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Screenshot of Instagram user hellicty_merriman post, 2022, courtesy of the author. I’m always on the lookout for play in everyday social media trends and breaking news headlines. When these spaces intersect, great examples emerge and illustrate the complex meaning and cultural function of play and playthings in our daily lives. Take as example: protesting crowds gathered … [Read more...] about What Do American Girl Dolls Say About Us?

The Spielwarenmesse, the world’s largest toy show, is coming back in 2023. Here is a look back at the last show to take place pre-Covid. Date:1 – 5 February 2023 Opening hours:Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm Venue: Messezentrum Nürnberg (Nuremberg Exhibition Center)Messezentrum 190471 Nuremberg, Germany … [Read more...] about This Was The Spielwarenmesse 2020

In 1962, Kenner released a toy musical instrument called the Banjo-Matic. According to ads from the time, the toy allowed a child to “play real banjo music.” And by “play”, Kenner meant that a child could enjoy the Banjo-Matic’s ability to self-play a variety of canned musical numbers. The ability to experience the joy of automated banjo picking was facilitated through the … [Read more...] about When the Grass is Blue: The Banjo-Matic from Kenner

Change in Hong Kong Quarantine Rules Expected Monday Sources in Hong Kong had been telling me that the Hong Kong government was going to announce quarantine policy changes in November. It looks that the timetable may have moved up as, according to Bloomberg, an announcement is expected on Monday, August 8, 2022. Here is how Bloomberg describes the current policy: Hong … [Read more...] about Disruption Report #61: Change in Hong Kong Quarantine Rules Coming, China Launches World’s, Largest Container Ship, and Supply Chain Capacity Increased and Freight Costs Declined in July

I am very pleased to announce that we will run John Baulch’s “Friday Blog” on a weekly basis. John Baulch, the Publisher of Toy World, is an outstanding source of knowledge and wit about the British toy industry. His blog is a great read. So great, that we wanted to share it with you. John has worked in the toy industry on several trade magazines over the past 40 years, … [Read more...] about John Baulch’s Friday Blog, The Toy Industry From a British Perspective

The more the press talks about recession, the more people who watch and read media think we are in one. We as human beings wish to be rational creatures, but emotion plays a major roll in how we see our future. That’s why I was concerned by two articles published over the last two weeks. One was in the July 25, 2022, issue of CSA. Written by Editor-In-Chief Marianne Wilson, … [Read more...] about Is Retail In Trouble? It’s an emotional question.

“Mah-Jongg” trademark advertisement page, Toys and Novelties, September 1924. From the Philip E. Orbanes papers. The Strong, Rochester, New York. When the film adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s hit book Crazy Rich Asians came out in 2018, I knew I’d have to watch it on the big screen. (A charming romantic comedy starring several of my favorite actors in beautiful Singapore? Yes, … [Read more...] about Chow, Pong, and Kong: Mahjong!

Sherry Martin is a consummate, whose passion is creating games with an educational bent. I was intrigued by Sherry’s journey in the toy industry as well as his thoughts on to game invention. Here is my interview: Richard:         Sherry, you have had quite a journey as a game inventor and entrepreneur. Tell us about yourself. Sherry:           As a boy, I had a vivid … [Read more...] about My Interview with Game Inventor, Sherry Martin

Fortune Magazine has issued its 2022 Fortune Global 500. The list ranks the world’s top 500 companies by revenue. I have gone through the list and pulled out those companies that are toy-related. Twenty toy-related companies made my list. They are: 1 Walmart – US – Mass Merchandiser 2 Amazon – US – Ecommerce 3 CVS – US – Drug 26 Costco – US – Bricks and Mortar … [Read more...] about Fortune Global 500 – Where Toy and Toy Related Companies Rank

Summer Toys Bring The Fun! Here it is summer of 2022. COVID-19 isn’t done with us yet, but people are a little more courageous about travel, thanks to vaccines and continued attention to being careful. However, prices for airfares, gas, and hotels are way up, so we’re predicting that vacations are going to be a bit shorter and perhaps a bit closer to home. That means that … [Read more...] about The Toy Guy Gives Us His Insights on Summer’s Hot Toys