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Best Marble Run Toys - Social Proof - Part 2

Best Marble Run Toys - Social Proof - Part 2

Several years ago we had a post about understanding social proof and what that means when purchasing a product. As more and more consumers buy products online, that has enabled consumers access to a lot more reviews and editorial recommendations leading to smarter purchasing decisions.  We have over 15K reviews (and counting) across all of our products averaging 4.6 stars.  Additionally, there are have been numerous sites and editorial recommendations for our products and we wanted to provide that update below: 

 

Amazon - Best Classic Marble Run

According to Forbes, Amazon market power is the #1 e-commerce site in the U.S. In addition, roughly 65% of the US households are Amazon Prime Members. Given this market power, looking at reviews of a product on Amazon is a great place to start to get a sense of whether this product might be something to buy or not.

Products with a significant number of Verified Reviews, as well as products that have at least 4 stars, are a good starting point for social proof. At Marble Genius, each of our products have a healthy number of Verified Reviews, and we encourage you to take a look at those before making a buying decision.
 


Another great thing to consider on Amazon before making a buying decision is how a particular item ranks in a given category. A product might be a Amazon Best Seller for the day due to a large number of giveaways or because they deeply discounted their price for a day to get a better ranking, but if you consistently see a product at the top of its category, it's safe to say that most people are buying that product in that particular category.

In the Marble Run Category, our Super Set has consistently been the Best Classic Marble Run Toy on Amazon. This can obviously change, which is why we included the link so you can see what the best selling marble run products are when you read this. When you want to identify what the best selling item in a category is, the quickest way is to Google "Amazon Best Selling _________."

RECOGNITION ON EXTERNAL WEBSITES AND BLOGS

As of this writing, there are over 1.8 billion websites on the internet, which is a staggering figure and another reason why you have to consider the source or look to multiple data points before relying on what is said. You can also use Alexa to see how popular a particular website is.

Wiki.ezvid.com:

According to Wiki.ezvid.com, which is the world's first video wiki that gets millions of visitors every month, our Marble Genius Super Set is the # 3 Best Marble Run Toy on the market. They spent over 29 hours compiling this, and if you click the link you can see the video of the top 10 marble runs and additional explanation. Note: they did not accept any money or input from the companies whose products they reviewed.

Best Reviews:

Another significant website,  bestreviews.com has ranked our Marble Genius Super Set as the #1 overall marble run for 2020 on the market. This website goes into great detail as far as their methodology, and they didn't accept any money or input from the companies whose products they reviewed as well.

One other interesting observation: the #1 ranked marble run on Wiki.ezvid.com was not even ranked on this website. This is another reason to look at multiple sources before making buying decisions because there can be significant variability with product rankings.

Find This Best:

According to FTB our Marble Genius Super Set ranked #2 for the overall Marble Runs and #1 for Plastic Marble Run.

FTP mission is to make your shopping experience hassle-free, stress-free, easy, and enjoyable. They aim to give you the most authentic information about all products. FTB collects the data of a particular product from many sources using machine learning algorithms, and then our teams analyze it.

Parenting Pod:

Parenting Pod is a kids’ health and safety website that gets 2 million visitors every year. Parenting Pod consists of a team of licensed physicians and therapists who are committed to improving the mental health & wellbeing of families. Their mission is to help parents find the best toys and products for their little ones because sometimes, you don’t know what’s quality and what isn’t.

Parenting Pod selected our Marble Genius Marble Run Super Set as the best building and construction toy for school-aged children in 2021. It’s the perfect STEM toy for teaching hand-eye coordination while also providing endless fun!

We're extremely thankful to each of the sites above for the platform they've provided to help us grow our product. It's worth noting that we have no affiliation with any of the websites mentioned and our only affiliation with Amazon is that we sell on their platform.

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NEW TOYS & GAMES 2020: Flying Marbles Action Game

NEW TOYS & GAMES 2020: Flying Marbles Action Game

We are releasing a number of new products over the next couple of months and are excited to announce the upcoming release of our brand new action game called Flying Marbles!  We have been developing this product over the last 6 months, patented the game play so it can't be copied, and it is finally ready for release.

If you have 30 seconds, this video shows the game in action! 

Launch marbles up to 15 inches in the air and land it in one of 10 scoring holes with different point values.  Be careful because there is a large -500 scoring hole that likes to collect the marbles that miss their intended target.

We have tested this game with many individuals of all ages and the feedback has been incredible! We also received a prestigious award from a nationally recognized parenting group that we will be sharing details of shortly.  We included glass marbles in this set because they roll extremely consistently so it does develop skills while you are having fun!  

The cardboard stadium can be setup in less than 1 minute and is angled so that the marble will roll into other holes if it misses its intended target. The landing surface is made of a very dense cardboard called greyboard.  This surface is very durable, yet greatly minimizes the sound when the marble hits it.

The jump is a custom piece that is unique to this set.  It is over 14 inches long and if you use all the tubes in the set, it will launch the marble at least 15 inches in the air.  We have made the jump height adjustable so that the difficulty level can be easily adjusted.  We don't recommend this, but if you want to get crazy and add tubes from our other marble sets you can really make the marbles fly.  As with all Marble Genius products, all pieces are compatible with each other and can be used across sets.

For scoring, we have included 2 dry erase scorecards and 2 dry erase pens with erasers for easy reuse.

Play this game by yourself or with others.  We recommend ages 8 - Adult, but many younger children will enjoy this game as well (just make sure to watch the younger children with the marbles because they are a Choking Hazard).  There are 2 different games that you can play.  High Score which lasts 8 rounds and Around the World that lasts until someone gets the marble in all 10 holes.  We include a rulebook, but as with any game we encourage you to make your own "House Rules" and have fun!

Once you get the hang of Flying Marbles, purchase the Expansion Pack for added fun.  We include 5 new game boards and 100 optional trivia cards for added fun (and educational benefit if you are interested in that).  We include 50 trivia cards about space for Around the Galaxy and 50 trivia cards for Around the World.

  • Around the World - Explore 7 different continents with various sized scoring holes on this board. 2 different ways to play this game (with or without the 50 included Around the World trivia cards).
  • Baseball - Hit a home run (or singles/doubles/triples) and try to avoid the many "outs" around the board. Play as many innings as you want, but make sure to score more than your opponent.
  • Basketball - Outlast your opponent by scoring more points than your opponent in 4 quarters on this board. There are 1, 2, 3, and 4 point scoring opportunities as well as negative points if you aim wrong.
  • Around the Galaxy - Explore the 8 different planets (plus Pluto) in our Solar System with this board. There are 50 Around the Galaxy trivia cards that can optionally be used to test your knowledge of Space with this game.
  • Competition Board - This board is very similar to the standard game board included with Flying Marbles. However, this board is much more challenging and includes higher point values.
  • Buy Flying Marbles Now

     

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    Launch your Marbles & Build Mazes with 3 New Products!

    Launch your Marbles & Build Mazes with 3 New Products!

    One of our favorite things to do in the Marble Genius toy lab is create exciting new ways to learn and have fun. We’ve been hard at work and are thrilled to announce three new products that we’re launching this month.

    Here’s a snapshot of each…

    Marble Maze Slides Creator:

    This set is unlike any we’ve designed to date. It’s a STEM/STEAM set that includes our innovative and patent pending slide pieces. With 16 action pieces and 48 supporting blocks, you can create any maze imaginable. Build vertically or horizontally, and watch the marble follow the path from start to finish. The Slides Creator set is perfect for open-ended play with endless possibilities.

    If you’re looking for building ideas, we include a step-by-step guide in the set and also have step-by-step guides on our Free Marble Genius App. Combine multiple sets together OR combine with any of our traditional marble runs (Starter Set, Super Set, Extreme Set, Accessory Sets, etc.). Hours of fun await!

    Marble Maze Slides

    Stretch your mind with this brain-stimulating game. It includes 60 challenge cards ranging from Beginner to Genius and can be played on your own or with friends. Each of the cards identifies a challenge to complete and the pieces that are allowed to complete it. You can optionally time yourself to see if you beat the time on the card.

    While this game uses the same types of pieces as our Slides Creator set, it offers more structure and mental challenge as you work to complete specific challenges. Be sure to check our free app for more challenges that will extend the fun!

