Making It in The Toy Industry

By Azhelle Wade | The Toy Coach

How do I bring my toy ideas to life? How can I pitch my toy concept to top toy companies like Hasbro, Mattel, or Goliath Games? What does it cost to make a prototype, and where can I get one made?

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FAQs about Making It in The Toy Industry:

How many episodes does Making It in The Toy Industry have?

The podcast currently has 311 episodes available.

Making It in The Toy Industry episodes:

April 01, 2026S6E09 | Why Stickerbox Changed My Mind About AI Toys
I once told CNN that some AI toys feel like a wolf in sheep’s clothing because it can be hard to tell how much privacy you’re giving up. While I'm a fan of AI use in business, I’ve been skeptical of AI toys for a while.
But in today's interview, the Stickerbox genuinely changed my mind. Instead of using AI to keep kids on a screen, or to get them to develop a relationship with a robot, instead, Stickerbox uses AI to help kids turn their ideas into something physical, creative, and hands-on. In this episode, Arun Gupta, co-founder of Stickerbox, shares how his team built a product that feels more like a tool for creation and not consumption.

Mentioned in this episode:
Stickerbox
Toy Creators Academy

Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
37min
March 25, 2026 S6E08 | The Inventor of Bop It on AI, Execution, and Creating the Next Classic Toy
What if I told you Dan Klitsner discovered AI 30 years ago and used it to invent Bop It?
Well, he didn’t. But I did ask Dan how AI might have influenced the creation of his hit game if it did exist when he was first starting out. Dan’s breakout invention sold over 50 million units, and those numbers put the “song” associated with the game at Diamond status. (Dear music industry, he’s still awaiting his plaque.)
This week on the podcast, I’m sharing a chat with Dan Klitsner, the inventor of Bop It. We talk about the upcoming 30 year anniversary, how he’s been celebrating milestones over the years, and we dive into a chat about AI, execution, and what it really takes to create the next classic toy.
We get into how inventors can use AI as a tool, why execution can sometimes become the real invention, and what originality means in a world where ideas are easier than ever to generate.
If you’re a toy inventor, designer, or product creator trying to figure out where AI fits into your process, this episode is for you, my friend!
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
51min
March 18, 2026S6E07 | The Best AI Platforms for Toy Businesses in 2026
AI is changing fast, but for the first time in a while I'm feeling that we've hit a moment of "stability". That means NOW is the perfect time to learn to apply the latest AI tools to your toy business.
In this mini reset episode, I break down why so many people are getting mediocre results from AI, and announce a free live masterclass where I'll walk you through the three AI tools + new-ish features that every toy company needs to know: ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
You'll also get a sneak peek at Toy Biz Backup, my upcoming AI support team built specifically to help your toy businesses, and hear an important update about the Toy Coach Showcase at ASTRA 2026.
In this episode you'll hear about:
Why most people get bad results from AI and what's actually going wrong
What projects, gems, and skills are (and why they're the new baseline for AI use)
Why now is finally the right time to commit to learning AI tools
What's covered in the free AI Tools for Business Masterclass (April 15th, 12 to 1PM ET)
A sneak peek at Toy Biz Backup, an AI support team built for toy businesses
The Toy Coach Showcase at ASTRA 2026, only 2 spots left!

Mentioned in This Episode:
🎓 Free AI Tools for Business Masterclass (April 15, 12 to 1PM ET) thetoycoach.com/ai
🆕 Toy Coach Showcase at ASTRA 2026 (only 2 spots left!) learn.thetoycoach.com/showcase
🥊 Higgsfield AI (multi-tool AI platform mentioned) higgsfield.ai
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
15min
March 11, 2026S6E06 | Should You Learn Claude Code? Build AI Apps for Your Toy Business
1.5 million people left Chat GPT and went running to Claude for all the wrong reasons. Claude isn’t just the more ethical AI tool. It’s THE tool built for serious businesses.
One of the most popular topics of conversation right now is Claude Code. I myself have been obsessing over it lately, finding myself dreaming of code to the point where I wake up thinking I’ve finished a debug.
The bigger question isn’t just HOW to use Claude Code but it’s really, SHOULD you be using it? I’m estimating it’ll take a good 200 hours of use before you start to “get it”, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some pretty cool things along the way.
This week’s episode dives into Claude Code, how I used it, what you can do with it, and how to get started.
🧸 Mentioned In This Video 🧸
🔗 Resources:
Claude & Claude Code – https://claude.ai
Claude Max plan (used while building) – https://claude.ai
The Toy Matchmaker (beta) – https://www.toymatchmaker.com
Toy Creators Academy – https://www.toycreatorsacademy.com
The Toy Coach – https://www.thetoycoach.com
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
32min
March 04, 2026 S6E05 | Why Human Touch Still Wins At Retail with Pyper Bleu
My friend (and On Brand with Jimmy Fallon co-star) Pyper Bleu is joining me on the podcast today to share her perspective on the effects of AI and the algorithm on retail.
Our conversation starts with Pyper peeling back the curtain on how she built a platform of 400K subscribers on her YouTube channel Lyfe of Pyper, and why she decided to shift offline and open a retail shop — plus she explains how they're so different.
We also get honest about AI in our day-to-day — from using it to soften angry emails (there's humanity in that) to realizing AI-written "thank you" messages feel worse than no reply at all. Pyper shares why she stopped using AI for correspondence and actually got faster, and I open up about using AI to learn rather than just get answers. Plus, Pyper drops a killer tip about packaging that every toy inventor needs to hear.
If you're feeling a little AI overwhelmed, this podcast is your safe space. Cozy up with a warm cup of tea and give it a listen.

