Episode #85: Lessons for Specialty Toy Brands from the 2021 ASTRA Marketplace Show
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If you’ve ever looked into attending a toy tradeshow and thought, “Nope. Toy trade shows are for the big toy companies with thousands and thousands of orders at least, they’re not for me.” Well, it’s time to declare that a myth right here and right now my friend.
Today’s podcast episode we dive into a review of the ASTRA Marketplace and Academy that takes place every year to connect specialty toy retailers with the manufacturers that make creative, innovative specialty toy products. In this episode, you’ll hear a recap of insights and comments direct from attendees of the ASTRA toy show including manufacturers, retailers, and sales reps who all share their perspectives on working in the specialty toy market.
You’ll learn the vibe of the ASTRA toy show and why this toy show is known for its personal touch and sense of close-knit community. By the end of this episode, I hope you leave inspired to introduce your toy brand to the specialty market if you haven’t already, and perhaps bring your product to the next ASTRA Marketplace toy show!
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Toy Manufacturers/Retailers Mentioned:
Constructive Eating | Pixicade | Kiddywampus | Marmals | BryBelly | Thin Air Brands | Ultra Pro Games – Burger Academy | PunkinFutz
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[00:00:00] Azhelle Wade: You were listening to making it in the toy industry. Episode number 85.
[00:00:04] Hey there toy people, Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of the toy coach podcast, making it in the toy industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com.
[00:00:28] If you have ever looked into attending a toy trade show and thought. Toy trade shows are for big toy companies with thousands and thousands of orders. At least they are not for me well I am going to declare that thought a myth right here. And right now my friend. Because just this past weekend, I spent time at the ASTRA marketplace getting to know toy manufacturers, retailers, and sales reps of all sizes.
[00:00:56] Astra is an acronym for the American specialty toy retailing association, which is a nonprofit association that provides education, networking, product sourcing discounts, and consumer public relations, specifically designed to support and grow the specialty toy industry. Astra is known for many events and award shows, but for this episode of the making it in the toy industry podcast, I am going to focus on sharing stories, right from the most recent Astro marketplace and academy event, which is normally held on an annual basis.
[00:01:36] But because of COVID 19 was actually canceled. This year, however, Astra was the first major toy show to return since the COVID-19 pandemic just shut down our lives. And from August 5th to August 8th, the organizers behind the event put their all into creating an in-person experience that the. That the industry just can't stop talking about.
[00:02:02] I've got to stop here and give a huge shout out to the current president of Astra Sue Warfield, who along with her incredible staff and team of board members put on a fantastic show.
[00:02:13] The end of this episode, you will learn some of the stories behind the vendors and attendees of the ASTRA marketplace. You'll even get a glimpse into how the show itself works, feels and can benefit your growing toy business. My goal today is for you to be able to see yourself attending Astra, to collect orders.
[00:02:34] If you're. To collect orders. If you're a manufacturer write orders, if you're a buyer or expand your business contacts, if you're a sales rep or PR agency or other related company in the toy industry. Also, if you are a toy coach podcast, insiders club member, there is a treat waiting for you in the members area today.
[00:02:57] So I did a bunch of mini little quick interviews and product reviews during my ASTRA show walks. Some of which will get posted to The Toy Coach Instagram. However, all of it has been assembled into a video diary of the show, just for you, my toy coach podcast insiders listeners.
[00:03:15] So head over to your members area to check that out right away. If you aren't a member of the toy coach podcast insiders club, it is not too late to join and access all the freebies from today's episode, just head over to club.thetoycoach.com to sign up. Okay. Enough of an intro. I know, I know. I get so wrapped up and telling you how great what we're going to dive into is sometimes I forget to dive in.
[00:03:38] So let's do this to kick off this episode. I have got to explain to you the vibe of the show, the vibe is so important because as I explained every other part of the show, you're going to want to keep the vibe in mind. So I'm trying to think about how I can explain what the vibe is to you.
