Boys And Their Toys: Getting "Gritty" Through Retro Action Figures and Books

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Generation Grit, a toy company with a mission to inspire boys to live their best adventure, today announced a Kickstarter campaign to raise $75,000 to fund its first character in a line of retro action figures and books for boys, ages eight to 12. Designed by world-class toy designers and storytellers, the toys provide a much-needed way for boys to engage their imaginations and creativity through characters whose strength is about more than just muscles.

Generation Grit is the brainchild of Harvard-educated entrepreneur Laura Hale, formerly of Ebates.com. "The progress in toys for girls encouraging them to reach for the stars is something to cheer about. I'm thrilled, as the mother of daughters. As the mother of a son, I know boys need better options, too," Hale said. Generation Grit aims to fill the gap by providing male character-based toys who show their strength through adventure, empathy, imagination, and grit, instead of big muscles or superhero powers.

"I love superheroes, but I also long for my son to have heroes who are adventurous, regular boys willing to try, fail, learn and grow," Hale continued.

Each Generation Grit character comes with an action figure, books, and accessories—all created to spark hours of reading and imaginative play. Generation Grit encourages active play through several strategies: engage boys with an adventure story, connect them to a character, and enlist their imaginations with the adventure figure and accessories.

Enter fourteen-year-old Mac Mason, the first Generation Grit character. His story takes place in 1943 on the home front during World War II. Although Mac is an avid baseball player, he feels overshadowed when his athletic British cousin William comes to California to escape the London bombings. Things change when the two uncover clues to a fraudulent rations ring, and they have to work together to save a friend from being falsely accused.

While the book revolves around Mac's adventures, it also walks through important issues of friendship, ego, and courage. The World War II context provides visibility into an important time in American history through the eyes of a boy.

A full line of Generation Grit characters is in the works. Next up is an African American boy who is an ardent inventor in the early years of the 20^th century.

About Generation Grit

Generation Grit is a Menlo Park, California-based company that creates action figures and books for boys, aged eight to 12. The company's mission is to inspire boys to live their best adventure through stories and imaginative play. For more information on Generation Grit, please call 650-455-0991, email [email protected], or visit www.generationgrit.com.

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SOURCE Generation Grit