    Marble Run Launcher

    This launcher can shoot plastic marbles up to 32 inches in the air or glass marbles up to 21 inches. It’s a great way to expand the fun of your existing marble run and learn about physics. For example, the weight differences between marbles will impact the height they can shoot. Also, if the marble hits the side of the tubes on the way up, this friction won’t allow the marble to reach the top. This accessory has been a hit at Marble Genius HQ, and we’re excited to share the fun with you!

    As with any of our products, we welcome your input and feedback! Reach out to us at support@marblegenius.com to share ideas or stories of how these toys have brought fun to life in your home.

    Happy building!

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    Bring Your Marble Run to Life with Lights & Sounds!

    Bring Your Marble Run to Life with Lights & Sounds!

    We're thrilled to announce that we're launching one of the most exciting innovations for the marble run: Lights & Sounds! We've spent tons of hours in our toy lab working on these pieces, and the day has finally come to share them with you!

    Lights & Sounds Piece

    Our Lights & Sounds pieces are activated when the marble rolls over the trigger. We've divided them into four themes: Wacky, Safari, Space, and Jungle. Each theme has its own sounds and color, and yes, there's an On/Off switch if parents need a break from the noise. :)

    To see the pieces in action, check out this video:

    We have more themes in the works, but we'd love to hear your ideas too. Simply e-mail us at support@marblegenius.com.

    All of these Lights & Sounds products will be available on Amazon soon, just in time for the holidays! Click any picture below to go straight to the product:

         

         

    If there's one thing we're passionate about, it's elevating the fun in playtime. We can't wait to see how these Lights & Sounds pieces bring your Marble Genius set to life!

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    Marble Genius Goes to School

    Marble Genius Goes to School

    At Marble Genius, we love partnering with teachers to inspire learning in the classroom! Last week we had the chance to watch our marble run toys in action.

    As part of a trip to California, we stopped by to visit our first Teacher Ambassador, Francie Kugelman (Mrs. K.) at Dahlia Heights Elementary School. Francie has been invaluable in providing input as we develop new products and has also connected us with hundreds of teachers across the U.S. through Caring Classrooms & Laura Candler’s Teaching Resources.

    Francie wrote a great blog post explaining how she leverages STEM toys to teach Next Generation Science Standards. Her article is a must-read for teachers looking to expose their students to innovative ways to learn.

    We were excited to visit her classroom in person!

    Elementary School

    When we arrived at Dahlia Heights, the students had already sorted 10 Marble Genius Extreme Sets in boxes. Francie gave final reminders to her 3rd grade students, including emphasizing the gravity concepts they would learn.

    We carried the marble run boxes to the school's auditorium, where the students worked in teams of 3-5. Their objective was to build the biggest marble run they could, while making the marble reach the bottom as slowly as possible.

    They had 15-20 minutes to build their structures and were instructed not to look at other teams' marble runs during this time. Each team had a stopwatch to test their runs and make adjustments.

    Auditorium

    After the initial build, each team gathered around the other teams' marble runs to make observations. One big takeaway was the importance of using certain pieces that slowed down the marbles (like the Round 'n Round piece). The slowest run at this point was about 30 seconds.

    After the observations were complete, the students went back and made adjustments to their runs. This took 10 more minutes, and then we went back and tested each run. After the adjustments, the slowest run was 55 seconds long -- almost twice as slow as the slowest run from the first round!

    Here's another picture of one of the many creative runs that were built:

    At the end of the hour, the room buzzed with excitement and fun. And best of all, the students experienced hands-on learning and put their problem-solving skills to use.

    This is just one example of many great uses for our marble run toys in the classroom. We're extremely thankful for all the educators who leverage our toys to inspire learning!

    For more classroom ideas, we have sample lesson plans on our website. We'll also be releasing more lesson plans in our brand new Marble Genius App in the coming months.

    Special thanks to Francie and all the great teachers, administrators, and students we met at Dahlia Heights!

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    Marble Genius Instruction App Released!

    Marble Genius Instruction App Released!

    We're excited to announce that we have a FREE App to enhance your experience with all of our Marble Genius products!

