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Making It in The Toy Industry

How do I bring my toy ideas to life? How can I pitch my toy concept to top toy companies like Hasbro, Mattel, or Goliath Games? What does it cost to make a prototype, and where can I get one made? Are there toy manufacturing options outside of China? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered on this weekly podcast, Making It In The Toy Industry. In addition to mini toy masterclasses, and step-by-step guides, each episode is designed to help you take immediate action toward developing, presenting, licensing, and producing your next big toy...

S6E09 | Why Stickerbox Changed My Mind About AI Toys

36 mins; April 01, 2026

S6E08 | The Inventor of Bop It on AI, Execution, and Creating the Next Classic Toy

50 mins; March 25, 2026

S6E07 | The Best AI Platforms for Toy Businesses in 2026

14 mins; March 18, 2026

S6E06 | Should You Learn Claude Code? Build AI Apps for Your Toy Business

31 mins; March 11, 2026

S6E05 | Why Human Touch Still Wins At Retail with Pyper Bleu

33 mins; March 04, 2026

S6E04 | 5 Foundations Your Toy Company Needs BEFORE Integrating AI (Custom GPTs, Automations & More)

28 mins; February 25, 2026

S6E03 | The $5 AI Agent That Thinks Like a Toy Expert

52 mins; February 18, 2026

S6E02 | Is Amazon AI Selling Your Products Without Consent? with Angie Chua

30 mins; February 11, 2026

S6E01 | The Hidden Cost of AI In The Toy Industry

38 mins; February 04, 2026

#300: What I’ve Learned, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next

22 mins; January 07, 2026

#299: How Swift Clicks Heishi Bracelet Maker Became A Creative Toy Of The Year Finalist with Gena Lavallee

33 mins; December 31, 2025

#298: Why The Nee Doh Cube Nice Cube Is A Finalist For This Major Toy Award with Paul Weingard

38 mins; December 17, 2025

#297: How South Beach Bubbles Became a 2-Time TOTY Finalist with Ron Weizman

29 mins; December 10, 2025

#296: ESPN Virtual Reality Experience Nominated For A Major Toy Award with Steve Rad

41 mins; December 03, 2025

#295: How Sticki Rolls Went From 1 Billion Views To Toy of the Year Finalist with Lev Nelson

46 mins; November 26, 2025

#294: Why the TOTY Awards Are the Oscars of the Toy Industry

10 mins; November 20, 2025

#293: How I Landed On Brand with Jimmy Fallon and Pitched National Campaigns

26 mins; November 05, 2025

#292: Toy Creators Academy Accelerator Coaching Call with Durratussharaf

33 mins; October 29, 2025

#291: Toy Creators Academy Coaching Call with Melanie Palmer

52 mins; October 22, 2025

#290: Toy Creators Academy Coaching Call with Melissa Brody

54 mins; October 15, 2025

#289: The TCA Journey Behind a Toy Empowering Kids to Choose Kindness with Jana Hallam

23 mins; October 08, 2025

#288: How an Industry Veteran Rebuilt His Toy Knowledge Through TCA with Gerardo Davila

27 mins; October 01, 2025

#287: Looking Back at a TCA Alum’s Journey as a Game Designer with Chrissy Fagerholt

20 mins; September 24, 2025

#286: 3 Surprising Ways To Use AI To Save Money In Your Toy Business

32 mins; September 17, 2025

#285: TCA Accelerator Coaching Call with Michael Harring

63 hours 9 mins; September 10, 2025

#284: What the End of De Minimis Means for Toy Creators

36 mins; September 03, 2025

#283: 3 Costly Mistakes That Toy Creators Make with Factories

27 mins; August 27, 2025

#282: Why Toy Companies Are Switching to Manufacturing in India with Joshua Punin

