NJ company sells toys inspired by Hindu culture

By: Ricardo Kaulessar
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Avani Modi Sarkar and her older brother Viral Modi had something special to celebrate in 2017.
..... Their daughters were born one week apart.
..... Not long after, Modi Toys was born.
..... Viral Modi, 46, would go out shopping for plush toys inspired by their Hindu culture, and come home empty-handed, said Avani Modi Sarkar.
..... "Rather than play some generic nursery rhyme, he wanted it to play mantras, which are sacred Sanskrit hymns in the Hindu culture," shad said.
.... So they created their Edison-based company in 2018, and carved out a niche in the marketplace by creating plush toys and books that feature Hindu deities.
..... The most popular items is the Baby Ganesh Mantra Singing Plush Toy ($33), and its most recent offering is the children's book, "Laxmi's Diwali Dream Team" ($6.50). Sarkar said since the company stated, it has done $3.5 million in revenue.
..... The Garden state is a pivotal starting place for such an enterprise as Asian Indians make up over 40% of the Asian population in the state, according to the 2020 census, the majority of whom worship Hinduism.
..... Sarkar, 40, recently spoke to NorthJersey.com about running this unique company, what items are most popular, and why.
..... The following transcripts of the interview has been edited for space and clarity.

With Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month falling this month, [05/2024] does Modi Toys see a lot of business during this time?

..... I think you will find most children's brands, especially toy brands, do better during the holiday season. Diwali [ the Hindu festival of lights that occurs in the fall] has remained our peak season, which does not have a set date. It does not follow the Gregorian calendar; it follows the lunar calendar. Typically, Diwali follows during the October - November time frame.
..... Also, there are a couple of holidays starting around August which are big gift-giving holidays. So, one of them is called Raksha Bandhan, which celebrates the bond between siblings. Of course, many Indian Americans also celebrate Christmas, perhaps more socially, as opposed to religiously.

What is your most popular items?

..... Hands down, our Baby Ganesh [Ganesh is the god of new beginnings and removal of obstacles], which is the item we launched with back in august 2018. Ganesh is someone that people typically always want to have by their an IVF treatment, celebrating the birth of their newborn, or having a house warning. So, because he is sought for all the various conciliations in a person's life, big or small, that's the one toy we continue to see as our big seller.
..... Ganesh is the most familiar-looking god. We knew that if there was some familiarity between what our toys represent and what people are already accustomed to seeing on the toy shelves, it would certainly be easier penetrations to the market.

What is it like for you and your brother to run such a unique business and see how it has grown?

..... It's really, really challenging. We were the first on the market, and we are currently the leaders in the market in this space. Of course, we look at other toy brands that are in the plush toy space. Sometimes, I look at their website, I look at their emails, and I look at their is no playbook for a business like ours.
..... We feel very blessed to be doing what we are doing because of the stories we hear from our customers. Customers who are going through challenging times and who choses our products to be by their side to help them go through it. and also, those who are celebrating happier occasions and choose to keep our products by their sides to be apart of the festivities. Those parts are what help us to push forward on the days when things get tough.

..... Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com . for unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com Twitter: @ricardokaul.

HOME