Have I ever told you that I’m allergic to cats? Well, lucky for me I recently met Katharine Burke, the creator of PurryFuls, a purring plush cat that is designed for on demand comfort that only a purring cat can provide.

Katharine left a high-stress tech job to build Purryfuls, and in today’s episode she shares exactly how she went from zero toy product experience to debuting her brand at New York Toy Fair and getting featured in Forbes!

In this episode we go into detail about the skills that Katharine had to develop to create her first prototype, and why those skills likely saved her thousands of dollars. If you’re interested in hearing a case study of a fellow startup toy entrepreneur taking a leap of faith on their toy product, give this episode a listen.

Listen for These Important Moments:

• [02:23] – Burned out from a high-pressure tech job, Katharine made a bold decision that completely changed her life. She walked away to follow her toy dream.
• [05:21] – When she couldn’t find a plush that mimicked a cat’s purr, she realized something big: this product didn’t exist yet… and she was going to make it.
• [07:02] – No sewing skills? No problem. Katharine taught herself everything from scratch (including coding) to bring her purring plush to life.
• [17:15] – Just one day into Toy Fair, her brand was already featured in Forbes. This unexpected media moment changed everything.
• [22:51] – Instead of diving straight into retail, Katharine took a smarter path that gave her more control, and it's one you might want to follow too.

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About My NEW Podcast Art:
The podcast art for Season 6 of Making It In The Toy Industry features product illustrations of toys and games I helped guide in Toy Creators Academy and TCA Accelerator. Tap the brand name below to check them out!

Playcor by Courtney Smithee
9 to 5 Warriors by Brandon Braswell
Catoms by Kieche O'Connell
The Lunch Room by EAP Toys and Games founder, Chrissy Fagerholt