Making It in The Toy Industry

Whether or not you’re completely addicted to Wordle, the simple online word game that recently got bought by the NYTimes for 7 figures, you’ve probably heard of it. Even if you haven’t heard of it, you’ve probably seen people posting cryptic social media statuses about it with green, grey, and yellow squares. It’s the latest viral fad that everyone is talking about. But, this isn’t the first time...

Have you ever wanted to pick the brain of an award winning toy inventor? Ever wanted to know how iconic toys, like BopIt, got their start? Today you will get that chance! This episode is so helpful if you dream of creating the next big thing, if you want to learn more about pitching, or just want to hear about why you should be marketing their products on Tik Tok. Today’s episode features an incre...

Finding a platform or opportunity to pitch your toy or game idea to an industry professional seems like an impossible task, especially if you have no previous experience or contacts within the toy industry. But what if you could be invited to a one-on-one meeting with a major toy manufacturer like Mattel or Spinmaster? What if before that meeting you could go through weeks of training and research...

Do you find yourself putting off the repetitive daily tasks for your toy business? Did you ever wish there was a magical solution that could automate those tedious processes? Well, there is one! Today’s episode is all about saving yourself time and money using an incredible automation tool called Zapier. I personally use this tool to automate some of my Toy Coach processes and I have found it so h...

Pitching as a toy inventor can be an intimidating process, especially if you’ve never done it before. But what if you could get the inside scoop from an industry executive at a major toy company? Just imagine if someone from, say, Hasbro, told you exactly what pitching to their company is like, step-by-step. Or, if they let you know exactly what they want to see in your sizzle reel. Stop imagining...

How can you weave your own personal story into your product and make a powerful connection? Telling potential buyers the reason behind your product or idea can increase interest and ultimately, success. Today’s guest, Cher Hale, founder of Gingko PR, shares her experience in helping diverse clients do exactly this. She also shares how she diversified her network and started working with the types...

With the Great Resignation of 2021 companies struggled to retain talent. And some companies more specifically recognized their inability to retain diverse talent. Noting that diversity is a major factor to innovation, many companies are in search of a way to attract and retain diverse talent on their teams. But how can they make that happen? If you are a company seeking to retain diverse talent, o...

Want to know how to protect your products and intellectual property when dealing with Chinese manufacturers? Dan Harris, a lawyer who specializes in International law, with a focus on China, gives you extremely detailed insider tips in today’s episode. I learned a lot and I know you will too.  Dan tells you why you should go with an NNN agreement versus a typical NDA when dealing with Chinese firm...

Are you sure that toy you got is the real deal? The holiday shopping season brings lots of people to look  for the trendy “it” toy their kids are begging for, as well as fun games and collectibles for adults. However, counterfeit toys are on the rise. Counterfeit toys are a multi-billion dollar industry. Some people who purchase counterfeit toys do so purposely to save money, but others just see a...

Once you make your toy idea a real product, how do you sell it? In today’s podcast episode we sit down and chat with Chloe Kershaw, the National Sales Manager at Hape Toys. Chloe didn’t start her career in the toy industry...she actually wanted to be a psychiatrist! But eventually, she began her career in consumer goods working in the warehouse of a handbag company. Her curiosity and enthusiasm fo...

Before you can build the toy business of your dreams, you’ve got to know the history of the toy businesses that came before you. In today’s episode I’ll be sharing insider information directly from the producers of the new History Channel series, The Toys that Built America! This upcoming series dives into the history of toy titans like Hasbro and Mattel, with expert interviews and dramatic reenac...

Every week for the past 100 weeks I have shown up with a new episode designed to help you take another confident step forward in your toy journey. This podcast is filled with lessons from my decade long career, and the career of others. But for episode 100 The Toy Coach podcast is going to do two things. First we’re going to celebrate the listeners of this podcast with an audio montage of who they...

