“The licensing industry has such a rich pool of creative design talent across lots of sectors, so we’re excited to dive in and celebrate the brilliant work being done,” said Mojo Nation’s Billy Langsworthy.

Kimberly Carcone, Vice President of Market Events at The Toy Association, looks at how the organisation transformed their suite of events in the wake of the pandemic, and what inventors can engage with – both in person and digitally – throughout 2021 and beyond.

So Sound’s Toy and Game Designer Sam Roberts talks cats, coffee and coming up with ideas.

“This year’s biggest trends underscore the ongoing impact of the pandemic on play; the toy industry’s growing commitment to helping kids become better global citizens; and the many social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of mindful, musical, and ‘kidult’ toys,” said The Toy Association’s Adrienne Appell.

“It’s an honour to sign the first ever llama and LEGO minifigure to a global record deal,” said Luke Armitage, VP of Marketing at Astralwerks.

Phalgun Polepalli, Director at DICE Toy Labs, spells out what needs to happen for the Indian board game market to soar, and why international publishers – both tabletop and mass market – should look to license their next hit from India’s growing community of inventors

“Our aim with SILC 2021 is to help both future-proof our industry and our world,” said conference curator Helena Mansell-Stopher.

Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Child Animatronic Edition Toy won Toy of the Year, and also took home the award for Innovative Toy of the Year.

“Clue is an iconic whodunit property that exudes mystery and intrigue, and has fans all over the world – we can’t wait to share our reimagined animated version with audiences,” said eOne’s Pancho Mansfield.

Nikki Bauman discusses Fisher-Price’s process, inventor relations, and killing creativity.