The sun is shining, the temperatures are climbing, and the doors to Licensing Expo 2022 are open at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. For the very first time, Adventure Media & Events is exhibiting at the show with new, hot-off-the-presses issues of its flagship publications, including the 2022 Classic Play issue of the Toy Book!

“The very root of classic play is the influence it has on kids’ childhoods worldwide: providing sincere joy, creating core memories, and setting a foundation for growth developmental growth,” says Toy Book Editor-in-Chief Maddie Michalik. With that in mind, this issue celebrates classic play with coverage of traditional, open-ended play categories featuring a host of toys that are new-for-2022.

Click here to read the Toy Book‘s 2022 Classics Issue

From games and puzzles to arts and crafts, dolls, plush, and construction, the Toy Book‘s editorial team has curated thoughtful showcases of new products with classic flair that will never go out of style. And they’re products that retailers will want to stock their shelves with!

Timed with Licensing Expo, we’re also sharing profiles on some big brands that are making moves in the toy department, including Star Trek: Prodigy; Ada Twist, Scientist; Hershey; and CoComelon.

Additional Highlights:

  • Editor’s Letter: Celebrating Classic Play;
  • how the U.S. toy industry is preparing for more supply chain challenges this year;
  • a look inside the prevalence of mystery and deduction in tabletop gaming;
  • the trend in the arts and crafts category to incorporate mindfulness in their products; and
  • how the toy industry is supporting kids and families in Ukraine.

If you’re attending Licensing Expo this year, be sure to visit Adventure Media & Events in Booth No. B121 to pick up copies of the Toy Book and the Pop Insider and chat with members of our team.

Subscriber copies are hitting mailboxes now — if not already — and you can flip through the full issue online 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.

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