49 mins; August 20, 2025

#281: TCA Accelerator Coaching Call with Carrie Shaked

59 mins; August 13, 2025

#280: TCA Accelerator Coaching Call with Courtney Smithee

44 mins; August 06, 2025

#279: TCA Accelerator Coaching Call with Kieche O’Connell

52 mins; July 30, 2025

#278: TCA Accelerator Coaching Call with Manish Punwani

53 mins; July 23, 2025

#277: Game Pitching Tips From a Toy Industry Insider with Tanya Thompson

64 hours 42 mins; July 16, 2025

#276: TCA Accelerator Coaching Call with Joanna of Fren Forest

43 mins; July 09, 2025

#275: 3 Unmissable Lessons to Turn Your Hobby Into a Hit Game

17 mins; June 25, 2025

#274: Turn Your Hobby Into a Best-Selling Board Game with Elizabeth Hargrave

47 mins; June 17, 2025

#273: The Tabletop Game Licensing Blueprint that Closed Major Deals with April Mitchell

27 mins; June 11, 2025

#272: How Labubu Became The Most Wanted Plush in the World

36 mins; June 04, 2025

#271: Email Marketing Rules You Can’t Break

40 mins; May 28, 2025

#270: The Pricing Strategy That’s Getting Buyers to Say YES

19 mins; May 21, 2025

#269: Thinking Differently About Toy Production with Lisa Doiron of Basic Fun

16 mins; May 14, 2025

#268: The Truth Behind Being a Game Inventor with Jeremy Posner

44 mins; April 29, 2025

#267: Winning a TOTY Award and Scaling a Toy Business Through 3D Printing with Solobo Toys

47 mins; April 23, 2025

#266: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Sharon Price John

43 mins; April 16, 2025

#265: Navigating the Tariff Changes in The Toy Industry | April 2025

63 hours 54 mins; April 08, 2025

#264: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Purryfuls

25 mins; April 02, 2025

#263: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Cameron Ring

22 mins; March 24, 2025

#262: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Hootenanny Games

26 mins; March 18, 2025

#261: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Thin Air Brands

41 mins; March 12, 2025

#260: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Jayson Esterow & Gavin Lawler

28 mins; March 05, 2025

#259: How to Maximize Your Experience at Toy Fair New York 2025

42 mins; February 26, 2025

#258: 3 Ways To Grab Buyer Attention and Land More Deals at Toy Fair

21 mins; February 19, 2025

#257: How To Win Over Buyers at Toy Fair with Barry & Jason

47 mins; February 12, 2025

#256: Why We’re Not Surprised About The DEI Rollbacks

33 mins; January 29, 2025

#255: 5 Lessons to Take You From Hidden Genius to Rising Star Toy Inventor

28 mins; January 21, 2025

#254: This Game Unites Boomers to Gen Alpha and It All Started in a Third-Grade Classroom with Tim Walsh

49 mins; January 14, 2025

#253: 4 Key Lessons to Launch and Scale Your Toy Business While Juggling a 9-to-5

26 mins; January 07, 2025

#252: How One Company’s Bubble Toy Got Nominated For A Major Toy Award with Ron Weizman

36 mins; December 31, 2024

#251: Write Click-Worthy Email Subject Lines For Your Next Toy Pitch: Extended

32 mins; December 24, 2024

#250: The Art Of Toy Photography with Mitchel Wu: Extended

47 mins; December 17, 2024

#249: 7 Tips To Improve Your Virtual Toy Pitch: Extended

46 mins; December 10, 2024

#248: Breaking Through Barriers in Children’s Book Publishing with Charles George Esperanza: Extended Cut

52 mins; December 04, 2024

#247: How to Fix What’s Not Working in Your Toy Business with Tyler Turk

37 mins; November 27, 2024

#246: How AI is Making Toy Innovation and Pitching Easier Than Ever Before with Azhelle Wade

37 mins; November 19, 2024

#245: Crazy Aaron’s Secret Formula for Perfect Putty with Aaron Muderick

48 mins; November 12, 2024

#244: Choosing The Right Crowdfunding Platform For Your Launch with Lisa Ferland

41 mins; November 05, 2024

#243: Vendors VS Sales Reps: A Storytelling Sales Showdown with Tres Patten and Rachel Jones

