Blogs

Knowing the importance of product safety, Kids In Danger (KID, http://kidsindanger.org) embarked on a project to provide developers of children’s products with a free online tool to help create ...

  This is the story of how the tradition of decorating Easter eggs hatched a year-round toy company.   When the idea for the now Easter phenomenon the Original EggMazing Egg Decorator c...

The Joy of Marketing Barbie--a Pop Culture Icon By Nancy Zwiers   I had the pleasure of leading the teams that built the Barbie brand to its highest heights throughout the 90’s--what an ...

TOMY International Announces New Bilingual Toy Line Created and Developed by Global Wellness Icon and Two-Time New York Times Bestselling Author Robin Arzón Head Peloton Instructor Robin Arz&...

TOMY International Arrives at Dallas Toy Fair with New Owned IPsOne of TOMY’s two new properties includes a line encouraging inclusivity. September XX 2022, Oakbrook, IL– TOMY Internation...

PEOPLE OF PLAY ANNOUNCE FINALISTS FOR THE 2022 TOY & GAME INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS TAGIEs Voting Now Open Through October 31, 2022   CHICAGO (September 22, 2022) - Finalists fo...

In the wake of Pokémon’s runaway success, the early 2000s brought us some very unusual and unexpected trading card game tie-ins. Time has proven that they can’t all be zingers. &nb...

In “Bruce’s Beliefs: Everything I know about Business (and Life) I Learned Playing with Toys,” Bruce Lund shares 68 of his beliefs that he’s come to learn through his 40+ years...

  What are your roles and responsibilities in our industry? I oversee worldwide consumer products for Sony Pictures Entertainment. It includes our film and TV slate.    What has b...

  Hi Noah! Please share with our readers your roles and responsibilities in the toy industry.   I’m a co-founder of Squaregles, where we create construction toys that kids can bui...

  What are your roles and responsibilities in our industry? I have spent twenty years helping to grow PlayMonster from a family-owned board game manufacturer to a multi-se...

Is “Quiet Quitting” a Solution for Burnout? By Nancy Zwiers   As the “The Great Re-Set” unfolds, traditional values and behaviors about work are getting up-ended. ...

There are a handful of eBay auctions up right now for a particular set of six trading cards packaged in a special cardboard presentation box. They’re all comfortably reaching toward $1,500 and t...

  Every May, while many parents are celebrating high school graduations and preparing to tearfully send their teens off to college, there is another group of parents tearfully welcoming their ...

“Light Bulb Baking: A History of the Easy-Bake Oven” by Todd Coopee is a delightful step into the past with one of the world’s most well-known and well-loved toys: the Easy-Bake Oven...

Toys exciting and New 🎶 🎵 Come aboard, were expecting you!Love, life\'s sweetest reward,Let it flow, it floats back to youThe Toy Boat soon will be making a run, The Toy Boat promises something f...

“Paid to Play: The Business of Game Design” by Keith A. Meyers is the perfect manual for anyone with an idea for a game. In this quick yet thorough book, Meyers breaks down every single st...

DALL-E and How Artificial Intelligence Will Affect the Future of Toy Design By Lev Nelson Read time: 5 mins 24 secs (don’t worry there are lots of pictures)   Imagine a world where any ...

How Coachable Are You? By Nancy Zwiers A life-long mentor, I decided during the pandemic to get certified as an Executive Coach.  Now with more than 200 hours of coaching under my belt, I want ...

After just about forty years in the toy industry, toy designer Stefanie Eskander shares what it’s like to see your own ideas come to life… on the shelf of a toy store! In Toy Stories: The...

In the most basic terms, RGB and CMYK are modes of mixing color used by graphic designers in creating product art.  And you care because you want your product to look the way you designed it. RG...

  A Q&A with Andres Alfonso of Educational Insights   Andres Alfonso is the UI Digital Design Manager at Educational Insights, the Southern California based educational toy and game...

David Robertson’s masterpiece, Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry gives an intensive, in-depth look into the world of LEGO: its foundi...

  The toy and game industry has given me the life I could only dream of as a child. The efforts of people in the toy and game industry - the manufacturers especially - provide toy and game inv...

The Underestimated Power of Rest By Nancy Zwiers I had a pretty hard-charging career over 40 years, and I prided myself on my busy productivity.  Unfortunately, my unwillingness to regularly re...

Ivan Moscovich’s memoir, The Puzzleman, is an unbelievable combination of gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. As he puts it, he tells the story of a life “well spent.” A...

    When you have a terrific toy or game on your hands, recognition from trusted industry organizations and top media outlets via award wins can help build credibility, boost reputation ...

Many of you have likely heard by now the sad news of the passing of Richard Tait, Co-Founder, CEO and Grand Poobah of Cranium.   Richard was a singular light in this world, a true creative lead...

  Intricate Outfits, Innovative Hair, Authentic Features and Replica Accessories Embody Powerful Characters Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia From Marvel Studios’ Upcoming Film   Chula Vista...

I have spent the majority of my career in the toy industry with a focus on product development, marketing, innovation and process improvement.  To break it down I innovate, make stuff and sell/ma...