When Jake Gifford visited the Vineyard for the first time with his wife, Sarah Gifford, he looked at the Island’s silhouette and made a remark that would change their lives.

“I said it looked like a lazy frog,” Mr. Gifford said.

They went back to their home in Quincy, where Mr. Gifford was an assets manager for a cell phone company and Ms. Gifford worked in accounting. He sketched the frog for fun and sent it to Washington to get it trademarked. 

Wall-to-wall recreation is just a hop, hop away.

Jeanna Shepard

Wall-to-wall recreation is just a hop, hop away.

Jeanna Shepard

At the time, they were unhappy with their jobs and said they were craving community and fun. They decided to move to the Vineyard and create a business that celebrated leisure. They named it after the frumpy amphibian Mr. Gifford had sketched. They named the frog Marvin, a combination of the first letters of Martha’s Vineyard. 

That was 20 years ago. Since then, Lazy Frog has become a Circuit avenue institution, a one-stop shop in Oak Bluffs for board games, jigsaw puzzles, kites, yard games, beach gear and toys.

“It’s our 20th anniversary,” Ms. Gifford confirmed proudly while showing a game to a freckle-faced girl. 

“And in another 20 years, you’ll come in with your kids,” Ms. Gifford told the young customer.

Ms. Gifford is also the general manager at the Vineyard Gazette.

The store first opened inside the Harborside Inn on Memorial Day weekend in 2005. Ms. Gifford said there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic there, and Mr. Gifford would try to beckon tourists by calling out “ribbit.”

At first they sold games they grew-up playing, such as cribbage, Boggle, Scrabble, horseshoes and croquet.

“Every year I would look forward to family gatherings because we’d play games all night [and] all week,” Mr. Gifford recalled of his childhood.

After four years, Lazy Frog moved to its current location on Circuit avenue. A green door sets the shop apart. Inside, it is stacked from floor to ceiling with every toy imaginable, from Uno and Spike Ball to a 24,000 piece jigsaw puzzle.

The couple said they are proud to be a part of the Oak Bluffs business scene. 

“Oak Bluffs represents fun for the Island, where you have the Flying Horses and the gingerbread houses, the bowling alley and Ocean Park, where you can play and have fun,” Mr. Gifford said. “We can literally send people right to the beach, right to the park to fly kites [and] down the street to play pickleball.” 

Ms. Gifford’s current store favorites are miniature games, including a thumb-sized version of Bananagrams with tiny tiles. 

Mr. Gifford is an avid disc golf player and the store has a wall covered with discs of all sizes and colors. He also volunteers to run many of the disc golf tournaments throughout the year.

“Disc golf is a big part of our community,” Mr. Gifford said. “A lot of people know us for [that].”

Offshore Ale Company brews a specialty India Pale Ale named for their store, and a portion of sales helps keep the disc golf course in shape.  

The Lazy Frog commissioned a Vineyardopoly game in 2021, a local take on the classic Monopoly, where players hop through spaces highlighting local businesses or get stuck off-Island. A portion of sales are donated to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services. 

The toy store has commissioned a special toy for the anniversary.

Jeanna Shepard

The toy store has commissioned a special toy for the anniversary.

Jeanna Shepard

“This year we just went over the $10,000 mark,” Ms. Gifford said. 

To celebrate their anniversary, the couple commissioned a mural to cover one of the only blank spaces on their walls. Jonah Miller, who runs Island Spray, painted a colorful scene with the dates 2005-2025. 

The Giffords also created 20th-anniversary Frisbees and a building block set of Marvin the frog. 

“It was kind of cool to have Marvin come to life in a play way,” Ms. Gifford said. 

The couple has a real-life underwater albino frog named Vinnie. They raised him from a kit they sell in the store. He used to live at their Circuit avenue storefront, but he is now retired and swimming exclusively at home. 

“We still have people who remember him, asking about him,” Ms. Gifford said. “He still lives. He’s 16 going on 17.”

The two test out everything they sell and attend the New York City Toy Fair each year to get a sense for what people are playing. They try to stock games that appeal to all ages.

“We like to remind people that fun is for all ages, especially the adults, because sometimes I think they forget,” Ms. Gifford said. 

The Giffords said the business has fulfilled their hopes from when they first started it 20 years ago, bringing them the sense of community they dreamed of. They have also made lasting friendships with fellow business owners and had loads of fun along the way.

And whenever a customer leaves the store, Mr. Gifford likes to call out his signature goodbye.

“Ribbit!”