Today is International Invention/Innovation Day! Our toy and game industry certainly stands out on this day. You'll soon have a chance to celebrate your innovative colleagues - next week we open nominations for the TAGIE Lifetime Achievement Awards and on June 1st we open all the TAGIE Awards categories! We celebrate all the innovative people along a product's journey from conception to retail. 

Six weeks ago, if you told me we would all be relieved to have a 30% tariff in the toy category, I would not have believed it. But here we are. ​Continue to share your stories through your networks and share the stories others post. ​Most importantly, share your personal story with your elected officials— that’s what truly moves the needle. Our Senators and Congressional Reps should hear from us in every state and district. www.congress.gov/members ​And don’t stop there—send your story to local news outlets, too. The more voices we amplify, the stronger our impact.

​​Thank you for reading the Bloom Report here or on the Bloom Report 24/7 News Feed! Please support our work by advertising and/or setting up a POP profile. 

Mary and the POP Team​​

• "If you know, you know: the Bloom Report is the New York Times of the toy business." - Lev Nelson, Sky Castle Toys
• "I read the Bloom Report religiously." - Josh Staph, President and CEO Duncan Toys Company
• "Mary, I'm building a wholesale distribution business in Australia. Another wholesaler told me about you and said it would be invaluable to get the Bloom Report." - Scott McCall, mishmashed
• "I go to work 6 days a week and magic happens! On day 7 I read the Bloom Report." 😁 - Rick Derr, Learning Express
• "Tell me you're in the toy industry w/o telling me you're in the toy industry: Friday Morning = a cup-a-Joe & Bloom Report!" -Tim Walsh, The Playmakers
• "I don't know anyone in the industry that doesn't read the Bloom Report." -Ken Lewis, President, 4Kidz, Inc.
• "I am a long-time reader and champion of the Bloom Report. The quantity of quality articles on so many different aspects of our industry  is unmatched and  I regularly share and discuss them with my management team as an important business tool."  - Jim Engle, President & Founder, Little Kids Inc.
• “I seriously look forward to each Friday to learn most every update + more in the Industry. Priceless info! Thank you” - Michael Kohner, The Michael Kohner Corporation

Hi Anthony, thank you for taking time for this interview, inviting me to your offices last year and sharing your new packaging and products! Love that we have such fun successful companies here in Chicago. Please share with our readers what your role is in our industry.

I am the CEO of Elenco Electronics, a dynamic STEAM toy company best known for our flagship brand, SNAP CIRCUITS®.  Snap Circuits has been sparking curiosity and creativity in kids for over 20 years.​

What’s the best part about working in the toy industry?

Honestly and without hyperbole, it’s the magic. Every day, we get to blend fun with learning, which is incredibly rewarding.  Whether it's a child building their first working circuit or a parent watching their kid light up with pride, those moments are priceless.  There’s real purpose behind the play and I get a front row seat in guiding that purpose.  

I’ve also found the toy industry to be incredibly welcoming.  When I was new to the industry just a few years ago, I reached out to CEOs, industry icons like you and Rick Derr, and of course The Toy Association.  Without fail, everyone was generous with their time, insights, and support.  This is a community that wants you to succeed.  In the toy industry relationships matter, handshakes matter.  If you show up with energy and a willingness to listen and learn, doors open for you. 

READ MORE...

Toy ideas can come from anywhere—viral trends, nostalgia, late-night brainstorms, even an obscure take on everyday household items. But sometimes, the most valuable ideas come from the kids themselves.

Part 1: Jumbo Stickies – The Accidental Blockbuster

Flashback to VidCon 2024. We were gearing up for Sky Castle’s biggest brand debut yet: Sticki Rolls. The first-ever wearable, shareable sticker bracelets—50 holographic, Kawaii-themed stickers ready to be dispensed directly from a fashionable bracelet.

We’d spent months prepping. As toy people reading this well know, proper planning of an exhibition show is absolutely crucial. Hyper-analyzing how your booth looks, flows, and functions is non-negotiable. It’s the difference between “cool booth” and “talk of the show.”

We’d gone viral three weeks before the show with millions of YouTube views validating our content-first launch strategy. But there’s a difference between comments online and a line of screaming kids IRL.

By noon on Day One, we had a line wrapped around the booth. Kids swarmed our custom-built, 8-foot-tall Gacha machine like this brand had existed for years. But that wasn’t the only surprise.

What caught us off guard was what happened with the booth design.  ​ READ MORE...

As toy companies continue to navigate a shifting business landscape and cost pressures from tariffs, The Toy Association™ is now offering flexible showroom leasing options at The Toy Building in El Segundo, California. Effective immediately, temporary showrooms are available for the September 2025 LA Fall Preview® at the same competitive 2024 pricing ($29 per square foot for Association members and $40 per square foot for non-members), offering a solution for companies that require a presence in LA without a long-term commitment.  Read More...