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By: Ellen Metrick, Human Factors Specialist, UL LLC Recent events in the toy industry have dramatically changed toy distribution forever. First, it was the closure of Toys”R”Us®. Its 2019 shuttering left a substantial gap in the brick-and-mortar retail space. Now, Amazon might soon require smaller vendors to sell directly to consumers via Amazon Marketplace instead of through Amazon directly. These changes have left toy vendors in a full-blown flux, with many choosing to sell products directly to consumers. If e-commerce is a new avenue for your company, here are a few tips from our regulatory experts to ensure you cross your t’s and dot your i’s when selling directly to consumers. Virtually every market in the world has a regulatory body or mandatory law that governs the safety of toys. For example, here are the primary safety standards for these major regions: USA – ASTM F963 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety Canada – SOR/2011-17 Toys Regulations Europe – EN 71 Safety of Toys International Organization for Standardization – ISO 8124 Safety of Toys (wholly or partially adopted in various countries and regions) Since many countries have their own unique requirements, it is important to note the following: You must comply with the regulations of the market of distribution. For instance, if you are distributing only to the United States, you would need to comply with ASTM F963; whereas, if you are distributing only to Canada, you would need to comply with SOR/2011-17. If you are distributing to both the United States and Canada, you would need to comply with both standards. Product inventories for one market may not be compliant in other markets. You must comply with applicable state regulations. Many U.S. states also have adopted their own unique requirements. In order to distribute to those states, you would have to comply with their unique requirements. For instance, in order to ship your product to a California consumer who makes a purchase on your website, that product must comply with the California Proposition 65 regulation and any other California requirements applicable to your product. Many markets accept the ASTM F963, EN 71, and ISO 8124 standards. Other markets recognize these standards but adopt their own adaptations of one or more of these standards, while still other markets may adopt wholly unique standards. Do your homework to know which standards are recognized and required by your target market(s). In some markets, you may be considered the manufacturer, importer, and/or distributor for your own brand of products. Because each role has unique responsibilities, it is important that you understand the obligations associated with each one. You may be required to have local representation. Not every market requires a local contact, however some, such as the European Union, do. Check to make sure you know what is required for your target market(s). Familiarize yourself with the regulations that govern product distribution and product returns. Consult each target market’s consumer protection act, or its equivalent, for requirements and useful guidance. You need to provide specific information at point of sale (e.g., on your website). This includes information that may impact the customer’s decision to purchase the product, such as size, weight, age limitations/recommendations, battery types, safety warnings, etc. The information should be available in the official language(s) of the market. In some cases, but not all, the use of pictograms may replace multiple languages. Many markets have unique labeling and language requirements. For instance, children’s products distributed in the U.S. must bear tracking labels that enable the manufacturer and ultimate purchaser to determine the source of the products (i.e., manufacturer or private labeler, location and date of production of the product, batch or run numbers, etc.). Some required labels may need to be available at the point of sale and/or on the product itself. Labels may need to be translated into the official language(s) of the target market, such as in the Province of Quebec, where labels must be in French and the use of French given equal prominence with other languages on any packaging or containers. Conformity markings are required in some markets. The CE mark for toys distributed in Europe is an example of a mandatory certification mark. When placed on a toy, the CE mark serves as an indication that the toy conforms with the health and safety protection standards of that region. Other conformity markings may be voluntary and indicate compliance with a voluntary standard above and beyond mandatory requirements. The decision to sell directly to consumers, particularly in multiple markets, may result in added costs related to the following: Packaging. Meeting compliance requirements in multiple markets may require modifications to the packaging and/or the labeling on the packaging. In some cases, two or more different sets of packaging may be needed to satisfy the requirements of all markets to where the product will be distributed. Testing. Satisfying the product requirements dictated by multiple markets may result in additional testing. Tariffs. Many products today are subject to import tariffs at the border. Be sure to check the tariff schedule for the markets you are seeking to export to and ensure you work with appropriate customs authorities to ensure payment on your goods so as to expedite the shipping process. For more information and guidance, visit www.UL.com or contact UL’s Safety Advisory Services at toys@UL.com to help you navigate through all your safety and regulatory needs. Ellen is a Human Factors Specialist with UL LLC, providing safety risk assessments on toys through the lens of child development.

