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Let’s face it: toy brands get almost ALL the glory, but the inventors behind the product—people like you—deserve the spotlight too. In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, I’m sharing 5 lessons to take you from hidden genius to rising star, inspired by my own experience and my recent convo with Tim Walsh, inventor of ‘Blurt!’.

We’re talking about why advocating for yourself matters (yes, you can request your name on the box), how to time your ideas to ride the perfect trend wave, and why pitching just one idea is a rookie mistake. (Spoiler: you need a whole pipeline of concepts.)

I’ll also give some insight into how to spot the white space in the market, using data-focused tools and cross-industry trends. 

Hit play if you agree with me and Tim Walsh that toy and game inventors are criminally unrecognized. 🙂

Listen For These Important Moments

• [00:01:46] - Recognition for Toy Creators

• [00:07:27] - Collaborating with the Industry

• [00:10:55] - Designing for Connection

• [00:12:25] - Playtesting in Real-World Environments

• [00:14:10] - Timing and Persistence

• [00:18:23] - Pitching Multiple Ideas

• [00:20:50] - Finding White Space

• [00:23:28] - Drawing Inspiration from Other Industries