Meet Geotoys Founder, Bob Galinsky
Twenty years ago, Bob Galinsky started Geotoys. We sat down with Bob, who is still very involved in the business, to discuss how Geotoys came to be and what makes puzzle building, inventing, and toys themselves so fun.
So, Bob, what inspired you to start Geotoys — was there a moment when the idea just clicked?My oldest son Alex, then 6 years old, put together a puzzle of the United States with the pieces shaped like states. He knew every state and where it was located. We were planning a trip to Europe, so I looked for a puzzle of Europe with pieces shaped like countries so he could learn them. To make a long story short, I couldn't find anything like that. I thought it would be fun to create a puzzle of Europe, so in my spare time I found an artist, learned about puzzle production, and got connected with a factory. That was 20 years ago!
What was your favorite toy, puzzle, or game that you had growing up?
Probably knights. My Dad was from Germany, and he bought a collection of toy knights, complete with castle and horses and catapults, for my brother and I. We also had a German game called Tipp-Kick, which Geotoys distributed for a short time. Germany has a tradition of great toy-making and the largest toy show in the world is in Nuremberg.
Have you created any other puzzles or games, or invented anything else before or after Geotoys?
I created a number of other geography-related games while I was running Geotoys, including GeoCards and GeoBingo (which are still around), and GeoDice (which isn't). I haven't invented anything outside of the toy industry, but I love the spirit of inventors and creative people. It's so cool to create something new and put it out in the world, whether it's a product, a story, a picture, piece of writing, or a song. Working with creative people has always been fun for me. If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, just for fun or inspiration, where would you go?
I would go back to Indonesia. I spent a lot of time there in my mid-20's and loved it. It's an amazing country that is still not very well known to most Americans. Perhaps most importantly, what’s your favorite puzzle-building snack?
Chocolate. Always chocolate!
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