My passion for toys and design came at an early age in Memphis, TN, as the youngest of six children with a resourceful mother. As a child, I shopped with my mom and noticed all of the beautiful stuffed animals in “fancy stores” and longed to have those toys. Since we couldn’t afford them, I would sit at her sewing machine and figure out how to make my own original toys. Sewing and other crafts have always been a hobby of mine. Even as I earned a BA in fine arts and English at William Woods University in Missouri, I continued to sew, dye fabrics, create patterns for clothes, weave, design cards, marketing flyers, sorority room decor, linens, t-shirts, and more. I became well-known on campus as the girl who was crazy enough to make just about anything. I was determined to make it in the art industry. After graduating, I sold my VW Bug, packed handmade clothes around a sewing machine my grandmother gave me and bought a one-way ticket to New York City. I landed in the toy industry after interviewing with a toy company in search of a product manager. The company focused on mass-market and promotional toys, which gave me a solid foundation for the costing and manufacturing processes. By 1995, I was ready to pursue my dream of starting my own toy business. I realized there was a void in the toy market for high-quality designs with real style. I wanted to make toys that inspired children’s imaginations and risked my life’s savings to realize my goal. I leased a former fabric factory in Manhattan’s Garment District, asked a friend, Peter Doodeheevfer, a talented designer and Parsons graduate, to join me and started YOTTOY (yàht-toy, “toy” spelled backward and forward). Peter and I worked around the clock to grow our unconventional toy company. Our first products were a combination of originals like our classic YOTTOY Velveteens along with storybook characters, including The World of H.A. Rey (creator of Curious George) and Mr. Night. We marketed YOTTOY as a company that could do just about anything in the toy world, from any direction – just as our name, a palindrome, reflects. Clients were attracted to our natural intuition for value and product uniqueness. We created toy concepts, character maquette, mechanized toys, miniature collectible figures, medical demonstration models, and other custom promotional products. As the year 2000 approached, YOTTOY formally launched high-quality book and toy companions, bringing story time to life with a variety of designs inspired by the most beloved children’s literature. YOTTOY now has a specialty collection that ranges from high-profile and timeless literary and entertainment classics in Paddington Bear, Madeline, Babar, Frog & Toad, Eloise, and The Velveteen Rabbit as well as contemporary favorites, including legendary Mo Willems, Greg Pizzoli, Arnie the Doughnut, and Little Blue Truck. Styles range from soft early developmental toys and detailed posable dolls to tin tea sets and accessories. We attribute our growth to strong customer connections. They know that YOTTOY delivers the finest-quality, meaningful character toys and gifts at surprisingly sweet prices. Customers realize the special connection and comfort that YOTTOY toys and books bring to youngsters, and value the memories made during story time between parents, grandparents and children with our toys and books in hand. Consumers and wholesalers trust us and are dedicated to YOTTOY because they know we don’t cut corners and genuinely care about every aspect of every item and everyone we work with in our business – from the authors and illustrators we represent to material suppliers, factory workers, shippers, store owners, and staff. Great care and attention go into every toy that YOTTOY creates. Our success is grounded on experience and reliability. We’re proud to always meet deadlines, use the finest-quality materials and offer our products at competitive prices. Great care and attention go into every YOTTOY creation. We use smart design and clever construction to help us maximize production efficiencies, and we place a lot of emphasis on the adage, “The devil is in the details”! We learned to pay attention to the fine print to ensure costs – from manufacturing to shipping – and profit margins are aligned. We also keep an eye on consumer spending trends and factor in retail requirements and compliance. As a mother, I realize how important mind-engaging toys are to kids’ well-being, to help them understand relationships and learn through positive play experiences. Today more than ever, children need tangible soft toys to cuddle peacefully and care for to develop natural human-to-human bonds, feel loved, and build meaningful relationships. Giving back is also important to YOTTOY, and it’s something we’re proud to do. We donate to schools, libraries and museums, and are honored to be a vendor agency for Kohl’s Cares that supports initiatives that serve children and families nationwide. Visitors to YOTTOY’s sunny design studio in the heart of Manhattan say that real happiness beams from our toy shop – just as it is reflected in our YOTTOY smile logo. About the Author: Kate Karcher-Clark founded YOTTOY Productions, Inc. in 1995 to design and deliver the highest quality toys to inspire all ages. Headquartered in New York City, YOTTOY (yàht-toy) – “toy” spelled backwards and forwards – has brought to market thousands of original and licensed toy and gift product programs to retail and promotional clients around the country and across the globe. Said Karcher-Clark: “I am honored to be involved with Women in Toys because WIT fosters collaboration and builds relationships, giving women the confidence to strive for more. I feel fortunate to have been a finalist for the 2018 Wonder Women awards. The organization is changing the toy world, helping to transform it into a more creatively successful industry each year.”

