Hi Nick! Thank you for taking time to share a bit about yourself and what do you do in our industry? I currently have two jobs in the toy industry. First and foremost I am a Product Design Manager on the Games Design team at Mattel. We do all the gameplay and toy design for Mattel’s tabletop games – UNO, Pictionary, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Kerplunk, Magic 8-Ball, etc.   I am also a Senior Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design. I teach a course there on Game Design and Game Theory to seniors in the Toy Design department.   Were you obsessed with any toys, games or objects as a kid? I was obsessed with video games. Sure I enjoyed riding bikes, posing action figures, shooting BB guns, and building forts, but I was obsessed with video games.   The Nintendo Entertainment System was the first and final nail in the coffin for me. It was all I could think about. I would spend my days at school drawing choose-your-own-adventure-style games in notebooks, imagining I was playing them on the NES. I would sometimes bring a controller to school in my backpack, shove my hands in during class, and press the buttons and d-pad while the teacher gave lessons.   Yes, it did affect my grades.   Why and how did you get into the Toy and Game industry? Some people seemed to know early on what they wanted to be when they grew up. I wasn’t one of those kids. It took me a long time. Even into my first few years of college I had no idea. The thought of having a career – doing the same job, day in and day out, for the rest of my life – sounded horrible.   For a number of years after high school I just sort of followed my interests: games, art, foreign language, wilderness living. I bounced around from job to job (cheesesteaks, pizza delivery, armed forces). I met a girl (it turns out both David Lee Roth and the Beach Boys were right about the northern states). We got married, visited foreign lands, had a kid, and after all that I realized that games was the one interest that never waned.   So with new focus, and thanks to my Uncle Sam’s deep pockets, I ended up heading back to college in my 30s. My wife, son and I moved out to Los Angeles where I began working towards a degree in Toy Design at Otis College. We also added three daughters to the family.   In 2011, while still at Otis, I was hired on to the Games team at Spin Master by Jim Keifer. I worked there just shy of four years, but it was my first day on the team, while sitting down to design a dice version of Stratego, that I realized that game design was finally a career I could enjoy.   What advice would you give a young adult graduating from high school or college today? One thing a lot of students don’t realize is when you have a job you are being evaluated across three different categories: work ethic - how hard you work, technical skill - how good you are at doing your job, and social compatibility - how much fun you are to be around.   Some people max out social compatibility at the cost of work ethic. Some focus on technical skill but are lacking in the other two categories. (For those of us with any amount of time in the professional work force, I’m sure these descriptions will bring to mind a few past or present coworkers.)   School, however, only rates you on technical skill. Many students with no real-world work experience end up developing an unrealistic expectation that you can get a job on skill alone. This is not the case. You must also work hard and be personable. All three are important.   What do you hope your legacy will be? I’ll be happy with no legacy. It will be enough for me to spend the rest of my life eating good food, reminiscing with good friends and family, and playing until I’m old and gray.

