The Playground Podcast

You'll want to listen to this lively discussion as Richard and Chris talk with Kim Culmone, SVP, Global Head of Design Barbie & Fashion Dolls at …

In the wake of the postponement of the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair, Chris and Richard discuss in this short conversation the implications for buying and the toy year, as well as what impact the rise of Shenzhen as …

Join us for a lighthearted and informative conversation as Richard and Chris welcome back a favorite guest Chris Bensch of the Strong Museum in Rochester to talk about the Toy Hall of Fame. Get some backstage stories of …

Chris & Richard talk about the implications for the toy business with the loss of word-of-mouth among kids in the schoolyard as education is …

Richard and Chris talk to Richard Dickson, President & COO of Mattel and get his unique, inspiring and informative take on toys, play and the opportunities and responsibilities for Mattel in this dynamic time. From …

Richard and Chris chat with Alan Dorfman about his career, how he became the biggest guy in miniature toys, and, of course, coping with the pandemic. Listen in for his insights on the power of creating and building a …

Richard and Chris catch up with the busy Richard North, one of the founders of Wow Stuff from his car on a busy London street and they talk about the growth of the company, the challenges and opportunities of working in …

Join Richard and Chris as we continue our series on Upstarts and Innovators with a conversation with Alex Tongue, CEO and founder of Vango Toys. Hear …

Join Richard and Chris in an engaging and lively conversation with Mattel's Chief Design Officer, Chris Down as they discuss Mattel's evolution into …

Richard and Chris talk to industry veteran Ken Lewis, CEO of 4Kidz, Inc. Ken is a second-generation toy executive who literally grew up in the business and shares his insights about how the business has changed, what …

Join Richard and Chris as they talk with Jo Hall, Chief Commercial Officer for Toys "R" Us Asia. Jo, a highly respected industry veteran, shares her insights on what's made TRU Asia such a success over so many years, …

Richard and Chris speak with Sarah Jordan, the new CEO of Canada's Mastermind Toys. Taking the reins in January of 2020, Jordan has had to deal with …

Join Richard & Chris for a light hearted, but substantive conversation with Ronnie Frankowski, CMO of Moose Toys. Hear how the company has …

Chris and Richard speak with Dr. Lisa Williams PhD, founder of Fresh Dolls. Here the amazing story of this trailblazing professor, researcher and …

(33 minutes)

Chris and Richard talk with Kimberly Mosely, president of ASTRA and board member, owner of Angelina's Toys Shop and education consultant …

(32 minutes)

In this special episode, Chris interviews senior executives at Zuru about how the international hit Rainbocorns evolved from a crazy …

(32 minutes)

Chris talks with the inventors of the  hit product, The Eggmazing Egg Decorator. It's an amazing, funny story of a classic toy biz …

Richard & Chris talk with Bob Wann, chief Play Monster for PlayMonster, and the new company president, Tim Kilpin. In this lively conversation, they discuss PlayMonster's newest product entry, Snap Ships and the …

Chris & Richard have an important conversation with Eric Pliner, CEO of YSC, an international leadership consulting firm. In the conversation, …

(31 minutes)

We sit down with Janice Ross, president of Women in Toys (WIT) and executive director Mary Kay Russell for an insightful conversation …

Richard and Chris have a lively conversation with Bryan Stockton. The former CEO of Mattel has remained engaged with an industry he loves. Stockton shares his insights on current business topics, what's working and …

(44 minutes)

Richard and Chris talk to James Zahn, The Rock Father about issues in the toy industry, including Q4 outlooks, how to look at various statistics and what may be ahead. In the second part of the …

(26 minutes)

In the second part of their conversation with Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun, Chris and Richard continue the frank conversation about the state of the toy industry, including a lengthy conversation about the …

(23 minutes)

Chris and Richard welcome back Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun for a frank and insightful conversation about the state of the toy …

Chris and Richard talk with game inventor Rob Angel about Pictionary, how the phenomenon happened, and the evolution of games. thirty-five years …

(26 minutes)

