Hey, it's Katherine.   I have been collecting and archiving Bop It games for almost 18 years now, and I am premiering my video for obtaining 300 Bop It units tomorrow on my YouTube channel for my birthday.   My first Bop It was the Bop It! (2009). I was 7 years old and I remember getting it for Christmas that year after playing with a Bop It at one of my first-grade events they had, like the Halloween party or whatever it was. I don't remember any of that whatsoever, so I'm getting a lot of this story from my mom. I still have my first Bop It (pictured in the cover of this post), and it's still in very pristine working condition, unlike some of my channel viewers who have pushed their Bop It far into an identity crisis because the logo is completely scrubbed off it...   I may have gotten it for Christmas in first grade, but I didn't actually start collecting until 2009, where I had made my first video that had Bop It in it. I still have to find that video if I still have it, because I haven't seen it in 15 years... not sure if it even still exists or not since it's been so long.   Over time, I went through different processes to log my collecting. When I started my channel in 2020 during my senior year of high school, I didn't realize my passionate interest of Bop It would become a niche interest that has brought in over 13,000 subscribers and counting on YouTube. I went from collecting just the certain versions of Bop It and not counting duplicates, to then counting duplicates, and just recently I decided that I want to only count the electronic versions of Bop It that were battery-operated in my closet, and leave all the non-electronic ones for my Bop It memorabilia world record.   I've had 3 milestones happen so far. My 100th Bop It was kinda tricky to be able to determine, as I didn't count duplicates in 2021 when I stayed in a dorm in college, but since I got a lot of Bop It! Micro Series units back then, I decided to make one of them my 100th unit, and since it's my legend, I have the freedom to kinda write it how I want with my own supporting claims.   My 200th Bop It was in 2024, and it was a modified version of Bop It Extreme (1999), that the programming was reworked with a speed knob. My 300th I can't really say what it is right now because my video has not premiered yet (happening tomorrow night), but I acquired that here in 2026.   I already have plans in mind for my 400th and 500th, with an estimated timespan in which the 400th and 500th Bop It events will occur, in late-2027 and early-2029 respectively. I also have plans on how I want to decorate my milestone Bop Its in the future, and place them in display cases. I'm gonna swap out the modified Bop It Extreme (1999) with a regular Bop It Extreme (1999) to decorate, but the modified one will still count. The milestone units are not just regular Bop It units to me; they are what collecting, archiving, logging, analyzing, and delving for most of my life have all been worth it for.   I'll be turning 25 tomorrow, and next year will be 18 years since I started collecting Bop It, and you better believe I am not stopping anytime soon.

“It was such a special and fun night bringing together the toy industry and the comedy world. Both are in the smile business, bringing joy, laughter, and connection to people around the world! A huge thank you to Mary Couzin and Bob Fuhrer for bringing everyone together, and to Howie Mandel, Kevin Nealon, Elon Gold, Caroline Rhea, Chris Spencer, and Nikki Osborne for filling the evening with laughter and making it so memorable!”  -David Fuhrer - President, The Laugh Factory     Comedy Stars Celebrate LA Fall Preview with the Toy Industry on Toy Night at the Laugh Factory!     "Great night!" - Matt Nuccio      "Such a great night!" - Rich Thurber     "I sure enjoyed this evening!" -Julien Sharp     "So fun!! Thanks, for the good times David, Bob and Mary!" - Jon Vanderbeek                                                                          

Although I go to all the other toy fairs and many companies host their own pitch events, I’ve sold multiple concepts at POP over the years thanks to its superior setup. It’s the toy inventor community's best-kept secret, but I guess my guilt got the better of me—time to finally spill the beans...   The Top 10   Access to new companies: Meet and pitch to brands that don't attend major toy fairs or have convenient meeting spots in NY or LA. You might even find someone willing to finally look at that favorite concept you've been dragging around since 1994.   The best pitch setup by far: You get your own suite at the Embassy Suites and the companies come to you. No hauling prototypes through crowded convention halls or pitching in loud, disruptive rooms. Pure luxury.   Easy in, easy out: Located right next to O'Hare in Rosemont, it offers incredibly efficient airport access at a reasonable cost.   Great speakers and entertainment: The seminars are actually worthwhile, striking the ideal balance between valuable insights, heavy-hitting pitching, and surprisingly fun social events.   The TAGIE Awards: A fantastic, increasingly prestigious awards dinner. With the Toy Association now backing it, celebrating the actual minds behind the products has become a true priority.   The consumer toy fair: Unlike New York's year-in-advance preview, this is a festive, pre-holiday playground featuring games hitting shelves right now. It's a goldmine for seeing what kids and families actually care about.   Fresh talent: Discover new inventors you won't see anywhere else, often armed with stellar prototypes. As a pro, it’s a brilliant spot to scout fresh collaboration partners.   The Young Inventor Challenge: Easily one of the most inspiring events of the weekend. Serving as a judge and watching kids pitch with pure energy and authenticity is a masterclass in how it’s done.   A true community vibe: Unlike fairs sponsored by a single corporate giant, all the inventors and IR folks actually hang out together at the same events. It just works.   Prime timing: It’s your last chance for in-person meetings before the holidays, letting you gently pressure companies to make a decision before the January and February rush hits. 😎

