Blogs

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...

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 ...