Child's play

COEUR d'ALENE - Alex Patterson really wanted to be on Figpickels Toy Emporium's Board of Directors.

The 6-year-old Hayden Meadows student spent more than a week working diligently on the essay that earned him one of 12 seats on the all-kid board, its members charged with testing toys destined for the North Pole.

"I will not let you down. I will work my hardest for you, for Santa Claus, and for children around the world," Alex wrote.

The board members met Saturday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort for their secret toy-testing session. Wearing lab coats and safety goggles, and carrying clipboards, the 5- to 12-year-old toy specialists spent several hours doing the hard "work" Alex was so eager to do.

Tables in The Resort's Casco Bay Room were stacked with toys of all types: dolls, robots, puppets, race cars, puzzles and more. Small hands brought the playthings to life, filling the room with a joyful cacophony of whizzing, spinning, zooming and popping toys. A kid-sized karaoke machine, hand bells and a giant keyboard play mat added a musical element to the sounds of fun.

Figpickels owners Brett and Susan Sommer were in the thick of it, getting right down into the playing alongside the young board members.

As Brett roamed the room, his enthusiasm often matched the children's each time he discovered a previously unknown feature on one of the toys.

While playing with a remote control car with flashing, multi-color lights sparking from its body, Brett excitedly told the young board members: "It changes music when you press a button."

Susan Sommer said she and Brett had been formulating the plan for the toy-testing session for three years. The inaugural event comes as the downtown retailers are celebrating their seventh year in Coeur d'Alene. The store was originally in a smaller, storefront location at 312 Sherman Ave. They moved into their new spot in the Resort Plaza Shops last spring.

"We wanted to do this because a lot of times, the toys that get sent to stores are picked by a board of directors sitting in a boardroom in some place like New York City," Susan said. "They tell kids what toys they want. We thought why should company executives get to decide what's fun?"

Susan said she and Brett wanted to add an educational element to the process. They wanted the kids to have to do more than just sign up; they wanted them to put some thought and energy into earning a spot on the board, and turn it into a lesson in communication and writing.

Board of director hopefuls were asked to write 250-word essays telling Mr. and Mrs. Figpickel why they should be selected to help choose toys.

Susan some teachers used the essay contest as a class assignment.

"That's what we wanted to see," Susan said.

Handwritten entries were given top-priority, she said, and creativity drove them to the top.

A winning submission by Hayden Levy, a 9-year-old Bryan Elementary student, took a page from the Nov. 6 election: "Area toy expert announces her run for Figpickels board."

"She did it in newspaper format," Susan said.

The contest was promoted on the Figpickels website and in the store only, and the window to submit entries was open for just two weeks. Susan said they consider the 200 entries they received an overwhelming response, since it came with virtually no advertising. They received entries from throughout the Inland Northwest, and hope to see it expand further in future years.

The 2012 Figpickel's Board of Directors includes Brock Duer, 5, Liberty Lake, Stepping Stone Christian; Henry Wilcox, 6, Fernan Elementary; Alex Patterson, 6, Hayden Meadows; Tru Moffitt, 7, Moran Prairie Elementary, Spokane; Amy Louise Corette, 8, Hayden Meadows; Isaac Putren, 8, home-schooled, Dalton Gardens; Hayden Levy, 9, Bryan Elementary; Carson Magee, 9, Ramsey Magnet School; Megan Elizabeth Corette, 10, Hayden Meadows; Jakob Peterson, 10, Skyway Elementary; Kimmy Stearns, 11, Skyway Elementary; Dakotah Andrews, 12, Lakes Magnet School.

The fun continues next weekend, and the public is invited.

On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Figpickels invites the public to meet the Board of Directors in person and celebrate the company's seventh birthday with cake, ice cream and cotton candy. The young toy testers will preview their favorite toys and kick off the 2012 Toys for Tots drive. The event also features Mudgy the Moose and Kendama champion Hunter Bailey.

Figpickels Toy Emporium is located in The Resort Plaza Shops at 210 E. Sherman Avenue, Coeur d'Alene.