What a year it has been.

In February, the 2023 edition of The BIG Toy Book kicked off The Toy Book‘s 39th volume with a refreshed look and more industry insight than ever before. For our annual State of the Industry Q&A roundtable, we assembled our biggest group of executives ever — 52 in all, representing toy and game manufacturers, retailers, marketers, and analysts. This year’s “all-star lineup” featured participants from the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Australia.

But over the past 11 months, much has changed.

The business outlook evolved; some participants left their companies (or soon will); mergers and acquisitions happened; and at least two companies on the list changed their names.

Now, as we close the book on 2023 and look forward to a better 2024, The Toy Book is taking a quick look back at this year’s State of the Industry Q&A series, starting with the Top 10 most-read entries based on reader traffic.

THE TOP 10 MOST-READ STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Q&A FEATURES:

  1. KIM BOYD — Head of Global Brands & Consumer Innovation, Hasbro
  2. YEHUDA SHMIDMAN — Chairman & CEO, WHP Global & Toys “R” Us
  3. BELINDA GRUEBNER — Chief Marketing Officer, Moose Toys
  4. JAMIE ELLIOTT — General Manager, Alex Baby and Toy
  5. NICK MURIELLA — Vice President Merchandising and Supply Chain, Toys “R” Us Canada
  6. ALLYSON BANKS — Marketing Director, Toys “R” Us Canada
  7. ANNE CARRIHILL — Director of Toys and Games, Amazon
  8. JAY FOREMAN — CEO, Basic Fun!
  9. ISAAC LARIAN — Founder & CEO, MGA Entertainment
  10. DAVID HENDERSON — Chief Commercial Officer, Melissa & Doug

THE REST OF THE 2023 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Q&A SERIES IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

Want to get involved with the No. 1 trade publication serving the North American toy industry? Check out our editorial calendar and be sure to book your marketing packages for 2024 today!

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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