the toy rental club

Promotion for coming March School Holidays

2011-03-01T12:25:00.005+08:00

Time to play and enjoy our March School Holiday!!

Chinese New Year 2011 Celebration

2011-01-31T14:57:00.007+08:00

For Limited time only.

Closed from 2nd Feb to 6th Feb 2011

2011-01-13T16:49:00.002+08:00

Greetings!

TRC will be closed during the Chinese New Year period from 2nd Feb 2011 till 6th Feb 2011.

If you wish to rent from us during this period, please contact us earlier for separate arrangement.

We wish all our customers a Happy Chinese New Year!
Gong Xi Fang Cai!

Season's Greeting

2010-12-27T15:10:00.003+08:00

2010 is coming to an end and it has been an exciting and challenging year for the company.

We wish all our customers a blissful year ahead and happy holiday!

We look forward to your continuous support and welcome any feedback to improve our service for you.

Our Sincere Apology

2010-10-14T10:12:00.006+08:00

Greetings to all our beloved patrons & friends~

A month has passed since we announced that we're back in business. And during this period of time, we sincerely apologize to all for any mistakes or inconvenience caused by our inexperience new staffs.

We're working hard to re-organize our place and inventory to serve you better and hope to accomplish all tasks in time for the year end parties.

We welcome any suggestion and feedback about our service and area where we can improve on.

Hurray! We're now back to serve you!

2010-10-02T17:24:00.003+08:00

Great news!

We're now re-organising our premises and working with a group of new staffs to provide our service to you.

As of 4th of October, the new opening hours of the Toy Rental Club are:

Morning: 9:30 - 13:00
Afternoon: 14:00 - 17:00

We're closed on every Wednesday and Public Holidays.
Operation for Sunday is only available via appointments only.
We're also resuming our door-to-door delivery services w.e.f 4th October 2010.

We would like to thank all our customers for supporting us in the past and hope that we can serve you again; now and in the future.

And, apologise for any inconvenience caused during our short absence.

Do bare with us while we make improvements to our services and feel free to email us of any areas that we can improve on.

Sad news: we're closing (at least for a while)

2010-05-14T13:26:00.004+08:00

We regret that the toy rental club will close its rental services with effect from 1st June 2010. We sincerely regret the inconvenience, but family circumstances have made the closure necessary.

Rentals will still be accepted in May, provided that the return date is no later than June 26th, for self-collection and return by the customer.

Deliveries and pickups are still possible till May 30th.

For all items due for return in June, the opening hours from June 1st till 26th will be:

Tuesday and Thursday
9.00am - 12:00pm

Saturday
10.00am - 3.00pm

The last date for returns will be Saturday 26th June.

We would like to thank all of our customers for their support over the past 3 years. We have enjoyed serving you and still hope to do so again!

Oh boy (Oh girl) - another media feature

2010-05-08T22:40:00.005+08:00

We don't know what has brought this on, but suddenly we're getting a lot of media attention. The 7th May edition of "My Paper" has a short piece about us in their Mother's Day feature. The Toy Rental Club segment is entitled "Toy Story".

You can click here (and then click twice on the image) to see a pdf version of the article. If you click on the first magnifying glass icon (in the top right hand corner) you will get a closer view of the article - and then you can zoom in.

Mum-preneurs (Singapore Women's Weekly)

2010-05-06T16:41:00.008+08:00

Check out the May 2010 issue of the Singapore Women's Weekly. the toy rental club takes centre-stage in a feature on the theme of women who manage to run a business while raising children. The photographer chose the most chaotic corner of our warehouse unit for the shoot, but actually it makes an appealingly colourful backdrop for our double-page portrait in the magazine.

Learning to Ride a Bike - a New Approach

2010-03-08T21:21:00.012+08:00

It's intriguing to read about a very successful New York City programme for teaching kids to ride a bike. What's unusual about this approach is that it does not involve the use of training wheels. Instead, the pedals are removed, the seat is lowered and the kids learn how to balance their machine before attempting to do full-blown cycling. Exactly the same principle lies behind the lovely LikeaBikes which you can rent from the toy rental club!