  I first came across KenKen in Japan in 2007. I certainly didn’t look at it and immediately think, “This is going to be huge.” In fact, my first reaction was that it seemed pretty difficult. But I was intrigued enough to pursue it, and then something remarkable started to happen.   The Times in the UK picked it up, followed by Reader’s Digest, and then The New York Times. Will Shortz, the longtime crossword editor of The New York Times and one of the most influential figures in the puzzle world, became a strong supporter of KenKen and helped establish it as a serious daily puzzle. Each of those milestones gave us more confidence that there really was something special here.     I’ve now been championing KenKen for nearly 20 years, and one of the most gratifying things has been watching it evolve from a newspaper puzzle into something much broader. Because KenKen was created by Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, education has always been part of its DNA. Today, KenKen is enjoyed by people of virtually every age and ability and is used by tens of thousands of teachers to build arithmetic fluency, logic and problem-solving skills.     That’s why the new partnership with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is particularly meaningful to me. Nearly two decades after I first encountered a puzzle in Japan that I initially thought might be too difficult, we now have the opportunity to bring KenKen to even more teachers and students and further something we’ve come to believe very strongly: math can be challenging, engaging and fun—not a chore.     Press Release  NCTM and KenKen Partner to Help Students Experience Math as a Challenge, Not a Chore Download PDF Reston, VA-The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and KenKen® have formed a new educational partnership designed to help teachers engage students in mathematical thinking through the power of puzzles and play. Through the partnership, teachers can access daily KenKen puzzles and educational resources , giving them a classroom activity that makes math feel like a challenge, not a chore.   The collaboration brings together the nation's leading K-12 mathematics education organization and a puzzle that was, quite literally, born in a Japanese math classroom more than two decades ago to help children discover the joy of thinking mathematically.   KenKen began with one teacher looking for a better way to get his students to think for themselves. More than 20 years later, partnering with NCTM is enormously meaningful. We share a belief that mathematics should be something students engage with, explore and enjoy. KenKen may look like a game or puzzle, but it develops math understanding and fluency-and along the way, children become stronger, more confident mathematical thinkers. - Robert Fuhrer, Founder and President of KenKen Puzzle Co. KenKen combines number sense and fluency with logic and deductive reasoning. Players use properties of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to work through a grid with one unique solution. The rules can be learned in minutes, with puzzles ranging from simple grids for young students to sophisticated problems for accomplished adult solvers.   That flexibility has made KenKen a popular classroom resource for students across a wide range of ages and ability levels.   Every teacher knows the difficulty of keeping students engaged and thinking when the answer isn't immediately obvious. What makes KenKen powerful is that students want to solve it. In doing so, they are thinking deeply, analyzing, testing their understanding, and sticking with a problem. Students experience it as something they want to figure out, rather than simply another assignment or exercise. We're excited to provide daily resources for teachers that can bring more mathematical thinking into their classrooms. - Latrenda Knighten, NCTM President At nctm.org/KenKen , teachers will also find videos, lessons and other classroom resources. Student puzzle pages are designed to minimize distractions, while a consistent web address makes it easy for teachers and students to find each day's puzzle.   About KenKen KenKen was created in 2004 by renowned Japanese mathematics educator Tetsuya Miyamoto to help his students develop mathematical reasoning, concentration, perseverance and independent problem-solving skills. His philosophy was simple but unconventional: rather than simply teaching children how to arrive at an answer, give them compelling problems and allow them to discover solutions for themselves. Since its creation, KenKen has grown from a Japanese classroom exercise into a puzzle played around the world. It has been published by The New York Times and incorporated into educational programs and publications for students of varying ages and ability levels. Today, more than 35,000 educators participate in the free KenKen Classroom program, using KenKen puzzles and educational resources to help students build mathematical fluency, logic and problem-solving skills. About NCTMFounded in 1920, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is the nation's largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education. NCTM sets high professional standards, provides research-informed resources, and advocates for high-quality mathematics teaching and learning for each and every student. Media Contacts:NCTM Communicationsmedia@nctm.org KenKen Puzzle Co.Robert Fuhrer