Test The Waters of Virtues & Values


One of our latest designs has people diving in to think about themselves and others in new ways. Virtues & Values Thumball™ is a unique experiment in self reflection and personal growth.

Initially counselors were the most excited about a Thumball covered in personal attributes. It is a non threatening way to encourage players to honestly evaluate whether they possess specific characteristics. Are you mature? Insightful? Organized? If yes, tell us how it serves you. If no, tell us if it is a problem.

Now teachers of every age, employee trainers, rehab facilitators, older adults and Boy/ Girl Scouts are appreciating the valuable lessons Virtues & Values Thumball™ provides. Each panel has 3 words beginning with the same letter and can be used to discuss yourself, another or a famous celebrity or leader.

I caught Thumball and found these 3 words under my thumb: S = Spiritual – Strong – Sweet. I am sincere in my spirituality and live it daily, I am not always as strong as I want to be physically or emotionally but darn I am sweet to others through compliments and care. I look for strength in others to inspire my goal of being a strong women, partner and parent.

Let's face it Brittany Spears was not exactly Responsible this past year and Wall Street giants were not Visionary, ultimately leading us into this financial challenge. If all goes well however Brittany will rise to the occasion and become Balanced and Dignified. The committee for repair of the economy showed they are Industrious working through the past weekend and we hope will be Victorious.

Virtues and Values Thumball™ shows us how to turn challenges into triumphs. It reminds us that we all have strengths and weaknesses regardless of age, education, geography or race. Take the plunge and explore yourself as the Empowered Person you know yourself to be and make a splash.

What Makes You Feel Free?



This question fascinates me. While many of us can discuss what makes us "happy" or can say what things we want, not many can identify what makes them feel free. Society's definition of success puts drastic limits on freedom or delays it until well into your sixties and seventies.

Our life here at Answers In Motion is very rich these days even though debt is high and Thumball sales come only in cycles. Starting your own company is not for the faint of heart but we chose it for a reason. We have realized all we ever wanted was freedom.

We set our own hours, make our own agendas, only sometimes have to answer to others and work very hard for 12 hours a day and yet we are free.

While managing accounts, creating and marketing new products, stretching advertising dollars I can listen to the music of my choice, break into a Grateful Dead dance groove or brew my own iced tea. I wear sarongs, bandanas, slippers and feel comfortable in my own skin and I feel free.

I am not motivated by obtaining more possessions instead I get to pet my dogs, call a friend or facebook the kids. I rub my husband's neck, the man who taught me well about opportunities, freedom and other wonderful things and then I get back to work.

We toss Answer Mania Thumball in the air and ask "Will freedom be our way of life?" and under my thumb the answer is revealed, "IT'S IN THE STARS".
What does being free mean to you?

Thumball Goes To College





Thumball is making waves on campuses and with co-eds. At first they arrive on the scene and get casually investigated. Then they are used for juggling or extreme catch.

Eventually however the players read and think about what's on them and begin to play with interest. Then the fun starts and everyone is clamoring for more Thumball.

Icebreaker, Who Are You? and Meet & Greet Thumball are perfect for orientation and social events to get students interacting and feeling less awkward.

Emotion Mania and Move Your Body Thumball get grabbed up by drama departments and PE classes. Act out feelings, exaggerate movements and learn about body language. You couldn't refrain from laughing if you wanted to.

Category Mania Thumball can get competitive and surprises everyone by how challenging it can be to name things in categories quickly and accurately. Name as many flowers or birds or noisy things as you can and just try not to stammer.

Virtues and Values Thumball really inspires personal thought and reflection. Three attributes are revealed under your thumb and you decide if you have them, if you observe them in others or if you would like to have them. This activity changes with age and is appreciated by families, counselors and coworkers.

Catch Peace Thumball inspires students to learn more about world geography, languages and cultures. Find on the map the countries that speak Malay or Persian. Enjoy trying to pronounce the word peace in them too.

We are pleased to see Thumball's reach expand and whether they are used for learning and communicating or juggling and radical acts of catch it brings people together. That is our ultimate goal to come together and recognize our similarities and differences without the need for judgement.

Can a ball do that? We say "Yes". Now we just need to get the warring factions on our planet to play catch and maybe they will come together too.

A Thumball in the Hand is Worth 2 in the Bush


The new Thumball™ designs are in our hands and they look gorgeous. Okay a ball is rarely called gorgeous but these really are. The colors are more vibrant, the texture is sleek and smooth, the printing is perfect! Oh and did I mention the new packaging? It is also bright, colorful and sleek. Our mascot Shnoogie is on the new package and he is there as a quiet yet powerful advocate for peace, love and understanding.

It was a long wait but we are so pleased with the end result. All the designs are going to be popular and meaningful and fun. Our initial response shows a big demand for Move Your Body. Used to get our bodies in motion it is fun and beneficial for all ages. Use Move You Body Thumball™ to act out movements like in charades or do reps and it becomes a fitness exercise. Players act out the verbs and then build on their language skills by combining them with adverbs. So now we are not just walking we are doing it slowly or quickly or crazily.
Learning in action.

We hope this new collection will spread our scope and reach more audiences. Now there are 18 designs with more sets and kits in the works. Check out the website for more details. Get ready to meet and greet, move your body, talk virtues and values, tell the tale and discuss parts of a story. We hope you will find Thumball gorgeous and worthwhile whether in your hand, on your desk or in the classroom and if there are two in the bush by all means go get them.

New Thumballs Designs Have Hit US and UK Shores

We have been anticipating the arrival of our five new Thumball designs and finally they are here. Well almost here. When products are shipped overseas they arrive but you can't have them just yet. There are Procedures. Customs has taken a liking to Thumball and they like to inspect each and every shipment just for the fun of it. This delays things and costs money but hey what doesn't cost time and money?

In England Thumball is doing a bit better and our shipment is arriving at our International warehouse as we speak (so we hope). Imagine! We are doing business internationally and that is exciting. We will do our best to get those Thumballs into the hands of the British masses as soon as possible.

Any day now Move Your Body, Meet & Greet, Virtues & Values, Parts of a Story and Tell The Tale will be in our hands. We will play, laugh, discuss, move, think and share the experience with each other. Looking forward to that gives me more patience and less stress.

An email broadcast will go out the day our shipment reaches New Jersey. Share the fun.