Making It in The Toy Industry | Start A Toy Business

#264: NY Toy Fair 2025 Exclusive Interview with Purryfuls


Listen Later

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.


Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!

Support the show

Popular Masterclass! How To Make & Sell Your Toy Ideas
Your Low-Stress, Start-To-Finish Playful Product Launch In 5 Steps
>> https://learn.thetoycoach.com/masterclass <<

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Making It in The Toy Industry | Start A Toy BusinessBy Azhelle Wade | The Toy Coach | Toy Creators Academy

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

138 ratings


More shows like Making It in The Toy Industry | Start A Toy Business

View all
Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,689 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,189 Listeners

TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

22,074 Listeners

The Side Hustle Show by Nick Loper of Side Hustle Nation | YAP Media

The Side Hustle Show

1,583 Listeners

The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

The Tim Ferriss Show

16,101 Listeners

The GaryVee Audio Experience by Gary Vaynerchuk

The GaryVee Audio Experience

16,789 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,202 Listeners

How I Built This with Guy Raz by Guy Raz | Wondery

How I Built This with Guy Raz

30,223 Listeners

Spooked by KQED and Snap Studios

Spooked

16,393 Listeners

The Playground Podcast by Chris Byrne

The Playground Podcast

14 Listeners

My First Million by Hubspot Media

My First Million

2,624 Listeners

Park Predators by audiochuck

Park Predators

17,656 Listeners

The Town with Matthew Belloni by The Ringer

The Town with Matthew Belloni

1,012 Listeners

Toy Business Unboxed by ToyLaunch

Toy Business Unboxed

4 Listeners

Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov by Vox Media Podcast Network

Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov

1,106 Listeners