about poppo

Mike Vien knew there had to be a better way to create memorable moments with his children in ways that were fun and educational. He wanted experiences that would be as fun for adults as well as kids, and didn’t take forever to play. Ideally, the product would be easy to set up, wouldn’t leave dozens of small, unsafe game pieces scattered around the house, and could be played easily, anywhere and anytime for as little or as long as they wanted. And, of course, an educational aspect was necessary to help his children learn, but masked in fun so they could be immersed in the game and absorb many of the products learning lessons. Finding no product that met these needs, Mike set out with his wife, Kim, and their three young children, to create one. Inspiring the introduction of the Poppo! word game and Poppo Brands LLC. With a working prototype within days, Mike and Kim filed for their first patent. Thanks to Mike's extensive business, development, and sales background, they successfully secured manufacturing and warehousing resources and then set out to build a website to support and market their business. A major turning point came at their first trade show and the inaugural launch of the Poppo! game the 2007 Annual International Toy Fair in New York City, where they had the good fortune of winning many new retail accounts in turn, selling out of their product before they even left the show and the attention from media and other members of the industry. As a result of the positive publicity and sales from the show, along with Mike’s previous sales experience, the Poppo! game became a regularly stocked item on the shelves of hundreds of game and toy stores, book stores, and educational catalogs nationwide. Sales in the beginning of 2007 proved to be successful in the young company’s first few months of business, with several retailers selling out of the game as quickly as they placed them on the shelf. In addition, public, private and parochial schools scattered around the country have also recognized the benefits of this unique product and have ordered it in quantities for classrooms and learning centers. This innovative product also found its way into summer reading and play programs for libraries and daycare centers nationwide. The early success in stores and the large word of mouth from parents, kids, and educational professionals immediately drew the attention from local and national media outlets. Mike received several calls for interviews and soon, he and his family and their new thriving company were featured in newspapers, magazines, radio and video, such as the cover of Money Magazine, CNN, AOL.com and a local Boston radio station. Thus, what started as a simple solution to enliven and enrich their own lives and to create fun memorable moments for their family through play, has resulted in a highly successful nationwide business, as well as the launching pad for future innovative, educational products for families all around the world. To read how it all started, download the Poppo Story.