Whether it’s for a $1 billion+ preschool brand, a top-rated TV series or a thriving toy, tech or consumer products company, following these basic guidelines will help you build and maintain an active and engaging social media presence that makes people want to follow you. By taking some time upfront to consider and serve up content that best resonates with the audiences you’re most looking to reach, you can grow the fan base for your property or company, meaningfully and exponentially, each day – just like magic! Mind the time – To maximize the number of eyeballs seeing and engaging with your clever, carefully-crafted content on social, make sure you know what times of day, days of the week and even days of the year tend to be more “high traffic.” Though it’s been shown that you can nab the highest rate of click-throughs on Facebook from 1-4pm, tap into the most popular time for tweeting from noon to 1pm and take advantage of the best time for sharing on Instagram from 2am-5pm, it’s also important to evaluate the high traffic times specific to the key audiences or demos you want to connect with. As an entertainment PR and social media firm steeped in all things kids and family, we often look to engage with moms and dads on the social pages we manage for top children’s brands across various platforms. We’ve seen that parents of young children, not surprisingly, tend to keep very different hours on social than your average Joe (or Jane)! Tap into the public mind – Social posts that give props to seasonal times, holidays, special “moments” and other universally-observed or celebrated occasions often garner much higher engagement then evergreen posts, and that includes promotional giveaways – though who doesn’t love a freebie any day of the year? By putting out a CTA (aka call-to-action) for families to share a Halloween pic of their little one dressed up as a character from one of the hit kids’ TV shows we represent, we tap into two sweet spots at once for our fan base: one of the most popular family-friendly holidays of the year and the strong pull among parents to share images of their adorable preschooler experiencing a memorable milestone. Exercise economy of words – Pictures and videos are the most valuable currency on social. Their built-in “ooh,” “ah” (and “aw”) factor coupled with their ability to capture attention quickly and communicate message at a glance, make visual-centric posts king. A picture can be worth a thousand words, especially on social, so keep in mind a post need not be copy heavy to be “picture-perfect” for effectively attracting and engaging fans and followers. Be the place to go – If your brand’s social pages deliver elements that can’t be found anywhere else, it makes followers that much more likely to visit and engage that much more often. Be it a sneak peek or behind-the-scenes look at an upcoming film, launching series or episode or a promotional giveaway of a new toy, tech introduction, or even a coupon code, making your social feeds a destination for things that aren’t available elsewhere helps strengthen fans’ connection with the brand in a more personal way that makes them want to follow and engage again and again. Don’t post in a vacuum – Though it’s essential to put thought and strategy into developing and scheduling your own posts, it’s also important to remember engagement on social is a two-way street. By taking the time to “like,” comment on or share posts from those who have done the same for you (and even their followers with an eye to building up your own page numbers), you are participating in a dialogue, rather than simply broadcasting what you want to say. It’s like that party guest who talks only about himself as opposed to the one who engages others in conversation and makes fellow partygoers want to spend more time with them.

Our 6th WIT Empowerment Day is in the books! Feedback is still coming in from mentors and mentees alike, and we couldn’t be happier to hear from so many about what a powerfully enriching day it was. With 25 simultaneous one-on-one mentor sessions with industry experts, dozens of private product pitches with Hasbro, Spin Master, PlayMonster, Jazwares, Wicked Cool, Basic Fun!, and Walmart buyers in multiple categories, our members took full advantage of the boundless opportunity and plethora of wisdom, knowledge and expertise that was made available to them. Anne Marie Kehoe and her team of Walmart buyers were once again amazing. More buyers participated than ever before, tirelessly reviewing dozens of products pitched, mentoring and guiding eager entrepreneurs who were seeking to get their product on physical and virtual store shelves. We are tremendously grateful to Walmart for their enthusiastic support with this event! Hats off to this year’s class of entrepreneurs! We have heard from both Walmart and toy companies that this was our best event yet. Concepts were optioned on the spot, the quality of the entrepreneurs’ presentations were awesome, and the overall sentiment was that our members’ ideas were buttoned up and ready to rock! All good things must come to an end though, and Empowerment Day ended on a fun & fabulous note! We wound down with an evening of Cocktails & Connections, where Empowerment Day participants and Fall Toy Preview guests had a chance to keep the connections going and make new friends too. Warmest thanks to the dozens of industry expert mentors who shared their time and talent, to Hasbro for once again sponsoring our delicious lunch, and to the masterful Marian Bossard, John Klein and the entire Toy Association team for their kind and generous support in helping us execute this event flawlessly. We’re already looking forward to next year!

