The Red Book

At first glance, it might seem odd to write about “The Red Book” in a toy industry blog. The author, Carl Jung, is considered to be the father of analytical psychology. Some of us in the toy industry may have cause for some analysis after the last few years but that is not the reason I am writing about this book. 

I am writing about it because this extremely esoteric, 9 pound book with its bizarre drawings, strange philosophy and price tag of $195 has sold out. Here is how the New York Times article, "Dreamy Sales of Jung Book Stir Analysis, " put it:

As online and big-box retailers hustle to outdo themselves in discounts, “The Red Book” by Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, has surprised booksellers and its publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, by bucking the economy and becoming difficult, and in some cases impossible, to find in bookstores around the country.

The original print run was 5,000 but, due to demand, that has risen to 25,000 and they are printing another 10,000 to boot. That’s a total of 35,000 books; not a lot of books but a lot of dollars. With a price tag of $195 that comes to $6,825,000 in non-discounted retail sales. Not too bad.

So what has this have to do with the toy industry? I think the message for all of us is that people will pay for something that fulfills what a real, not virtual, product is supposed to provide; an experience that strongly appeals to the physical senses. This book with its heft and beautiful illustrations will grace many a coffee table where it will be seen and touched. It will provide readers with the fingertip experience of turning pages and being endlessly surprised by what they see.

I think that toy companies that take pride in producing products of exceptional quality may want to  consider offering the public a few high priced toys that provide a similarly rich experience; exceptional toys that are not just fun to play with but are great to see, to touch, to smell and maybe even taste and hear. 

We might be surprised that people will buy them; no matter what the price.