Toys R Us

We chat with WooHoo Workshop’s Courtney Pearson about where ideas come from, her education in toy design – and why now is a good time to be an inventor.

We caught up with Ed to find out more about his career in play to date, the key to successful inventor relations and his experience of launching a new business in the midst of a pandemic.

Can an inventors’ track-record be a key factor in buying decisions? Should there be more knowledge-sharing happening between these two areas of the industry? Are publishers doing enough to shine a light on their inventor items? All these questions, and more, are tackled in this Buyers & Inventors panel session.

We caught up with Azhelle to learn more about her history in the world of design, and what’s to come at The Toy Coach.

Leila Nosrati sees ideas – as they are now, and as her clients might sell them. Here she tells us the three things she looks for in every product – and why some industry secrets should never be kept…

“2019 was one of the more complicated years to get a good read on toy industry health,” said Juli Lennett, vice president and industry advisor, Toys, The NPD Group.

New stores will allow toy firms to showcase products in an ‘interactive playground-like environment’ and create custom experiences around their IP.

We asked figures in the toy and game design community for their thoughts on Tru Kids Brands, and the potential return of Toys R Us.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write the next chapter of Toys R Us by launching a newly imagined omni channel retail experience for our beloved brands here in the US,” said Tru Kids’ Richard Barry

The decrease has been attributed to the closure of Toys R Us; a poor year for licensed products and a difficult year for the High Street.