I’ve had the good fortune of getting to know and collaborate with some of the top voices in the toy industry and the business of play.
Among them, the late Richard Gottlieb of Global Toy Experts, Chris Byrne aka The Toy Guy of Global Toy News, and John Baulch of Toy World Magazine (UK) stand out as shining examples of welcoming, knowledgable individuals who truly care about the business and support the industry well beyond the pages of their respective publications.
You could say that we’re all big kids, and that would be accurate! But, we’re also not afraid to put some feet to the fire and hold people accountable when needed. Call it “tough love,” toy industry-style.
For the past several years, we’ve all gotten together for an annual year-end sit-down to discuss the happenings of the year on The Playground Podcast. As we close out 2023, that meeting happened again, and sadly, we’re down the “fourth amigo” as John would say, but Richard’s legacy remains.
That said, I invite all Toy Book readers to grab their favorite beverage and press “play” on this year’s wrap-up — it’s available on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you enjoy podcasts.
I believe it’s a good one, but since this episode couldn’t contain all the info we’d hoped to share, we’ve made a promise to regroup in the spring of 2024 for some additional discussion on what is already looking like quite a year for the business!
Happy Holidays, and Happy Listening!