The Policy of Play

In the toy industry, play for all is a policy issue.

No one knows that better than Kathrin Belliveau, Chief Policy Officer at The Toy Association. Her top priority is advocating for the toy industry and the families it serves, helping ensure that kids can grow and play safely while supporting the designers, inventors, manufacturers, and retailers who make play possible.

This year, Belliveau has two priorities: tariffs and safety. “We are advocating for zero tariffs on toys that are produced and imported into the United States,” she says. Historically, toys have been exempt from tariffs. 

Toys should be available, accessible, and affordable to all kids worldwide, regardless of socioeconomic background, Belliveau says. “That’s been our top priority throughout 2025 and into 2026, and continues to be.” Despite the stress of tariffs, Belliveau has found a silver lining: Toys, and the benefits of play, have become top of mind for many people.

Safety, which Belliveau calls a “historic priority,” covers physical and technical safety as toys evolve through an increasingly technical world. The Toy Association is focused on AI-enabled toys, she says, which have received attention from policymakers, the media, and non-government organizations (NGOs) this year. The Association is “ensuring that toys that are enabled by technology continue to remain safe and healthy for children,” she says.

The Toy Association advocates not just in Washington, D.C., but over Zoom, which Belliveau notes is cost-effective. 

Meeting through virtual platforms online allows members who can’t travel to have their voices heard. “[It’s] a wonderful way to continue advocacy throughout the year on behalf of the industry,” Belliveau shares.

In person, The Toy Association has three events in Washington: the D.C. Fly-In, the Annual Day of Play, and the Easter Egg Roll. Belliveau identifies the events as critical to elevating The Toy Association’s profile and reputation. 

In the spring, the Association sponsors the White House Easter Egg Roll, which Belliveau identifies as an opportunity to meet with the administration, regulators, and policymakers in attendance. “This event continues to bring the value of play to the forefront in Washington,” she explains. “We focus on the Genius of Play, which is our campaign around how critical play is to a healthy, happy childhood. We also focus on donations. We are very proud to give away toys that embody all of the different values of play every spring in D.C.”

After this year’s event, the Association met with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the first time to discuss regulations on Chinese-made drones with video capability. The restrictions affected the importation of toy R/C airplanes, helicopters, and drones that posed no national security risk, and deeply impacted a small group within the industry. “Our advocacy looked different this year,” Belliveau says. “Typically, we’re dealing with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on toy safety issues — but as the focus changes, we have had to pivot as an industry too.”

Every June, the Association hosts its Annual Day of Play on Capitol Hill, in parallel to the United Nations’ International Day of Play. Members of the Association demonstrate the value of play in the Rayburn Foyer, a public space in the Rayburn House Office Building, and meet one-on-one with Members of Congress, including Senators Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Jon Husted (R-OH), and the office of Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “We also make it fun because it’s almost like a big play date for adults,” Belliveau says. The Toy Association gives away toys at the Day of Play; this year, $5.7 million in toys were donated to The Toy Foundation’s Toy Chest, a 90% increase from last year.

At Fly-In, held the day before or after the Annual Day of Play, Association members engage with each other and the board over dinner and cocktail hours, and with Congress on Capitol Hill. Belliveau describes the Fly-In as “a really robust and jam-packed day,” and members are advised to wear comfortable shoes in preparation for the mileage they will cover as they experience firsthand how the government works. “We can bring our voice directly to Congress,” she says, “that’s super wonderful.”

At the end of the month, Belliveau and The Toy Association hope to have toys exempt from tariffs by way of the U.S.-China Board of Trade, following a visit to Washington by China’s President Xi Jinping. Managed by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the board designates up to $30 billion in non-sensitive goods, which should include toys. “This is something that we have been advocating for very, very passionately,” Belliveau says, in connection with the China Toy and Juvenile Products Association and Hong Kong Toy Council. “This will be the hot issue,” she says. “I hope we get it. We have our work cut out for us.”

The Toy Association is busy beyond on-the-ground advocacy. It is engaged in correspondence with stakeholders and members of Congress on issues critical to the industry. “We also engage in D.C. through the formal submission process,” Belliveau says.

As of July, The Toy Association had tracked 473 bills in 44 states related to AI, chemical regulation, and packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR).

“Our policy priorities and our engagement are sort of a 360,” Belliveau says, “It’s continuous and ongoing, it’s continuously ebbing and flowing depending on issues of the day.”

“Our advocacy team works year-round to ensure members are informed, represented, and prepared as state policy continues to evolve,” Charlotte Hickcox, Senior Director of State Government Affairs at The Toy Association, remarked in a statement this summer, following the annual Fly-In.

Whether it’s meeting with the DHS or CPSC, the Association is flexible in how it advocates for the industry. “We’re constantly evolving and changing the way we advocate,” Belliveau says, and the Association wants to make sure it offers an event every year to let the industry make sure its voice is heard, so members can advocate for themselves. 

The Toy Association’s advocacy pays off: In the spring, DHS announced that toy drones, R/Cs, and other flying toys made abroad that do not pose national security risks can again be imported into the U.S. “It was an important reversal and win for the industry that recognized the safety and play benefits of toys, and restored toy companies’ ability to import these flying toys,” Belliveau shares.

“Whether engaging with lawmakers, participating in regulatory rulemakings, or providing timely alerts and resources, our goal is to help members anticipate changes and successfully navigate the legislative environment,” Hickcox says.

The only constant in the industry is change. “We’re trying to minimize change and disruption,” Belliveau says. “We are trying to advocate for a steady state of business. The one thing that business craves is certainty.”

A version of this feature appears in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Fall Toy & Licensing Preview Issue. Read the full issue here!

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