My Gnome on the Roam Founder Anne Armstrong Fosters Family Togetherness With Her Activity Kit

In recent years, more importance has been placed on family time and togetherness. Before the world caught on to the importance of creating these special moments, Anne Armstrong, the founder of My Gnome on the Roam, decided to create a toy line that would aid in just that.

As an alumna of tToy Creators Academy and a mother, Anne recognized the need for creative family experiences that can be executed easily in gaps of busy family schedules. Anne has successfully merged education and family fun, allowing families to bond and create cherished memories, all in as little as 30 minutes a week. Keep reading to discover how My Gnome on the Roam is revolutionizing family adventures.

Modern Mompreneur Karen Villard Transforms Early Education with Cubo Toys

In today's fast-paced world, finding innovative ways to engage children in learning has become a top priority for parents and educators alike. Enter Karen Villard, the visionary founder of Cubo Toys, a trailblazing toy company that aims to revolutionize play-based learning. With a background in media management and a passion for early childhood education, Villard has created a brand that seamlessly combines fun and educational value.

Move over Throw Throw Burrito there’s a new game in town.

The Lunch Room is a game that bring ups a sense of nostalgia. One look at the cover and you are sent back in time to your lunch room. The game is appealing to both kids and adults ages 8 and up and only takes 20 minutes to play!

Families can’t get enough of The Lunch Room Game, saying, "We got this game on the recommendation of a friend and it didn't disappoint. I have a 10 yr old who loves it! She's pulled it out and asked us to play a round every night since it arrived."

Madame Alexander® Doll Company, a premier American doll brand, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Madame Alexander dolls as part of American childhood. Teaming up with FAO Schwarz, New York City's oldest and most iconic toy store in the U.S., Madame Alexander will celebrate its 100th anniversary at the flagship store at Rockefeller Center during the month of March. The Centennial Celebration exclusive in-store experience will take place inside FAO Schwarz and include a curated historic exhibit; beautifully designed windows; special offers, including free gift with purchase; an exclusive doll signing; free giveaways; and more! 

On February 19th, 2023 the ASTRA Toy Boat embarked on its first ever journey to the Bahamas, with an inspiring line-up of speakers including the founder of The Black Inventors Hall of Fame, James Howard, Mary Couzin of People of Play, and Dr. Amanda Gummer of the Good Play Guide. Specialty toy and game retailers and manufacturers were excited about the unique opportunity to exhibit on the open sea. 

Based on the incredible lineup of speakers, the schedule of events, and the industry buzz about the toy boat, the ASTRA staff knew it was critical that this one-of-a-kind floating trade show was a success.

The result?  Phenomenal.

Curious if it’s possible to use AI generated art to assist in toy or game design? Well so am I. Is it possible to generate hundreds of toy concepts in minutes instead of days? Could the future of toy design be starting with AI? To figure that out, I performed 7 experiments with two of the most popular AI art generators online. By the end of this post you’ll have new ideas on how AI art generation can inspire your next toy or game creation.

Serial entrepreneur and world renowned NFT expert, Gary Vaynerchukto, one of the most influential names in the NFT space, is confirmed to keynote Day 1 of Licensing Expo, the world’s largest licensing trade show slated for May 24-26 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Joining Gary for the panel discussion is Pam Kaufman, President of Paramount – the two will explore the many opportunities that lie in the crossover between licensing and digital collectibles.

Have an idea for a toy or game, but you're struggling to find a way in to a toy company to pitch it? I've worked in the toy industry for over 11 years, gaining three patents and managing multi-million dollar toy lines. I help mission-driven toy creators make their toy dreams a real thing with advice like this. Let's say you have a pretty amazing toy idea and you want to get it in front of a toy or a game company, but you have absolutely no contacts in the toy industry. Where do you start? How do you get in the door to get your idea heard? There are three main ways on how you can get in at almost any toy company.

3 Ways New Inventors and Toy Industry Experts Benefit from the TCA Virtual Pitch Event

In September 2020, Azhelle Wade, AKA The Toy Coach, created the Toy Creator’s Academy. This online program is designed to give toy inventors and entrepreneurs essential information and practice in developing, marketing, and selling their unique toy ideas. Throughout the program, Azhelle, a 3x patented toy inventor herself, shares best practices and insider tips that she learned over more than a decade in the toy industry.

