To Purchase Firefly Magic® Firefly
Lights
Click Here
Welcome to the Firefly Magic® Firefly Lights
News
Included at this Website are news stories, articles, press
releases,
and resources for members of the press, including hi-res images
for publication.
We are always happy to respond to inquiries. Call 1-877-834-7335
or go to the Contact Page.
PRODUCT
OVERVIEW
Firefly Magic® Firefly Lights hit an
emotional chord with millions of adults who fondly
remember chasing Fireflies when they were children.
Now those adults have created their beautiful backyards,
they can't wait to recapture their childhood memories
. . . sharing them with their own children, friends,
and family.
Firefly Magic® Firefly Lights are
a new and totally unique product to the Retail marketplace.
Perhaps what we hear most from consumers is, "I
can't believe I've finally found these. . . I've
been wanting something like this for years and didn't
know where I could find them!" Strange as it
sounds, there is a pent up demand for a product that
accurately and reliably recreates the flashing, flickering,
and fading of Mother Nature's real Fireflies.
Firefly Magic® Firefly Lights are
easy to install and use environmentally friendly
Solar power. We also have low voltage models for
Landscapers to install.
Two products in one! Firefly Magic® Solar
Powered Firefly Lights can also be used indoors or
where there's no sun, by quickly and easily replacing
the two rechargeable batteries
with two standard AA Alkaline batteries.
BACKGROUND
An
Idea is Born
Stephen Taylor, inventor of Firefly Magic Firefly
Lights lived on a ranch with a pond in North Texas
with his wife Kim. During the spring and summer,
fireflies also know as lightning bugs, would begin
lighting up the evening near the
water's edge. Growing up in Southern California,
seeing fireflies flashing in the evening was a new
and fun experience for Stephen, as he commented, "Someone
should invent little lights that exactly recreate
the look of Fireflies for kids who don’t grow
up with them." Kim acknowledged the idea as
they continued to watch Mother Nature's tiny little
creatures with their glowing lanterns dance across
the pond.
Years later, Stephen headed an electronics company,
Sigma Two Group, and the kernel of an idea that began
by a pond in North Texas has grown into a fun and
amazing backyard entertainment lighting product that
everyone can enjoy.
Unique
Patented Technology
Stephen began research on a species of beetle called
Lampyridae, also known as Fireflies or Lightning
Bugs. The objective was to develop a method to accurately
recreate the random and unique flash patterns of
fireflies. This development process included acquiring
information from some of the World’s leading
university researchers on fireflies.
For the uninitiated, fireflies use their flash patterns
to communicate with a potential mate for reproduction.
With over 200 firefly or lightning bug species in
the United States, and 2,000 in the World, the variety
of flash rates and colors was amazing.
Stephen's efforts culminated with the invention
of a method for accurately emulating the
visible electromagnetic spectrum emissions of member
species of Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera: Lampyridae
by convergence of a programmable software program,
a data memory, a data processor, a clock frequency
timer, and visible light emitting device or devices.
Subsequently, the United States Patent and Trademark
office issued Patent number 7,212,932 to Stephen
Taylor the inventor, and Managing Partner of Sigma
Two Group LLC.
In addition, Patent number D580,074 has also been
issued to Stephen for the unique design of the 'Firefly
LED' used in Firefly Magic 'Fireflies'.
Product
Development
Having developed the technology to accurately mimic
Mother Nature’s real fireflies, the next challenge
was designing products that could use the advanced
technology for a variety of commercial and residential
applications.
A milestone came when Stephen was contacted by Sara
Lewis, Professor of Biology and head of firefly research
at Tufts University in Massachusetts. Dr. Lewis wanted
a device so accurately mimicking real fireflies,
that it could be used as a lure for a specific species.
Working closely with Dr. Lewis, Stephen developed
battery operated devices that were used in the scientific
study which was published in the American Naturalist.
The first ‘electronic fireflies’ were
manufactured in California and sold exclusively from
Sigma Two’s Firefly Magic® Website. As
popularity increased, a number of home improvement
channels featured the product, including HGTV, Fine
Living, DIY Network, Animal Planet, and the National
Geographic Channel on their program Science of Summer.
Growth
Sales to commercial venues including zoos, nature
museums, hotels, casinos, restaurants, and even stage
and movie productions increased dramatically. At
the same time, consumer purchases on the Firefly
Magic® Website for backyard ‘Fireflies’ also
continued to increase, as well as requests from retailers
and landscapers who wanted to carry the product.
However, with limited manufacturing capacity in
Southern California, as well as high production costs,
traditional retail channel distribution was not possible.
The choice for Sigma Two Industries was to either
continue with limited production or expand capacity.
The decision was to increase capacity.
Expansion
into the Retail Marketplace
2009 marks Sigma Two Industries' introduction
of the advanced design, consumer friendly
Firefly Magic® Firefly Lights products,
the Model FMS-07 and FMS-14, with 7 or 14 individual
electronic 'Fireflies''. Both models can operate on either
renewable solar energy, or for indoor use, on standard
AA alkaline
batteries.
Using the newest and most reliable laminated solar
panels, along with high tech microprocessors and
custom developed and patented Light Emitting Diodes,
the new, high quality Solar & AA Battery powered
Firefly Magic® Firefly
Lights are a truly unique entertainment lighting
product for backyards, gardens, and even indoors.
For 2009, Sigma Two Group LLC will
be building a network of retailers across the US
who want to bring fun, excitement, and enjoyment
of Firefly Magic® Firefly Lights to
their customers. With the broad appeal of the amazing
electronic
'Fireflies', Sigma Two has shown the product markets
well at a variety of retail venues, including: garden
and landscape centers, gift stores, museum, discovery,
and zoo shops, water garden pond stores, wedding
shops, RV Centers, novelty, party, and holiday theme
stores, pool and spa centers, and hardware stores.
THE “REST
OF THE STORY”
When Stephen first got his idea that evening by
the pond, he was the international business development
manager for a semiconductor materials company. It
was only after that company was purchased, and the
international management team released, that Stephen
was forced to start his own small company. His wife
Kim suggested he begin working on his ‘Firefly
Idea’. Without that loss of his job, and Kim
at his side, these magical little ‘Fireflies’ would
not have come to life!
For consumers interested in immediately
obtaining Firefly Magic® Firefly Lighting
for their backyard or garden, just visit http://www.FireflyMagic.com