The Toy Book catches up with Gena Lavallee, Vice President, Global Brands at Make It Real, for an update on the company’s performance, new products, and the next era of DIY play as part of our annual State of the Industry Q&A series.
What were the big wins for Make It Real last year?
The phenomenally popular Swift Clicks Heishi Bracelet Maker was Make It Real’s standout success in 2025. Building on the brand’s leadership in DIY crafts, Swift Clicks brought fresh energy and real innovation to bracelet-making kits.
Right from the launch, fans were incredibly excited. Our YouTube tutorials and social media content showcased the full process, from setup and color-switching to the satisfying finished bracelet. Several pieces of content went viral, inspiring makers to share their own designs across platforms. A Swift Clicks video by one particularly popular influencer racked up more than 50 million views and generated hundreds of thousands of comments and shares. That buzz spurred an almost instantaneous sellout: it took several weeks for Swift Clicks’ inventory to fully recover nationally.
The innovation didn’t go unnoticed within the industry: Swift Clicks earned a Toy of the Year nomination, demonstrating real power in shaping the next wave of creative, trend-driven DIY play.
What dynamics are shaping the craft, activity, and creative play categories this year?
The prevailing push in this space is twofold: toward satisfying kits and activities with easy-to-achieve, attractive results; and toward play patterns that are more involved and intricate – more focused on niche creators and enthusiasts.
Make It Real is embracing both of those trends in 2026: the Swift Twist Bracelet Maker does for cord bracelets what Swift Clicks did for beaded bracelets. The Spin Art Innovation Station includes new Spin Surprise disks, with cool patterns revealed before kids’ eyes, with never-before-seen ink patterns made possible by a patent-pending Spiral Hub. And our amazing Rock Dough modelling compound air-dries to look and feel like real stone; kids can customize and decorate their “rocks” with included paints, stickers, and more.
How are you innovating around inclusivity, self-expression, and identity-based play for tweens and teens?
Make It Real places enormous stock in customer engagement and feedback. By listening to focus groups and play-testing participants and paying careful attention to users’ results — the wins and the fails they share — we’re constantly learning how we can improve our offerings and expand our audience.
Products like the Swift Clicks Heishi Bracelet Maker and the Mini Pottery Studio were designed to ensure that both left- and right-handed users can get the best experiences from these innovative, faster, more fun crafting tools. That spirit of inclusivity extends to product lines that are increasingly customizable, open-ended, and repeatable – extending and expanding play patterns. Make It Real also prides itself on providing resources and guided instructional experiences on widely available media platforms: video tutorials, social posts, and downloadable instructions for the widest possible reach.
With experience-based products on the rise, how do you differentiate Make It Real within a crowded craft aisle?
Make It Real stands out by innovating in nostalgic and evergreen play patterns: the experiences that appeal to young creators as much as to grown-ups who have fond memories of arts-and-crafts activities.
The real differentiator is that Make It Real activities address the pain points that might have given grownups pause before making a purchase – we’re innovating with features that promote a satisfying end result and positive experience. Products like the Mini Pottery Studio and Spin Art Innovation Station include novel design features that reduce mess, flatten the skill-learning curve, and reward practice with mastery. And items like the Polish and Shine Bead Tumbler and Friendship Bracelet Maker elevate classic activities with tools and techniques that make crafting easier, faster, and more fun.
What trends do you believe will define the next era of DIY play?
Tweens are incredibly trend-aware, finding inspiration for self-expression in fashion, food, and pop culture. We’re seeing more cross-category mashups, with donuts, boba, ramen, and other viral food trends showing up as style statements, not just tastes. In addition, DIY is evolving from simply “making a thing” into crafting pieces that feel personal, wearable, and on-trend.
We’ve leaned into this shift with our Knot Noodles DIY Bracelet Kit, which taps into the food-meets-fashion trend with a kawaii, ramen-inspired cup, noodle-style cords, and charms that let kids create five adjustable bracelets. It’s hands-on DIY that reflects what modern tweens care about: creativity, culture, and expressing their personality in a way that feels of-the-moment.
Stay on the Pulse of Play!
A version of this feature first appeared in the 2026 edition of The BIG Toy Book. Read the full issue here!
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