[00:03:57] You, you know, that warm, fuzzy feeling you get at the end of a romcom, when the two characters finally get together after a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, or do you know that feeling you get watching adorable puppy videos. Better yet the feeling you get watching puppies and cats, be friends in adorable videos.
[00:04:20] Yeah. Well that warm, fuzzy feeling is pretty close to what you're going to get. When you attend the ASTRA marketplace, everyone is welcoming at the show. Open arms, looking to sell product place orders, gain orders, learn and make connections. While every trade show has manufacturers with secret toy products that you can't snap a photo of just yet because they haven't released or retailers that are tight-lipped about their next season product selects because they don't want anyone to buy it from under them.
[00:04:49] ASTRA has a great balance of that secret side of the toy industry and the open collaborative. While walking the show, I stopped by a booth that had out on its display table, a product called stretchies, which is a play food line that feels like slime, but plays like dough. And I spoke with Mike Searls who openly shared a Pearl of wisdom in regards to knock off toy products. Mike told me, you simply cannot worry about knockoffs because they are almost guaranteed to happen. The differentiator is the passion you bring to your toy product into your brand.
[00:05:26] Mike shared with me a story in which one year his patented bug vacuum product had eight different knockoffs from different toy companies. But today, those companies aren't around doing that vacuum anymore. Mike's company thin air brands. Focused on longevity. Their vision is to do this for the next 20, 30 years. Not just a season. Mike said, quote, competitors will come and go and they always seem to go. So we just keep doing what we do. And we don't look back now for my toy coach podcast insiders. I have to say, I'm going to share the clip from that convo with you right now.
[00:06:05] I want that quote to sit with you toy person, that quote, that competitors will come and go that they always seem to go. And you've just got to keep on doing what you do. If you have an idea for a toy, but you're letting the fear of someone else stealing that idea from you, hold you back from developing it or selling it.
[00:06:23] Don't. Then air brands has been in business for over 20 years, and while they do the work to protect their ideas, they don't let fear hold them back from releasing innovative products season after season, as I walked away from the booth, Mike told me one more thing. He said, quote, if you're not making dust, So, what I want you to do is make some desk toy people.
[00:06:46] Now that little story is just a touch of the overall vibe you're going to feel at this show. Everyone really was welcoming, open to sharing their life lessons learned and their bits of advice.
[00:06:59] The events schedule is also filled with networking opportunities from bus tours of local ASTRA toy stores to events put on by. Sponsors and other members of the association, one of the premier events that everyone tells me as a must-see and I have to admit I haven't been to yet because I was too exhausted.
[00:07:20] I know, I know I'm going to receive a lot of comments after admitting this, but the event, the premier event that is a must see is ASTRA's lip sync battle. Members of Astra that participate in this lip sync battle lip-sync to popular songs and put on an entertaining show with costumes and dance moves.
[00:07:41] I've heard many, many, many reports on how this event alone is enough reason to put the ASTRA show on your must visit list for next year. Now the last bit of vibe of the Astro show that I want to share with you today is their educational sessions. What's great about educational sessions at toy trade shows is that they give you a current outlook on the toy market.
[00:08:06] From the perspective of speakers from various aspects of the industry. If you take a look at the show schedule you could have seen that there were talks to benefit retailers like retail store management, hiring and retaining staff, which this talk was a panel addressing how peers in the retail toy space are finding and retaining good staff in the light of the great resignation of 2021 that was prompted by the pandemic.
[00:08:35] There was also a chat for new manufacturers by Tammy Murphy in which she offered guidance on how manufacturers can get the most from working with independence, then sales reps. And there was another one opportunity for sales, reps and manufacturers to get together and share lessons learned in 2020 in a planned forum setting.
[00:08:57] So my advice to you is to come to the show early and give yourself plenty of time to set up and then rest. So you can take full advantage of the educational offerings of the show. It is more than just walking the show floor and even more than just attending networking events. So you'll need a lot of energy and maybe a few strategically placed naps to be able to take advantage of everything of the show.
