The Toy Book Podcasts by Adventure Media & Events

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Kids Industries CEO and Co-Founder Gary Pope to the show. Pope leads a team of researchers, strategists, creatives, and developers that work to help toy, entertainment, and consumer products companies better connect with families around the world. Kids Industries has served a variety of companies...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Spin Master Creative Director Stephanie Guo to the show. Guo oversees creative vision for key brands, including PAW Patrol, GUND, Mighty Express, Kinetic Sand, Orbeez, and Etch-A-Sketch. On the show, Albritton and Guo discuss the unique differences between the traditional advertising industry and...

In this week’s episode of the “ Power Kid Podcast ,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Aaron Muderick to the show. Muderick is the founder of Crazy Aaron’s , the company behind Thinking Putty and Land of Dough. Crazy Aaron’s revolutionized the putty business and currently ships more than 30 unique colors to retailers and consumers around the world from its manufacturing facility in...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Diverse Marketing CEO and owner Wes Hardin to the show. Since 1959, Diverse Marketing has served the retail industry with a curated catalog of toys and games, gift items, and sporting goods. The company maintains dedicated showrooms in multiple cities and had a staff of nearly 200 representatives...

In this week’s episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Jamie Beaumont, chief operating officer at SoapBox Labs. SoapBox Labs is focused on the growing technology of voice recognition and how it can best be used for kids in a variety of sectors. SoapBox Labs licenses its technology for use in K-12 education and by edtech, entertainment, and toy companies...

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes David Gardiner, founder of Well Played Toys. Gardiner began his career at Hasbro and has since held executive roles at Basic Fun!, MEGA Brands, and more. As founder and president of Well Played Toys, Gardiner is developing products for kids and collectors alike with top licenses, including Lost In S...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Paul Weibel, manager of consumer sales at Trend Enterprises . Over the course of his career, Weibel — a former sea captain — has held positions at a variety of toy and game companies, including MindWare, The Manhattan Toy Co., Asmodee, Hansa Creation, and Magnetic Poetry. At Trend Enterprises, Wei...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Blinger creator Angie Cella to the show. In 2014, Cella devised an invention that lets kids easily add sparkle to their hair. Through further development, Kickstarter campaigns, and self-funded experimentation, Cella scored a deal with Wicked Cool Toys at a Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertain...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Doug Putman, the new owner of Toys "R" Us Canada and Babies "R" Us Canada. Putman's latest venture places the iconic retailer into a portfolio that includes Everest Toys, Sunrise Records, Alex Global Products, and FYE . On the show, Albritton asks Putman about his backstory and what drives him to...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Joel Morris and Mike Horn, co-founders of Cubles — sturdy, paperboard characters that are made in the U.S. On the show, Albritton asks the duo about engineering the unique articulation of their Cubles figures and the challenges of creating an environmentally friendly business model. Additionally,...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Melissa & Doug 's Chief Commercial Officer, David Henderson to the show. Henderson, who previously held roles at Hasbro, Coca-Cola, and Newell Baby brands, joined Melissa & Doug last year as the company entered a new chapter of growth. On the show, Henderson shares his early toy stories, i...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes award-winning producer, director, composer, John Papa to the show. Papa is the co-founder and executive producer at Massimoto Media , a New England-based production outfit that creates commercials, films, and videos for clients including Hasbro, TOMY, Rollplay, and more. Papa was recruited by Hasb...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes WowWee 's Vice President of Brand Development and Creative Strategy, Sydney Wiseman. Since joining WowWee, Wiseman has helped shape the company's new product portfolio across innovations including Fingerlings, Lucky Fortune, and this year's Got2Glow Fairy Finder. On the show, Wiseman discusses how...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes The Heart Supply's  Johnny Schillereff to the show. Schillereff founded Element Skateboards in 1992 and built a world-renowned brand known for manufacturing high-quality skateboard decks, apparel, and footwear. After reaching more than $200 million in sales, he sold Element in the early 2000s...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Hape CEO Peter Handstein to the show. Since its founding in 1986, Hape has become known as a premier designer and manufacturer of high-quality wooden baby and kid's toys. Hape's products are sold in more than 100 countries and are crafted from sustainable materials. On the show, Handstein delves i...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Learning Resources ' Senior Product Manager Michael Blaustein to the show. Blaustein's career in electronic toys includes experience at Tiger Electronics and VTech prior to joining Learning Resources and helping to launch award-winning products, including Botley the Coding Robot (2019 TOTY winner:...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Lev Nelson, co-founder of Sky Castle Toys. Over the past decade, Nelson held positions at OzWest and Zing prior to founding Levelhed Creative and co-founding Sather & Fun Toys. Now, Nelson has teamed up with Josh Loerzel for Sky Castle Toys , a new company with a goal to "disrupt complacent to...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Lizzy Newsome, owner and curator of Kappa Toys in Las Vegas. Newsome's design-minded stores carry a wide array of hard-to-find international toys and collectibles combined with a carefully curated selection of nostalgic retro classics for kids and adults alike. On the show, Newsome discusses her t...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Patti and Jonathan Becker, the duo behind Anjar Co.  and  Becker Associates . Anjar and Becker Associates have licensed more than 1,000 products, generating more than $2 billion in sales in more than 85 countries, and in recent months they've been all about Wham-O . On the show, Albritto...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Adam Borton, founder of Creating Unique Toys and the newly launched Toy and Game School — a digital education platform is designed to teach students the fundamentals of the toy and game industry. On the show, Albritton and Borton discuss the choice to explore the toy industry in their college stud...

In this week’s episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Paula Monteiro, head of marketing for Wikitude. Wikitude is the worlds leading augmented reality (AR) software development kit with over 1 billion installs. On the show, Monteiro discusses how her background with the United Nations and education gives her a unique perspective on the kids' space, a...

In this week's mega-sized episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Richard Levy, a multi-hyphenate with more than 40 years of experience spanning the entertainment, toy, publishing, and licensing industries. On the show, Levy —who once worked in marketing for Paramount Pictures — shares stories of his early career in the toy industry, including the sal...

In this week's episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Martin and Alysha Horstman, the creators of Pixicade , an innovative new platform that kids can use to transform their drawings into playable mobile games. On the show, Albritton chats with the husband and wife duo about how Martin's tech skills and Alysha's background in art came together in deve...

In this week's episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Monsterfoot Productions' Ahmet Zappa to the show. Zappa is a multihyphenate whose work spans publishing, TV and film, music, and more. He produced Disney's The Odd Life of Timothy Green and created the Star Darlings property, and now he's gearing up to develop projects based on the Weird-Ohs monst...

In this week's episode of the " Power Kid Podcast ," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes CreateOn 's Steve Rosen and Aaron Singer to the show. CreateOn's partnership with Magna-Tiles is rapidly expanding to included licensed building sets from iconic brands, including Sesame Street , Dr. Seuss , The World of Eric Carle , Build-a-Bear Workshop, and The Beatles . On the show, Albritton...