Listen: The Playground Podcast Talks Toys Live from Sweet Suite ’19

Last week, more than 85 toy and game companies came together at the Toy Insider‘s 10th anniversary Sweet Suite event in New York City. There, the industry showed off its latest products to members of the media, bloggers, YouTubers, and influencers. For the first time ever, podcasting was a part of the event, with Richard Gottlieb of Global Toy Experts and Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy, on hand to record interviews and commentary for their new show, The Playground.

In their latest episode, Gottlieb and Byrne share conversations with Ashley Mady of Basic Fun!, Lisa Wuennemann of PlayMonster, Ryan Birkicht of Pacific Cycle, Erika Merklinger of Crayola, and yours truly, all focused on the business of play.

The Playground made its debut earlier this year with a goal of reaching parents, caregivers, and adults who are interested in play and playfulness. Beyond the current business of the toy industry, Gottlieb and Byrne will also delve into toy history with stories behind the toys, as told from the people who lived them.

About the author

James Zahn

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.

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