[00:09:22] Next I want to dive into how the show itself works. What can you actually expect when you get there? Well, this year was a bit different than years prior, of course, considering the effects of COVID-19 first and foremost, the ASTRA shows actually typically held in June, but this year was pushed to August due to the ever-changing landscape caused by the pandemic. Now the show floor is also usually open for three days and this year it was only open for two. Now, as a vendor, you will have a day to set up your space before the show floors officially open. There was a designated space and offer for first-time vendors that included a table and chairs and a curtain for your space. Benders are invited to also create ASTRA specific shows specials, which will be featured on the main page for the marketplace and academy event and will be downloadable for buyers.
[00:10:14] This show special list is so that specialty toy buyers can reference throughout the show and get special deals that are limited to ASTRA show offerings. The Astra marketplace academy website also features what they call a share the fare list, the share the fare list, highlights products that have been noted by other retail buyers as must see products at the show.
[00:10:40] So now I'm sure your next question is, well, if I decide to attend the show, where should I stay? Well, when attending the show, most people say at the Hilton, it is connected to the convention center by an elevated walkway, and it does offer discounted show rates. However, those discounted rooms are limited.
[00:11:00] So if you're going to the Astra show, or if you're thinking you might attend reserve your room early. If you happen to forget and you don't end up reserving a room, there are a number of surrounding hotels. It'll be a little bit more challenging for you to get there. Or you could try some Airbnbs, you know, you'll have to figure out on your own, like how you're going to get there and transport your things back and forth.
[00:11:24] If you're not right in the hotel. And a lot of the networking events do happen inside the hotel. So it is easier if you already know that you're staying inside of the building.
[00:11:35] Now let's talk about what happens when the doors open. When Astro begins. Once the show floors open as a toy manufacturer, you may already have meetings set up to chat with retail buyers, or you may just be waiting to grab buyer's attention as they walk by your booth. Now, if you're a new-ish vendor or if you don't have a lot of scheduled meetings on the calendar, I, I really think it's a great idea to have something that you can demonstrate out on your table for passers by to interact with.
[00:12:05] There were a few people, including myself who were going around gathering content for, social media or other forms of editorial use and buyers are likely to notice booths that are gaining a little bit of a crowd interest around them. And that might make them more likely to stop by poke their head in and see what all the fuss is about So I really, I want you to think before heading to this show really devise something like what can I put on my table related to my toy product? That is a part of my toy products play pattern that will draw people in. Now sales reps at the shows.
[00:12:42] If they're independent sales reps are often going to be bouncing between a few different boots because they're showcasing and demonstrating products for a multitude of clients. Now, by the second half of the day, if you walk the show and chat at manufacturers, you are likely to find out about an after party or two that you can join in. Later that evening. So just make sure you make the time and take the time to meet.
[00:13:10] Now the final topic that we are going to cover in today's podcast episode is a big one. And the topic is what is the difference between specialty and mass toy market. So to dive into that topic, I actually went around meeting manufacturers, retailers, and reps from all sizes of toy companies and ask them to share their experience working in the specialty toy space.
[00:13:37] So, so the remainder of this episode includes origin stories for manufacturers insights from sales reps, and even tips from retailers, the quotes and comments I received ranged from the inspiring to the insightful, to the downright educational. So let's get started. The very first company I chatted with was one.
[00:14:01] I actually remember seeing at toy trade shows prior, and that company is called constructive eating. This is a company that was started 16 years ago by Carter Malcolm with an idea that was actually inspired by his picky eater son. So Carter actually modeled eating utensils that look like construction vehicles to ease dinnertime tensions, and, and he quickly found that all of his friends wanted a version of his product for their own kids.
