First Step Every Toy Inventor Should Take in 2022
What is the FIRST step that you should be taking before you develop and pitch your toy idea?
I’m covering exactly what you need to do and more importantly, how to get it done. The important step I teach in this video is one that most new toy creators skip when developing their ideas for new toys to embarrassing results!
With over a decade of experience working in the toy industry, I can tell you exactly what toy companies do and don’t want to hear from inventors. But, if you skip this important step, you may never even make it beyond your very first pitch. Learning to approach your ideas for new toys in the right way has changed the perspective of the toy creators I work with, allowing them to feel empowered instead of discouraged while developing and pitching innovative toy ideas.
Got ideas for new toys or games, but you're not sure what to do first?
Well, I'm going to share with you the very first step that you should take with your brand new idea. That's going to save you time and make sure you show up as a pro. When you go to pitch it to your dream toy company.
I'm Azhelle Wade AKA the toy coach, and I've helped dozens of aspiring toy creators develop and pitch their toy ideas to companies like Hasbro, Mattel, spin, master, Jazwares, and many more.
Usually new toy designers want to skip this very important step…
Here it is. So let's say you have an idea for an amazing toy or game that you just know a toy company will love. Well, the first thing you should do before pitching it is to research it and how you're going to research. It is in three phases.
Phase #1: Google It
Now, the very first phase to approach your ideas for new toys or games is to Google them.
And not just a quick Google search where you don't really want to find if your ideas exist. You want to Google these ideas for new toys that you have like you mean it. Like you want to find your toy idea already out there in the. I know it sounds crazy cause you don't want to find it, but I want you to open up a fresh browser and put yourself in the mindset of a person who would be looking for a product. Like what you've come up with, what would they, someone who's looking exactly for your toy innovation, search? So let's say you have multiple ideas for new toys. One that stands out is a toy that is like a Tamagotchi meets a purse for little girls. Right? So. I want you to sit there and think what would someone search for if they were looking for a product like that, a product that is like a Tamagotchi meets a purse for little girls.
So you first might start searching Tamagotchi bag. Obviously, you won't find anything. And then you'll say, well, what is a Tamagotchi, it's essentially a pet, right? It's a pet for your kids, like a digital pet. So why don't we Google pet purse?
When you do that? And bam, I know internal screaming, my idea already exists Azhelle. What do I do now?
You just found out your toy idea already exists.
Well, if that's the case, don't worry whether or not you found if one of your ideas for new toys already exists, or you didn't find it at all.
I want you to continue with phase two of this entire research process. Why? Because look, you are a toy designer. You already came up with one incredible toy idea. That was so good a company actually already made it. So I want you to keep going through this research process for all of your ideas for new toys and you'll see all hope is not lost.
Phase #2: Become A Mini Toy Expert
Okay. Phase two of our research process is to Google the toy category that your chosen idea from your list of ideas for new toys falls under to become a mini toy expert of that specific category.
Your goal with this phase of research is to get to know the market, to identify the coolest and most marketable features of existing toys that are in this category.
And when you find those toys, you want to click through and find out what companies are already making the product. Why are we doing this? Because those companies are already competing in that space and they will be more open when an inventor comes knocking to help them maintain their edge on that toy category or take market share away from their competition So. Let's get into the how.
How should you Google your toy category to become an expert in it?
Well, using the example from earlier, I said you would be Googling interactive, purse toy, right? So Google quote, interactive purse toy. You want those quotes? So Google looks for them altogether. And then I like to turn on Google image search because searching Google images is a bit faster.
You can immediately see products that catch your eye. Then you can click through to those products and it will likely take you to a shop page, like an Amazon page or some other store page. So you can see what company makes that product. And remember we're writing all that information down. We're writing down the name of the product and the company that makes.
All right, you are ready. My friend, you are ready to move on to phase three of research.
Phase #3: Identify What’s Missing
In phase three of research, you are going to identify what's missing. Now, I know if you found out that your toy already exists through all of this research, that your ideas for new toys are already out there, you might feel discouraged, but because you just became a mini toy expert in this category, you've educated yourself and you might have identified what we call in the industry whitespace.
Whitespace: Opportunities to fill a missing gap within a certain toy category. So let's look back at our purse, pets, this exercise we've been doing this whole video where you might realize that all of the interactive digital purses out there seem to be overly pink and traditionally feminine. And you might say, well, hold on.
What about a line of personal. Nobody seems to have a traditionally boy-focused purse, bots line. Why is everything pink? Why not throw some blues in there? And there you have a brand new idea. And with that idea, I want you to start this research process over from the beginning.
So what do you do when you have a truly unique idea?
Well, I think we're going to do a happy dance.
It is so important to conduct this kind of in-depth research early on when you have a brand new toy idea. Why is that?
Because one of the worst things that you can do when you have a toy idea and you go and pitch it to a toy company is to go into a meeting with a company like Hasbro Mattel, like spin master and tell them you have got the greatest idea they have ever seen.
Only to pitch them something they released last year. That is the last thing you want to happen to you. So that is why you are going to dive into research early for all of your different ideas for new toys. Now you want to learn how to develop monetize and pitch your ideas to toy companies and toy retailers.
Check out my coaching and connections program, Toy Creators Academy. The link is below in the description and be sure to subscribe and check out all of my videos on this channel to learn more about how you can make it in the toy industry.
As a toy designer your time is everything. Though having creative ideas for new toys is a great start, you need to fully indulge yourself into gaining a better understanding on market trends, consumer preferences, and competition as this will immensely benefit you in gaining a competitive advantage in the toy industry.