News
March 2015 - Home & Garden Show on Auckland North Shore
This was our third Home & Garden show and a very busy weekend. We were lucky to have had Agnes again to help us.
Linda, Hans & Agnes in Auckland
March 2015 - Melbourne Toy Fair
It was good catching up with a number of our clients all around Australia and there were plenty of toy shops that are stocking Matador now for the first time.
Prue, a Melbourne student, was a great help for us
Children only had a two-hour opportunity at the Melbourne Toy Fair, but they discovered us very quickly!
We have moved to a new warehouse in Tullamarine (Melbourne). They are also doing the invoicing for us which will make it easier for our Australian clients.
July and October 2013 - Open week in Takapuna
During the school holidays we invite all children to have a real hands-on play with Matador. There are two tables, one with the larger Ki blocks for the younger ones. The older children have the 'Classic Matador' table.
Many children build quite elaborate structures and machines in no time. Some follow the building instructions, others just follow their own ideas.
%20-%20400%20pxls.jpg "Matador, play, Takapuna, educational toy")
Lots of activity around the Matador Classic table!
June 2013 - MOTAT just bought another two large sets (KiGa 6 and KiGa Classic).
Anna James (facilitator at MOTAT): "We would like to order some more Matador from you. The kits that we originally got from you have been an absolute hit with the children ..."
June 2013 - We now have a fully stocked warehouse in Melbourne. This was a great milestone in servicing our Australian clients. Shipping times and costs are greatly reduced.
Matador in Melbourne, Australia!
The North Shore Home & Garden Show in March 2013 was a great event -12,700 visitors over 3 days! Our Matador stand, with all the moving models was one of the main attractions.
Seeing the excitement in all the children's eyes was the biggest reward for us.
John Banks likes Matador!
It was hard work, but also a lot of fun representing Matador at the 2013 Australian Toy Fair in Melbourne (3-6 March). Toyshops, kindergartens and schools from around the Australia had a first-hand experience of the Ki and the Classic series.
Melbourne Convention Centre
Our Matador Stand in Melbourne
We made arrangements to set up a distribution centre for Matador in Melbourne. The first shipment will be on its way to Australia in April this year.
We are eagerly awaiting our first shipment of the new 'Babyarchitect' to arrive in Auckland after Easter.
In January this year MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology) here in Auckland has bought a number of Ki and Classic sets. Visiting children from schools and kindergartens will have the opportunity to actively learn by constructing real models.
Last year (2012) we had a few days of hands-on experience with Matador for children (and parents) at the Takapuna Mall on the North Shore. The children simply loved it - have a look at our Facebook pages.
We'll certainly make more opportunities for hands-on play this year.
End of last year Matador has brought a new set 'Babyarchitect' on the market, designed for children from age 18 months up. The wooden pieces fit together without the need for wooden pins. This means that there are no small parts, which could be dangerous for toddlers.
We will bring you more news as soon as we have those sets in New Zealand.
The NZ-ED SHOW at the Telstra Pacific Events Centre in September 2012 certainly was a great event. The visitor numbers could have been higher, but again we were overwhelmed by the interest from pre-school centres and schools for Matador.
The show was not open to the public, only few children came through. What really fascinated the few ones that did come was the climbing wall and Matador. We are going to have an open Matador stand at the Takapuna Mall during the first week of the school holidays. All are welcome for a hands-on Matador session!
Here are some snapshots from our stand at the NZ-Ed Show:
Linda Weichselbaum and Wendy Perera
Hans Weichselbaum and Wendy Perera
Paul Weichselbaum
looking after the Matador drawing machine
The NZ Education Resources Expo 2012 in Hamilton in July was a great success! The number of visitors was lower than expected, but our stand was always busy. The main attraction, of course, were the models on display.
Interestingly, there was great interest from schools, primary and intermediate for the Matador Classic series. The visiting school teachers and principals saw the huge potential which Matador has as a teaching aid.
Many kindergartens and daycare centres purchased one of our Ki kindergarten sets, which are ideal for groups of children. We eagerly wait for some feedback from those centres, including a Montessori pre-school.
We were fortunate that we had Wendy Perera on our team. Wendy is an Early Childhood teacher with lots of experience. She also runs her own business, Teeny Tiny Consulting.
Linda Weichselbaum, Wendy Perera and Paul Weichselbaum at our Matador stand in Hamilton