[00:14:30] From that testing phase constructive eating was born and this made in USA company is luckily not being held back by the shipping container crisis. That's happening in China, and you can find their products readily available online. And in stores. Now I spoke with a marketing manager of the company who shared that just last week, constructive eating went viral with an ASM, our style Tik TOK, and they went from 3000 followers to 20,000 followers overnight on the app. Better get the Tik TOK that went viral was created by a high school student. So if this isn't an argument to let kids create content for your toy product, I don't know what it is. Continuing on this show, I chatted with two sales reps from the 15 year old toy company, Brybelly named after the owners, two kids, Bryce and Isabella. Now Brybelly loves focusing their efforts on specialty first, and I was lucky enough to chat with two sales reps from the brand to find out why that is. Now April and bill both chatted with me a bit here. Bill shared that most everyone actually starts out in specialty first because specialty retailers are a lot more hands-on with their customers and can provide you direct consumer feedback to help tweak and improve your product before you launch it into the mass market.
[00:15:59] Having your product in mass first will help you figure out details like how packaging should be adjusted to improve value perception and ultimately increase the sell through of your product. Additionally valuable feedback can come from specialty real retailers in as little as six months. So you can react quickly. You can take notes, tweak your product and set it up for success in mass. Now when asked why you should choose Brybelly, Bill answered that Brybelly allows orders as little as three units per item per store. So retailers can truly test what works for them.
[00:16:36] Now, the next person I pulled aside for a quick chat was Haley from the retailer Kiddywampus. So Kiddywampus is an interactive and inspiring toy store and birthday party destination in Minnesota founded in 2006 by Amy Saldona. If you've ever wondered, if working in a specialty toy store can help you break into the toy industry. This is the part of the episode that you really want to listen to because I asked Haley from Kiddywampus. If she thinks working at a specialty toy store is a great way to get started in the industry. Haley's answer, definitely. Haley shared that when she started out working retail at a specialty toy store, she had no idea where it was going to go.
[00:17:24] She started as a sales person, moved up to sales, lead assistant manager and dipped a little into toy buying. She had no clue how far this career could take her when she first started. And now she finds herself at awesome toy trade shows, looking at and evaluating new product that could come into this store.
[00:17:44] Now you might be thinking if I just work retail at a specialties toy store, won't I just be working behind a register all day. Well, probably not. I have this great quote from Haley where she says, quote, it depends on who you work for, but all of the places I've worked at, it's a lot more about curating gifts for people you're learning about child development trends based on what people are looking for. You're working with someone one-on-one and learning what people need and helping them find it and quote.
[00:18:14] And if you're currently working a retail toy job, I did ask Haley to give a little bit of parting advice for you. And she encourages that you really learn the product. Haley says product knowledge is where it's at. You've got to know all you can about what's in the store that you work for, how that product works and why people are looking for it.
[00:18:35] No, I really loved this chat with Hayley because I know so many aspiring toy people out there are looking for a way into the toy industry. And some of you have written and asked me if retail can possibly be that way in. And I'm just so excited to hear this answer from Haley that potentially. It could be.
[00:18:56] Now this next quote from Erin Lundstrom, PunkinFutz, really just tells the story of the impact that Astra toy stores have on the communities that they are a part of. So I really just want to play Erin's quote and not paraphrase it at all.
[00:19:13] Erin Lundstrom: I actually owned my own specialty toy store, but I started by working in a specialty store, I started putting myself through college, working there, started working for some big manufacturers who was working for one of the biggest name manufacturers and I got a call that this first store that I ever worked at was ready to sell and I was family approved. I lived above the store. One mom actually stopped me when I was walking my dog. And she said, you're the person who owns the toy store, right? I said, yeah, can I help you? And she said, well, I just want to let you know that my child is having his first lunch out with his friends in town. And we talked about this and we said, what are you going to do if you get into trouble? And he goes, I'm going to the toy store. I know Ms. Erin is going to take care of me. That's beautiful. And so everybody in the ASTRA community is like that we all build stores that really encourage not only the customer base being solid, but that the children know they have a fun, safe place to go.
[00:20:09] Azhelle Wade: Okay. Now all of these stories I've shared so far, I hope are inspiring you to start seeing yourself at the ASTRA toys show, whether you are a manufacturer or a retailer or potentially a sales rep. There are three more stories and products that I want to share with you from the show.
