The fine folks over at the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur sent us some great pictures of how they've been putting Step2 products to work. Part of what they do involves rehabilitation of Elephant Seals, and it appears as if these sleek swimmers really enjoy using our Big Splash Center pools! If you want to see video or more details on this organization, head on over to www.mar3ine.org!

Well, I suppose that since I told you we'd be advertising specials on this blog, I'd better hold faithful to that promise. Here's your first update:

We've temporarily dropped the price on the Timberlast Swingset by $100, down to $499.99. This is an incredibly sturdy swingset without the maintenance, warping, or splintering of traditional wood sets. I'm not sure how long this one will last, but I do know that prices this good just don't come around every day.

The real sale, though, is on the Adventure Lodge and Swingset. You can save a cool $100 bucks when you buy this great new double-storied playhouse. If I were about 20 years younger, you can bet I'd have this one on my short list of "necessary" toys. (I just wouldn't fit inside anymore!) I do know when this price will end--if you don't buy it by August 8, 2006, you'll find yourself paying $999.99 for it. Still a great value, but not as great as $899.99.

So there you are. Enjoy.

Take a quick look around. Notice anything different? (And no, we're not referring to all the new Step2 toys you've got lying around your house)

Yes, the blog looks different from the rest of Step2.com. And for good reason! This is just a taste of what Step2.com will soon look like. You'll be pleased to know that we'll be backing up the spruced-up website with some spruced-up programming as well, which will help you do all your favorite Step2 activities more easily.

I won't spoil the surprise, but I will tell you that you'll like it. A lot. Here at Step2 we're not even sure of how great it's going to be, and we're so excited that we couldn't help but give you a sneak preview with the Step2 blog. Stay tuned.

Like Andy said in his last post, there are primarily two of us here at Step2 who will be writing for this blog. I'm the other guy, Rob MacKay. I'm Andy's boss, and just for the record, I'm nothing like the pointy-haired boss in Dilbert. At least I hope not.

This is my fifteenth year working for The Step2 Company. Over the years there have been a few questions about the company that I am asked over and over again:

• Do Step2 and Little Tikes have anything in common? Yes, Step2 was founded by Tom Murdough. Tom is the same guy that started The Little Tikes Company. Tom sold Little Tikes to Rubbermaid (now NewellRubbermaid) in 1984 and left the company in 1989. He started Step2 a couple years later. We are not affiliated with Little Tikes in any way.

• Is Step2 a public company? No, The Step2 Company, LLC is privately held. In April, 2006 Step2 was acquired by Liberty Partners, a New York-based private equity investment firm.

• What does the name "Step2" mean? Step2 refers to a couple of things. First and foremost, the name implies our mission: to go "A Step Beyond" in the development and manufacturing of innovative products for the family and home. It also refers to the fact that this is the second venture for our founder and CEO, Tom Murdough.

Thank you for taking time to visit our site. As Andy said, we look forward to sharing information about our company and hearing your comments along the way.

You've been waiting for it, anxiously hoping for the day in which the toy makers at Step2 would begin to unveil their secret planning, exciting news, and fabulous deals through a Blog. There you would find frequently updated information that would help you get to know Step2 a little bit better.

That day is here.

You may already know me, Andy Pull, from the emails I've been sending to our subscriber list. I'm the "Interactive Marketing Specialist" here, and I'll be one of the two main contributors to this online storehouse of news, specials, and humorous observations. The other will be Rob MacKay, VP of Internet Sales and Marketing at Step2. We're excited to have a public voice here for two reasons:

1. There's usually a lot of great stuff going on here at Step2 that we want to share with you.
2. We like to opine.

So pull up a seat, grab the RSS feed, and enjoy the show.

If you're new to RSS, it stands for "Real Simple Syndication." Essentially, you choose sites that you want to stay up-to-date with, and as those sites change, that's reflected automatically in your feed "aggregator", which can be a website such as "My Yahoo," a stand-alone program such as FeedReader, or even built into your browser, like with Opera. Most news sites and blogs use RSS, and we advise that you jump on the bandwagon. Once you get hooked, you'll never go back!

Of course, if you prefer, you can always just keep coming back to http://www.step2.com/blog!