There’s no avoiding the impact that social media has had on the marketing of toys and games. Before You-Tube stars and Instagram influencers, networks like Nickelodeon and Disney influenced toy buying trends. But today, toy buying trends are influenced by social media personalities, major television ad campaigns, and disruptive social ad campaigns.

There's nothing more important to the success of your product pitch than really knowing the company that you're pitching to! So for today's episode, The Toy Coach dives into a conversation about 6 top toy companies in the industry. We dive into the stories and toys of Hasbro, Mattel, MGA, Spinmaster, Goliath Games, and Funko. You'll get a mini-history lesson on each company, learn their most popular games, and most importantly learn about their history working with inventors.

Have you ever proceeded down the path of developing your toy or game idea, to only realize that you weren’t sure what step comes next? If you’ve rushed down the path of sample making or prototyping your toy concept or invention, only to find yourself stuck in the process, then this episode is for YOU!

Have you ever gone to a product pitch meeting with a less than perfect prototype? Did you ever have an excellent concept fall flat because a prototype failed to capture the hearts of your audience? You don't want to find yourself in a meeting with a poorly made prototype that does not speak to your audience.

After attending The New York Toy Fair (NYTF) as an exhibitor, you'll definitely need a few days to recover. Your back may ache, your feet may be swollen, and your ego may be bruised. While the wins at NYTF are easy to share with family and friends, and celebrate, the losses we tend to keep to ourselves and not confront. So in today's episode, we walk through how to handle 4 less than perfect scenarios you might have experienced at New York Toy Fair, and how to turn them positive.

The New York Toy Fair (NYTF) is the LARGEST toy show in North America. Over 1,000 exhibitors attend to showcase over a hundred thousand products at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. With the 2020 fair only days away, The Toy Coach pulls back the curtain to give a little insight on what to expect if you attend this industry event in the future. If you are currently developing or selling a toy or game product, and you have not exhibited at NYTF, then THIS is the perfect episode for you.

In this episode of Making It in The Toy Industry, we focus on Manufacturing in the USA. Learn how to use an indispensable resource for American manufacturers. We'll outline key differences in working with a factory in China versus a factory in the USA.

Finally an answer to one of the biggest industry questions out there. How do I start manufacturing my own toy or game ideas with a factory in China? This podcast episode breaks down the easiest way to find, analyze, and communicate with the ideal overseas factory for YOU.

The term toyetic is thrown around a lot in the industry. In this podcast episode, we break down the true toyetic definition and pull out 4 guiding Toyetic Principles and show you how to make your toy inventions or game ideas more toyetic and ultimately more marketable.

Are you trying to come up with your next great toy idea, but you're suffering creative block? If you find it difficult to come up with an amazing new toy idea time and time again, then this is the episode for you.