[00:20:29] Next up is the product Pixicade so this is a product created by a husband and wife team. The husband does the technology side and the, the wife does the design and product development side. This is a product that allows kids to draw and play their own video games. It is so innovative. I created my own game while I was at the show. I have to tell you, it's the coolest thing I've seen in a while. The kit includes different colored markers that all register as different functions in the game.
[00:21:06] For example, the black marker acts as walls. The red acts as pieces that will end the game. If you touch them. And the green is your avatars pieces, so on and so forth with a few other colors. Now, all the kid has to do is draw their game on a piece of paper, regular old piece of paper, take a photo of it and load it up into the Pixacade app.
[00:21:29] The app is going to convert their drawing into a playable video game. You can save and share your game with the world. Anyone can download the app that goes along with their product and play games for free but if you want to create a game, you've got to purchase the kit.
[00:21:45] Currently the product is sold in specialty stores around the country, like learning express and mass stores like Walmart. The couple who created picks acade verse came up with the idea in 2016 and they spent a year and a half working with students and teachers to understand the educational values of the product. They used all of their learning from that time to create the instruction and educational booklet that goes along with the retail version of the product that they have today. I'm going to put the link in the show notes so that you can learn more about Pixacade and maybe create your own game.
[00:22:23] And I kept on walking the show looking for an opportunity to connect with more people, to learn about what they love about the specialty market. And then I met with Danielle, a brand manager at Ultrapro games, and she showed me their game burger academy. And as we played, we talked about what it's like to work in the specialty toy market.
[00:22:45] Danielle shared the same sentiment that ASTRA specialty toys show has this personal feel, where you get more direct feedback from the retailers, which are some of their comments and also comments from their consumers. When working with specialty toy stores, the goal is to get a product place that will really be an evergreen and stay in the store for a long time. Whereas with mass products, she's usually seeing that products are selling in for a season or for a year before flipping that skew. And by flipping that skew, that's just a term for changing out the skew for a new product.
[00:23:22] Now, finally my last stop to check in and see how the specialty toy market is treating toy people. I stopped over in the new toy creator section in there I found Jeff Lawber who you may know is the creator of Marmals. Now Jeff said he got his first big break when he was selected to be featured in the future cast gallery at the toy fair Dallas in October of 2019.
[00:23:50] After being featured in that gallery where he says his product was right next to Mattel. Jeff got into inventor's day and forged new contacts that we're interested in carrying his product now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of things fell through things got messy, but luckily ASTRA put on a summer and then a winter camp to help new toy creators like Jeff create opportunities to land orders. And that's exactly what happened for Jeff at winter camp. So this online event, which was put on by ASTRA in lieu of needing to cancel toy shows last year is where Jeff landed an impressive number of sales, leading to placement of his product in over 20 stores. And at the most recent ASTRA in-person marketplace, Jeff is expecting to be in a new 15 stores. Jeff is completely grateful to this industry for all the people that uplifted him and showcased his product when he was just starting out and for welcoming him and his product in with open arms. If you actually want to learn more about Jeff story, I want you to head over to the toy coaches, Instagram. My name on Instagram is @thetoycoach and then check out my IG Lives. I did a IG live video with Jeff and he played with his toys a little bit. I played with his toys a little bit on that ID live and he shared a lot more about his story getting his product placed into over 20 retailers.
[00:25:21] Now, before I jump into my summary of today's episode, I'd like to take a quick break and give a shout out to a listener who left a great review.
[00:25:31] This review comes from Ajh221g who says a must listen for creative entrepreneurs. Ajh says, this podcast is a treasure trove of insider insights from the hard to crack toy industry and practical up-to-date lessons that are valuable to any creative entrepreneur. Azhelle combines a wealth of experience in her field with a relentless drive to bring value to her audience.