Watch the video below to see how it all works - and there's even a useful .pdf booklet of tips if you want to try it with your own child.

The Lost Art of Play

2009-10-13T23:23:00.015+08:00

We just stumbled upon an article by psychologist Dr Jim Taylor at the University of San Francisco lamenting the reduction in American children's play time. The article, in the 13 Oct 2009 issue of "Psychology Today", emphasises the importance of unstructured play in fostering creativity, cognitive and social skills, and independence, among other things. Dr Taylor argues that TV and overly structured "play dates" have resulted in a huge decline in outdoor play especially.

"Children are just too busy to play these days," claims Taylor, pointing to the pressures of homework, organized sports, music and dance lessons, and other structured activities. It sounds like Singapore, does it not? You might get better results, he says, by simply giving the kids a break.

Incidentally, a 2004 article in the same magazine suggests that parental "hyperconcern" (over-protectiveness) may be responsible for the growing number of psychologically fragile college age kids.

The Good Toy Guide

2009-10-08T14:05:00.009+08:00

The National Association of Toy and Leisure Libraries (UK) has published its 35^th annual Good Toy Guide. To quote from the NATTL’s website, “All of the toys in this Guide are tested by children and the comments come from the children. Watching the children and the pleasure they get from the toys they are playing with is how we know what to tell you about each product.” At least 250 families (around 600 children) take part in the appraisal process.

The chosen toys include the Leapfrog “Learn and Groove Activity Station” and the Vtech “Alphabet Phonics Teacher”, both of which are stocked by the toy rental club. We stock other Leapfrog and Vtech products too.

Rent a Stick?

2009-06-28T00:19:00.004+08:00

The American National Museum of Play, located in Rochester, New York, has just 41 toys in its National Toy Hall of Fame. Among them are the humble stick and the cardboard box, a reminder that the toy rental club cannot solve all of your children's play needs!

Inducted toys are selected on the basis of the following criteria:

Icon-status: The toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered.
Longevity: The toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations.
Discovery: The toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play.
Innovation: The toy profoundly changed play or toy design. A toy may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

Needless to say, the list includes good old Lego, but there are other names that only an American would recognise. Raggedy Ann and Andy, anyone? Or Lincoln Logs?

Why Have We Closed Our Playground?

2009-06-15T18:40:00.008+08:00

We regret the closure of our indoor playground, a measure which we hope will be only temporary. We have been forced to close due to a significant rent hike. The steep rise took us by surprise in view of reports such as "Commercial Rents Feel the Slowdown" in the 24 January issue of The Business Times.

For the time being, we have contracted our operation into the unit on Level 5. Rentals (including birthdays @ home) will continue as usual. Meanwhile, we shall look for opportunities to open a new playground.

Meet America's Bestselling Car

2009-06-15T11:29:00.015+08:00

There's an article in today's Guardian announcing good news for the US car industry. The toy car industry, that is. Unlike its gas-guzzling counterparts, the Cozy Coupe (by Little Tikes) has sold more than 457,000 units in the past year.

This zero-emissions wonder can, of course, be rented from the toy rental club. Choose from seven different models!

Barack and Michelle Obama Action Figures

2009-05-08T19:41:00.006+08:00

Move over Batman and Robin, there's a new dynamic duo in town! A US toymaker has created Barack and Michelle Obama action figures.

WATCH A SHORT VIDEO HERE.

Sorry - not in stock at the toy rental club!

Mio TV Feature

2009-04-14T19:04:00.005+08:00

The local "pay TV" channel, mio TV, has just published a feature on the toy rental club. It's on their Mom-On-Demand channel (Channel 307) and carries the simple title "Mom Inspired: Toy Rental Club".

There's currently a short trailer on this webpage, but you'll need to sign up for mio TV on either your television or mobile phone in order to view the full programme.

