Seattle game company signs deal with Universal Studios

The South Lake Union startup had recently begun making children's games based on Dr. Seuss books when, a year ago, it received an unexpected call from Tricia Chaves in the consumer-products group at Universal Studios.

Interest from the likes of Universal Studios is as big as it gets for an operation so unassuming that it relies on curtains to separate its Denny Way offices from another building occupant.

But Jacobe Chrisman, the 35-year-old founder of I Can Do That! Games, says what really excited him was the chance, as Chaves proposed, to create a new line of games inspired by Curious George, one of his favorite cartoon characters.

"All of a sudden, your creative juices get going, and you think, 'Oh, I see how we can totally jam on this,' " Chrisman recalls. "We were in business together probably a month later."

Under its multiyear deal with Universal Studios, I Can Do That! has exclusive rights to develop games based on the Curious George TV series, in exchange for paying Universal, the license holder, a portion of sales. Three games aimed at children between 3 and 8 years old will go on sale at Target stores nationwide in mid-January.

"Their games really are so innovative and creative. They're not just taking a typical game concept and slapping our logo on it," says Chaves, senior director of licensing at Universal.

Chrisman, who played a key role in another Seattle game company, Cranium, founded I Can Do That! in early 2007 after taking two years off to travel the world and teach English to children in a Nepal orphanage. (At Cranium, now part of the Hasbro portfolio, he led product development from 2000 to 2004.)

Chrisman secured licensing rights from Dr. Seuss Enterprises of La Jolla, Calif., and launched games based on "The Cat in the Hat," "Grinch" and "Horton Hears a Who" in more than 500 Toys 'R Us stores last year. Recently, three additional Dr. Seuss games were introduced to an expanded distribution network. Chief among them: Target, Barnes & Noble, Borders and Amazon.com.

Chrisman says he's optimistic about the upcoming holiday-sales season, despite widespread economic turmoil.

One reason is that most of the company's games sell for $20 or less, making them relatively affordable. Another is that they cater to families interested in spending more time together at home, he says.

"When you have games you can play over and over, and they cost less than $20, it's a great fit."

I Can Do That! employs eight people, half of whom formerly worked at Cranium. They handle marketing and product development, while the manufacturing is done in China. A small room in their yellow-painted offices is set aside for testing new concepts on children.

Donning a blue Horton elephant hat, Chrisman remembers that an early prototype had a two-pronged fork at the end of the trunk. He figured children could use the fork to pick up clover-shaped game pieces as the central mission of "Horton Hears a Who: You to the Rescue."

But it "tested horribly," Chrisman says, noting that 3- and 4-year-olds found the task frustrating.

The fork was replaced with Velcro on both the trunk and clovers, and the game no longer frustrated its youngest players, he says.

The lesson? "You've got to pay attention to what the kids are telling you."

— Amy Martinez

New York fashion house Tory Burch plans to open its first Washington state store next September at the Bravern mixed-use development in Bellevue. Founded in 2004, Tory Burch has 16 boutiques throughout the U.S., including four in California. Its Bravern site will cover 1,400 square feet and sell women's clothes, handbags, shoes and jewelry. — AM

A family dairy on the Chehalis River in Southwest Washington filed for bankruptcy protection last week. La Ferme de Metras of Doty, Lewis County, which also does business as Willapa Hills Farmstead Cheese, Willapa Hills Natural Lamb, Frogmore House and Willapa Hills Sheep Dairy, had assets of $118,160 and liabilities of $329,165. The owners are Stephen Hueffed & Amy Turnbull. — MA

The Washington Beer Commission will hold its fourth annual Winter Beer Festival on Dec. 5 and 6 at the Hale's Palladium at Hale's Ales Brewery & Pub, 4301 Leary Way N.W. It features more than 30 winter-season beers by state breweries and chocolate pairings by Chocolate Box. Tickets are $23 in advance or $25 at the door. — MA

Kent Station begins celebrating the holidays with the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus, accompanied by the Rainier Brass Ensemble, at 10 a.m. Nov. 29, in the shopping center's plaza. Proceeds from photo sales will go to the Kent Food Bank. — AM

Local nonprofit Fabric of Life Foundation has opened a new store at 523 Main St. in Edmonds, selling jewelry and other items created by graduates of a training center in Mali, in West Africa, which teaches income-generating skills to girls previously found begging on the streets.

Volunteers run the store and donate all sale proceeds to projects supported by Fabric of Life, said Carol Schillios, the nonprofit's founder. — AM

Ann Taylor Stores elected Starbucks executive Michelle Gass to its board of directors, where she will sit on its compensation committee. Gass, who is executive vice president of marketing and category at Starbucks, has had many roles in her 12 years at the company, including a recent assignment as senior vice president of global strategy.

New York-based Ann Taylor has 959 stores in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. — MA

Athena Marketing International, a Seattle-based consulting firm specializing in the food and beverage industry, hired Kyle Diercks as partner and chief operating officer. Diercks has owned and operated international marketing companies, working with leading brands such as Coca-Cola, Hershey, Dr Pepper, Anheuser-Busch and Starbucks. — MA

Consumers can save up to $1,948.68 a year by making espresso at home instead of buying it at coffee shops, according to an analysis by Seattle Coffee Gear, which sells espresso machines. It calculated the savings for people who drink 3.2 cups a day and figured the average cost of coffee with milk at home is 44 cents a cup, compared with $2.45 a cup at coffee shops.

Of course, the pricier the espresso machine, the lower the savings. People who go for the $2,248 Rocket Giotto and Macap Doser grinder combination might save less than $100 a year.

More economic options include the Ascaso Basic and Capresso Infinity grinder combination for $399 and the Saeco Odea Giro for $699. — MA

Retail Report appears Fridays. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com.