Tiffany Good, Senior Brand Manager at TOMY International

Hitting All the Right Notes

Hi Tiffany, you hold a BS in Fashion Merchandising from Ohio State. What brought you from fashion retail to the toy industry?

I wanted to have some fun!  Toys is a very serious business but the process of creating products for kids I find much more intuitive and enjoyable.  

What would you tell someone thinking of coming into the toy industry from another?

Bring your passion, energy, and childlike wonder!  Tap into what toys you liked as a kid and why you liked them.  Use your personal experience as the foundation for thinking about what’s fun for today’s generation of kids.

Having spent more than half of your career in toys, what aspect of your job gets you excited once that laptop opens in the morning?

Working at a global company is cool. I get to work alongside team members from all over the world and share what fun and exciting products are in the works. 

You oversee Club Mocchi- Mocchi - which is celebrating its 5^th year in the US. What’s made the brand a success?

Club Mocchi- Mocchi -was on the forefront of the innovative, super soft, and squishy plush experience that reinvigorated the plush category.  With success in Japan, this was a brand poised for global expansion and it’s been so well received in the U.S.

Beyond Club Mocchi- Mocchi-, we’ll be bringing innovation to pop culture plush with our Nuiguru Knit program, inspired by Amigurumi, the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed dolls. The Nuiguru Knit offers a handmade feel that truly invites cuddling. 

What Club Mocchi- Mocchi- line or specific character has become a favorite for you? Are you a video gamer?

My favorite characters are those that perform year after year – loved by new fans and longtime fans. I was a gamer back in the day!  Retro games such as Space Invaders, Galaga and Pitfall were my go-to. 

Plush is a staple in the industry and often a happy rabbit hole to go down for kids and collectors. How does the team approach design and marketing for three-year-olds through adults?

The brand’s sweet spot is really the kidult collector.  Properties that tap into the kidult fan base and what these fans are looking for drive where we focus.  Throughout the design process, the team makes sure to capture details or elements they know the consumer will want and appreciate.  Club Mocchi-  Mocchi- is a premium collectible line and the team approaches development with that mindset. The overall quality is irresistible to a wide range of fans.

How do you stimulate your own creative thinking?  What types of things do you do?

I love to check out all types of stores and typically go into non-toy venues to see what’s trending.  I also spend too much time on social media to try and stay ‘hip’ and ‘relevant’.  For some reason my feeds always consist of cute animals doing silly things… What can I say?

You are known to have quite a sense of humor and even break out in song to get your points across? Is funny in your genes?

I grew up with my dad and older brother always doing impressions at the dinner table.  Mainly they would re-enact favorite movie lines in ‘authentic’ character voice.  I couldn’t compete so my humor acumen took the route of general silliness and song.  If you can’t laugh at yourself, who will?

What are you working on now?

The primary focus is 2025 development --which we’ve already started on.  With our new lines launching this year, we’re looking to expand these portfolios and exploring which new properties will best align.

Have to do it. New year...do you have any new motivation, goal, or direction you'll be pursuing?

My goal this year is to not go Mach One with my hair on fire – both personally and professionally.  I enjoy the fast-paced work environment as it can be quite a rush; But I remind myself it’s important to slow down, think things through, and enjoy the process.

In three words, describe how you think 2024 is looking for TOMY International.

Celebratory (it’s our 100^th anniversary), optimistic, energized!