Lowcountry resident creates toy innovation


***image1***Jamie Lee Curtis bought one at Harrods in London and then ordered 24 more as Hollywood Christmas presents. Kevin Bacon picked up one at F.A.O. Schwartz in New York. It seems KikaFlik is creating quite the buzz among parents, teachers, coaches, therapists and kids around the globe. Its creator, Elspeth Robertson of Scotland, lives right here in the Lowcountry on Isle of Palms.

With 15,000 sold so far, Robertson and her business partner, David Blues, have made KikaFlik an award-winning toy that can be used by athletes, children with learning or developmental disabilities, or kids who just want to have fun.

"I originally developed it to teach young pre-school gymnasts balance, coordination and timing," said Robertson, a former pediatric nurse and gymnastics coach who created the toy 15 years ago. "My philosophy in teaching is ‘take away the boredom and children learn very quickly.’ They don’t realize they’re learning and developing skills. They’re simply having fun!"

KikaFlik is handcrafted using Northern European Birch Plywood in Estonia and shipped to a port in Charleston. According to Robertson, the toy utilizes a board based on an old lever principle that has been around for centuries. A pivot is positioned at approximately one third of the board’s length. When a large force is applied downwards on the short end of the lever, the lever on the opposite side is thrust upward. With KikaFlik, users place a ball in a small opening on the long end of the lever. With the stomp of a foot on the short end, the ball leaps into the air, ready to be caught or hit with an athletic instrument (baseball bat, tennis racket, etc).

"All you have to do is get your stomp right, it’s not too hard," adds Robertson. "A normal 3 year-old can catch the ball after about 10 minutes of trying. Their confidence grows very quickly and they can test themselves with a harder stomp and higher launch."

Roberson says there are three varieties of KikaFlik available. The original is aimed at preschool aged children and is used primarily for teaching hand-eye coordination. A larger more athletic version, the "Zaggy Board," is for older kids and is designed to enhance skills needed for playing a variety of sports. A third smaller version of KikaFlik was developed for Little League baseball and helps with ball catching and hitting.

"It’s a great tool for coaches," says Robertson, demonstrating the stomp and launch technique. "It takes the pressure off of coaching because one team member can launch the ball, another can strike the ball and another can catch."

Coaches aren’t the only ones singing KikaFlik’s praises. It seems those in the medical/therapy arena have discovered its benefits as well. The Autism Teaching Tools website had the following to say about KikaFlik:

"(We) found this toy on the internet and had to get one. It looked perfect for our special needs kids and guess what…it was! Our learners had significant motor coordination and planning issues and this toy addresses those needs."

KikaFlik has received numerous awards including the Dr. Toy 10 Best Products for 2004, Learning Magazine Teachers Choice Award, Parents Choice Award, the National Parenting Seal of Approval, and the United Kingdom’s "The Good Toy Guide - Classic Award."


Brio Toys handles the distribution of KikaFlik into toy specialty stores. You can find them locally at East Cooper Sporting Goods in Mt. Pleasant or at the KikaFlik website: www.kikaflik.com.

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