Hi Ben! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. For our readers, can you please who are you and what do you do? 

My name is Ben Hansen, and I’m the inventor and co-founder of Boppo, the screen-free tablet. I’m a software engineer, but in true startup fashion my job includes doing whatever is needed to help Boppo become better, whether it is working with our suppliers, testing out hardware, speaking with customers, or writing code, I do a little bit of everything. 

Why and how did you get into the Toy and Game industry? 

As a software engineer, I didn’t originally plan to join the toy industry but am very happy to have ended up here. The inspiration for Boppo came when I noticed how my son, who was a baby at the time, loved to press buttons or turn light switches on and off. So I built him a toy where pushing buttons is rewarded. The reaction really astounded me - when I saw how much kids enjoyed playing with it and the potential for really learning from it, I quit my job to take Boppo from a prototype to a console anyone can buy and enjoy. 

What are you working on now? 

We are developing new Toppos, which are themed add-ons that go on top of Boppo, kind of like expansion packs. We originally launched with 3, then released 2 more (Dinos and Realm of Wonder) with lots more in the pipeline, which I’m very excited about! 

If you look back at yourself 10 years ago, is this where you thought you’d be? Where did you think you’d be? What changed? What went right? 

Not at all! 10 years ago, I had just left Google, where I was working on Chrome OS and Android, and had just started a new role at a finance company. Boppo has been a great surprise and every day brings something new. 

What is it about the Toy and Game Industry that you love? 

Watching kids learn through play. It's truly magical. 

What keeps you up at night? 

Bugs. I hate it when my software (or even worse, hardware) doesn’t work correctly. I spend a lot of time testing what we’re making to make sure the experience is great. 

What are you still hoping to accomplish? 

There are a lot of milestones ahead of us, but the big one for me is to reach 1 million families who have experienced Boppo and love having fun with our products. 

Do you have a mantra that you live by? 

Love, Learn, Teach. 

What has been your favorite project to date? 

Building the initial games and activities on Boppo was a lot of fun. It was really fast to make as they were simple color or counting activities, and it was something new for my son, and then I got to watch him play with it. I also really enjoyed making the DJ mode for our MP3 player which allows kids to layer on fun effects to the songs they are listening to. 

Do you have a typical workday and how does it play out for you? 

Ha, typical isn’t really a thing for us right now as a new company. Some days I wake up to urgent messages that take up my morning, and other days I’ll be up really late talking with our factory. And often it's both, but it has been worth it to watch the excitement grow around what we’re building. 

What advice would you give a young adult graduating from high school or college today? 

Keep looking for something that you are 1) passionate about, 2) pays enough, and 3) you are relatively good at. You can’t always find all 3 to start but if you find two of the three and keep at it, the third will often follow. 

Whatever you do, try to look past your role and understand the entire business. Specific skills are becoming less important, which is tough for some people, but I think there is even more opportunity now for those who can think holistically. 

What advice can you give to inventors who are presenting new toy or game ideas? 

Many people might not understand or get your idea at first, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea. If your idea is unique and category defining, a lot of people will need to play with it first before they can start to understand it or see what you see. 

Also, don’t underestimate the work that comes after the idea. It amazed me how much work it takes to go from an idea to a prototype, and then from a prototype to a product you can actually sell, and then how to sell a product to become a profitable business. For Boppo, it took us 2+ years to get a good prototype. Then 2 more years to get to something we can actually mass produce, then certified and safety-tested so we can legally sell it in the US and Canada. 

What is the worst job you’ve ever had and what did you learn from it? 

When I was 14, I operated carnival games for a local amusement park (like throwing a ball to knock over milk jugs style games). I ended up leaving when they didn’t pay out my bonus like they said they would, but I learned a lot about selling, how to treat employees, and come to think of it, some of the game aspects might have helped influence Boppo. 

What excites you? 

We recently launched a Software Developer Kit for Boppo where anyone can create their own activities on Boppo. Multiple parents have reached out who are interested in starting to build games for their kids. I am excited about growing our community and Boppo as the platform for screen-free interactive play. 

What’s your workspace setup like? 

It changes often, my family travels full-time, and we’re always living in new, different places across the globe. So as we move around, I often work from cafes, hotel rooms, my parents’ basement, or co-working spaces. I like the variety and it helps me be more creative. When I worked in trading, people were obsessed with having multiple monitors. Now I always just use my single laptop screen. I tell people I can switch between windows faster than they can move their head. 

Would you rather have one $100 toy or 100 $1 toys? 

Definitely one $100 toy - since we travel and work full time, we don’t have a lot of room for things, so whatever we bring has to be worth its weight in suitcase space. 

How do you jumpstart your creativity when you find yourself stalled? 

In software development, there is a famous talk about “Hammock-Driven Development” that resonated with me, which is basically working on a problem until you feel stuck and then stepping away to allow your subconscious to work the problem without active effort. For me it's more “running” driven, because when I go for a run outside my mind wanders between various problems, and I find it both relaxing and surprisingly fruitful. 

Do you have any kiddos? 

Yes! My now 8-year-old was the inspiration for Boppo back when he was 1, and I have a younger daughter, too. 

Are you named after anyone? 

My middle name is Theodore, named by my dad after his favorite president, Theodore Roosevelt. My dad trained me from a young age that “far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” 

Tell us about your hobbies? 

My biggest hobby growing up was programming on computers. It felt lame to say that after it became my full-time job though. I also love running and have recently gotten into playing Padel, which is a racquet sport. 

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

An astronaut! This is why the Solar System expansion pack was one of our first 3 Toppo add-ons for Boppo. I still hope that someday I’ll get to go to space! 

What’s next? 

I plan to be working on Boppo for many years to come! I do think about what our next Boppo products will be, but we are going to be focused on our tablet and our Toppos for the near future. 

I’m lucky that…. 

Everyday I get to work with a great team of people who share a passion for making play more fun and educational.