    While we recognize that our toys are "free play" toys like Lego that allow for infinite design possibilities, we've received requests for instructions that are easier to consume. We provide several guides with each of our products and have offered an 80-page manual available on PDF or Kindle, but we've long desired to provide visual instructions that are interactive and three-dimensional.

    Enter the Marble Genius app!

    Here's what you'll find...

    As of the official release date of the app (May 16th, 2018), we have over 100 different projects across all of our toys and games, with four different skill levels (Beginner to Advanced). You'll find an introduction area for our Marble Run toys and Marble Maze games with both visual and video options.

    Here's a breakdown of the rest of our products:

    • Starter Set -  4 projects
    • Super Set - 9 projects
    • Extreme Set - 12 projects
    • Pinked Out! Set - 6 projects
    • Marble Jungle Marble Run - 6 projects
    • Marble Maze Challenge Game - 80+ projects

    Badges:

    Every time a project is completed, you'll earn a badge with the Marble Genius Logo and check mark pictured below.  This will help you keep track of projects you've completed and projects you haven't.

    Challenges:

    In addition to the 100+ projects in the app, we also have a number of different challenges and we'll continually add more, which will keep our toys and games fresh and exciting. Some of our current challenges include Circular Challenge, Single Color Challenge, Longest Jump Challenge, etc.

    Take a Pic & Share:

    At the conclusion of every project or challenge, you'll have the option to take a picture of your project and share it with others on our app, through Facebook, or on the social media platform of your choice. Don't forget to tag us at #MarbleGenius so we can see too!

    Compatibility:

    Our app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, Android Phones, & Android Tablets:

    Feedback & Ideas:

    It would be a HUGE help if you could leave feedback in the form of an App review on either the App Store or the GooglePlay store! If there's anything that didn't meet your expectation or additional features you'd like to see, please send them to support@marblegenius.com and we'll prioritize them accordingly.

    We hope this app takes your Marble Genius fun to the next level!

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    Your Living Room: A Learning Ground for All Ages

    Your Living Room: A Learning Ground for All Ages

    Education expands our knowledge of the world and empowers us to make it better. It develops perspective and broadens our view. And it all starts with early childhood development.

    The development of young children greatly impacts their overall growth, ultimately leading to the adults they'll become. That's why investing in your kids is so important. It not only enriches their lives now; it sets the stage for future well-being.

    STEM LEARNING AND MARBLE RUNS

    The fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are more vital than ever before. STEM education combines the fields into a unified model that has real-world applications. The education is hands-on, problem-solving based, and designed to teach students new skills that can help them in the future. But the best part? It's fun!

    Here at Marble Genius, we've heard from teachers across the country on how they've utilized our marble runs in the classroom. But learning doesn't have to be limited to a school building. Homeschooling parents or those looking to inspire learning through impromptu play can reap the educational rewards.

    LEARNING WITH MARBLE RUNS AT HOME

    Building a marble run is a lesson in creativity and patience. Your kids will learn how to focus and improve their memory and recall. The Marble Genius marble run toys are designed to enhance cognitive abilities and enable kids to learn while having fun. We're not the only ones who believe that, though.

    HowToHomeschool.net recently evaluated hundreds of resources and products for their Best Homeschooling Resources & Curriculum list. Their desire was to not only encourage well-rounded learning, but to also equip parents with new ideas to make the education process fun and exciting. We're humbled and grateful to be included in the list.

    Whether you send your kids off to school or you educate them at home, don't miss out on the fun ways you can inspire them to learn and grow. Your living room may just be the most effective learning ground.

    For ideas to incorporate our marble runs into your kids' education or in a school classroom, be sure to check out our lesson plans HERE.

     

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    How to Fight Kids' Boredom in the Winter

    How to Fight Kids' Boredom in the Winter

    For most of us, the dog days of winter are making their presence felt through cooped up kids who love to say the three dreaded words…I AM BORED!!! Being parents ourselves, we've heard our fair share of “I am bored.” But how do we create engaging and active ways for them to play inside?

    We feel strongly that it's important to get creative and not just put a screen in front of them for the winter. According to the market research firm Childwise, “Children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen compared with around three hours in 1995" (http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-32067158). This is unacceptable, but it's also easy to do. (We've been guilty of it ourselves at times.)