[00:25:56] It's inspiring to see her build her own business with such energy, passion, and adaptability. And having that voice in my ear makes me want to level up my own brand building efforts. I so wish the toy coach had existed when I was first starting out, but even a couple of years into my little toy business, I'm learning so much from Azhelle and her interview guests grateful that this amazing resource exists. Thank you Azhelle. Well, thank you Ajh221g. I wish I knew your first name to give you a proper thank you. But thank you, thank you, thank you. I saw that review come through while I was at the ASTRA toy show and it put a huge smile on my face and I knew immediately that when I did this episode, your review was going to be the one that I featured. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, toy people. I hope that I did my job today with this episode and really debunked that myth for you, that toy shows are only for big toy companies.
[00:26:50] So if you are a small toy manufacturer and you're still struggling to decide whether or not to attend a toy show, I hope this episode about the ASTRA marketplace has given you renewed hope and encouragement to perhaps start your toy journey at this specialty market or another small toy show. Now this Astro marketplace is a great place to network learn and sell your product for both new and established toy companies. I don't want you just going in blind. I do have to say having done trade shows for myself, for brands outside of the toy industry, like my brand Costumize Me, you really do need to do a little bit of a cost analysis and figure out how much it's going to cost you to attend the toy show and how many products you would have to sell to recoup that cost. And whenever possible, you want to make some serious marketing efforts to plan at least a few key meetings. So you can guarantee yourself that you'll be able to make back some of the money that you're spending to actually attend the show. Now I have to say one of the underutilized marketing techniques that are, I mean, it's still extremely under utilized today is still LinkedIn. And I would say if I were attending this show as a toy manufacturer, I would be sharing extensively to LinkedIn.
[00:28:12] With images of my upcoming product, but also informational like storytelling texts to go along with those images. What I noticed in my travels to the toy show, the types of posts that were really shared with fellow people in the industry were posts that shared a little bit about my personal story.
[00:28:33] So if I were going to exhibit toy products at this event, I would pre plan a bunch of posts that share a little bit about the journey of my product and pre plan some obviously really eye catching imagery and utilize the power that LinkedIn still has to connect with professionals. And the reason I say LinkedIn is, is the place to do this is because it. One of the few social platforms that is still truly organic. And honestly, we don't know how long that's gonna last. When somebody likes your comment, everybody sees that when you like someone's comment it's for the world to see when you post something and someone likes it, it gets shared. The organic re reach that LinkedIn still has is extremely powerful. And I already know because I'm, I'm in the space a lot on LinkedIn in the toy industry. I already know that it is not utilized to its fullest potential. So if you haven't planning to go to a toy show and you cannot connect with a buyer directly, I want you to try to connect with them indirectly using a social media platform like LinkedIn? I say like when I really just mean use LinkedIn. So that is one of your big takeaways for it today.
[00:29:47] Okay, let's get into the homework for today. Other than using LinkedIn, that's going to be for your next toy show, but your homework for today, if you haven't done it already is the head over to the ASTRA website, poke around and consider signing up to become a member at the time of this recording membership dues range from 160 to 329 annually, depending on your position in the toy industry and in today's episode.
[00:30:12] We just touched on the education and networking portion of the member benefits. If you want to know what other benefits are included head over to the website, check out the membership area. I'm sure I will do another episode covering all the details of that, but I really felt like we needed one episode to just talk about the education network aspect of the marketplace itself. There are also year round opportunities to connect with buyers. There are media opportunities for your product. There are awards opportunities. There are service saving opportunities if you end up working with preferred Astro manufacturers. So to learn about all of the benefits, head over to astratoy.org, poke through the site and give yourself time to absorb the potential benefits of this incredibly warm organization and membership. I, of course, toy people will be leaving the links to everything discussed in today's episode, in the show notes. So if you want to find out about any of the products I covered from constructive eating, or BryBelly, or Kiddywampus, Pixicade, ultra pro games and Marmals, or you want to learn how to join Astra, just head over to thetoycoach.com/85.
[00:31:32] I know there were a lot of references in today's episode, so I will put all of the links there and I would love it. Love it, love it. If you check it out as always, thank you so much for spending time with me today. I know your time is valuable and that there are a ton of podcasts out there. So it means the world to me that you tune into this one. Until next week. I'll see you later toy people.
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