Guardian Newspaper Article on Toy Libraries

2009-04-02T21:40:00.008+08:00

Today's Guardian newspaper has an article by Zoe Williams on the advantages of using a toy library rather than buying new toys:

Borrow with mother - cut your child's carbon footprint with a toy library

"Why fill your home with brightly coloured plastic," asks the article, "when toy libraries offer a cheaper and more sustainable option?" Not-for-profit toy libraries are common in British cities but the article notes that despite the much-needed service they provide to poorer communities especially, many libraries often only a few days per week and others are understaffed.

Sale of Used Toys

2009-03-31T19:05:00.003+08:00

We are having a sale of used toys and equipment on Sun 5 April from 9.00am until 5.00pm. All items will be sold "as is". The prices are extremely reasonable. Come to our playground on Level 6 to find a bargain.

CNN FEATURE

2009-03-28T01:36:00.017+08:00

On 27 March CNN's "World Business Today" programme broadcast a feature on toy rental businesses in Singapore. It gives substantial coverage to the toy rental club. Just click on the PLAY button below.

62 LEGO Bricks for Every Human Being

2009-03-26T20:41:00.007+08:00

The Guardian newspaper has a fascinating article about the history of Lego and its recent revival in popularity after a slump. There are 62 little coloured blocks for every person on the planet ... And did you know that the word Lego comes from the Danish "leg godt" which means "play well"?

After a 1930s yo-yo craze died down, the inventor Ole Kirk Christiansen sawed his stock in half. The result? Each yo-yo produced two wheels for a toy truck! Click here to read more about this clever carpenter-turned-toymaker.

Wanna be on TV?

2009-02-05T13:47:00.004+08:00

Next Weds (11 Feb) from 11.00am onwards, a CNN crew will be filming at the toy rental club. They plan to interview ourselves and a few customers concerning the economic downturn. Does it make you more or less likely to rent? You don't have to talk, but why not bring your kids along for a play session? Not everyone can boast that they’ve been on CNN!

POSTSCRIPT: The filming went fine but it turned out that the focus was on "green" businesses rather the recession. We'll post a note here once we have the broadcast date.

Playmobil Inventor Dies

2009-02-04T18:02:00.009+08:00

Hans Beck, the German inventor of Playmobil toys, has died at the age of 79. Beck created the 7.5cm tall figures with their clip-on clothes in response to a plastic shortage caused by the oil crisis of the early 1970s. They became so popular that over 2 billion of them have been sold in more than 70 countries.

Beck, originally a furniture maker, worked according to the motto "No horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends". His first Playmobil characters were a knight, a builder and a Native American. For the full story, read this article in the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Hurrah!

2009-02-03T23:01:00.005+08:00

Hurrah! It looks like our website problem with Internet Explorer 6 is solved. We're really sorry for the inconvenience some of you suffered.

We also discovered that the form page (i.e. with the form for corresponding with us) was refreshing itself every minute. Some of you may have had the frustrating experience of seeing your message disappear before you sent it. Again, our sincere apologies. It has been fixed.

Once we're really sure that the new website design is working across all browsers, we'll spruce up our product pages (i.e. the ones that have tables).

Internet Explorer 6

2009-02-02T22:03:00.007+08:00

More website woes ... We have discovered that users of Internet Explorer version 6 cannot view our website properly. The page layout breaks down completely - and yet in other browsers, including IE7, there is no problem at all. Unfortunately, nearly 20% of visitors to our site use IE6 so we must try to find a solution. (The short term solution, of course, is for everybody to upgrade to IE7 - using the free download on Microsoft's site - or switch to the excellent Mozilla Firefox.)

In case you know a lot about this kind of thing, apparently the "css" files are faultless so the problem may lie with some "javascript" in the "html" pages. Hmm, you all understood that, I hope?

Revamp of Website

2009-01-19T19:39:00.016+08:00

We changed the appearance of the toyrentalclub.com front page a couple of months back. The new design includes handy tabs along the top, a navigation bar that changes colour when your cursor hovers over an option, a neater right hand column and slightly larger text.

