WIT to Host Networking Breakfast, Sponsor PlayCHIC, and More at ChiTAG

November 18, 2014 By

WIT.logoWomen in Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment (WIT), will be celebrating the power of play at the Chicago Toy & Game Week from November 20 through 23.

WIT is a premier sponsor of PlayCHIC, the industry’s annual play-inspired fashion show. The event pairs couture fashion designers with toy and games brands to create runway looks, and this year’s show will feature a WIT-inspired look.

On November 21, WIT will celebrate the Rising Star Award nomination of organization president and Brandberry Inc. founder, Ashley Mady, at the 7th annual TAGIE Awards. The celebration honors toy and game inventors worldwide, and will be held in the Grand Ballroom at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Mady is nominated for her work with the Wicked Cool Toys brand, Crashlings, which she co-invented.

WIT’s Wake Up With WIT breakfast networking event will be held on November 22. Building product for today’s market, going for a TV licensed property, the power of mentorship, and business empowering girls are some of the topics to be discussed. The breakfast is open to WIT members and non-members, aimed at professional men and women in the toy, games, licensing, and entertainment industries. [Read more...]

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Laura Robinson to Host ChiTAG’s Toy and Fashion Show

November 5, 2014 By

LauraRobinsonProducer, actor, and game inventor Laura Robinson will host playCHIC, the innovative play-inspired fashion show, at the upcoming Chicago Toy & Game Fair. In addition, Robinson will serve as a keynote speaker at the Toy & Game Inventor Conference. Both events are part of Chicago Toy & Game Group’s (ChiTAG) annual week of toy and industry-related events.

PlayCHIC combines fashion with top toys during ChiTAG’s Chicago Toy & Game Week. In its third year, the runway show will pair couture designers with familiar toy and game brands to pioneer unexpected and creative designs.

Robinson is the co-owner of Out & About Productions LLC, partial creator of, and contributing producer for Celebrity Name Game, and previously starred in shows like Night Heat, Cheers, and Frasier. As a toy and game inventor, Robinson co-created the board game Balderdash in 1984, which has since has sold more than twenty million copies worldwide.

The 2014 playCHIC show will take place on November 20 at Alhambra Palace Restaurant in Chicago.

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ChiTAG Group Brings Largest Toy and Game Inventor Event to Chicago Toy & Game Week

October 28, 2014 By

CHITAGHosted by the Chicago Toy & Game Group (ChiTAG), the International Toy & Game Innovation Conference (T&GCon) is a networking and educational opportunity in which both industry leaders and those looking to get involved in the industry and/or have their product licensed can come together to share key insights and ideas.

The conference, scheduled to take place on November 20 and 21 at the Navy Pier in Chicago, also includes the International Summit for Professional Inventors (I-SPI), and the Inventor Relations Summit (IRS), which is part of I-SPI. Attendees will have the chance to meet top executives from Hasbro, Spin Master, Ravensburger, NASA, Patch Products, and more.

At T&GCon, new inventors will have opportunities to show their ideas to dozens of toy and game industry companies. Meanwhile, at I-SPI, aspiring inventors can meet colleagues from around the world, experience new technology, meet with manufacturers in private offices, and more. Finally, at IRS, attendees can discover new ideas, products, and innovation from different inventors and companies, as well as discuss ways to strengthen both the inventor community and the industry as a whole.

Registration includes a ticket to PlayCHIC, the toy, game and entertainment brand-inspired fashion show on the evening of November 20, as well as a ticket to the Toy & Game Inventor of the Year Awards. Interested parties can visit the official T&GCon site to register.

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ChiTAG Welcomes New Advisory Board for Third Annual playCHIC Fashion Show

August 30, 2014 By

CHITAGThis year’s playCHIC advisory board is brand-new as the most stylish part of The Chicago Toy & Game Group’s (ChiTAG) Toy & Game Week is returning for the third time. playCHIC is a runway show that combines fashion with top toys.

This year’s playCHIC elite advisory board includes Anna van Slee, this year’s director of playCHIC and co-founder of Otherdoor Entertainment; Alison Ray, managing editor and founder of sassymomsinthecity.com; Gwen Austin, founder of RC Art Toys; Joan Severance, acclaimed model, actress, and game developer, who also walked in last year’s playCHIC fashion show; Mary Couzin, CEO and founder of ChiTAG; Moira Tuffy, who has developed brand identities and executed events for clients; and Peach Carr, self-taught Chicago designer on the eighth season of Project Runway and the second iteration of Project Runway: All Stars.

The 2014 playCHIC fashion show will hit the catwalk on Thursday, November 20.

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Chicago Toy & Fair Game Group Unveils ChiTAG Fair Lineup

August 1, 2014 By

ChicagoThe Chicago Toy & Fair Game Group Fair returns to Navy Pier in Chicago from November 22 to 23 this year. The fair is open to the public for a weekend full of interactive events and play. ChiTAG commemorates the toy and game industry as the global hub for consumers, inventors, trade and media to preview, play, and purchase the hottest new toys and games.

This year’s ChiTAG events roster includes playCHIC on November 20, an annual fashion show that pairs toy and game developers to create couture looks; Young Inventor Challenge on November 22, a toy and game inventing competition for kids ages six through 18; the TAGIE Awards on November 21, honoring innovation in the toy and game industry; I-SPI from November 20 to 23, a networking event with the International Summit for Professional Inventors; and T&G Innovation Con, where industry leaders can share key insights with others.

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Tenth Chicago Toy & Game Fair Sets Attendance Records

January 2, 2013 By

The 10th anniversary Chicago Toy & Game Fair continued its tradition as the nation’s largest public play event, attracting more than 25,000 people to Navy Pier on the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Fair was the finale of Chicago Toy & Game Week, which featured industry seminars, a highly celebrated inventor awards gala, and a new toy-inspired fashion show, playCHIC. [Read more...]

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