Eco-friendly play? He's game

The maker of a locally produced board game offers a green alternative that could ease consumers' concerns over its mass-produced counterparts.

By Susan Feyder, Star Tribune

Last update: September 9, 2007 - 3:35 PM

Under normal circumstances, St. Paul entrepreneur Tony Kvale probably would have a tough time getting retailers interested in a board game he invented a couple of years ago.

Like much of the toy industry, the board game business is dominated by giants such as Hasbro, whose Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers units rang up revenue of about $1.3 billion last year from sales of Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and other well-known games. Big players like Hasbro and Mattel have established marketing relationships with retailers and wield considerable clout in capturing shelf space.

The vast majority of their products, including board games, are produced in foreign countries such as China. This summer concerns over the safety of raw materials used in production overseas prompted a spate of recalls. Kvale recently said he believes those concerns could lead more retailers to take a closer look at his board game, which not only is locally produced but is made from nontoxic, eco-friendly materials.

Kvale said his game, Head1Liners, is sold locally in Whole Foods Markets, Borders bookstores and Bibelot shops. He said he recently has had a discussion with buyers from Target that could lead to expanded distribution.

"In the meantime, we trust that we will add more national niche retailers who see the potential of a relationship with our eco-friendly company," Kvale said.

Kvale, 40, said his dual interests in board games and natural and organic products led him to found his company, Kvale Good Natured Games, in September 2005. His previous work in sales for organic and homeopathic product companies in Minnesota and Colorado provided him with the education and contacts he needed to round up suppliers for the natural and recycled materials used in his board game.

Kvale said he's aware of other game inventors seeking to cash in on the so-called green movement by making that the theme of their games.

"While eco principles are very important to me personally, there are some people who may not find these aspects to be entertaining subjects for a board game," Kvale said. He decided instead to incorporate his passion for natural and environmentally friendly products into the way his board game was made.

Head1Liners uses recycled paper and vegetable-based inks. Game tokens once were made from wood waste composite but now are from recycled glass, he said.

Kvale said the company that prints the game, Anderberg-Lund Printing of St. Louis Park, worked with him to preserve the ecologically sound design.

Head1Liners challenges people to think and write creatively, by having players come up with pseudo-headlines for pictures printed on game cards. Most of the images are intentionally ambiguous, leaving them open to multiple interpretations.

The headlines are gathered up and read in random order with no names attached. Players vote for their favorite, and the writer of the winning headline moves forward one space on the game board for each vote received.

Kvale said he's working on two other games, one involving wordplay and another testing people's drawing skills. He's also developing add-on products for Head1Liners, including photo card packs that people could buy separately.

Susan Feyder • 612-673-1723

Susan Feyder • sfeyder@startribune.com