TOMY’s Alpesh Patel on why it’s key for designers to balance creativity with commercial awareness
Fresh from winning the Design Icon Award at this month’s Play Creators Awards, we caught up with Patel to learn more about his approach to design, as well as why he feels the toy space is in a fantastic place when it comes to creativity.
Melbot co-founder Ivan Expósito on merging physical and digital play with Melbits
Ahead of the launch of the Melbits POD on Kickstarter, we caught up with Melbot co-founder Ivan Expósito to learn more about the firm’s plans in the toy space, and where the idea for Melbits came from.
TOMY debuts ‘first-ever evolving toy’, Rizmo
“TOMY is globally recognised as a pioneer of innovative and imaginative toys, and this heritage has led to perhaps the most engaging and charming toy ever,” said Pete Henseler, president of TOMY International.
Jenga, Care Bears and Magic: The Gathering in the running to join Toy Hall of Fame
Others include My Little Pony, Fisher-Price Corn Popper and the smartphone.
LEGO Harry Potter and Wow! Stuff’s Invisibility Cloak triumph at Licensing Awards 2019
Elsewhere, Peppa Pig was named Best Pre-School Licensed Property while Harry Potter scooped Best Children’s or Tween Licensed Property.
Hasbro looks to celebrate female inventors with Ms Monopoly
“Through the introduction of Ms. Monopoly, we want to recognise and celebrate the many contributions women have made to our society and continue to make on a daily basis,” said Hasbro’s Jen Boswinkel.
Moose Toys UK’s James Austin-Smith talks creativity, innovation and the future of Scruff-a-Luvs
Following on from Moose Toys UK being named Toy Designer of the Year for Scruff-a-Luvs at last week’s Play Creators Awards, we caught up with Austin-Smith to learn more about his approach to design, and what the future holds for the Scruffs brand.
So Sound’s TJ Morrison and James Livett on the launch of the firm’s new video production service
The latest string to So Sound’s bow comes in the form of a video production service that offers everything from helping toy firms create fresh online content for their brands to producing great sizzle reels for inventors.
Mojo Nation 100 returns for 2020 Edition; nominations now open
The Mojo Nation 100 2020 Edition launches at UK Toy Fair, as well as having a presence at the UK Inventors’ Dinner, Spielwarenmesse and US Toy Fair.
GALLERY: Check out the snaps from this year’s Play Creators Festival
This year’s Play Creators Festival took place earlier this week, uniting the toy and game design world for two days of conferences, awards and pitching.