieces.
Colorful Discoveries: Dive into the vivid world of primary colors. Turn MAGNA-TILES play into a palette for artistic expression, exploring the interplay of light through the colorful tiles to create mesmerizing hues and shades that captivate the senses.
Engineering Excellence: Channel your inner engineers at the Innovation Station, where MAGNA-TILES pieces transform into the building blocks of inventions with each magnetic connection. Explore the art concept of form as structures come to life in 3D. MAGNA-TILES Builder, Metropolis, and House sets are featured, allowing children to construct and explore the physics of building, enhancing the understanding of engineering principles.
3D Build Extravaganza: Step into the expansive 3D Build Area, where imagination knows no boundaries. Construct towering sculptures, intricate landscapes, or a MAGNA-TILES masterpiece. This area seamlessly integrates art concepts such as shape, form, and color recognition as children combine basic shapes to create new patterns, objects, animals, and more.
The “Garage” Shop: Discover the heart of creativity in our dynamic “Garage” shop, complete with a garage and refrigerator doors. It’s the spot where magic happens, inspiring tactile creativity in the most ordinary places to tell unique stories.
How does the partnership with the museum complement the MAGNA-TILES approach to play?
From Day One, we’ve been guided by our core purpose, the promotion of Meaningful Play, which embraces the open-ended, child-led nature of MAGNA-TILES building. The MAGNA-TILES Studio is another example of how we bring this core purpose to life, with the help of incredible partners like the Museum of Discovery and Science.
This one-of-a-kind space was designed specifically for our fans — our future architects, designers, astronauts, and engineers. It’s a place where they can be creative. It’s a place where they can dream. It’s a place where they can explore the joy of MAGNA-TILES play. We can’t wait to see their smiles and amazing creativity on display.
Can you elaborate on Meaningful Play?
Meaningful Play inspires young minds and helps kids develop skills they’ll use in everyday life. Our four pillars of Meaningful Play include:
1. Child-led: Powered by a child’s imagination. Kids are active participants and play is spontaneous, not scripted.
2. Development: Foster STEAM discovery and learning, while growing with your child’s age, abilities and interests.
3. Experience-based: Focus is on the play experience, helping connect kids to the people and world around them.
4. Fun and engaging: Allow kids to experience the pure joy of play, every day.
Meaningful Play is what sets MAGNA-TILES building toys apart from the rest of the toy box.
Learn more about MAGNA-TILES and the MAGNA-TILES Studio in Fort Lauderdale.