With so many companies looking for new ideas to license, it is clear that innovation and inventors are trending – both kid and adult inventors! As someone who has been involved in different roles in a variety of industries, I find that it is toy and game inventing that people find most interesting. When I wear my “Yes, Toy and Game Inventing is a Job!” t-shirt, I get stopped everywhere I go because people find it fascinating. They want to hear stories about the inventors of their favorite toys and games. The Netflix show “The Toys that Made Us” also demonstrates how important the connection is to the products people love as well as how fascinated people are by inventors. Each November just before Thanksgiving, we host Chicago Toy & Game Week, a series of trade and consumer events promoting and celebrating play and innovation. This years events take place November 15-18, and here’s what we have in store: The Young Inventor Challenge (YIC) is one of our passion projects and is now in its 12th year. Last year we had three participants receive licensing agreements – Goliath licensed one and PlayMonster licensed two! Our presenting sponsor, Target, is set to exclusively feature a second winning game, and we gave $10,000 is scholarships to winners in six categories. It is wonderful to see top executives in retail, manufacturing and inventing giving back as mentors to these kids. Every entrant receives feedback on their idea and schools across North America are making it part of their curriculum. Our Director, Alicia Alexander, has taken the Challenge to a new level and we even have a video submission category now so entrants don’t have to travel to Chicago. A huge thank you to the sponsors that make this effort possible: Target, Goliath, PlayMonster, Spin Master, LEGO, TIA and Razor. Check out some of our rock star Young Inventors here: [vc_video link=’https://youtu.be/XoTfOdeZAm8′] ChiTAG Inventor Conferences will include over 50 companies coming from around the globe looking for ideas from professional inventors, new inventors and design students in attendance! Many of these same executives are looking for ideas from our Young Inventor Challenge entrants at our Chicago Toy & Game Fair the weekend following the conferences. Promoting inventors fits The Chicago Toy & Game Group’s mission of play and innovation. Toy and game inventors are not regarded and utilized like their creative counterparts in film, music, literary or culinary worlds. As inventor/filmmaker/author Tim Walsh says, “If you sell a million songs, you are on the cover of Rolling Stone. A million books, the New York Best Seller List. But if you sell over 70 million Jengas, no one knows who you are… and Leslie Scott is awesome!” This void led to founding our elegant and playful Toy & Game Inventor of the Year Awards (TAGIEs) to celebrate the hot and innovative products of the year by celebrating the inventors and design teams behind those products. Consumers today want to know the story behind the products they are buying. We are telling the story. We appreciate these sponsors for supporting this event: Hasbro, The Michael Kohner Corporation, Mattel, Leslie Scott and Oxford Games. At the 16th annual Chicago Toy & Game Fair, consumers of all ages, trade, media and social influencers love meeting, playing with and writing about the products and inventors. For retailers and trend experts, they can see what consumers want. Year after year retailers such as Target have discovered some of their top sellers at the Fair. For the exhibitors, it is the largest focus group in the world – no better place to test your product and receive feedback, as well as be reminded of why we are in our industry and our important role in the world promoting and creating play. Our events are coming up next month and we are excited to welcome attendees from around the world to make connections, find partners, get licensed, and to celebrate play and innovation! Join us as a Fair exhibitor, Conference attendee, TAGIE celebrant or Fair attendee – the trade (and their families) have always been welcomed as our guests at the Fair. Hope to see you in November!

Natalie Rebot is the inventor and founder of Moonlight World, Inc., and the creator of the Moonlight Storybook Projector, a product that turns any mobile device into a magical storytime experience. We were inspired by Natalie as she shared her story as our keynote speaker at WIT Empowerment Day this month. To learn more about this amazingly talented woman and how she brought this ingenious product to life at Spin Master, read on… What was your lightbulb moment for Moonlite? Moonlite came about in the most organic of ways, through bedtime shadow play with my daughter. We had this ritual where I would bring my phone up into her room, turn on the flashlight and make up stories out of shadow puppets. We had so much fun doing this, and that is what first gave me the idea of Moonlite. I wanted to find a way to get her favorite stories up onto the ceiling or wall. That was in March of 2016, and by June 2016 I had my first prototype in hand. By December 2016, I launched the product on Kickstarter. How did you test your concept? Originally, just with my daughter and her friends. I was a one-woman show and didn’t have many resources. I saw how happy they were with the product and prototype and I knew I had stumbled upon something special. Did you give up a day job to pursue this? I always knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur. There is something so exciting about coming up with an idea and seeing it through to fruition. I had been at Google for over 7 years and I wanted to give myself the time to explore entrepreneurship. When I stepped back from my career, I started to come up with a bunch of different ideas—but, it was in an organic moment that I had the idea for Moonlite. You never know where these ideas will come from. How did you decide whether to self-produce or license? My personal journey is likely different than most. My family is my number one priority. I knew I needed to find a solution that would allow me to put my family first but also help drive the dream of creating a product. Licensing made the most sense for me. I love being a mom and entering into a licensing agreement gave me more flexibility. Also, this was my first stab at a consumer packaged good. I didn’t know the first thing about manufacturing and I knew that teaming up with an amazing partner, like Spin Master, would reduce the risk and help make a higher quality product. How did mentors help you along the way? I think mentors and your network are key to your success. During this journey, there are so many ups and downs, and I think that any entrepreneur can tell you that these things are completely normal and expected. Your mentors guide you, help you see things from different perspectives and offer advice when you need it the most. How did you fund Moonlight? Bootstrap or financial assistance? I had friends & family invest in an angel round and then I went onto Kickstarter. Did you plan all along to do a Kickstarter campaign? I did not. I was terrified of Kickstarter because it was ‘the unknown’ to me. I was scared to put myself out there in a public forum. I had given myself one year to see Moonlite through. I was approaching the end of the year and hadn’t really been able to show any traction. I knew that Kickstarter would help show if this product truly had a place in the toy world. It was kind of a last-ditch effort. What kind of support did you have for your