In this episode, Richard and Chris talk to Steve Totzke, Chief Commercial Officer of Mattel. In this lively conversation, the three discuss Mattel's response to the pandemic, changes in sales processes, the …

(18 minutes, 30 seconds)

Chris and Richard chat with Josh Shriber, musician and creator of Jammin With You, a music school in Boston and New York. …

Richard and Chris talk to Davin Sufer, chief technology officer at WowWee. They talk robotics, designing toys and how even as technologies advance, …

(23 minutes)

Richard and Chris chat remotely with Bob Moog co-founder and CEO of University Games. From the 35-year-history of the company to its …

Length: 32 minutes

Chris and Richard talk with Chris Bensch, head curator,  about the amazing Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. From its history to some of its most famous acquisitions, to the experience of …

Richard and Chris talk to JB and Debbie Frere of The Learning Journey. Starting as a multi-level marketing company owned by World Book, this …

Richard and Chris continue their conversation with Joseph Farco about the tools for protecting your IP through patent, trademarks and copyrights. …

Chris and Richard talk with Joseph Farco, patent and IP attorney with Norris-McLaughlin. Join us for a conversation on the importance of protecting IP and an in-depth understanding of how different patents can protect …

Richard and Chris talk with Steve Pasierb about the current impact of the Coronavirus on the toy industry. The conversation includes information on how the Association is supporting its members, news, perspective, and …

Richard and Chris talk about current topics in the toy industry, including: The impacts of the Coronavirus on the industry, changing retail, sustainability, and the expansion of LEGO in China. What's happening now...and …

Chris and Richard talk with Arnie Rubin. Rubin was a co-founder of Imperial Toy Company, and later went on to found Funrise. He's a 2012 inductee into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame, and one of the most loved and …

Richard and Chris sit down with Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner, and Danny Simon, founder of the Licensing Group, Ltd. Listen in to an insightful …

Richard and Chris share stories about past Toy Fairs, trends that will be affecting the business in the year ahead, and a look at the TOTY awards and much more. Start your Toy Fair adventure here!

Richard and Chris talk with Matt Hansen, client engagement manager for the start-up Alloy.ai. This data-driven platform helps toy companies manage inventory, track sales and forecast demand and supply down to the …

Chris provides some perspective on the emerging trends at Spielwarenmesse. Plus conversations with Ian Harkin of Lottie Dolls and Josh Loerzel of Hog …

Richard and Chris discuss the trends emerging at the Spielwarenmesse. A chat with Jerry Kallman provides insight for would-be exhibitors, Lisa …

Chris and Richard talk the present and long-term value of international toy fairs with Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse, sustainability with Alain Derauw of Plan Toy and the challenges and opportunities of launching a …

Live from the Playmobil booth at the Nuremberg 2020 Toy Fair, Richard and Chris sit down with Mark Foster, general manager of the U.S. and U.K. for Playmobil. Mark talks about current strategies, the company's …

Richard and Chris sit down with Marian Bossard, EVP Global Market Events for the Toy Association to talk all things Toy Fair. From innovative …

Richard and Chris finish the first season of The Playground Podcast with a look at the trends that shaped the decade and their implications for the industry as we move into the 20's. From the changes in demography to …

Richard and Chris talk about the toys that shaped the decade from Sing-A-Ma-Jigs, to Monster High, to the revolution in play ignited by the iPad, …

In the second part of their conversation with Toy Association President and CEO Steve Pasierb, Chris, Richard, and Steve discuss the ongoing importance of a Los Angeles presence for toy companies, the need for, and …

In the first of a two-part conversation, Chris and Richard sit down with President and CEO of the Toy Association, Steve Pasierb. Listen in as they discuss tariffs, counterfeits and the ongoing work of the association …

Richard and Chris talk with David Nigli about the return of FAO Schwarz and its role as an iconic American brand. From its founding in 1862 to today, …

Richard and Chris talk with Keith Meggs of Far Out Toys about building a company from the ground up, the importance of a solid business model, the …