Finding the courage to pitch your toy or game idea can be challenging, so that’s where important industry events like the one covered in today’s episode come in. Today on The Toy Coach podcast you’ll discover yet another in-person pitch event turned virtual for 2021 because of the pandemic. What we’ll learn in this week’s episode is that there is a huge benefit to going virtual for toy industry pi...

If you’ve ever had a toy idea or a game idea, it’s likely that you’ve wondered where you should go to get that incredibly groundbreaking idea in front of toy companies. Well, this week on The Toy Coach Podcast, we are going to learn about one of the biggest toy industry events for toy inventors and game inventors that you need to know about. The event, formerly Chitag, is currently called the Peop...

It’s toy pitching season and e-mail is one of the best ways to make connections and capture people’s attention. However, business people receive tons of e-mails each day. Some of them receive 16 promotional emails per hour (or more!) How can you cut through the noise? With a great headline!  In this episode I share my best practices for an amazing e-mail headline that will grab attention. The info...

On October 11th, toy social channels exploded with the news that California Law would force toy retailers to fill their shelves with gender neutral toys by 2024. While partially true, the law is much more nuanced than the poppy articles make it seem.  In this episode of The Toy Coach Podcast, we dive into the new California Law and try our best to decipher what it truly means for toy retailers lik...

Do you have an idea for a game? Well, you’re in luck because to close out Hispanic Heritage Month, The Toy Coach sits down with Christian Castro, the Design Director of What Do You Meme? to talk about what makes a great game idea…GREAT! Together Azhelle and Christian compare parlor games and commercial games in an effort to identify the key characteristics of classic party, family, and kids’ games...

Learn about outside-of-the-box thinking with the 2nd part of my interview with Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, the creator of the hit comic La Borinqueña. In today’s episode, Edgardo tell us how he got unique contract opportunities and came up with creative licensing deals, including chocolate bars and a toy deal! Edgardo also teaches everyone an important lesson about asking for what you want and how...

If you’re wondering just how much of yourself you should put into your intellectual property, you need to listen to Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez’ amazing story. You might be afraid to truly put yourself, your identity, or your story out there in your intellectual property because you worry it could hurt your chances of success, but the opposite is true, especially when you are focused on what the app...

Today’s episode is a treat for the senses toy people. My guest today is a published book author and illustrator with books released by Sky Pony Press, Abrams Books, and Harper Collins. Charles George Esperanza grew up in the south Bronx and found the mentor and structure he needed while studying Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology. During our chat today Charles shares his come-up s...

Have you been looking for an overview on all the possible career paths in the toy industry? Wondering what it takes to make it as an inventor or corporate toy person? Well during my chat with the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures I covered just that. And lucky for you, that incredibly valuable talk is now available right here on your favorite podcast. The National Museum of Toys and Miniature...

According to Gallup research, the great resignation of 2021 found 48% of the American workforce actively looking to change jobs. Among the reasons to leave? Not seeing opportunities for growth, lack of community at work, and not feeling a sense of purpose or passion in their work. 2021 was a good year for the toy industry regarding sales, but how has it been regarding hiring? On today’s podcast ep...

If you’re a devoted listener of this podcast, then I’ve been calling you a toy person for almost 100 episodes now, and it just hit me recently, that I’ve never actually talked about what it means to be a toy person!  Today’s episode covers just that.  Learn 3 simple strategies that you can start implementing today to become a toy person in this industry.  This episode is for YOU if you’ve ever fel...

Students of Toy Creators Academy join The Toy Coach on the podcast today to share their experience going through Toy Creators Academy, and ultimately pitching at the TCA Virtual Pitch Event. During this chat, Chrissy Fagerholt, Geordie Humphrey, and Scott Underwood share lessons learned, and achievements as new toy creators. In this episode, hear specific stories about what it was like to virtuall...

Remember when you came up with your latest and greatest toy idea? At any point, did you stop and wonder to yourself, is this really a toy product? If you’ve had an idea or two that you weren’t quite sure fell into the category of toys and games, then today’s episode is going to help you clear that thought process right up. Today’s episode was inspired after about a dozen inquiries I’ve gotten aski...