We liked the revamped design and wanted to extend it to all the other webpages. However, since our webmaster is a family member rather than a paid professional, we have had to wait.

In the past week he has managed to redesign about a dozen more pages. Now all that remains is to upgrade the many pages that contain tables listing our products. Not a straightforward matter, apparently, but he's "working on it" ...

Upstairs, Downstairs

2008-12-08T20:56:00.008+08:00

After a gruelling weekend of shelf installation and movement of rental items from Level 6 to Level 5, we are now operating on two floors of Century Warehouse. The upstairs play space has benefitted enormously but we still have lots to do both there and downstairs. (The new unit is directly below the original one, so it's a shame we can't have a fire station pole or a spiral staircase to link the two.)

For the time being, you will still need to visit Level 6 in order to do rental transactions. However, if you phone us in advance, we may be able to get your items ready and meet you on Level 5.

Our ultimate plan is to have staff on both levels, with Level 6 devoted to play and parties while Level 5 holds our rental stock. We'll keep you posted ...

Extra Space for Indoor Play

2008-10-14T17:01:00.005+08:00

We've just signed a lease on an additional unit, on Level 5 of our building, to commence on 10 November. We plan to use this as our main toy and equipment rental centre, thus freeing up space in the existing unit for more playground fun.

Please bear with us in the second half of November as we shift our stock and do necessary renovations.

Mom-on-Demand

2008-09-27T21:26:00.008+08:00

Gee, it's tough being celebrities ...! We've done our second TV interview in a matter of months, this time for Mega Media, a local company that produces HD material for Singtel's mio TV. The piece about the toy rental club is for a channel called Mom-on-Demand, "Asia’s first on-demand channel for parenting and women’s issues".

You'd be surprised how much time these short television segments take. Initial meetings; checking out the playground to plan camera shots and anticipate lighting needs etc; the actual interviews (the two of us quizzed separately in this case, like suspects in a police cell!); and a couple of filming sessions, including a Saturday afternoon birthday party.

We don't know yet when it will be broadcast, but we'll add details here once we know more.

Website Woes

2008-09-15T22:21:00.007+08:00

Our website disappeared this afternoon and is still offline. Really really frustrating as we are so reliant on it: that's how clients can see what's in stock and place their orders.

According to our hosting service (here in Singapore), their servers have been hit by a "distributed denial-of-service" (DDOS) attack. Sounds scary, huh? Basically, the internet server gets swamped with useless traffic until it drowns. The motives vary but usually someone is trying to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning. It seems unlikely that we are the target since hundreds of sites are down. (By the way, major sites such as Amazon, Yahoo and eBay have been shut down by this kind of attack in the past - so we're in good company!)

Postscript: In theory, our hosting service got us back online about 8 hours later but due to the wait time for "DNS propagation" it was mid-morning of the next day before the site actually became usable. It seems all ISPs are vulnerable to this kind of attack but clearly we'll have to investigate whether there is any form of backup we can employ in future.

NETS, Visa and Mastercard

2008-08-17T09:25:00.005+08:00

We now have facilities to accept payment by NETS, Visa or Mastercard. This should ease transactions for clients. We are still happy, however, to receive payments by cash or inter-bank transfer.

Our least preferred option is payment by cheque because "for security reasons" out bank does not indicate on statements where each cheque came from; this poses problems for us when trying to reconcile invoices and receipts. (By the way, if you are aware of a way around this problem, we'd love to hear from you!)

TOY RENTAL CLUB Pte Ltd

2008-07-01T10:05:00.011+08:00

As of midnight last night, a mere "business" has become a fully fledged "limited liability" company: The Toy Rental Club Private Limited.

