UPS AND DOWNS: Product manager Julia Baggs on a Toy Quest slide last month. The companys past successes, with products such as water slides, robotic pets and Minimoto electric motorcycles, dont guarantee loyalty from fickle 8-to-12-year-old consumers. (Ricardo DeAratanha / LAT)
GOING FOR A SLIDE: Toy Quest licensing manager Tonia Yaun and President Brian Dubinsky on a Bonzai Falls water slide at the companys West Los Angeles headquarters last month. The line had nearly $500 million in retail sales last year, Dubinsky says. (Ricardo DeAratanha / LAT)
HIGH-TECH MUSIC: Toy Quests percussion tubes, licensed by multimedia troupe Blue Man Group, will sell for about $75. (Ricardo DeAratanha / LAT)