The Toy Creator’s Academy also connects participants to toy companies, distributors, and retailers through the TCA Virtual Pitch Event. This is a bi-annual event and only those who are current or former participants of the Toy Creators Academy are eligible to apply. The event gives the inventors the valuable opportunity to put together and present a mini-pitch to experienced toy executives who are seeking products to place in their stores, inventions to license into their lines or show concepts to develop.

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 toy ideas to embarrassing results!

Azhelle Wade, AKA The Toy Coach, has hosted more than 100 episodes of her podcast, Making It In the Toy Industry. The podcast features informative interviews with anyone related to the toy industry, from lawyers to creators and toy inventors of popular products to marketing experts. Other episodes focus on important topics for both experienced and expert level toy entrepreneurs like legal issues affecting the toy industry, the toy industry events you must attend, and tips for achieving success as a toy inventor.

Azhelle gained over a decade of experience working in the toy industry for companies including Toys ‘R’ Us, Madame Alexander, and Party City before becoming The Toy Coach and starting the podcast. As The Toy Coach, she uses her knowledge as a 3x patented and award-winning inventor to help people bring their invention ideas from concept to reality through the podcast and the Toy Creators Academy, a valuable educational program she created in September 2020. Through the academy, she helps toy inventors with pitching, often with the goal of getting a deal to sell, distribute, or license their product or IP with a professional partner in the toy industry.

The Toy Coach has also been a featured guest on many other podcasts. Some of her other podcast appearances are focused on the toy industry, but many are focused on marketing, entrepreneurship, or being a podcaster.

Amy Porterfield, an online marketing expert and digital entrepreneur interviewed Azhelle for her podcast, Online Marketing Made Easy. The podcast supports people who want to leave their corporate 9-5 jobs and jump into the world of entrepreneurship. This is something Azhelle definitely knows about!

Azhelle Wade, AKA The Toy Coach, is well known for her toy industry expertise. She has over a decade of experience in working with major brands and is a 3x patented toy inventor.

In 2020, Azhelle quit her corporate job to focus on building The Toy Coach, including the podcast, Making It In the Toy Industry, and The Toy Creator’s Academy, the only toy program that helps people develop and pitch their toy ideas. As The Toy Coach, Azhelle helps people develop their ideas into actual products and market those products for success.

Over the past 2 years, media outlets including Podcast Magazine, The Marie Forleo Podcast, Access Daily, and The History Channel have sought out and featured Azhelle’s industry knowledge. Recently, Azhelle was honored to have her second appearance on Access Daily.

Access Daily is a daytime talk show hosted by Mario Lopez, Kit Hoover, and Scott Evans. It’s a lighthearted spinoff of the show Access Hollywood. Access Daily focuses on pop culture with fun celebrity interviews and lifestyle segments to inform viewers about interesting trends.

Azhelle’s most recent segment on the show featured products made by three inspiring kid entrepreneurs. Kids are so creative. They’ve always come up with great ideas, and with extra time on their hands due to staying home during the pandemic, some enterprising kids really got their creative juices flowing and put on their inventor hats. Entrepreneurship projects can be fun for the whole family.

Here’s some solid toy advice: before you even create your product, you need to have a marketing plan. Having marketing at the core of your toy creation will allow you to do more than just make it, it will allow you to sell it!

This 3-step toy marketing triangle creates a solid foundation and lets you know where you can begin with your marketing plan. This plan is accessible to anyone, and can be scaled up or down depending on your needs and budget.

This year's event features the return of Licensing U, produced by Licensing International, the US market debut of License This!, and an opening keynote address from senior executives at Warner Bros. Consumer Products, plus the launch of Digital Brand Roadshows, Retail Clinics, Sustainability Clinics produced in partnership with Products of Change, along with GLG educational content. "We are so excited to reveal this year's agenda as we tailor-made each offering to mirror the industry's most pressing and ever-changing needs," said Anna Knight, vice president of Licensing, Informa Markets. "As a result of extensive conversations with our exhibitor and attendee community, we have devised the strongest agenda to date that is geared toward inciting collaboration, drawing hundreds of IP to the forefront, and addressing the challenges our attendee-base faces daily."