What does it really take to make an ESPN-licensed toy? Imagine teaching kids about sports from inside SportsCenter.

That’s exactly what Abacus Brands pulled off after 27...yes, twenty-seven licensing deals, seven TOTY nominations, and one incredibly ambitious idea. For 2025, Abacus Brands teamed up with ESPN and a roster of elite athletes to create the ESPN Virtual Reality Headset. This toy turns a 148 page sports book into a fully immersive experience so kids can learn rules, history, and the why behind the game from inside SportsCenter alongside anchor Arda Öcal. It took 27 separate licensing deals to pull this off, and in my latest episode of Making It in the Toy Industry I sat down with Abacus CEO Steve Rad to talk about working with Disney and ESPN, the wild cost of big name athletes, why Jordan was the one they could not land, and the prototype moment that stopped him in his tracks.

If you are a Toy Association member or in the media, you can (and should) vote for the ESPN VR Headset for Educational Toy of the Year.

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Visit for The Toy Coach's toy of the year picks at thetoycoach.com/toty for the link to vote before January 7th.