Creativity Central
Your One-Stop Venue for Idea Generating Success
Backstory
Born in Chicago, founders Charlie and Maria Girsch raised their family in St.Paul, then lived in Denver and now call Sacramento home.
As longtime independent, professional toy and game inventors, Charlie and Maria have licensed hundreds of products worldwide — and even won the coveted Germany’s Children’s Game of the Year Award. Two of their most popular U.S. classics are TubTown and Wrist Racer.
Piepmatz
Tubtown | Harbor Village
Wrist Racers
Wrist Racers | Dukes of Hazzard
They’ve worked together almost as long as they’ve been married. As the idea generators — not the manufacturers — they are paid royalties when they license a concept to a toy company.
Over the years, Charlie and Maria were often asked what their secret sauce was for continuously coming up with marketably novel concepts. They actually took “time off” to identify the tools they were apparently using instinctually, then asked themselves: “Wait. How could these techniques carry over into virtually any other endeavor, not just toy biz?”
And thus their new company was born.
Creativity Central is a Big Top Tent
In addition to product invention and development, Charlie and Maria work with companies and organizations to share what they believe to be the recipe for their success. They do this through workshops, keynote offerings and brainstorming sessions that are always interactive and edu-taining.
Their seminal book is Fanning the Creative Spirit: Two Toy Inventors Simplify Creativity. Their audiences range from Fortune 500 Companies to small non-profits — throughout North America and the UK. Over the years they have collaborated with and trained a few select others to share their vision and their work. These affiliates were located in Chicago, Toronto and Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.
Part of the Creativity Central experience is to encourage people to “stretch” in ways that create new neuro pathways. Click here to access a copy of a unique collection of Stretch~ercises™. In an effort to preach what they practice and practice what they preach, Charlie and Maria do these regularly.
But best — and “funnest” — of all, they still keep inventing. They just can’t stop. They have toys and games presently selling in Europe as well as here in the U.S.
Doorway Swing
Muis in het Huis
Kudos
The Girsches are awed by the testimonials they have received over the many years of Creativity Central’s impact. These come from a cavalcade of industry leaders, academia, health care professionals and non-profit executives to name a few.
Your training had a greater impact on me than any law conference.
Your evaluations were the highest ratings ever for a CDDC conference speaker.
You were exactly what our group needed.
We all learned a few things, laughed a lot and walked away with some great tools.
You were exceedingly worthwhile!
Your keynote was masterful. It provided a perfect wrap-up to our day on learning and leadership.
Ta-Da! The Best Testimonial of All
Incredulous as it may seem, Charlie and Maria were actually able to channel the late, great Leonardo da Vinci, who, when presented with an advance copy of their book, felt compelled to write the following foreword. (And, yes, it’s for real because note that his signature is in his authentic backward writing!)
Maria Girsch
She’s the blue sky dreamer of the Girsch duo.
Though it might seem like a deficit to NOT be instinctually mechanical or technical, Maria is also not limited by industry parameters (though she has been known to craft mean prototypes out of rubber bands, popsicle sticks, cardboard corrugate and index cards!). With neither barriers nor boundaries, the sky’s the limit so her ideas can flow with agility and ease.
A junior high teacher by profession, Maria’s BA is in French and her MA is in Human Development specializing in Creativity and Lifelong Learning. In addition to Toy Biz, Maria’s other credits include developing an adult education series called French Without Fear, launching a copyediting/proofreading business dubbed GoofProofer, and creating the Creativity A La Card series to stir one’s creative juices in bite-size fun and funky ways.
Though she does love sunsets, she is not particularly drawn to long walks on the beach.
Charlie Girsch
If Maria’s the sky, Charlie is the solid earth of the team. While he’s an accomplished idea-generator in his own right, he shines at knowing how to make things work in a practical (and affordable) way — probably due to his inquisitive nature as a young child.
He has a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Theology. After a few years as an urban planner and community organizer in both Chicago and St.Paul, he was invited to join the toy design company that invented both Twister and Nerf! His answer was a resounding YES, and the rest is history.
Charlie is “the great connector.” He is a member of several organizations and sponsors many people as they navigate life’s twists and turns.
Credentials Count
In addition to their master’s degrees, each holds a PhnD: DOCTOR OF PHUN! You too can download your own PhnD by clicking here.
The Big Picture
As toy and game inventors, Charlie and Maria know something about fun. But they also know something about family as their six best inventions are named Chris, Jon, Tim, Cat, Geoff and Charles. The extended Girsch family is spread to 3 corners of the U.S. and the 15 grandkids who are the light of their life bring the total to 29!
Contact Us
Creativity Central
58 Ditzhazy Ct, Suite 1,
Roseville, CA 95678
651.291.0745