From the Editor: Discussing the Year in Toys on 'The Playground Podcast'

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!

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

From the Editor: Discussing the Year in Toys on ‘The Playground Podcast’

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About the author

James Zahn