Proprietary formulas and fan-favorite lines to accelerate under new ownership   Hattem, Netherlands — January 14, 2026 — Goliath has acquired Crazy Aaron’s®, home of the original Thinking Putty®, Land of Dough®, and Slime Charmers®.   The move builds on Goliath’s previously announced European distribution partnership with Crazy Aaron’s, evolving a regional alignment into a worldwide growth platform under Goliath’s leadership.   “We're very proud to have Crazy Aaron’s join the Goliath Group,” said Jochanan Golad, CEO of Goliath. “Aaron Muderick is an inspiring, creative & thoughtful leader who has built something very special: a brand that has grown from specialty into mass market, with well-known, high-quality product. We can confidently say that Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty is the #1 putty product on the market today, giving joy to millions of fans every year.”   “Since day one I’ve chased that ‘I have to touch this’ feel for putty,” said Aaron Muderick, Founder & Executive Chairman of Crazy Aaron’s®. “Partnering with Goliath means more opportunities to invent, to delight, and to introduce remarkable toys into more hands around the world.”   Crazy Aaron’s will operate as its own division under Goliath, continuing to develop breakthrough formulas and fresh themes for fans from its brand headquarters in Philadelphia. As the brand scales, Goliath and Crazy Aaron’s® are excited to collaborate more closely across R&D, innovation, and international markets.   The acquisition advances Goliath’s expansion into new toy categories, building on the company’s previously announced move into toys. “As we continue our expansion, Crazy Aaron’s perfectly aligns with our strategy. Building on the success of TOTY-nominated Jelly Blox and Clickeez, our newest collectible, this reinforces Goliath’s position in sensory and collectible play across global retail,” said Brian Weiss, President of Goliath North America and Global Toys.   About Goliath GroupGoliath, one of the largest global family-owned games manufacturer, has been home to some of the toy and game industry’s top-selling and family-favorite titles for over 40 years. Flagship games such as Sequence, Gooey Looey, The Floor is Lava, and Pop! The Pig are enjoyed by families worldwide. The company’s portfolio also includes licensed titles like Bluey and Murdle, along with innovative & category-bending toys like Jelly Blox & Clickeez. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Goliath operates in 15 offices around the globe, including five innovation centers dedicated to creating the next must-have product in play. To learn more about Goliath, visit us at www.goliathgames.com.   About Crazy Aaron’s®  A world leader and innovative company in creative play, Crazy Aaron’s® has been making genuine Thinking Putty® since 1998. Founder, Aaron Muderick, has continued to trailblaze within the toy industry by establishing new product lines and brands to inspire curiosity and wonder for people of all ages! Crazy Aaron’s®, known for having the best putty on Earth—Thinking Putty®—also offers other amazing products to captivate every sensory desire, including Slime Charmers®, Land of Dough®, and Pinchies®. Crazy Aaron’s® products are made with safe, nontoxic, top-quality materials and ingredients on Main Street, USA in Norristown, PA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SKY CASTLE® TEAMS UP WITH MINECRAFT TO INTRODUCE NEW STICKI ROLLS® COLLECTION Minecraft-licensed Sticki Rolls to launch Fall 2026 Los Angeles, CA — January 13, 2026 — Sky Castle®, the award-winning toy company behind the wildly popular Sticki Rolls® brand, today announced a landmark partnership with Minecraft to bring its imaginative universe into its collectible product line. This collaboration marks a bold new chapter for Sticki Rolls, expanding its reach beyond its core female tween audience and inviting fans of all ages and genders to create, play, and collect in entirely new ways. “Minecraft isn’t just a game — it’s a cultural phenomenon that sparks creativity around the world,” said Lev Nelson, CEO of Sky Castle. “By bringing the digital world of Minecraft into Sticki Rolls wearable, collectible sticker bands, we’re opening up an entirely new way to interact with the game. It’s about taking the magic of Minecraft off the screen and letting kids create their own stories in the real world.” Launching in Fall 2026 across the U.S. and select international markets, the Sticki Rolls Minecraft Collection will introduce an innovative line of Sticki Roll Capsules, Sticki backpack clips, and the first-ever licensed Sticki Book. The collection features more than 600 collectible stickers inspired by iconic Minecraft elements — including Loot Boxes, mobs, tools, armor, rewards, and beloved characters — offering an authentic in-game feel translated into real-world collectible play. “The Minecraft partnership represents a natural next step for the Sticki Rolls brand,” added Nelson. “We’re excited to give our fans another way to immerse themselves in the imaginative play they love.” About Sky Castle Sky Castle is a creative powerhouse in the global toy industry, known for its award-winning products that combine innovation, entertainment, and self-expression. With a portfolio of trend-setting brands, Sky Castle continues to redefine how kids and families play. Media Contact: Carve Communications for Sky Castle Amy Friedland amy@carvecomms.com