    BEST TOYS FOR FIGHTING BOREDOM

    There are lots of different types of toys you can buy for your kids, and the last thing you want is a closed-ended toy that they're done with after 10 minutes. Finding toys that are truly open-ended, giving them numerous ways to play and holding their attention for extended periods of time is extremely challenging.

    Here are some ideas we have...

      Company Description: Kids define how they want to play. Whether you’re into hosting make-believe tea parties, having jousts at magical kingdoms, or adventuring with friends, Dash & Dot will be there every step of the way. Children ages 6 to 12 learn the foundations of problem solving and computer programming as they have fun with Dash & Dot. In addition to the robots and apps, their website offers a variety of fun activity ideas and challenges for you to take on with your new robot friends. Start with these and then invent your own uses for Dash & Dot.
      Company Description: You create. You animate. You SHARE! Stikbot is the social-sharing, easy to pose figurine Standing 3-inches tall, Stikbot's suction cup-tipped limbs will adhere to almost any flat surface allowing for easy posing for photographs and stop-animation filming. Stikbot Studio Pro comes with 2 figures and a green screen. Also includes a free app for iPhone and Android. Stikbot.

      At Marble Genius, we obviously have a little bias here, but we continually get positive feedback regarding the fact that not only is it fun to build our toys, but you actually get to play with them when you're done! Most building toys like Lego have a construction element, but once the toy is built there's not much else to do other than go build another one.
      We like to dump the box of marble run pieces out and let the creative thinking begin. Our kids are still amazed at what they're creating and love to have races with the marbles, all without knowing they're developing hand-eye coordination, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This year, we’ve also enjoyed allowing our inner child to come out to help our kids build forts, obstacle courses, and our personal favorite, Hot Lava. As an extra bonus, we enjoy using the marble runs within our obstacle course.

    HOW PARENTS CAN HELP BREAK THE BOREDOM CYCLE

    Sometimes we avoid buying open-ended toys because we see our children stop playing with them after the novelty has worn off. The most frequent question about a toy: “Will my child continue to play with it, or will it just collect dust?”

    Let’s change our thinking here. If children stop playing with an item, we may think the failure lies with the toy. Really, no one is at fault. Maybe the child just isn't feeling inspired. They're human, and we can’t expect them to be creative all the time.

    When we see that our kids are bored or ignoring their open-ended toys, we've personally found it helpful to start playing with the toys by ourselves. We don't invite them to join us, but they always end up joining. They’ll sit beside us and say, “Hey, Mom and Dad, look what I made!” The inspiration returns, without any nudging or direction. All we had to do was sit down and play first. It works every time.

    Winter might challenge families to stay active, but with the right toys and a little creativity, you can turn boredom into a fun family experience.

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    Introducing 9 New Marble Genius Accessory Sets

    Introducing 9 New Marble Genius Accessory Sets

    We're excited to let you know about 9 new Marble Run Accessory Sets that we recently released on Amazon, ranging in price from $6.99 - $12.99! These Marble Run Accessory Sets are compatible with any of our Marble Genius marble run toys and any marble run toy that uses Marbulous pieces. We developed these 9 products based on many requests we've received over the last year. Here's a summary of each one...

    Automatic Chain Lift:

    Enhance the excitement of your existing marble run with this automatic chain lift. Explore the fun that comes with combining more than 1 chain lift together to create a fully automated infinite loop.

    Automatic Chain Lift

    Jumps & Swings:

    Challenge your building abilities and enhance the playability of your marble run with jumps & swings that move marbles through the air to other locations on the marble run toy. 2 Jumps, 2 Swings, & 4 Catches are provided in this set. The additional pieces/marbles shown in the picture above are for illustration only and are available in other sets but not included with this set.

    Jumps & Swings

    Stable Bases:

    4 of our largest bases are included in this Accessory Set to enhance the stability & playability of your existing marble run.

    Waterslides & Rollercoasters:

    The 5 pieces that come with this set produce exciting action with marbles, including a full 360-degree circle. Expand the fun of your existing marble run toy by adding these pieces!

    Waterslides & Rollercoasters

    Marbles:

    These glass marbles are compatible with any of our Marble Genius marble run toys and are the standard size for toy marbles (5/8 inch each).

