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“Pieing” – the act of throwing a pie at a person – has been a mainstay of slapstick comedy since the early days of silent films, inspired by the antics of Charlie Chaplin, Laurel & Hardy, and The Three Stooges. In 1968, Hasbro got in on the act with the release of the Pie Face Game, a cream-pie variant of Russian roulette. Marketing materials billed the game as “the most … [Read more...] about Pie in the Eye: Pie Face from Hasbro

The Toy World team joins the nation in offering our respect and gratitude to Her Majesty the Queen. In the words of Paddington Bear: “Thank you Ma’am, for everything.” The next few weeks will be very different to what we had imagined before yesterday’s events. The Entertainer has announced that its stores, head office and warehouse will be closed today as a mark of respect, … [Read more...] about Thank you Ma’am, for everything…it’s the Friday Blog

Marc joined his father in 1976, at the age of 19, in what was then a one-person show. Learning from the ground up, Marc has accumulated an in-depth understanding of the logistics business. His leadership led to a global expansion across 190 countries and peak yearly revenues of over $40m. Marc has spent the better part of his nearly 40 years in the Logistics industry focused … [Read more...] about My Interview with Marc Dedola, CEO of Dedola Global Logistics

At 61%, business is the most trusted institution, ahead of NGOs at 59%,government at 52% and media at only 50%. Seventy-seven percent ofrespondents, however, trust “My Employer,” making the relationshipbetween employer and employee incredibly important. The Trust 10, edelman “Good luck is what is left over after intelligence and effort have combined at their best,” said … [Read more...] about Quotes with Your Coffee #11: Business Is the Most Trusted Instituion, Pinduoduo Opens in US to Compete with Amazon, Target Drops Mandatory Retirement Age, and Some Thoughts on Luck

Click here to listen to this episode Richard and Chris have a lively chat with Kim Carcone, EVP of the Toy Association about the current state of Toy Fair, the upcoming Dallas show, what’s ahead for 2023, and new initiatives to make the show more useful and relevant than ever. The Playground Podcast is supported by Global Toy Experts, The Toy Guy and Beacon Media … [Read more...] about Update on Toy Fairs: Kim Carcone of the Toy Association

Others I have spoken with indicate a darker reason for moving out of China – the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan and the subsequent shutdown of trade between China and the west. Information in the toy industry flows on two levels. There is information to be found in our industry magazines and social networks, and there are communications that we share in … [Read more...] about The Future of China and the Toy Industry; it’s time to talk about it

Ominous Warnings About a Potential UPS Strike The Disruption Report has, until now, focused on the ongoing labor negotiations between the dock workers and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. That may be small potatoes compared to the potential for a major strike by the Teamsters Union against UPS. CNN headlines its article with this doom-filled header: “One of the … [Read more...] about Disruption Report #62 – UPS Strike Looking Likely, Cost of Shipping from China Down 60%, New Container Ships Are Arriving and Boosting Ocean Freight Capacity

DataMan electronic toy, 1978. The Strong, Rochester, NY I was a math kid, one who enjoyed solving simple problems of multiplication and division, arithmetic and subtraction. For many years my favorite toy was DataMan, a calculator themed as a space hero that was created in the late 1970s by Texas Instruments, the same company that introduced not only the portable calculator … [Read more...] about Playing with Primes

In 1966, Topper Toys introduced the Suzy Homemaker line of toy appliances. The line included kid-sized working versions of various household conveniences of the day, including a washer-dryer, iron and ironing board, vacuum cleaner, and mini oven. In subsequent years, the company released even more Suzy Homemaker appliances, including a blender, grill, high-speed mixer, and … [Read more...] about Just Like Mom & Dad: The Suzy Homemaker Super Safety Oven from Topper Toys

Newsweek published its “America’s Best Retailers 2022.” The magazine commissioned Statista to do a poll to determine the best bricks and mortar retailers in America. One hundred ninety-five retailers made the list. Their achievement was based on whether the respondent would recommend the retailer to friends and family, price, assortment, and environment. I culled the list … [Read more...] about Newsweek’s “America’s Best Retailers 2022” – What toy and toy related retailers made the list