Kickstarter? I created the page by myself and did almost everything myself. I had an amazing video team help produce the video, which has since gone viral with over 50M video views. I allocated some of my angel seed money to marketing, and that was it! The support of the backers was tremendous. Moonlite went on to be one of the top children’s toys on Kickstarter, ever! We sold over 10,000 devices and 50,000 stories in one month—which was way beyond my wildest dreams. What was key to your successful Kickstarter campaign? I think it all starts with a good idea. After that, it is tenacity and making sure you see things through. I was involved in every little detail with Moonlite (and continue to be for the most part). You also need to know exactly who your target market is and make sure your product appeals to them. For entrepreneurs launching a new product, what trade shows would you recommend exhibiting at? I think New York Toy Fair was the most exciting trade show I have ever been to! The first year we exhibited, we were in the basement start-up area. It was so energetic, we made so many different connections, got so much feedback — overall a great experience. What have been your biggest challenges, and how did you overcome them? I think there are good days, GREAT days and bad days. It is all part of the cycle and journey. I have learned to celebrate the great days and just accept and learn from the not-so-great days. You need to learn to rise above, move on and keep steering the ship. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart and I think that having the right mindset helps tremendously. Any final advice? I like to reflect on my favorite quote from time to time because there is so much truth in it. ‘There is no such thing as luck. Luck is what happens when preparation intersects with opportunity.’ Remember this mantra, memorize it, repeat it — do whatever you need to keep it in your mind. There is no ‘easy-way’ — behind every great product was a lot of hard work, love, sweat and tears — Don’t listen to anyone who tells you differently! One day you will look back and see that this was all worth it. About Natalie Rebot Natalie has a vast range of work experience. She is an ex-Googler who worked in a variety of different roles during her 7-year tenure at Google. Some of the products she developed have been integrated into Google Adwords. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering in 2005 and then went on to get her MBA and graduated in 2009. Natalie is currently heading up all Moonlite product development and marketing at Spin Master, her licensing partner.

Guest Post by: Adam B. Hocherman, VP, New Business Development at PlayMonster While toy manufacturing companies are comparatively fun places to work, in fact, there are still processes in place.  Decisions about what, when and how to license an external product concept are not made haphazardly! So, wouldn’t it be helpful to know a little bit about how this happens in order to be better-prepared to make your pitch? As you may or may not know, a culture of incorporating outside ideas into the product development pipeline at major toy companies has been a part of the fabric of the toy industry for literally decades.  Why? Because the seeds of great product concepts come from many places – near and far, old and young, seasoned and novice. And while one great company may take grain and yeast to make bread, another may take those same core ingredients to make beer.  The toy manufacturer specializes in the crafting of a good concept into a great product. Some of those concepts certainly come from inside, but many do not. And that’s where you come in. Having the opportunity to present your pitch in person or over a video conference is a luxury – and not necessarily to your advantage!  The vast majority of product concepts are first presented and consumed asynchronously. That is to say that you are going to … attach some stuff to an email, press send and hold your breath.  The key to doing this successfully is to understand the layers of constituents that are on the receiving end. Step 1: The Log Line In the movie business the “logline” is the carefully crafted one or two sentence paragraph that describes your entire feature-length script.  Take this example, which I chose not entirely by accident: After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult. Consider the body of your email (or web-based submission) to be this.  Short, sweet, to the point. In a couple of sentences try to get across what the game or toy is, what category it falls into and who the intended audience is. Step 2: Impress the Gate-Keeper Having grabbed the attention of your gate-keeper, your purpose is to intrigue them to open your attachment which is … a one-page PDF (perhaps it’s two-sided) which pictures the item, concept or prototype and describes the key feature-benefits or really high-level rule-set in a visually pleasing and well-organized way.  Remember, you’re now a product designer. There’s a basic expectation that you have a creative way about you and a halfway decent design sense. Step 3: Provide Tools for the Gate-Keeper to Impress His or Her Constituents Ah, so here’s the part that is often forgotten or misunderstood.  The gate-keeper may heavily influence the concept selection process but she still has to communicate it to her broader internal team.  And she has to do it for a lot of concepts in a short period of time. And while she may take the time to read your email, open your attachment and pour through your rule set – a roomful of people will not.  So what’s the solution? A hero image and a video. The hero image is the easy part.  Take a well-lit photograph of your toy, game or other concept and provide an ~1000 pixel square JPG image that’s less than 250kb.  I’ll use this as a visual to project to my audience, in front of which I will wish to recite the crux of your product concept in a sentence or two.  Oh, hey, that’s easy … because you’ve already provided that! It’s your logline (which was from the 1988 movie Big, by the way). Next, the video.  Don’t be intimidated by the video.  Even a lousy video (as long as it’s short!) is better than no video at all.  Buy a table-top tripod and (maybe) an external microphone and shoot a concise video that highlights your product and provides a full understanding of it in under a minute.  Shoot in natural sunlight by a window and, please, landscape orientation only! That much is table stakes. Now, if you can make it look fun or, at the very least, sound excited about it, you’re in the 50th percentile already! In Conclusion So that’s the secret.  Help your gate-keeper to do his or her job.  And one last piece of parting advice – know who you are pitching to!  Don’t pitch a hard-core strategy game to a company that specializes in novelty items.  Do try to assess your target company’s assortment and make an educated guess regarding why or how your item may fit into that company’s broader strategy.  I speak for myself, only, when I say that while these guesses are often wrong (companies are not in the habit of overtly publicizing their corporate strategy), I still appreciate an attempt, on the part of the inventor, to try to take a more holistic view. If you are attending WIT Empowerment Day in Dallas, I hope to see you there.  Apply these same ideas to your in-person pitch. If not, I hope you’ve found these tips useful for the next time you pitch a product concept to the toy industry or to any industry, for that matter.  Good luck!