Listen as Richard and Chris engage in a wide-ranging conversation talking about current issues in the toy industry. They'll discuss the state of Barbie and what's behind her resurgence, marketing, what the changes at …

Chris and Ursula Ziegler, head writer of Paw Patrol, continue their conversation about bringing the world of Adventure Bay to to life, what makes a …

Chris sits down with Ursula Ziegler, head writer of the smash hit Paw Patrol. Recorded in June, this episode talks about kids' entertainment, …

Richard and Chris chat with Adrienne Aappell and Rebecca Mond of the Toy Association. They talk about battling aggressive NGO's and their "dangerous toy" lists, the consumer safety site Play Safe (www.playsafe.org), a …

Join Richard and Chris as they talk with Charles Albert of Creativity, Inc. In an expansive discussion, Charlie shares his thoughts on dealing with …

Chris and Richard sit down with Jay Foreman, industry veteran and CEO of Basic Fun. With more than 30 years of working with China, Jay has a unique perspective on the current trade situation. Listen as he shares his …

Richard and Chris discuss the current, dynamic state of tariffs, implications of the situation in Hong Kong and entertainment. Is Hasbro's purchase of Entertainment One, besides being a strong, strategic move for …

Chris and Richard talk with Jamie Gallagher, CEO of Faber-Castell about the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment and how the …

Richard and Chris talk to Lisa Orman, founder of KidStuff Public Relations about new products and trends in marketing and PR. Then they chat with Jerome Dureau of Namco Bandai about a breakthrough, new learning and …

Listen in as Chris and Richard go live to the Sweet Suite event and talk to James Zahn, The Rock Father; Ashley Maddy of Basic Fun and Women in Toys; Lisa Wuuenneman from Play Monster, Ryan Birkhardt from Pacific Cycle …

Join us for a conversation about the changing world of movies and children's entertainment and what it might mean for the toy industry. How has streaming changed the game? And what about kids as their own programmers? …

Richard and Chris discuss the current state of toy retailing. Is there a need for a national chain? How has the current market changed for manufacturers, consumers, and kids? And what about the planned relaunch of the …

Chris talks with Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free Range Kids movement, author and blogger at Let Grow. It's about giving kids freedom and not worrying and how kids are, and can be, self-reliant and fearless from an …

Richard and Chris talk with John Baulch of Toy World about the state of the UK toy market, implications of Bexit, retailing in the UK, the sate of …

Richard and Chris talk tariffs with Ralph Chow, Regional Director, Americas, Hong Kong Trade Development Council. They talk tariffs, the changing face of the toy supply chains and how Hong Kong is continuing its …

Richard and Chris continue the conversation with Maura Regan, president of Licensing International, talking about the state of the business, the power of character and more on the power of licensing as a profitable …

Chris and Richard talk with Maura Regan, president of the newly re-branding Licensing International. Listen as they discuss the state of the licensing business in 2019 and insights into the power of licensing to build …

With the release of List 4, tariffs of up to  25 percent appear increasingly likely on finished goods, as soon as July. Richard and Chris talk to Ed …

Richard and Chris continue their conversation with Robin Raskin from Living in Digital Times. In this episode, they talk about the demise of Anki and its implications for toys and play, STEM in tech, changes in the …

Richard and Chris sit down with family technology expert Robin Raskin, founder and president of Living in Digital Times. They talk about current …

Richard Gottlieb and Chris Byrne talk about the hot issue of STEM and STEAM in toys and play and their role in development. From the foundational to …

Richard and Chris talk about developments in the domestic Chinese toy market, implications for the broader international toy business, and, of course, some fun stuff. Recorded on the floor of the show in Guangzhou, …

Richard and Chris continue the conversation about Toy Fair and product trends, with a (very) brief conversation about the evolution of the New York …

Richard and Chris talk about news coming out of the Toy Fairs as the toy year heats up. Plus, a conversation about some of the trends that will be shaping the business in 2019. 

Richard Gottlieb and Chris Byrne introduce The Playground Podcast, and you're invited to join us!