Blogs

Adventures in Experience Design, an activity book created by Carolyn Chandler and Anna Van Slee is more than it humbly describes itself on the vibrant front cover. Packed with activities, games, case ...

PEOPLE OF PLAY (POP) TO HOST 2ND IN WEBINAR SERIES FOR PR/BRAND/MARKETING PROFESSIONALS IN THE TOY, LICENSING AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES Opportunity to Find Out What You Need to Know about Awards,...

Hi Donna!  Great to see you at the ASTRA Show after so many years! Can you share with our readers your roles and responsibilities in our industry? I’m the VP of Advertising and Market...

Hey POPers,I just wanted to share my excitement this week at seeing a recent project finally land on shelf at Walmart!Jurassic World Dinosaur Dart Blasters may seem a little \"out there\" to those famil...

“Right Brain Red” by Reyn Guyer with Tim Walsh is not only perfect for those looking to break into the toy and game industry, but for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit. Guyer, who crea...

    There are a variety of awards that toys and games can earn, and the purpose and value of those awards can very greatly. But, since 1978, one of the most prestigious – and valua...

Pickagram is a Tangram with a modern twist. It was designed using the Golden Ratio along with the Fibonacci Sequences 13, 55, and 89. You can use Pickagram\'s 7 magnetized pieces to create over 100 3d ...

  Hi Alan! Thank you for taking time to answer a few questions for our readers! What are your roles and responsibilities in our industry? I like to think that my role is to develop and manufa...

In “Dream Doll: The Ruth Handler Story,” Ruth Handler, creator of Barbie, co-founder of Mattel, and founder of Nearly Me prosthetic breasts, along with author Jacqueline Shannon, tells her...

Paris, France is known for many things, no? Wine, bread, classy Parisian fashion, and the list goes on and on. Did you also know that Paris, France is home to a Disneyland Park, which is celebrating i...

  People of Play (POP) is accepting TAGIE Award nominations NOW through August 15th SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS HERE   Chicago, IL - July 19 - Now entering its 15th year, the TAGIE Awards...

Yearning for a Career Change? Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway   By Nancy Zwiers   If you’re thinking about making a career move, you’re not alone.  A record number of Am...

In Kid Number One, author G. Wayne Miller provides a comprehensive, in-depth look into all things Hasbro: its founding, triumphs, challenges, competitors, products, and most extensively, the Hassenfel...

TOMY International Announces Leadership Changes  Pete Henseler moves from President to non-operating Chairman of the TOMY International Board Greg Kilrea named new President of TOMY Internation...

I love telling Mastermind’s origin story. Maybe it’s because it makes me feel like I’m telling someone else’s story—it was, after all, a fairly long time ago in the Sprin...

Daryl is well known for traveling to most Toy and Game conventions every year, and in today\'s episode he tells us why attending conventions has been integral to his career as a board game designer. ...

    Hi Ivy! Thank you for taking time for an interview with us. Let\'s start with your roles and responsibilities in our industry?    I am a product design manager, currently ...

Tim Walsh’s WHAM-O Super Book, published in 2018 for the 70-year anniversary of the company, is a colorful, eye-catching celebration of all the fun WHAM-O has created over the years. Walking rea...

This month, What is the Sentence? (WITS) educational board game launched their crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in hopes to raise their next round of funding to further educational gaming and learni...

Musings on Life Balance (Not Work-Life Balance) By Nancy Zwiers   People in my circles are quibbling over terminology:  is it Work-Life Balance or is it Work-Life Integration?  Both ...

Hi, Genna! Thank you for sharing your anniversary with us! What has kept you motivated to stay in the toy industry?   I can’t believe I\'ve been working in toys and licensing for over...

Toyland: The High Stakes Game of the Toy Industry, by Sydney Ladensohn Stern and Ted Schoenhaus, combines storytelling with an informative, in-depth exposition of everything to do with the toys and ga...

Your teams have worked hard for probably a year or two on your top new toy introductions, and they’re finally at retail or ready to ship - Congratulations!  Now wouldn’t it be amazing...

I Cannot Remain Silent: My Abortion Story By Nancy Zwiers   Note: I originally published this article on LinkedIn in December 2021, when it became clear that abortion rights were under threat ...

About Jenga: The Remarkable Business of Creating a Game that Became a Household Name, written by its creator, Leslie Scott, takes readers along for the journey of how Jenga, which began as a game play...

We Teach What We Allow By Nancy Zwiers   I recently heard a funny story from a friend.    Married for 40 years, my friend told me how her husband kept forgetting her birthday, even...

  BLIP TOYS’ BILL NICHOLS AND PETER CMIEL THOUGHTFUL NEW TAKE ON CLASSIC PLAY CONCEPTS   With over two decades in the toy industry, Blip Toys is still creatively cranking ...

  We have some exciting news! Eddy’s World was just nominated for an Emmy Award. It\'s for the Los Angeles area. Jury Award Winner for Best Documentary Short from Vero Beach Film ...

         Advertised as “a true-life business suspense story,” author G. Wayne Miller certainly delivered with his book Toy Wars: The Epic Struggle B...

  Hi Steve! Thank you for taking time for our inteview despite your crazy travel schedule now. Please share with our readers your roles and responsibilities in our industry?   I believe...