It won't make any significant difference to our clients, but for us it has lots of implications. Yes, there are minor hassles with new invoices, receipts etc and we've already had to pay for the services of an accountant, but there are lots of good reasons for going the "pte ltd" route. Above all, the company itself (as opposed to ourselves as individuals) is now liable for legal claims, debts etc. Similarly, the company will pay tax on profits - separate from its owners - whereas previously we were personally responsible for such taxes. (We will still be liable for tax on any salary we receive, though the sad fact is that we haven't had any so far!)

There are other advantages in terms of attracting investors and we'll certainly need some of those if we are to achieve our goals for expansion.

Please note that from now on any cheques for the company will need to be made payable to: The Toy Rental Club Pte Ltd.

Article in THE BUSINESS TIMES

2008-06-23T14:18:00.010+08:00

We were featured in yesterday's Business Times, in an article by Cheah Ui Hoon entitled "Young Parents Turn Entrepreneurs":

"Another segment of young parents getting into the child-centric business are those who realise how expensive good toys can be. And that it's a waste to throw away toys in near-perfect condition when children outgrow them in a matter of months.

The Toy Rental Club is one of the bigger 'toy for rent' outfits in town ..."

Well, the biggest actually!

At last, we have a driver

2008-06-12T20:46:00.002+08:00

We've had the truck since October but it's only this month we've managed to find a driver. A huge relief to Rose who has been doing deliveries all this time. "Lani" is learning the ropes fast so we have our fingers crossed.

Interview with MONEY WEEK (Channel U)

2008-05-23T20:54:00.004+08:00

We were interviewed about a month ago for the Channel U current affairs programme Money Week, hosted by Tung Soo Hua. A fascinating process because although it's a Mandarin language channel (and Anita chickened out of using her Mandarin skills) the interview was conducted in English. Despite that, we had to do a second take because the sound was "too low" on the first! Presumably this is because most Singaporean viewers are bilingual and like to hear the original English while listening to the dubbed Mandarin?

Anyway, the toy rental club looked good and we managed to sound reasonably coherent despite our inexperience at this sort of thing. A few clients who had children in the playground during the filming were thrilled to see themselves on TV!

Feature in MOTHERHOOD Magazine

2008-04-08T23:27:00.005+08:00

There's an article on the toy rental club in the April 2008 issue of Motherhood magazine. It's part of a larger feature looking at mums who've started their own businesses and we are cast as "the toy gurus"! Hmm, that means we're experts, doesn't it? They definitely got that part wrong, but fortunately the rest of the article is accurate.

Growing, growing ...

2007-11-26T20:03:00.019+08:00

Phew! These past few months we've been run off our feet. Lots of playgroups are using the indoor playground, the website traffic is soaring (about 1,600 unique visitors this month) and every weekend we have one or two birthday parties to host (not to mention deliveries to other parties in our customers' own homes).

To keep pace with demand we've had to expand our stock pretty rapidly. Winther trikes, Like-a-Bikes, a large inflatable Thomas the Tank Engine play tunnel, "travel systems" that double up as a plane seat booster and a carseat, mini trampolines, bobby cars, bubble machines and countless other thingummybobs. Every cent we earn goes back into the business.

We have a growing number of rentals by visitors coming from Australia or further afield. In September, for example, a competitor in the Aviva Iron Man triathlon and his wife rented a twin stroller while staying at the Ritz-Carlton. In recognition of this kind of service we've been listed on the official Singapore tourism website www.visitsingapore.com as a "pro-family" business!

We've also been listed on the Birthdays page of the very informative Singapore for Kids website and the New Mothers' Support Group did a feature on us in a recent newsletter. NMSG have had a playgroup session at the toy rental club, as did Twins Plus last month. (Rose, as a mother of triplets herself, is a member.)

Toy Rental Truck

2007-10-22T22:37:00.003+08:00

After months of heartache with truck hire (including, most recently, separate hire of truck and driver) we are now the proud owners of a toy rental club truck. It's a secondhand Mitsubishi Canter with a "box" at the back that will allow us to transport toys and equipment securely and without risk of rain damage.

