Razor co-founder Carlton Calvin discusses competing against Tech Deck during the late-1990s fingerboard craze before Tech Deck was acquired by Spin Master.
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“And at the time they sent around a letter saying that I was infringing their intellectual property, even though the exact opposite was true in, you know, it was really, so it was really dirty actually in my understanding of the world.”
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PredictionNot checkable as stated
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“No matter how many times the retailers go through this, no matter how many times I went through this, everybody's thinking to themselves, this time is different. Like, this time, it's gonna sell a million a month for the next three years, and they can't even j…”
Carlton CalvinAug 20, 2026▶ 41:19Advice Line with Carlton Calvin of Razor
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Retailers repeatedly misjudge novelty crazes by ignoring demographic saturation limits
“No matter how many times the retailers go through this, no matter how many times I went through this, everybody's thinking to themselves, this time is different. Like this time it's going to sell a million a month for the next three years. And they can't even …”
Carlton CalvinSep 8, 2025▶ 49:38Carlton Calvin: Razor. The wild rise, collapse, and reinvention of a mobile toy empire.
Opinion
Kick scooters are more foundational than skateboards because they require less talent
“It's even more than a skateboard because it doesn't take as much talent as a skateboard to ride.”
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Insight
Calvin: Suing Small Copycats Costs Millions With No Financial Recovery
“So it costs millions and millions of dollars to do a patent case. And then you get nothing except helping to clean up the market. It's very, very challenging.”
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