ChiTAG

Mary Couzin is the Founder of the Chicago Toy and Game Group, Toy&Game Innovation Conferences, TAGIE Awards, PlayCHIC, and the Young Inventor Challenge.

Mary grew up in Indiana, where she enjoyed playing with her Lite-Brite and baking in her Eazy-Bake Oven and still loves to bake today. She believes the toys and games we played as kids influence our lives later on.  Mary loved school, had a lot of friends, and genuinely enjoyed her time.  She considered herself “one of those really good kids”, was the class president of her high school for 2 years, Homecoming Queen, and maintained a high grade point average.

Mary chose to attend the University of Notre Dame because her father didn’t believe girls should be allowed there.  She earned her MBA from Loyola because she was living in Chicago at the time and they gave Mary credit for some classes she had taken from Notre Dame.  This allowed her to earn her masters’s degree a year sooner.

To listen to ChiTAG…the Invention Stories Podcast Episode 53…Mary Couzin Founder of the Chicago Toy and Game Group please click on the button on the top left.  Thank you and please tell a friend.

 

Chicago Toy & Game Group

The Chicago Toy & Game Group promotes play and innovation through events, monthly e-newsletters reaching over 245,000 people in the industry, inventors, consumers, educators, bloggers, scouts, traditional and social media.

 

ChiTAG (Chicago Toy And Game) Events:

Chicago Toy & Game Fair

 

Chicago Toy & Game Fair is the largest non-hobby public toy/game fair in North America. Meet and learn from your consumers! This is the biggest and most cost effective focus group anywhere. Traditional ,social media, and bloggers love this event!  They attend to report what’s hot for the holidays. Early open to media/trade. Emphasis on interactive/hands-on and meeting inventors at Navy Pier the weekend before Black Friday. www.chitag.com

The Inventor & Innovation Conferences with top industry executives. Learn, network, pitch your ideas to dozens of companies. www.chitag.com/conferences

The Toy & Game Innovation Awards Dinner, the TAGIEs, celebrating inventors www.chitag.com/tagies

PlayCHIC pairs haute couture fashion designers with game and toy brands to create media worthy playful runway looks. www.chitag.com/playchic

Educator Conference is for teachers to incorporate play in the classroom. www.g4ed.com

Star Wars Character Breakfast

Young Inventor Challenge www.chitag.com/yic

Young TECH Challenge www.chitag.com/ytc

ChiTAG year round activities include:

DiscoverToysandGames.com – World’s largest co-op of Independent Toy and Game Inventors.

Hosting Get-Togethers around the world.

Specialties: Connecting people, helping toy and game inventors, promoting inventors and play to the public anywhere and everywhere we can, bringing play and games into the classroom and libraries, quality fundraising (www.gamesforfundraising.com)

Work Experience

Chicago Toy and Game Group, Inc.

President & Founder

Jan 2002 – Present

The Chicago Toy & Game Group produces ChiTAG...