For the time being, however, Rose is going to have to do most of the driving. It's arduous work, and sometimes stressful (picture yourself stuck in traffic with 3 precisely timed birthday deliveries ahead of you), but the hands-on experience should make it easier to train a full-time driver later on.

A certain husband, by the way, has already slammed the truck into a height barrier suspended over the entrance to a condo carpark! Perhaps it's just as well that we don't have our logo painted on yet ...

Delivery Problems

2007-08-23T17:48:00.006+08:00

There are three main items on the toy rental club menu - toy/ equipment rental, the indoor playground and birthday parties. But obviously rentals are our "signature dish", the thing that people think of as soon as they hear our name. So we must try to get those right. The problem is, it's difficult to do these efficiently while we depend on a hired truck and driver for home deliveries!

We've been hiring a driver who owns his own vehicle but (a) he's expensive, charging separate fees for every delivery, regardless of distance; and (b) he's not really willing to assemble or dismantle items such as slides, playhouses or inflatables, which is a service we need to provide.

We've also tried self-drive van hire but that's expensive too and it takes one of us away from both the business and our family for long periods. It looks like we'll have buy our own truck and - once we can afford it - employ a driver.

A Bit of Pre-history

2007-05-25T21:49:00.008+08:00

So how did it all start? Well, something like this ...

SCENE 1
Somewhere around 2003, Anita (Belgian born, fluent in Mandarin, married to an Aussie) takes her 2 pre-school boys to a small home-based play school run by Rose (Kenyan born, in Singapore since 1998, married to an Irishman). They are neighbours and soon become friends.

ANITA (exasperated): It's so hard to get good quality toys. Why can't I find things that are durable and educational? Toy shops are full of stuff based on the latest movie or TV show, stuff that breaks down after a week - and in any case the kids are already bored with it before then.

ROSE: I couldn't agree more. And here we are in a tiny island faced with a waste disposal problem. You see so many toys going into the bin lorry. I wish there were better toys and I wish they could be re-used when kids grow tired of them.

ANITA: Most people live in small apartments, so it's understandable that they have to get rid of clutter. In lots of countries there are toy libraries where you can borrow toys, but I've never seen one in Singapore. I wonder if something like that would work?

ROSE (warming to the theme): Yes, and not just toys - what about strollers, slides, baby carriers, carseats, nursing pumps, all sorts of things? And birthday parties: think of all those parties in condo function rooms and the trouble parents have trying to organise activities for kids ... Their lives would be so much easier if they could just rent out play houses and push-along toys and a ballpit and so on.

ANITA: Yes! And what about all the visitors who come here and have to carry strollers and carseats and toys with them - I bet they'd love to travel lighter and just rent something while they're here ...

SCENE 2
Scene 1 is repeated at least a dozen times.

SCENE 3
Rose, hugely pregnant with triplets, takes a break from work. The babies are born in May 2005. Life will never be the same again. Anita, too, is busy as one boy starts "big school" and another moves to kindergarten. Who needs a business?

SCENE 4
April 2007. The idea just won't go away! the toy rental club is registered as a business.

SCENE 5
May 2007. A hundred amateurish versions of the website are launched. (Come back every 5 minutes and spot the changes.) Ads are placed in magazines. Fliers are distributed.

ANITA (excited): Look, look! We got an email!
ROSE (terrified): Oh no, the phone's ringing! What will I say?
ANITA: Just don't answer it. No, I mean do! Oh heck, I guess this means we're in business ...

(The rest, of course, is history.)

Toy Rental Club toddles onto the stage

2007-05-15T21:15:00.006+08:00

the toy rental club launches its website www.toyrentalclub.com and thus becomes a functioning business. We have so much to learn, mere toddlers taking those first wobbly steps across the carpet with our arms outstretched and faces full of hope.

But despite the playmats, the jolly seesaws and the colourful toys, this is actually the world of grown-ups. Setting-up costs have broken the bank, there is rent to pay and soon we'll have to hire delivery trucks. These toddlers must run before they can walk!