OhGoOutside

Waiter…There’s Dirt in My Soup!!!

admin — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:06:30 +0000

As a company, we always keep our eyes peeled for fun and creative play ideas. The best idea we found this week? Setting up a Mud Kitchen! Blog mommy “Greening Sam and Avery” offers up a solution to get your kids out there making and imagining as they whip up the best dirt souffle this side of Texas. One of the great side effects of this activity is that growing research says dirt really does have “happy germs” in it that can boost endorphins in the human brain.

We dig this idea (sorry, couldn’t help it).

Greening Sam and Avery: Setting Up The Mud Kitchen

See an Awesome Customer-Created OgoBild POD Fort!

admin — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:23:13 +0000

When you start a toy company, you do it for one of two reasons. The first reason is to make lots of money. Few are good at this but if you can find the right factories, come up with some sellable ideas, and catch lightning in a bottle…it can be done.

The second reason you start a toy company is to make the world a better place. OgoSport was founded on the premise that if we created great and unique active play toys, it would help reverse declines in play and would bring families together. So we were thrilled to see the pictures of OgoBild POD on CTO and creative dad Jamie Thingelstad’s blog (yes that’s his real, awesome last name).

You know you’ve made it as a toy company when customers are building things you never dreamed of! See the pic below and others on his blog.

Toy Fair RAQ Sneak Peek

admin — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:37:59 +0000

We’re still recovering from Toy Fair hangover – we had a great show, but there’s something about basting under hot overhead lights and standing on one’s feet for 10 hours that will take it out of you. Luckily, if you’re thirsty, the convention center will let you buy a water for the low price of $4!

In any event, you can see a clip of the OgoDisk RAQ here. Our co-founder Kevin discussed the new creation with Time to Play Mag!

Time to Play Mag: OgoSport RAQ Sneak Peek

OgoJoe is Richard Branson (File Under “Random”)

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:58:38 +0000

Super awesome mogul Richard Branson is having some fun on Twitter with speedster Usain Bolt. The internet is aflutter wondering what the two are cooking up – Bolt is sporting Branson’s goatee and claiming to be the billionaire (#iamrbranson is the Twitter hashtag if you’d like to follow).

OgoSport has recently been having a good run in the fame game appearing in movies and on tv. Our mascot OgoJoe is getting sort of a big head (he kind of already had one, actually)…he’s now claiming Bolt isn’t Branson, because he is. See his goatee below. Hmmm.

OgoDisk on The Colber Report!

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:35:05 +0000

What fun! OgoSport’s OgoDisk was featured on the Colbert Report last night as a way to stop falling space debris. We’re thinking of ways to repay his show. Stay tuned.

American Kids Swinging into Chubbiness

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:23:11 +0000

Slides, swings, and other playground equipment are apparently making your kids fat. Well, not so much the slides (and maybe not your kids)…it’s really the politicians, lawmakers, and school officials. Turns out that new playgrounds with all their rubberized mulch and slides with speed bumps are making play more joyless for our kids, and encouraging to take not play hard, or take risks. From a new study in the journal Pediatrics:

researchers held focus groups with 49 daycare teachers from 34 child-care centers in Cincinnati to pick their brains on the current state of play and physical activity at preschool. “Physical activity is essential for kids in this age group for preventing obesity and for development,” study author Dr. Kristen Copeland…But the teachers were saying they were pressured by parents and somewhat by state early learning standards to emphasize classroom learning.”

Many of these studies quote parents, and the problem is, most parents will tell researchers what they think they want to hear – this can make things look better than they really are. However, this study relied on focus groups of child caretakers. They ratted out parents as the culprits saying moms and dads are pressuring them for ever safer playgrounds and more learning at the expense of play.

It makes us long for the days of this kind of play (give or take the 2oft. high zipline). You can read the rest of the story below.

CBS News: Boring playgrounds tied to sedentary kids, study shows Photo via John-Morgan’s photostream

Kids and Video Game Emotions

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:48:11 +0000

Video artist Robbie Cooper, known using film to turn raw human emotion into art, made an amazing video capturing the expressions of young video game players as they engage in some violent game playing (it has grabbed the attention of the digital world, including New York Times online). Whole psychology classes could be taught on the range of emotions displayed. We’ll hold off on the commentary except to say that gaming does have emotional impact on kids, so it should be tempered with real world, “touch and feel” experiences like outdoor exploration. The video does the rest of the talking. After all…it is art.

This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on Grand Theft Auto.

admin — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:29:45 +0000

Time to unplug Billy’s Play Station?

For years, parental watch groups have waged war on the makers of violent video games. The parents accuse video game companies of contributing to social degradation by depicting unabashed violence. Video game companies accuse these groups of being free-speech squelching purists who need to mind their own business (we always imagine video game company reps as wearing TOMS shoes, sporting soul patches, and sipping lattes).

Bad news (literally!) for the video game side.

Researchers at the University of Indiana studied a group of 18-29 year old males after sustained playing of violent video games. The result:

“For the first time, we have found that a sample of randomly assigned young adults showed less activation in certain frontal brain regions following a week of playing violent video games at home,” says Yang Wang, assistant research professor of radiology and imaging sciences. “The affected brain regions are important for controlling emotion and aggressive behavior.”

Critics are already poking holes in the study stating that it was backed by a parental group, and that’s a fair criticism.

But it’s alarming at the very least to know that brain waves changed in response to violent video games. It’s kind of hard to argue with brain waves. All studies can be flawed, this one included. But for parents who were wary before about the impact of violent video games, this news may be that final straw.

Futurity.org: Guys’ brains change after violent gaming

A Bit of Play Awesomeness from Playgrounds Past

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:04:28 +0000

When we talk about play, sometimes we tend to sound like an old grandma — “the way things used to be…” or “when we were growing up” probably appears often in posts. It’s almost like we’re saying we walked uphill to school both ways. The reason we pine for years past is because play was just flat out better.

This excerpt from a 1964 documentary proves it.

In a clip from “London Adventure Playground”, we see kids just going all out. All are using seemingly dangerous and counter-intuitive items (we think we spotted a pick ax…seriously). None are looking for parental encouragement. None are getting hurt. Contrast that with today when kids often look for constant reassurance and approval from parents even on playgrounds (if you don’t believe us, watch all but the most hyper kids).

It’s okay to use the tech devices of 2011. You can party like it’s 1999. But please, please, please…let your kids play like it’s 1964!

OgoBild In the Washington Post!

admin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:32:26 +0000

Wow. Our new OgoBild made the cover of the Washington Post. We were tested alongside many other toys, and kids called ours “epic”. Did we mention we made the cover and were named as one of the best new toys?!? We love it!