Guest post by Anna Knight, BLE Brand Director We’re just over a month away from Brand Licensing Europe and we’re really excited about the content at this year’s show from a toy industry perspective. Traditionally, toys and licensing have crossed over for many, many years: we are led to believe that the first ever licensed product was a plush Peter Rabbit from Beatrix Potter’s children’s book in 1934. In the decades that have passed since, there have been thousands – perhaps millions – of licensing and toy collabs. We have seen toy brands as licensors and licensees with, for example, Lego on pencil cases and Star Wars on Lego. The relationship has proved to be mutually beneficial to both sectors creatively and economically. This year’s LIMA report showed that toys is the second biggest licensing product category behind apparel, accounting for 13% of all global retail sales and with a value of £36.1 billion. Considering the UK toy industry is worth just over £3 billion in total, that’s a lot of product. At BLE, you can see many brands on our exhibitors’ stands that have toy category potential, particularly in the Character & Entertainment Zone, which is home to TV and movie studios like Viacom Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, Turner Cartoon Network and Universal and their incredible roster of children’s brands. We also have the world’s two biggest toy companies at the show – Mattel and Hasbro – which is testament to the strong relationship between the two sectors. Of course, the toy industry has evolved significantly since Beatrix Potters’ days, as has the way kids discover toys. Like fashion, beauty and video gaming before it, the toy industry has also been adopted by influencers, the most successful of whom is Tiana, whose Toys AndMe YouTube channel has more than nine million subscribers. Tiana launched her own toy line last month with Vivid – Toys AndMe – and has also followed in the footsteps of YouTubers like Zoella to launch her own range of branded licensed products – Hearts by Tiana. At Brand Licensing Europe, Hearts by Tiana will have its own dedicated stand, the first time an influencer brand has appeared as a standalone exhibitor, which really does speak volumes on the power of influencers in the toy sphere and the licensing potential that’s now open to them and their licensees. So, please drop by and check it out – it’s on stand C118 diagonally opposite the WIT stand on C120. WIT will also be hosting drinks in the Brands & Lifestyle Bar at 4pm on Wednesday 10 October. Click here to RSVP. And don’t miss out on the toy content in our seminar programme: Mojo Nation’s Billy Langsworthy is back with a Playing with Brands panel and a fireside chat with Tech Will Save Us. Check out the agenda at https://www.brandlicensing.eu/agenda and, if you haven’t yet registered, you can get your free ticket here https://www.ubmregister.com/ble?tag=BLE863.