49 mins; October 29, 2024

#242: How Wow Moments Became The Foundation Of This Toy Business with Richard North

56 mins; October 22, 2024

#241: What This Bold Merger Means for the People of Play Innovation Conference with Greg Ahearn and Mary Couzin

39 mins; October 15, 2024

#240: Getting Media Attention For Your Plush Brand with Hugimals Founder Marina Khidekel

53 mins; October 08, 2024

#239: Leaving A Career In Flowers For A Career In Toys with Chrissy Fagerholt

33 mins; October 02, 2024

#238: Starting and Growing An Online Business with Amy Porterfield: Extended Cut

41 mins; September 25, 2024

#237: Crowdfunding Your Idea Just Got Easier with BackerKit

34 mins; September 18, 2024

#236: The Toy Coach and The Toy Queen Discuss The Best Toys For Early Childhood Development

34 mins; September 11, 2024

#235: How to Use Consent-Based Email Marketing To Sell More Toys

39 mins; September 04, 2024

#234: Avoid These 3 Common Mistakes When Working with a Toy Factory

28 mins; August 28, 2024

#233: How Plush Toy Brands Are Going Viral with Experiential Glow-Ups

27 mins; August 20, 2024

#232: The Underconsumption Core TikTok Trend is Shaping the Future of Toys

30 mins; August 14, 2024

#231: Art Made Easy: How Project Joy Studios Is Breaking Into The Toy Industry

49 mins; August 07, 2024

#230: How She Invented A Plush Toy and Licensed The Idea For Passive Income

43 mins; July 31, 2024

#229: How Brand Experiences Can Increase Your Sales and Brand Loyalty

33 mins; July 24, 2024

10 Things You Need to Know Before Developing Your Toy Idea

1 min; July 17, 2024

#228: Why You're Not Hearing Back from Top Toy Companies and What To Do Instead

28 mins; July 10, 2024

#227: Kelly’s Journey From Educator to Toy Creator with TCA

28 mins; July 03, 2024

#226: This Toy Delivers Real Mail Every Week To Kids Across The Globe with Wendy Lattimore

25 mins; June 25, 2024

#225: The Secrets of A Successful Toy Licensing Deal with Lee Allentuck

46 mins; June 19, 2024

#224: This ONE Media Event Could Make Your Toy Brand Go Viral 📈

21 mins; June 12, 2024

#223: Unlock Your Game Design Potential with April Mitchell

45 mins; June 04, 2024

#222: Licensing Expo 2024 Recap: Reasons to Mark Your Calendar for Next Year

38 mins; May 28, 2024

#221: Should You Partner With Another Toy or Game Inventor?

41 mins; May 21, 2024

#220: Ensure Your Toys Meet Legal Safety Standards or It Can Cost You

31 mins; May 15, 2024

#219: Why He Went From Mattel to TCA and Launched His Plush Toy

27 mins; May 08, 2024

#218: Safe Social Media? The World's Largest Social Network For Kids with Ashley Mady

35 mins; May 02, 2024

#217: How To Make Your Toy Brand Climate Friendly with Helen Townsend

40 mins; April 24, 2024

#216: The Hidden Challenges and Opportunities in Toy Licensing with Anita Castellar

59 mins; April 17, 2024

#215: How He Launched an Action Figure Line from Ideation, Marketing, to Retail Placement

31 mins; April 10, 2024

#214: Everything You Need To Know About MESH Accreditation For Your Toy

43 mins; April 03, 2024

#213: From Empath to Entrepreneur with Jana Hallam of Wonderwell Toy Company

27 mins; March 27, 2024

#212: Why Your Toy Package Deserves More Than Matte with Anchor Creative

20 mins; March 20, 2024

#211: How To Efficiently Communicate Your Toy's Value Through Packaging with Anchor Creative

29 mins; March 13, 2024

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Making It in The Toy Industry

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