Blogs

Your Kids Are Safer Inside Their Mecha With vehicles increasingly on the road, it has never been so hazardous and deadly for kids. On the streets, 76% of people killed or injured by an automobile are...

Real Mecha Are Taking Off & Landing Near You! If you are familiar with Universal\'s \"ExoSquad\" animated TV cartoon series and Playmates Toys \"ExoSquad\" action figures, then you are familiar with m...

Timeless Toys is simply explained as an encyclopedia of all things toys and games. Tim Walsh expertly covers toys of different decades and different companies, adding in the stories of how each toy an...

Taylor Swift is one of the most famous women, scratch that, people in the world right now, so it would only make sense for Penguin Random House to publish one of their classic Little Golden Book Biogr...

We\'re finally in the homestretch, with just hours left before a new year begins! And what a year it was. Venturing out much more than the year before. Reconnecting in-person with friends and colleague...

The Beauty of Games   Frank Lantz is a game designer who has created over 50 games, including Universal Paperclips, Babble Royale, Hey Robot, Parking Wars, Sharkrunners, Drop 7, Power Planets, ...

Kanoodle   Gameplay Kanoodle is a 3D brain teaser puzzle game that’s played independently. The game pieces, called Noodles, are colorful bead-like circles that are connected to make up d...

12.27.2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   In a bold move reflecting its dynamic growth, The Pencil Grip, Inc. proudly announces its transformation and rebranding as TPG Creations. The change is a te...

What are your roles and responsibilities in our industry? None. I’m an independent game inventor/designer. I work when I want to.   What is it about the Toy and Game Industry that you lo...

  At the TAGIE awards last month I was honored to present the Lifetime Achievement Awards to my BMT partner Rouben Terzian and Mattel’s Jill Barad.  Tim Kilpin’s wonderful key...

  What are your roles and responsibilities in our industry? I am CEO and owner of McHale Design Inc. We are a creative agency that specializes in premium branding and packaging for the Toy a...

  I am somewhat new to game design and just attended my first CHITAG/POP pitch event. I’m entering the world of games and toys from a career as an artist working mostly in the public rea...

NERF Review   Gameplay One of the best things about Nerf is that gameplay is up to the players! Nerf carries mostly foam-based weaponry like water guns and dart guns, but also has a bunch of b...

AI and the Future of Toy Invention   The toy industry is constantly evolving, and with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), the process of inventing new toys is changing rapidly. AI...

  PLAYMONSTER ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER     BELOIT, Wis –  (November 29, 2023) – PlayMonster Group LLC, the leading int...

Ticket to Ride Review   Gameplay Ticket to Ride is a board game in which the object of the game is to connect different cities in America by laying down railway routes on a map of the country&...

Now I’ve read a lot of books about toys, games, creators of toys and games, and the like, but I’ve never read anything like Zapwired! Written by Hal Ross, Zapwired is a fast-paced thriller...

Highlights of longer article below...   In the world of consumer goods, including toys and games, companies utilize branded, private label, and/or licensed guides for product development and pa...

  Hey Dave! We\'ve known one another long time.. even before you were an OG at our Chicago Toy and Game Fair 21 years ago! Why and how did you get into the Toy and Game industry?   On a ...

Disney WISH Books   The Story: WISH tells the tale of Asha, a young woman living in Rosas with her family. Rosas is a special place where at the age of 18, all citizens tell King Magnifico thei...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning companies in the United States to be alert to the risk of dual ransomware attacks, in which the same organization is targeted more than once in qui...

  Hey David! Great to see you at POP Week! Thank you for taking time to chat with us. What are your roles and responsibilities in our industry? I have been very fortunate to work on many side...

Adam Hocherman, AKA “Hock,” shares his journey from tech, to business owner, to the toy and game industry. Hock has done it all, from invention, to product development, to manufacturing,...

PEOPLE OF PLAY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF THE TOY & GAME INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS (THE TAGIES) EXTRAORDINARY NOMINEES, HONOREES, SURPRISES AND ENTERTAINMENT Barbie takes home two prestigious TAG...

November Brand Ambassador of the Month! We are so excited to learn a little more about our featured Brand Ambassador @artwithmrs.e. Kaitlyn is a K-12 art educator and an artist. She focuses...

Now that Fall is officially in full swing, bring out the Turkey Day Crafts! Thanksgiving is right around the corner on November 23rd! Don\'t miss out on these fun and easy Thanksgiving Day crafts! ...

Etch-A-Sketch Review   Gameplay Etch-A-Sketch is a mechanical drawing toy that allows players to draw using twisty knobs. It consists of a thick, flat, gray screen in a bright red frame, with ...

Mastermind   Gameplay Mastermind consists of a decoding board with a shield at one end hiding a row of four large holes from sight. The rest of the board contains 12 rows of four large holes w...

Gameplay Rubik’s Cube is a 3D combination puzzle. It is made up of 26 miniature cubes, or “cubies”, and each of these are interlocked with the other cubies. Each of the cube’s...

Gameplay Twister is a physical game played on a large plastic mat spread on the floor. The mat has four rows of six large colored circles, with each row a different color: red, yellow, green, and blu...