Guest post by Gina Waldhorn, President of Quirky On your entrepreneurial journey there comes a moment – many moments in fact – when we’re asked “so what’s your idea?” Your heart stops. You start to think: Who is this person, really? Can they be trusted? Who’s listening at the table next to us? Do I have an NDA in my backpack? Next thing you know, you’ve decided to to forgo any support they might offer or feedback they might share at the risk of them stealing your brilliant idea. My advice: don’t be that person. Not sharing your idea because you’re scared someone is going to steal it is likely a crutch upon which you’re resting, masking the fact you’re not pursuing the idea aggressively enough. It certainly was for me. Having experience founding my own business, working in open innovation and startup sourcing for major brands like P&G, Nestle, EA Games, and more, and licensing inventions at Quirky I feel qualified to offer my rationale for why you should lift your own gag order and share your idea: You need the validation. You may have confided in family and friends, but unfortunately they’re not a representative (or unbiased) sample of the population to whom your product or business must appeal. Ideas are worthless, execution is everything. Unless your elevator pitch also includes an invite to your private Google Drive and a time machine to go back and make all the mistakes and achievements you’ve already accomplished you’re not giving them much to steal. Confidence is infectious. If you’re looking to network you’ll need to give off the impression you’re confident in your ownership and execution of your idea. Clamming up communicates it’s not much more than an idea in your head and you believe someone else could easily bring this to market faster/better than you can. Contrary to popular belief, most corporates don’t steal ideas. It’s usually cheaper to buy or license an inventor’s idea than face litigation, never mind the PR nightmare that comes with a lawsuit. Given their fear of litigation, corporates will also do everything in their power to make you fully aware of your legal situation before you disclose anything. How many times have people shared ideas with you? How many of those ideas have you stolen? (mic drop) Are there any situations to look out for when you absolutely should NOT share your idea? Perhaps. You never want to jump into a marriage without dating, so certainly spend time getting to know the person asking you about your idea. Were they introduced by a friend or trusted associate? Or did they just wheel their chair over in your WeWork after eavesdropping on a phone conversation of yours? Even ol’ WeWork wheeler is probably harmless, but ultimately you’ll need to trust your gut. The benefits of sharing your idea will vastly outweigh your paranoia. Through sharing you’ll open yourself up to introductions to like-minded individuals, resources, or even potential funding sources. You’ll be able to watch as someone genuinely recognizes the value proposition behind your concept, or furrows their brow in confusion. You’ll also improve your pitch by building your confidence and refining your explanation based on what’s resonating. If up until now you’ve been a closed book when asked the inevitable “so what’s your idea?” it’s time to open up.

Guest post by Debbie Dunn WIT heads to Gen Con 2018 with TWO events! WIT proudly presents The Evolution of Women in Gaming, our first-ever panel at Gen Con on Saturday, August 4. But first, we kick things off with a fun networking Happy Hour @Gen Con on Thursday, August 2 at Tomlinson Tap Room In Indianapolis. Join WIT for The Best Four Days in Gaming™! Panel:  THE EVOLUTION OF WOMEN IN GAMING – August 4, 2018 This article originally appeared in The Toy Book, May/June 2018. With more women playing and designing games, how are they reshaping the game industry and what does it mean for the future? Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) presents its first-ever panel at Gen Con on Saturday, August 4, 2018, a fascinating exploration into the impact women are having on the industry and what it means for the future. Panelists include industry leaders and luminaries Tanya Thompson, Director, Global Products Acquisition and Inventor Relations for Gaming at Hasbro; Mary Couzin, Founder and President of the Chicago Toy and Game Group, Alison Yada, VP of Marketing at Ceaco; and Anna Van Slee, Director of New Brands at Sideshow Collectibles. The panel will be moderated by Deirdre Cross, VP of Product Development and Jessica Aceti, VP of Business Development and Marketing at Forrest-Pruzan Creative. Gaming in all forms is at the epicenter of pop culture today, and it has opened up new worlds to creators, developers, and enthusiasts alike. With the number of female gamers on the rise and involved on both sides of the table, coupled with the shift in culture that has helped kick-start positive growth, what exactly does this mean for the industry? For the first time ever, WIT (Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment) will host a panel at Gen Con on The Evolution of Women in Gaming. Known as “the best four days in gaming,” Gen Con is said to be the largest board game convention in America, and the longest running in the world. With more than 500 exhibitors and over 60,000 fans, it is a mecca for major publishers and independent designers to showcase their games and connect with their fans. Panel Moderators Jessica and Deirdre have collectively spent over 20 years in the board game business. From designing, inventing, and playtesting board games, they’ve been intimately involved in the creation of more than 500 games and have worked with dozens of top game publishers. As WIT preps for Gen Con, Jessica and Deirdre shared some of their thoughts and insights. Q: Why is it important to include women in the product development process? A: Diversity is crucial to the product development process. We believe in a true collaborative approach. It enhances everything that leaves our studio. Everyone is coded with their own life experiences. Having multiple perspectives makes good ideas great. Q: Can you each tell us a bit about your personal perspective on gaming? Deirdre: I’ve been in the game business for 11 years, and in that time I’ve also become the mother of 2 boys. Through that experience, my perspective on gaming has shifted quite a bit. Where I entered the business I was playing a lot of social party and deep strategy games. Now I’m more likely to play a light-strategy game with my 8 year old, or a PJ Masks preschool game with the 4-year-old, so my focus is on the joy that a game brings them and how we can connect as a family. As a VP of Product Development, I am looking more at what “Mom” wants in a game and what that moment means for her and using my own experience as a touch point. Jessica: Gaming is a huge part of my life. My personal philosophy is to introduce as many people as possible to games. I know it may sound cheesy but I really think it’s the best way to bring people together and to learn more about one another. This world is all about human connection and I’m hard-pressed to think of anything that connects people more than games. Q: How will female representation in the game industry affect the future of tabletop games? A: We see a bright future ahead. There are more women at the executive level. This is exciting because of the trickle-down effect this can have throughout all divisions of a company. Additionally, on the consumer side of things, when a woman’s name is credited on the front of the box, it inspires future generations of female game makers to get involved and to support one another. More About the Moderators Deirdre Cross began at Forrest-Pruzan Creative in 2007 overseeing FPC’s groundbreaking playtesting program. She has been instrumental in the invention and development of more than 350 games during her 11 years in the toy and games business, working with dozens of different game publishers. Deirdre is currently FPC’s Vice President of Product Development. Jessica Aceti has over 20 years experience in the entertainment and gaming industry. An alumna of Screenlife and Cranium, Jessica joined Forrest-Pruzan Creative in 2015. Prior to FPC, she co-created and published more than 50 app games. Jessica is currently FPC’s Vice President of Licensing and Business Development. Join WIT for HAPPY HOUR at Gen Con – Thursday, August 2, 2018 Debbie Dunn is a member of the WIT Communications Committee and a 20-year veteran of the licensing & merchandising industry. Currently, she is managing director of The Brand Guild, a boutique agency specializing in business development of emerging trends, licensing, marketing, communications and digital engagement for the consumer products industry. Join WIT for Happy Hour @ Gen Con! Click to RSVP!

