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To see full details click here The Toy Intelligencer Composite Toy Stock Index has fallen 9% over the last year. The Dow Jones was up 1.7% over the same 12-month period. The cost of a barrel of oil has increased 31% in the last month. Ocean freight costs have declined over the last 30 days. The cost to ship a container from Shanghai to Los Angeles is down 4.5%. The … [Read more...] about The TTI Composite Toy Stock Index Down 9%, Cost of Oil Up 31%, Container Costs Down 4.5%

Jonathan Silva is one of the four owners of WS Game Company. Jonathan has been involved in the family business from a young age. He officially joined the team over ten years ago in the sales department and is currently Vice President of Sales and Finance. Jonathan is a driving force in the procurement of key accounts, assuring the company sees consistent … [Read more...] about My Interview with the WS Game Company

Click here to listen to this episode In this special episode, Richard and Chris largely turn over the mic to Jay Foreman, Chairman of the Toy Association Trade Show Committee. He lays out the case for the September Toy Fair in New York in light of the changing dynamics of the industry, the needs of manufacturers, buyers, and more, and the historic shift in the show that this … [Read more...] about Jay Foreman Makes the Case for a September Toy Fair

A West Coast Dock Workers strike: “hope for the best but you also have to plan for the worst.” Fifteen thousand west coast dockworkers are currently in negotiations for a new contract. The old agreement expires on June 15, 2022. Such a strike would close down west coast ports and stop the flow of toys and other consumer products from entering the country. It would be … [Read more...] about The Disruption Report #48: A Potential West Coast Dock Strike, U.N. Votes to End Plastic Pollution, and Birth Rates Normalizing

By: Bits & Pieces Admit it, in elementary school, your favorite part of the day was recess. At Bits And Pieces, we’re right there with you. There’s nothing like sneakily walking across crunchy mulch, trying to be quiet during Hide-and-seek, or holding your breath full of anticipation while playing Red Light, Green Light on the blacktop.  Thinking back on some of … [Read more...] about An Analysis of Children’s Games from Around the World | Bits And Pieces

Paul Edwick has been using ocean freight in his giftware business for over 20 years, and has heard all the excuses in that time. Opinions are his, and his alone – he is always pleased to hear counter views, and make corrections where facts are wrong. He can be contacted through LinkedIn and on paule@kids-iz.com No part of this article nay be reproduced in whole or in part … [Read more...] about The ocean freight shambles – an askance but true side-view

Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “The Battle Between Carnival and Lent,” 1559. On a recent morning, I was out early at our local Wegmans supermarket. Because the store had just opened there were few people there and I could hear the music playing over the loudspeaker. In this case, it was the 1970s R&B song “Everybody Plays the Fool.” Like an ear worm, the chorus stuck in my … [Read more...] about Everybody Plays a Fool

Richard and Chris speak with Christian Braun of hobbyDB, the global hobby and collectibles database about collecting, what creates value, and best practices for companies that want to be in the collectible or limited edition business. They talk about what makes this sector different from traditional toy development and marketing, and such issues as “completion” and the reality … [Read more...] about The Power of Collecting: Christian Braun of hobbyDB

By: by Jacqueline Vong, chief playologist, Playology International (@playologyintl) Although I still consider myself a blockchain newbie, I’ve been working on a crypto project for the last Six months and It’s overwhelming! I have been digesting as much as I can in this new world of acronyms, currencies, socials, pace and possibilities. For crypto newbies (noob) like … [Read more...] about Spilling the NF-Tea; Jacqueline Vong explains the basics of NFTs

Chris Byrne leads a panel discussion with: Juli Lennett, SVP, Toys Industry Advisor at The NPD Group Richard Gottlieb, Founder and CEO, Global Toy Experts Sue Warfield, President at American Specialty Toy Retailing Association Joshua Loerzel, Co-Founder and President at Sky Castle Toys … [Read more...] about The Changing Face of Toy Retail