By a show of hands, who has either owned or purchased a Little Tikes product?
This is the question Bill Cofield, vice president of operations, casually tossed out to the 150 or so Akron seventh-graders gathered at the Little Tikes plant in Hudson on Thursday afternoon.
The students — who are part of the LeBron James Family Foundation’s I Promise program — slowly raised their hands.
Considering the toy maker annually produces more vehicles — Cozy Coupes and the like — than Detroit, one is hard-pressed to not find the company’s signature label on something in the garage or toy box.
But it is one thing to play with a toy. It is an entirely different matter making one.
Take Maddie Smith as an example.
The 13-year-old from Hyre middle school in Akron said she dreams of becoming a designer some day.
She always thought of working in fashion. Until touring the Hudson plant, she never considered that even a company like Little Tikes needs designers too.
The kids got to visit virtually every nook and cranny of the sprawling plant — everything from the assembly line where the cars are made from a resin powder and baked in molds to the area where they are placed in boxes to be shipped off to the toy aisles at Wal-Mart.
They even got to meet with toy designers to help dream up toys for the next generation.
From play kitchens with running water to giant pinball machines to toy carwashes so kids can wash their bikes, every idea was on the drawing board.
There were some recurring themes — sharks and flames … lots and lots of sharks and flames.
Little Tikes designer Grady Hayes said one idea that was dreamed up was a bull-riding toy with the cow on fire and perhaps a shark thrown in for good measure.
“My favorite was the sky-diving basketball game,” he said.
The idea here — like the other tours the foundation has taken kids in its program on this school year — is to demonstrate all of the potential career paths and all the skills it takes to put a Cozy Coupe on the road, er, driveway.
There’s even a place in the plant where it is encouraged to be rough on the toys.
The kids saw machines that test the durability of the Cozy Coupe’s wheels by spinning them endlessly and one that simulates bumps.
And there’s a place where the cars are given a strong push into a steel plate.
Amyah Hodoh, 13, of Hyre, was more than willing to offer a hand and a shoulder to give one a shove.
“I pushed it hard,” she said. “I didn’t know they did things like that.”
For the record, the car bounced off unscathed.
Keith Liechty, coordinator of school improvement for Akron Public Schools, said it is one thing to talk in the classroom about potential careers and how lessons learned there apply in the work environment and an entirely different thing to see it all in action.
And that’s just what the foundation’s field trips this year to places like Little Tikes and Goodyear’s blimp hangar and the TV studios at WKYC hope to achieve.
“This is so in line with our [Akron Public Schools’] college and career initiatives,” Liechty said.
The trip to Little Tikes also aligns with the foundation’s work to closely partner with Northeast Ohio companies on a more personal level, with the workers interacting with students.
And besides, Cofield said, the workers look forward to meeting the kids and sharing lunch — from James’ personal favorite Swensons food truck — and a passion for toys.
Little Tikes donates a portion of its proceeds to the foundation on toys ranging from LeBron-centric basketball sets to toy boxes and inflatables.
“This is a great organization,” Cofield said. “LeBron’s mission aligns with our mission to educate, provide activity for kids and bring happiness to the world.”
Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3547.