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Released in 1978 from Tomy, Fashion Plates allowed budding fashionistas to design their next line of haute couture for the catwalk aka the family bulletin board or refrigerator. The basic set shipped with 15 plastic plates comprised of various outlined shapes of wardrobe pieces: shirts, pants, skirts, and so on. Children could choose a top, bottom, and hairstyle combination … [Read more...] about You Better Work! Fashion Plates from Tomy

Click here to listen to this episode Richard and Chris talk to Bill Nichols and Peter Cmiel co-presidents of Blip Toys about their careers, their strategies, the benefits and challenges of just being a “Blip” on the radar of the toy industry (despite major successes) and how they manage to keep the company lean, creative, and successful. Plus, they chat about Chris’s … [Read more...] about More than a Blip: Building a Business on Classic Play

The 49th HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair is set to be held from 9-12 January 2023. The fair is Asia’s largest event of its kind and showcase a wide variety of products ranging from traditional toys to high-tech games, from famed names to emerging brands. To facilitate buyers’ sourcing needs, the fair will feature a number of product zones including the Brand Name Gallery, … [Read more...] about HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair is Set to Return in January 2023

BRICKS AND MORTAR RETAIL IS BACK After several years of a downward spiral, more stores are opening than are closing. That’s according to a Wall Street Journal article by Kate King. The report, “Retail Real Estate Is Enjoying Its Biggest Revival in Years,” has this to say: U.S. retail vacancy fell to 6.1% in the second quarter, the lowest level in at least 15 years, while … [Read more...] about Disruption Report #64: Bricks and Mortar Is Back, Container Rates Are Down, and Hong Kong Ends Hotel Quarantines

I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time to eliminate the term “Kidult.” It’s how we in the toy industry currently refer to adults who want to play with toys. As the Oxford Dictionary defines it: Kidult – “An adult with childish tastes.” Oxford dictionary It seems to me that the term is, in its essence, an insult to those adults who want to pay us money for the … [Read more...] about Adult Toy Consumers Are Having Their Day. We Need to Pay Attention.

I have been wondering about ASTRA’s new Toy Boat trade event and how it differs from the organization’s Marketplace & Academy. I decided to stop wondering and went right to the source, Sue Warfield, President of ASTRA. Here is what Sue had to say: ASTRA’s Toy Boat is sailing February 20-24, 2023, from Fort Lauderdale, FL. ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy is June … [Read more...] about ASTRA’s Toy Boat and ASTRA’s Marketplace & Academy? What is the difference and why both?

Toys that mimic body functions and fluids have enjoyed popular – albeit sometimes controversial – acclaim over the years. Doggie Doo, fake vomit, and whoopee cushions are all examples. So is the Hypo-Phony – a fake hypodermic needle released in 1958 by Chicago-based H. Fishlove & Co. The toy’s realistic-looking plunger, finger flange, barrel, and needle tip allowed … [Read more...] about Believe it or not? The Hypo-Phony from H. Fishlove & Co.

The Lord of the Rings concept box, about 1983. The Strong, Rochester, New York. One Prototype to rule them all, One Prototype to backup and save. Long before Peter Jackson brought The Lord of the Rings to life on the big screen, others tried their hands at adapting the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy classic. With the 1978 animated film directed by Ralph Bakshi just a few years … [Read more...] about Game Saves: The Lord of the Rings Atari 2600

If you have started a new job recently and it hasn’t quite gone according to plan, perhaps you can console yourself by comparing your experience with that of our new Prime Minister and Chancellor. Whatever may have happened to you, it couldn’t come close to the damage the blundering duo has done to the UK economy – crashing the pound, wrecking the mortgage market and almost … [Read more...] about The quids aren’t alright – John Baulch’s Friday Blog!