Whether you’re enjoying your dream career or starting your own business, one thing is for sure: Getting actionable, sage advice from those who came before you can be invaluable. Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment is committed to facilitating professional growth for its members, and one way they do that is by working together to build a network of support, inspiration, and advocacy. They know there is real value in sharing lessons learned. WIT calls these nuggets of inspiration “WOW moments.” Here to share their WOW moments are the 2018 WIT Wonder Women winners and honorees. Throughout their careers, they’ve successfully navigated the ups and downs in their careers and have learned that success often comes by learning from the experiences and expertise of others. SYDNEY WISEMAN Wonder Woman Creator/Inventor Brand Manager, WowWee Ltd. “Listen and learn as much as you possibly can. Being a sponge is the best thing you can be!” MENAL MCGRATH Wonder Woman in Licensing Director of Licensing Acquisitions, Moose Toys “Authenticity shines brighter than the sun, and makes people want to bask in your brightness.” DIANA YOUNG Wonder Woman in Manufacturing VP of Product Development, Spin Master “Surround yourself with talented people so you are always challenged to grow.” JULIE CHRISTOPHER Wonder Woman in Marketing VP Marketing, North America, Entertainment One “Judy Garland said, ‘Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of someone else,’ and that applies to brand marketing as well. Stay off the bandwagon, stay true to your brand’s values, and you won’t be disappointed.” SUSAN MURPHY Wonder Woman in Public Relations VP, Coyne PR “Whatever you do in life, do it to the best of your ability. No one can fault you for giving it your all.” CINDY LEVITT Wonder Woman in Retailing SVP Merchandise & Marketing, Hot Topic “Be kind, respectful, professional and gracious in any business situation. We are in a very small industry and you never know who might be your boss or your customer down the road.” ALI MIERZEJEWSKI Wonder Woman Rising Star Senior Editor, The Toy Insider “Downplaying yourself is different from humility. Work hard and stay humble—but know your worth.” STEPHANIE MENDOZA Wonder Woman Rising Star Licensing Manager, Sesame Workshop “Everyone you work with has something valuable to teach you. Learn from their best qualities.” DONNA MOORE Wonder Woman in Sales National Advertising Director, ttpm “It takes more energy to be mean – just be nice. Everyone has a story about their product – just listen.” NANCY ZWIERS Wonder Women Honoree – Mentorship Award EVP & Global CMO, Spin Master “Your reputation is your most valuable asset – be trustworthy. The truth shall set you free.” NORMA ROSENHAIN Wonder Woman Honoree – Lifetime Achievement Award Founder & CEO of Creata “Success in any business requires that the products and services we offer be consistently excellent. However, all customers have many options. It is the strength of our relationships that makes the difference. I believe that the customer is always right!”

Ellen Voie, founder and CEO of Women In Trucking Lea Culliton, HABA USA president If you thought one WIT was powerful, just wait til’ you see what two can do! Yes, that’s right, there’s another WIT – the Women In Trucking Association, Inc. – on the road and together we’re helping put more girls in the driver’s seat than ever before! The merging of the WITs was the result of a chance airport encounter between Women in Toys member and HABA USA president Lea Culliton and Ellen Voie, founder and CEO of Women In Trucking. A shared goal of empowering girls opened the (truck) door to a meaningful partnership, the result of which was Clare. Featuring blue jeans, white belt, “I Heart Trucking” tee, red collar shirt, boots, and a Women In Trucking baseball In addition to inspiring girls everywhere to follow their own, special dreams, Clare will be touring the country this summer, starring in photos shot by professional drivers in various locations on the road. Just goes to show you, there’s no stopping a WIT member with a dream! Clare can be found at travel centers around the U.S and on Amazon.com and HABAusa.com beginning in April.