Making It in The Toy Industry | Start A Toy Business

Can 3D printing really replace traditional toy manufacturing? One founder says “absolutely” and she’s got the award to prove it.

In this episode, I’m chatting with the amazing Courtney Peebles, founder of Solobo Toys, about how she won a TOTY Award for her hit plush toy, Emotional Baggage, and how rising manufacturing challenges pushed her to transform her business using 3D printed toys.

Courtney gets real about the challenges she fa...

“There are no tired brands, just tired marketers.” That quote alone has been living rent-free in my head since this interview. It has challenged me to take a look at my own brand and ask, am I doing everything I can to keep it thriving?

In this episode, Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop and Chairwoman of the Toy Association, shares how she turned around a failing classic brand, and ushered it into a new e...

Is it time to stop manufacturing overseas? Or are these tariffs just temporary chaos?

In this episode we're talking about the massive new tariffs shaking up the toy industry and what they mean for your bottom line. With import costs from China jumping up to 54% April 2nd, and a potential 104% threat looming over the horizon, toy creators everywhere are wondering what to do next. Should you absorb the cost? Raise prices? Cancel ...

Have I ever told you that I’m allergic to cats? Well, lucky for me I recently met Katharine Burke, the creator of PurryFuls, a purring plush cat that is designed for on demand comfort that only a purring cat can provide.

Katharine left a high-stress tech job to build Purryfuls, and in today’s episode she shares exactly how she went from zero toy product experience to debuting her brand at New York Toy Fair and getting featured in Fo...

With over 13,000 followers on TikTok and millions of video views, Lost Boy Entertainment is forging a new path for launching a successful game brand. To continue our New York Toy Fair 2025 interview series, I sit down with Cameron Ring, co-founder of Lost Boy Entertainment.

Lost Boy Entertainment is a rising game company that started with just 500 copies of their first game in 2020 and now has products online and in major retailers.

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to run a business with your spouse? Is it all fun and games, or does every dinner conversation turn into a boardroom meeting? Do you get to celebrate the wins together, or do you find yourself debating packaging details at 10 PM on a Friday night?

I was so curious about this dynamic that I sat down with Alex and Whitney Kimerling, the husband-and-wife team behind Hootenanny Games. But instead of...

Are tariffs here to stay or not? That was the hot topic at New York Toy Fair 2025, and trust me—it’s still got the toy industry buzzing. In Q1 of 2025, the Trump administration announced a 20% tariff on Chinese imports, and with 80% of all toys made in China, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers are all bracing for impact.

So, who's really going to absorb these extra costs? Will factories take the hit? Will retailers adjust ...

After four days of running (literally) from booth to booth, taking meetings, and soaking in the latest trends, I’m here to give you an inside look at what went down at New York Toy Fair 2025. If you missed New York Toy Fair or couldn’t see everything, check out this first episode of NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview Series.

Over the next month and a half, I’ll be taking you inside the show floor for exclusive interviews with toy ...

So, you’re going to Toy Fair New York this year, but you aren’t sure you’re making the most of your trip? It’s true, without a solid plan, walking into Toy Fair New York can be completely overwhelming. You can easily get lost in a few friendly conversations, pass too much time playing with toys at welcoming booths, and end up missing opportunities to grow your business, or sell your ideas. Once you walk through the doors of the Jav...

Let’s be real—Toy Fair is chaotic. Buyers are rushing from booth to booth, seeing hundreds of products. If you want them to stop, pay attention, and actually care about your toy or game, your pitch needs to do more than just explain your product—it needs to demand attention.

In this episode of Making It In The Toy Industry, I’m breaking down 3 simple strategies that will help you:
✨ Grab buyer attention in seconds (wit...

New York Toy Fair is just around the corner and if you’re preparing to launch your toy or game at this event, learn this lesson: it WON’T sell itself! Buyers see hundreds of pitches, and even the best ideas can get lost in the noise.

The real secret? It’s not just what you pitch, but HOW you pitch it. So, how do you make buyers stop, pay attention, and want to play? 

That’s exactly why I’m bringing back an episode with Barry McLaughl...

Polarizing topic incoming... DEI. 

When The Toy Coach was picking up steam, many people told me a focus on DEI and being black would be to the benefit of my business. There were so many opportunities to speak on and about diversity and struggle as a person of color that it was hard to feel justified looking the other way at those opportunities.

My instincts told me that the DEI initiatives and opportunities offered, while tempting,  ...

Let’s face it: toy brands get almost ALL the glory, but the inventors behind the product—people like you—deserve the spotlight too. In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, I’m sharing 5 lessons to take you from hidden genius to rising star, inspired by my own experience and my recent convo with Tim Walsh, inventor of ‘Blurt!’.

We’re talking about why advocating for yourself matters (yes, you can request your name on the bo...

What if a simple classroom activity could unite generations across decades? In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, we’re celebrating 30 years of Blurt with its inventor, Tim Walsh, and uncovering the incredible story behind the game that connects Boomers to Gen Alpha.

Discover how a third-grade classroom exercise—reading dictionary definitions aloud—sparked the creation of a timeless game that’s built kids’ vocabularies, ...

Building your dream toy business while working a 9-to-5 might be overwhelming, but with the right mindset and a dash of creativity, you can take small, actionable steps to turn your big ideas into reality! It’s all about getting scrappy, seeking unfiltered feedback, and spotting opportunities to stand out from the crowd.

In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, host Azhelle Wade shares the four key lessons inspired by her p...

The highest honor your toy can get in this industry is the Toy of the Year® (TOTY®). This award is so coveted, that just a nomination alone has been said to boost sales and recognition of the brands lucky enough to earn one. A TOTY win can trigger a flood of retailers knocking on your door, desperate to get your product on their shelves.

So what does it take to get a TOTY nomination? That’s what we’re breaking down in today’s episod...

Struggling to get your toy pitch noticed? 🚀

In this episode of Making It In The Toy Industry, host Azhelle Wade reveals the secrets to crafting email subject lines that grab attention and boost your chances of success. Learn the powerful 'Four U’s' formula—Urgent, Useful, Unique, Ultra-Specific—and discover proven tips to make your emails stand out in crowded inboxes.

From real-life examples of high-converting subject line...

Ever wondered how toys come to life through photography? 🎨✨

Mitchel Wu, an acclaimed toy photographer known for his brilliant use of motion and emotion in toy imagery, joins Azhelle Wade in this episode to unravel the magic behind his spectacular work with major clients like Marvel, Disney, and Hasbro. 

Learn how he transitioned from a mundane consumer products career to mastering the niche of toy photography, and get insights on ma...

Ready to turn your toy ideas into marketable products but feeling lost in the world of virtual pitching? 🚀 Don’t worry, this episode is definitely for you! In this episode of Making It In The Toy Industry, host Azhelle Wade drops all the tips you need to nail your next virtual toy pitch.

Discover why energy is your secret weapon, how to create an unforgettable sizzle video, and why personalizing your pitch can set you apart. Plus, ...