    Physics Fun:

    The 5 pieces that come with this set produce exciting action with marbles including a full 360-degree circle and 2 Y splitters that alternate the direction of marbles. Expand the fun of your existing marble run toy by adding these pieces!

    Sky High Circles:

    Increase the fun as well as the strength and stability of your marble run by leveraging our Round 'n Round topper pieces.

    Sky High Circles

    Tubes! Tubes! Tubes!

    Quickly increase the size and playability of your existing marble run by adding the 30 translucent tubes that are included with this set.

    Tubes! Tubes! Tubes!

    We have even more exciting products and innovative technologies for your existing marble run toys that are scheduled to be released in 2018, so stay tuned. Also, we'd love to hear your feedback on additional products that you're interested in! Please send an e-mail to support@marblegenius.com with your input. 

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    Best Marble Run Toys - Social Proof

    Best Marble Run Toys - Social Proof

    In today's digital world, we make buying decisions either consciously or sub-consciously based on social proof. This simply means that we rely on the input of others to help us make a decision. For instance, we look at reviews on Amazon to learn how other people like a product before we buy, or maybe we look at a popular website or blog to see what they recommend.

    SOCIAL RECOGNITION FOR MARBLE GENIUS

    Here at Marble Genius, we strive to make the best marble run toys that you'll find anywhere, and we believe there's significant validation that backs up this statement. Using Google or going straight to Amazon is a great way to get this information, but we thought it might be helpful to share with you some of the social proof.

    Amazon - Best Selling Marble Run

    According to Forbes, Amazon's market power "now rivals or exceeds Walmart" and almost 50% of US households are Amazon Prime Members. Given this market power, looking at reviews of a product on Amazon is a great place to start to get a sense of whether this product might be something to buy or not.

    Products with a significant number of Verified Reviews, as well as products that have at least 4 stars, are a good starting point for social proof. At Marble Genius, each of our products have a healthy number of Verified Reviews, and we encourage you to take a look at those before making a buying decision.

    Best Selling Marble Run

    Another great thing to consider on Amazon before making a buying decision is how a particular item ranks in a given category. A product might be a best seller for the day due to a large number of giveaways or because they deeply discounted their price for a day to get a better ranking, but if you consistently see a product at the top of its category, it's safe to say that most people are buying that product in that particular category.

    In the Marble Run Category, our Super Set has consistently been the Best Selling Marble Run Toy on Amazon. This can obviously change, which is why we included the link so you can see what the best selling marble run products are when you read this. When you want to identify what the best selling item in a category is, the quickest way is to Google "Amazon Best Selling _________."

    RECOGNITION ON EXTERNAL WEBSITES AND BLOGS

    As of this writing, there are over 1 billion websites on the internet, which is a staggering figure and another reason why you have to consider the source or look to multiple data points before relying on what is said. You can also use Alexa to see how popular a particular website is.

    Wiki.ezvid.com:

    According to Wiki.ezvid.com, which is the world's first video wiki that gets millions of visitors every month and is a top 3000 website on the internet, our Marble Genius Super Set is the # 2 Best Marble Run Toy on the market and the best plastic marble run toy in their rankings. They spent over 29 hours compiling this, and if you click the link you can see the video of the top 10 marble runs and additional explanation. Note: they did not accept any money or input from the companies whose products they reviewed.

    Experienced Mommy:

    Experienced Mommy

    MyKidNeedsThat.com:

    Another significant website, MyKidNeedsThat.com has ranked our Marble Genius Super Set as the #1 overall marble run for 2017 and our Marble Genius Starter Set as the #3 marble run on the market. This website goes into great detail as far as their methodology, and they didn't accept any money or input from the companies whose products they reviewed as well.

    One other interesting observation: the #1 ranked marble run on Wiki.ezvid.com was ranked #10 on this website. This is another reason to look at multiple sources before making buying decisions because there can be significant variability with product rankings.

    We're extremely thankful to each of the sites above for the platform they've provided to help us grow our product. It's worth noting that we have no affiliation with either of the two websites mentioned and our only affiliation with Amazon is that we sell on their platform.

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