With the opening of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) Marketplace & Academy in Minneapolis today, the annual Specialty Toy Issue of the Toy Book has hit the streets!

This month’s issue marks a return to the trade show circuit as the first major toy event on U.S. soil since Toy Fair New York 2020 welcomes retailers and manufacturers to the Minneapolis Convention Center to get shelves stocked as we move toward the all-important holiday season.

Our annual specialty toy showcase is bigger than ever with hundreds of new products from established and emerging toy and game makers. If you have a print copy of the magazine, scan the QR code on page 80 with your smartphone or tablet to access an additional 18 pages of new toys in our first-ever, expanded digital edition!

Highlights this month include:

  • Editor-in-Chief Maddie Michalik moderates a roundtable discussion about the current state of the specialty toy industry;
  • Deputy Editor James Zahn explores how the global supply chain issues are impacting the industry;
  • A look inside the upcoming PAW Patrol: The Movie;
  • A deep dive into the popularity of Kellytoy/Jazwares’ Squishmallows;
  • The ABCs of NFTs;
  • and so much more!

Check it out right here to flip through the new issue in its entirety and be sure to follow us on social media to stay on the #pulseofplay!

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.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube