Episode #167: The GREAT Toy and Game Idea Bootcamp [JOIN NOW]
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Visualize, Validate, and Vow to make your toy or game idea real this year with accountability and guidance from The Toy Coach team! Inside this Bootcamp, you’ll get step by step training and accountability to visualize and validate your toy or game idea FAST. We’ll spend 5-days in a private Facebook community, where I’ll teach you my streamlined 6-step concept development process over 3 LIVE trainings. In just 3 hours and 5 days you can completely change the way you approach toy development from scratch.
If you have an idea that you aren’t sure is a “toy”, stick around for the second half of this week’s episode. I share an extended version of an episode that will help you answer the question, is this really a toy product? Learn 3 exercises to help you identify if your idea falls into the category of toy, game, or general kids products.
Once you figure out where your idea falls, I’d love to welcome you into The GREAT Toy & Game Idea Bootcamp. It starts March 27th, it’s only 5 days long with 3 training sessions and a private Facebook group for all members.
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This episode is brought to you by www.thetoycoach.com
Join The GREAT Toy & Game Idea Bootcamp: https://learn.thetoycoach.com/bootcamp
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You are listening to Making It in The Toy Industry, episode number 📍 167. Hey there, toy people, Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of the Toy Coach Podcast, making it in the Toy Industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by the Toy Coach Dot. Today's episode is for you. If you have an idea for a toy or a game and you wanna develop it, maybe you've started developing it, but you've slowed down and you need some extra accountability and an extra push to keep going.
Or it's also for you if you have an idea and you're not sure it's good enough to develop, you just wanna have somebody look at it, or you wanna know what you should be looking for to know if it's right to. . And finally, you'll also find value in this episode if you've been listening to this podcast, but feeling unsure if your idea even falls into the toy or children's product category.
What does that really mean when something is a toy? Can you still learn things from a podcast like this? I ventured to say yes, and that's why I wanna introduce you to the Great Toy and Game Idea Bootcamp that will be kicking off March 27th. And we're gonna release an extended version of an old episode.
This is an extended version that hasn't been released to the public before, so I know you'll get a lot of value out of it, and it just matches so perfectly with this upcoming. Bootcamp that if you are considering the bootcamp, I'm sure this episode will help you decide whether it's right for you and if you join the bootcamp, which I hope you do, this episode can only help you be more successful while you're working with me in it.
First up, let's talk about the Great Toy and Game Idea Bootcamp. What is it? Well, it's a training that I've been working. All this past weekend really developing the three key lessons that I wanted you to take away so that you could visualize, validate, and vow to make your toy or game idea a real thing.
Inside this bootcamp, you're going to get step-by-step training and accountability that will help you visualize and validate your Toyer game idea fast. This thing is streamlined. We'll spend just five days in a private Facebook community. Where I will teach you my six step process for developing your concepts over three live trainings.
Now, if you only have three hours to give to this five day event, you will have everything seriously. That's all you need to finally create a rendering of your concept. And no, once and for. If your idea is a good idea or if you should keep working on it now, I've got a feeling you're also gonna love the support that is gonna come through this group.
I'm sure we'll have chats about mindset. There's gonna be q and as, networking opportunities with others in the group and resource sharing. So if you are now wondering, is this toy and game idea bootcamp for me, is that really something for me? Well, whether all you already have an idea for a toy or a game or you are still thinking one up, you have to know this.
A great toy or game idea does three things. One, It has a visually appealing design that's unique enough that it can stand out on a shelf, so consumers will wanna pick it up. Two, it's gotta fill a gap in the toy and game industry and offer something that consumers truly want and are not getting from any other company.
Three, it's fun to promote and sell even when times get tough because it is marketable and engaging and makes a real difference to that end. , but here's the problem. You might be feeling like you're not a hundred percent confident that your product idea is a good idea. I get that. I hear that a lot. So often people just wanna chat with me to ask.
Is this idea worth developing? Well, that's why I created this bootcamp, so I can show you how to figure that out on your own. But also we'll be together in the Facebook group. So if you want to upload your work to have me check it. You can do that. So you also might be tired of trying to explain your vision for your toy or game idea or even brand to people that just don't get it and you wish you could just show them.
Well, you'll learn how You can just show them. In this bootcamp. Now you also sure as heck don't have energy or time or money to waste on developing ideas that aren't top of the line, the best or most likely to make it. So you wanna make sure that your idea is something that the toy industry and the game industry wants, and most importantly, that your consumers.
So because I know that you might be sitting on the next big idea for the toying game industry, I want you to consider joining this bootcamp. You can head over to learn dot the toy coach.com/bootcamp, and you can register right now. This bootcamp begins March 27th, so you have some time now, if you have an idea that isn't properly vetted and if you don't have a clear vision for how you want it.
I'm telling you, you are at major risk for wasting thousands of dollars developing your product the wrong way. I'm serious. I see it time and time again with the clients and students that I work with. I can't tell you how many times people have told me, Ugh, ael, I, where were you two years ago? Or, I wish I'd met you five years ago.
Well, by the end of this bootcamp that I've put together with all of the care in the world, you will have exactly the tools you need to vet your idea yourself and save your. Weeks of time and thousands of dollars in development. After the great toy and game idea of bootcamp, you are going to have created a visual rendering of your toy or game idea, one that you can use to communicate your vision with the right people.
You might be thinking, ael, I don't have the skills for that. Don't you worry. I'm gonna show you a fail proof way that you can make that. You're also gonna hone in on that aesthetic of your idea and nail down that key wow factor to make it pop either on shelf or in online marketing promotions. You're also going to have the confidence to know that your idea feel fills a need in the market, which is the most important thing.
If you're going to invest your time and your energy in an idea, you wanna make sure that there is a gap in the market for it. You'll also have a streamlined concept development strategy. This is. My most simplified version of my concept development strategy, and you can use it and apply it to all of your future ideas as well.
Not to mention the clear understanding you're gonna have of the product development process from concept to prototype and the timeline on what it takes. And I'm gonna show you how you can shave two weeks off of that timeline. Turn one of those steps that normally takes one to two weeks into a step that takes 30 seconds.
I. So on the final day of this boot, You're gonna have a renewed commitment to your toy or game idea and the accountability you've been searching for. So again, head over to learn dot the toy coach.com/bootcamp and get signed up. It is only $17. One time payment, and I would love to have you in this bootcamp.
So if you're wondering what to expect, we start on Monday, March 27th with our very first live training, kicking off at 12:00 PM Eastern, 9:00 AM Pacific. Then Tuesday, March 28th, we actually get the day off because I want you to feel no pressure to apply everything you're gonna learn in this training.
Now you only need an hour to dedicate. Do the work that I'm going to give to you from the training day one, but you get the whole day in case you can't come to the training live. You can watch the recording and apply it on that Tuesday, March 28th when we're off. Then on Wednesday, March 27th, we pick right back up with live training.
Day number two. Again, 9:00 AM Pacific, 12:00 PM Eastern. We go onto Thursday, March 30th. You have another free day. Either you can catch up on trainings, connect with people, you'll meet in our. Facebook group or share the homework that you've already done. I wanna see your work if you're open to sharing it.
Then finally, on Friday, March 31st, we're gonna have our final live training, day three, 9:00 AM Pacific, 12:00 PM Eastern. We're keeping the times the same every day. I hope you can take. 45 minutes to join me for this training. And if you can't, don't worry, because what I've decided to do is you're gonna have access to all of the recorded trainings until April 28th.
So you join this bootcamp, even if you can't turn up live, which I hope, hope, hope you can. You do have a chance to watch all of the. Now, aside from the training that I've put together, the presentation I'm so excited about, I do have a few exciting extras for you. So, number one, I already mentioned it.
We're gonna have our own Facebook group community for this bootcamp. Now, I had thought about putting this bootcamp inside of our existing Facebook communities, but when I looked at it, there was too much history. I want us to have a fresh start so we can really focus on the concept development, the vetting, the visualization.
Of our toy and game ideas to make sure we have something that's worth developing. Now, the second thing you're gonna get is an extension on the replay of all of these trainings. So normally these replays would come down right at the end of the boot camp, or I've done in the past challenges. But this time.
when you register for $17, you will get access to all those trainings until April 28th, 2023. Now, the last, and in my opinion, most important little extra, that I'm gonna give you guys is the step-by-step training workbook. So as I go through the lessons, That I've built out in this presentation, I really want you to pay attention.
There's a lot of, video examples I've pre-recorded to show you how certain things are done, and I would prefer you to fill up the screen with this video, stay focused, learn and apply it on the free days that are built into the training. So in order to make sure that that's as easy as possible, I created a step-by-step training workbook that just kind of reiterate some of the information you.
Live with me in the trainings and then the prompts that you'll need to answer to complete the home. Now at this point you might be wondering, well hold on, Elle, you said this is a five day bootcamp. There are three trainings. We only have two days off. What about that last day? Now don't worry. This last day, the homework for this last day, we're gonna complete right on the spot together.
It's an exciting thing. I've been prepping it, testing it, planning it. It's working flawlessly. So I'm excited for you to dive into that training on day. at this point you might be wondering, is the great toy and game idea bootcamp really right for me? Well, any aspiring toy creator that needs or wants to create a visual representation of their idea is interested in validating that idea and wants to commit to taking steps to making it real.
This is for you, regardless of if you develop zero products before or a hundred products before. This is the training for you. I'm sure you'll learn something from it. You'll enjoy it, and you'll be inspired to come up with new ideas. Now again, the live trainings are March 27th, March 29th, March. 31st and they will all be happening inside of our private Facebook group.
They will be recorded and uploaded to a special course platform for you to have access to until April 28th. So as soon as you register, for this training, again, it's learn dot the toy coach.com/boot camp the second you. You will have access to the course platform where the training recordings will be held, and there you will find an immediate link to the Facebook.
And if you happen to miss a training, you will have access to it inside of that Facebook group. And then all three trainings will be made available in this separate course platform. We're gonna be communicating mostly in the Facebook group and email to make sure that you don't miss. Any of the live trainings.
But again, if you already know your schedule and you're al already thinking, I can't make those times, I still highly encourage you to head over to learn dot the toy coach.com/bootcamp. Register for this bootcamp. It is only $17. Watch the recordings. I am really excited and proud of this presentation and I made very sure that I didn't.
Any overlap of like past presentations or even inside of my program, toy Creators Academy, I wanted something fresh and new information to help you leapfrog ahead of the other toy creators out there, especially if you're just getting started. I want you to get a headstart. Now that is all I had to share with you today about the Great Toy and Game Idea Bootcamp that is gonna be happening March 27th.
So get yourself signed up for that.
And now let's dive into that extended lesson of is my idea. Really a toy.
If you are listening right now and you've got that lingering question in your mind, if you're thinking, I love this podcast.
I love learning with Elle, but I'm not sure that my product idea is really a toy. And yes, I did just do full on air quotes there. If that's you, if you think that you're not sure if your product is a toy, I really want you to listen in on this episode because out of all of the people who reach out to me asking if their product is a toy, 90% of those products are indeed a toy, and the other 10% can still benefit from being marketed and pitched just like one.
We are going to explore what makes a product a toy, and we are gonna look at it from a few different angles. I am going to give you three different exercises to go through to figure out if your product is a. Some of these exercises are gonna be theoretical. Some are going to be perspective focused, understanding how the toy industry works and how they might be looking at your product.
And another of these angles will be focused on safety. How is your product viewed from a safety perspective? . So we're gonna look at it from a few different angles. We'll start off with definitions cuz you know I love my definitions and we'll kind of theorize what makes a toy a toy. Then we will look at the toy industry and how the toy industry sees products as toys and not toys.
And then we're gonna get really super factual and talk about it from the perspective of safety. By the end of this episode, you'll know what makes a. Well, you know, a toy, you'll know how the toy industry defines and separates toys and games versus craft and activity kits, general used products and more.
Most importantly, you'll be able to make the distinction if your product is a toy or if it isn't, you'll be able to know how it could benefit from being marketed or pitched, like one. Okay. Are you ready? Let's. To kick off this conversation, I wanna start with a definition of a toy. What is a toy anyway?
Have you ever actually looked up the definition of a toy? Well, according to the Oxford Dictionary, a toy is an object for a child to play with, typically a model or a miniature replica of something. But beyond this simplified definition of what a toy is, let's think this through some. more than what the Oxford Dictionary states.
We know that a toy is truly any item that is used to conduct play. A toy is a product that is either designed for children or adults, and is not limited to just models of miniature replicas. But a toy is essentially a tool to aid in development, learning, creativity, and expression. Today in the toy industry, we've got a lot of push button toys, which are little vehicles of entertainment just designed to stimulate the senses of the child who plays with it so they can push a button and watch the toy react light up, or do all of the things that it's designed to do.
But truth is we can't possibly fully grasp the definition of a toy if we don't know the definition. Play, am I right? So let's look into that. What is the definition of play Now, again, according to the Oxford Dictionary to play, is to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than serious or practical purpose.
Okay. Okay. Oxford, that's a great start. But we, here we are toy creators. We need to understand, play on a much deeper level than that. Am I right? So play is an activity, right? It's an activity motivated by our desire for entertainment and enjoyment and relaxation and to get together at in social groups.
So it's important that we as toy creator, are honest about the fact that play doesn't only happen with toys. You might notice this as a parent watching your little one have the most fun that they've had in weeks while playing with a set of keys or playing with your pots and pans. You may notice this as yourself as you find yourself playing when you go on vacation and engaging in activities like zip lining.
uh, utilizing actual toys or games designed for play. But the form of play that matters most to us as toy people is the form of play that's facilitated by products, products that we create, the toys and games that we make to deliver a certain type of play experience. So the only problem with our Oxford definition of play is that, well, it suggests that if play is serious or practical in any way, it's no longer play.
Which of course, we have to disagree with. Why? Because we're thinking of our educational products in the toy space. I'm sure that many of my educational product focused, listen. Agree with this as well. We know as toy creators that there is a developmental play value to educational toys. Whether or not the adult or the child playing with the product realizes they're getting a ROI for their playtime, there is one.
So the definition of play cannot just be about products that are designed to entertain because they are also products that will. . Now, when I think of play, I think of laughter and endorphins, but I also think of mental challenges that require short bursts of focus on a relatively simple task. So if you're not sure what I mean by that, I'm thinking the game, Simon.
You know, it's a challenging game. You're technically putting your brain to work as you memorize the order and color of these flashing. But in the process of memorizing the sound effects that are tied to the game unit and the win-lose aspect of it turns this experience to play because of the adrenaline rush and the inve eventual endorphin release that you get as you play the game with others.
Win or lose. So when we look back on those Oxford definitions of toys and of the word play, we know that we have to be more flexible with those definitions as toy creators because play products are not just something that are there to entertain. They're also there to challenge and educate. And we know that play is not only something that happens with a tool that is designed for play, but sometimes it happens with tools that were not intended for play at.
All right. Now I want you to think about your product idea. It might be a kid's product that you're developing or you're thinking of in your head that you want to develop, or it might be a toy product for adults. Maybe a game that you're thinking down the line. I'm definitely gonna develop it, but you're just not quite sure how you'll go about it yet.
you might be even on the fence about reaching out to someone like me because you learn a lot from the podcast, but your idea just isn't a toy. So you might be feeling stuck and unsure of what direction to take. Well, I wanna start remedying that right now, my friend. Okay, so think of your product. You know, as a matter of fact, if you have your product created or if you have a sketch of it, I want you to get that out right now and either put that sketch of your product or that prototype of your product on your table in front of you.
And if you don't have a sketch or a prototype, just close your eyes and imagine your idea as you already see it in your mind's eye. Now, if you're driving, I want you to just keep your eyes open. You can try this exercise when you get. And I want you to listen to these questions that I'm gonna lay out for you.
Now, before I get into these questions, I do wanna say that not everything in the toy industry is black and white. Okay? There is no one answer to if your product is considered a toy, because there are so many variables in answering that question. But I do have a few simple questions that are a great place to start, and whenever somebody messages me and asks, is my product a.
These are some of the questions that I work through, and some of these questions I ask them. So question number one, where would your product live in the home? If your product was for sale right now and someone purchased it and they brought it home when they were done playing with it, where would it be kept?
Would it be kept in the kids' room? Would it be in a family room? Would it be something that would be in a utility? This question is kind of an easy, quick way to figure out whether your product is going to be considered a toy simply based on where the product is placed at home. So you might say anything stored in the family room could be a toy or a game product because it's intended that the whole family will have access to it at all.
Or if your product is going to be placed in a kid's room, it might be considered a toy because it is designed for the kids to be able to access at all times. The parents will feel it's safe for the kids to have access to at all times, and the kid will want to have access to this product at all times, and that's why it might be stored in the kids'.
While if you have a product that is more utilitarian, it might be stored in a utility closet when not in use. And if that's the case, that's when you might start thinking to yourself, maybe my product isn't quite a toy. Maybe it's more of a utility or a necessity. Now let's move on to question number two.
When would someone interact with your product? Think about what point in a day would someone, the child or the adult interact with your toy or your game product? What emotional state would they be in right before wanting to interact with your product? Are they gonna be feeling anxious? Are they gonna be feeling bored?
Are they just gonna be high energy and their parents are gonna be like, here play with this to, to expel your. considering the various definitions of a toy and a play that we went over earlier, it's helpful to think about when someone might interact with your product to help you determine if it could indeed be viewed as a toy.
Now the next question is probably the most important. How will someone feel after interacting with your product? Will they feel high energy? Will they feel like they have stronger bonds with their family? Will they feel like they laughed and got to know their friends some more. How your product is going to make someone feel is going to directly relate to whether it can be considered a toy or not if interacting with or playing with your toy product makes someone feel positive and high energy and relaxed or connected to the other person they're playing with.
Then it's a product facilitating play and by our definitions that we went over before it could be considered a toy product. Okay. Question number four, what store do you think you might buy your product in? If your product actually existed, where would it be sold? and to figure out where it would be sold, you have to look for products that are very similar to it.
So I know everybody thinks that their idea exists nowhere else, and they are the first people to come up with their idea. But even if, even if your idea is so unique that there is nothing exactly like it on the market, you can likely take elements of your idea apart. And when you separate two very distinct elements from your.
You can look at the core foundations of your concept or of your item, and then you can say to yourself, where would the, this core foundation, this core concept of my item live, would it live in Walgreens? Would it live in Walmart? Would it um, live in Urban Outfitters? Where would a product that's very similar to the idea that I have, or a product that is made up of a part of the idea of mine?
Where would that. . And when you've got that store in your mind, maybe it's a grocery store, maybe it's a department store, then you wanna ask yourself a follow up question. Do they sell other products that you consider toys in that store? If the answer is yes, you've already answered your own question, just with this one here, that your product also might be a.
Now let's move on to question number five. This is the last question in this series of questions I like to ask. Now, the last question you can ask yourself has to do with just play testing your product. And what you wanna ask yourself is this, when someone interacts with your product, how do they react after using it?
Do they have an excited expression on their face? Do they want to play with the product again and again? Is your product creating joy and comfort and relaxation? If it's a game, when they lose, are they saying, ah, let me just try again. One more time. One more time. I've got this. Usually these are the key markers of play of fun and essentially of a toy or a game.
Now the series of questions I just walked you through are the same series I set I go through whenever an aspiring toy creator reaches out and asks if their product is considered a toy. And interestingly enough, oftentimes what will happen while asking that series of questions is that I will start working with, and they will start uncovering the ways that they could actually make their existing product even more toic so that it can cross over from being, let's say, a kid's product, which might be something like room decor or a nightlight to being a true.
Now, you might be wondering, what is the benefit of being considered a true toy anyway? Why is that so important? . Well, as we continue trying to figure out if our product is truly a toy, every step of the way, we are gonna dive deeper and deeper, right? So why is it so important for us to know if our product is a toy?
Beyond asking the surface level initial questions like, where would this product be sold? How do people interact with this product? When do people interact with this product? Now we've got to ask our. How does the toy industry see this product? And the reason why it's so important to know if your product is considered a toy is because of toy buyers.
So what are toy buyers? Well, toy buyers are the people who work at toy retailers and decide what product goes into the stores and on the shelves of the sections and categories of toys that they. . So it's important for you to not only have an understanding of if your product's a toy, but have an understanding of if your product is a toy or some form of a toy, what category does it fall under in play and what category does it fall under in a store?
Now, if a store is really small, if it's a small retailer, like a mom and pop shop, they might have one buyer for everything and then maybe an assistant buyer. But for a larger store, like a larger retailer, like a Walmart, like a Sam's Club, like a Target, they're gonna have a buyer for. All of the different categories.
So there'll be a buyer for games and puzzles and a different buyer for plush products. There'll be a buyer for boys toys, a buyer for girls dolls. There'll be a buyer for activity and craft sets. They'll even have a buyer for electronics products. The bigger the store, the more money and product that each category in that store turns, and thus, the more buyers that are gonna manage that category.
And this is the reason why it's so important to know, number one, if your product is a toy with those pre preliminary questions I mentioned earlier on, but number two, what category of play and what category at retail, your toy product will actually fall. Now, aside from the fact that you now know different buyers manage different categories of product, you also need to know that some categories in the toy retail space are more competitive than others.
And some toys have characteristics that allow them to flow between one category and another. So what that allows these toys to do is if say, I have an electronic doll product and I want to get my electronic doll product into the doll category at Walmart. And I go when I meet with a doll buyer and I say, oh my gosh, I have this amazing doll, and she's electronic and she's so cheap, and she's fantastic for your customer, but the Walmart, uh, doll buyer says, Ugh, you know what?
I would love to take in your line. I do think she's amazing, but I already have all of my slots filled for dolls for next season, and I can't take anyone out. I'm so sorry. I have no. You could then potentially turn to the electronics buyer because your product can fall between doll and electronics. So there are two potential areas of the store, and thus two potential buyers that you could pitch to.
Now every store divides up their buyers and the categories that the buyers manage very differently. Buyers also. positions every two to three years. So buyers are often gonna change, but it is important to know that it's not just, you know, the larger stores that you're gonna pitch your product to. You're not just going to one person to pitch any kind of product.
You need to get to know the buyer that manages the specific category of product that your toy will fit into in their store. So let's look at one more example. Let's say you designed a plush, and this plush, you know, could sit in the plush section at a, a major retailer that you're looking at. But you go over and you meet with this buyer who manages all of the plush and they say, Ugh, you know what?
your plush is just too expensive. Most of my plush retail for 4 99 and your plush is 1299. Well, if you add in a feature or if your plush already has a feature that allows from for some sort of like, Craft an activity style play, which means that it would have something that the child could customize or create on top of your plush doll.
Like let's say the child could draw on top of the plush doll, or they could add decoration to it and give it its own custom look. Then your plush doll could actually convert into the craft an activity play category simply because of the play pattern of the product. . So just the material alone and the design alone of the product would've pushed it into the plush category, but adding in a different play pattern, this coloring in element can actually help push you to the activity section and give you an opportunity to move between categories, meet with different buyers.
Find opportunity, but also categories all have varying price points. So let's say your item just was too expensive for the standard price point within the plush category at a certain retailer, but it might be perfect for a plush craft activity category in the activity section of the same. . So as we're wondering if our product is a toy, I just wanna make sure that you are paying attention to all of the categories in which toy products live at major retailers.
If you've listened to episode one of this podcast, then you know, I've taken you through a full on trend research trip and, and talked you through the process of how to conduct one of those. So if you go through that process again, I want you to really keep your eyes open and see where you find play and toys in aisles that are outside of the toy aisle.
You'll be surprised at what you'll find in the electronic section, what you'll find in the stationary section, what you'll find in the gift card section, because as space in the traditional toy aisle has run out, they're simply only, you know, standard. Eight to 16 feet of toy aisle space. Toy manufacturers have started campaigning for space in other parts of the store and retailers seeing the benefit of having toy products at the cash register in the 99 cent bin or the Cspo Save space When you first walk in retailers like Target or when you go to Dollar Tree and you see like 99 cent bins at the, the front of the store.
Toy products are shifting into all areas of retail space. So while your idea may not be a true toy, it still might be a product that you want to push through market, sell all of that within the toy industry. . Okay, so let's move on to the third and final point that you want to consider to determine if your product is a toy.
And that third and final point is toy safety testing. Now, this may not be the most fun way to determine if your product is a toy, but it's certainly a reliable and. Lawful one. If you are selling product in the us, you'll be following the guidelines set forth by the cpsc. And if your product is determined a toy, you'll need to pass certain toy safety tests.
Now, I'm not gonna dive into a whole toy safety conversation right now. What we are gonna talk about instead is what is a children's product versus. A general use product in the eyes of the C psc. Now, if those acronyms are throwing you off and you want a toy safety lesson, I will encourage you to head over to the toy coach.com/ 43 and listen to my toy safety 1 0 1 episode with Bill Baxter.
There you will find a great starting point into toy safety. . Now, just to give you a quick understanding, C P S C stands for Consumer Product Safety Commission. All right, so let's go back to our, our whole question of this episode defining what is a toy. Now, according to the C P S C, the real question we have to ask ourselves in regards to.
Children's Safety Laws is what is a children's product because children's products follow a set of certain federal safety rules here in the us. . Now, every region has their own safety standards and their own acronym to define the body that manages those standards. But here in the US this law defines a children's safety product as a consumer product that is designed or intended to be used primarily for children 12 years and younger.
Who decides what? Is intended to be used primarily by children 12 years and under. Well, that determination relies on several factors. Um, number one, it relies on a statement from the manufacturer about intended use of the product. Number two, it relies on the packaging of the product, like what is illustrated on the packaging and who it looks like it is illustrated.
Number three, it relies on how the product is interpreted by consumers. So again, that can come from packaging, like how is it being marketed toward them? And number four, it relies on age determination guidelines. Now, if your product, now if it's determined that based on those. Points. If your product is not considered a children's toy, it is going to be called a general use product.
Now, general use products are consumer products that aren't designed or intended primarily for use. By children ages 12 years or younger. Now, your product can possibly be used by children's age 12 years and under, but it is not designed for them. And there is a really clear and fabulous example on the CPSC website, which I will link to in the show notes.
Go to the toy coach.com/ 87 to grab that link. Um, but the fabulous example that they gave is, Now a pen. Let's think about a regular everyday pen. A pen is generally considered a general use product, even though children that are ages 12 years or younger could write with that same pen. But if that same pen is decorated or embellished to appeal, Two children under the age of 12, then the pen may be considered a children's product.
Now, that's a quote directly from the cpsc.gov website, which I will link to in the show notes. So if at this point you're still wondering, is my product a toy? I want you to pay attention to the guidelines set set up by the C psc. Is your product intended to be used by children ages 12 and under? Now, I know for those of you that are developing, Adult party games or other tools or things like that, you might think, oh no, so my product isn't a toy.
Now if your product is in the adult toy category, I don't want you running away just yet. We'll summarize and talk about how your product fits into the toy industry. But if your product is for a younger age range, 12 years and under, yet you're still wondering, you're still unsure if this product falls, uh, within the toy space.
Just the idea of if your product is designed to have a child interact with it, your product will have to meet certain toy safety standards. So I just wanted. Summarize these three ways to think about your product from asking yourself the right questions to thinking about how the toy industry buyers will see your product to thinking about how the Consumer Product Safety Commission will see your product.
Because thinking of your product in these three different ways, We'll help you kind of step away from your product as the creator of it and see how the rest of the world will see and receive your product. Because I know when we hear the word toy, sometimes we have this preconceived notion of what that really means.
But if we want to create a product that is going to be in the lives of children, , it still might be a toy. Even if it doesn't fit that preconceived notion of what we thought a toy was, it still might be fitting to be a part of the toy industry and the community that is in the toy industry. And that is a community of people that are around.
Of course, like me, the Toy Coach, toy Creators Academy, but also different toy industry organizations that support and promote the growth and development of toy brands. Now, I'd like to take a quick break and give a shout out to Cindy. Oh six 16, Cindy oh six 16 left a great review that is not only a comment to me, but also to a guest we had on the show.
So I'd love to share it with you. Now, Cindy's review. Episode 74 was what I. Cindy says, it's funny how the lawyer on the show took the path that I'm currently on. I've had this forever dream to write a children's book on my real life heroine, but I felt the book needed a doll and accessories to go along with it, as well as an activity kit and projects just like the lawyer.
I found myself miserable in my job where all my waking moments and dreams were consumed with my book and toy. I loved how AEL asked all the important questions that I wanted answered. Thank you so much, ael, for following your dreams so that we may follow ours. Cindy, I love that review. I know that my podcast guest that what that you're speaking of will also love that she helped inspire you to go after your dreams.
Thank you so much for being a listener and I thoroughly appreciate your. . Okay, toy people. Let's summarize what we learned today. First, we learned three different ways to figure out if our idea is considered a toy. So number one, we started out with a series of simple questions. Let's review those really quick.
Now. Question number one, where would your product live if it were in the home? Question number two, when would someone interact with your. Question number three, how would someone feel after interacting with your product? Question number four, what store do you think you might buy your product in? And then follow that question up with, are there similar products like yours sold in that store?
And question number five, when someone interacts with your product, do they smile? Are they filled with joy? Do they wanna keep playing with it again and again? Or do you hear them say something like, ah, I almost had it. Let me try that one more. After asking yourself that series of questions, we learned to look through the view of a buyer in the toy industry.
we learned that the number of buyers at a retailer depends on the size of the retailer. And we also learn that there are different buyers for different categories at a store. And if your product has the ability to sit in multiple categories, you will have more opportunities for placement. And the final way we learn to figure out if your idea is a toy idea is we learned how to look at it from the perspective of toy safety, how the rules of the CPSC might.
you identify whether your product is a toy or not, but what do you do if you do all these exercises and you say, oh, ael I, I think my idea really isn't a toy. Well, I do need to stop and mention here that even if your idea isn't a toy, full air quotes as defined by toy safety standards or the fire standard, or just those questions we asked ourselves, it doesn't mean that your product doesn't have a home in the toy industry.
Just this year, the Toy Association's Todi Awards added a brand new category. After 21 years of Toy Industry Awards, there is a brand new category, and you know what it is? It's the adult toy of the year category. So you might have an idea that doesn't fit into a category that's on the market right now.
Your idea might not even have a category in which it could win an award in just yet, but that doesn't mean it isn't made for the toy industry. The toy industry has seen some immense growth in the pandemic. Due to the growth of the adult toy and the family gay market and the outdoor toy market, I should say.
These are all markets which pre pandemic were teetering on the like, is this a toy? Isn't this a toy? These weren't categories that toy companies wanted to get into, but now they all do. These are now markets which are being welcomed into the fold of the toy industry with open. So instead of asking yourself, or instead of asking me, is my idea a toy ael, the better question is to ask ael, can my idea be marketed, pitched, sold, and promoted within the toy industry?
If that answer is yes, then you are in the right place. Now I do have some homework for you to do for next week. Are you ready? Action item for next week.
I want you to go through the exercises mentioned in this episode if you haven't done it already, and I want you to figure out if your item is a toy. If your item is not a toy, or if you're going through these exercises and you realize maybe it isn't a toy, I want you to figure out. If your item could benefit from being marketed, sold, or a part of the toy industry, and I would love it.
Love it, love it. If you would send me a message on Instagram and tell me, Elle, I believe my idea is a toy because, or Elle, I believe my idea would benefit from being in the toy industry because, and I want you to tell me. I will help point you in the right direction of next steps you should take, but you've gotta take that first step and make a plan for your toy idea.
You've gotta think about where your toy idea is gonna fit and why you can find me on Instagram at the Toy Coach. I would love for you to connect with me and tell me if you believe your idea is a toy idea or if you believe it could benefit from the toy industry. And. As always, thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
I know your time is valuable and that there are a ton of podcasts out there, so it really means the world to me that you tune into this one until next week. I'll see you later toy 📍 people.
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