💜 Welcome, Toy People! 👋🏽 Thanks for being part of this playful community.

🧸 Mentioned In This Video 🧸

🔗 Resources:
https://pyperbleu.com/
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
34min
February 25, 2026S6E04 | 5 Foundations Your Toy Company Needs BEFORE Integrating AI (Custom GPTs, Automations & More)
So I finally convinced you that you can’t ignore AI… and you’re ready to implement it in your toy business. Go you. Love that for you. 👏🏾
But before you go trying to haphazardly plug AI into every little task, you need to build your AI foundation.
Your AI foundation is a series of files, records, strategy, and frameworks that you as a business use on a day-to-day basis. You may already have it documented somewhere, living in your head, or is just something your team knows how to execute.
In today’s episode, I’m breaking down exactly:
What you need to document
How to pull that information together
What you’re actually going to use it for
And how to use it to benefit your process TODAY.
I’m also sharing a tool I made that will help you build this foundation a whole lot faster.
I know I say this all the time, but… DO NOT miss this episode!
Key Moments:
01:00 – Why you cannot layer AI on top of messy data and undocumented processes
02:00 – Foundation #1: Your Golden Data (sales data, product list, customer profile)
11:00 – The brand voice problem that makes AI sound generic (and how to fix it)
14:00 – Foundation #3: Your tech stack audit
17:00 – Foundation #4: SOPs (yes, you must have them)
21:00 – Foundation #5: Folder structure + the “Chief Operations Officer” prompt
Mentioned in This Episode:
AI Blueprint
thetoycoach.com/ai
Toy Coach Showcase
https://learn.thetoycoach.com/showcase
Connect With Me
If you’re ready to implement AI into your business and you want it done for you, email me at: [email protected]
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
29min
February 18, 2026 S6E03 | The $5 AI Agent That Thinks Like a Toy Expert
My new AI agent completed 2 months of research and idea development work in 20 minutes! And the cost? About $5.

If you bumped into me at New York Toy Fair you already know how excited I am about the AI integrated automations I am currently building. The ability to utilize AI reasoning in everyday business tasks will soon be the defining rift between thriving modern businesses and those struggling with ancient processes, overworked employees, struggling to keep up with workload.

If you are one of those companies whose employees are struggling with the number of products on your line list, or the number of POs they’re processing daily, you cannot afford to ignore this episode.

Before you lose your talented team because you’re overworking them with tasks way below their paygrade, listen to this episode and learn how you can give them back more time to be creative, feel inspired, and LOVE their work. Let AI handle the research, and let your creative team flow in their zone of genius.

In this episode I’m sharing a few AI agents I’ve created that are doing just that for me. Giving me more time to write, design, plan, and build my business and that of my clients.

If you plan to be in business in 10 years, you absolutely need a personalized team of AI agents. And this episode is how to get started.

💜 Welcome, Toy People! 👋🏽 Thanks for being part of this playful community.

🧸 Mentioned In This Video 🧸

🔗 Resources:
thetoycoach.com/ai
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
53min
February 11, 2026S6E02 | Is Amazon AI Selling Your Products Without Consent? with Angie Chua
Amazon’s new “Buy For Me” button sounds helpful… but is it quietly rerouting your customers and sales without your consent? In this episode, I’m joined by Angie Chua of Bobo Design Studio to break down how this Amazon Buy For Me feature actually works, how it integrated her shop without her opting in. Plus we dive into what every small business, maker, and toy brand needs to watch out for when Amazon “digitally dupes” your product.

If you sell on your own website, Etsy, Shopify, or anywhere online, you need to understand how features like Amazon Buy For Me could impact your margins, your customer data, and the future of your business.

✨ In this episode, you’ll learn:
What the Amazon “Buy For Me” button is and how it’s using AI to complete orders
How Angie discovered strange “@buyforme.amazon” emails and what they meant for her shop
Why this feature is a potential wolf in sheep’s clothing for indie brands and toy businesses
Steps you can take to protect your customer relationships and pricing
How to think strategically about marketplaces vs your direct-to-consumer channels

For the links mentioned in this episode visit: www.thetoycoach.com/602
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
31min
February 04, 2026S6E01 | The Hidden Cost of AI In The Toy Industry
With every major advancement in science or technology, there is bound to be pushback. AI is no exception. This season is for toy and game creators navigating AI in the toy industry. In 10 episodes we’ll explore how to use AI while maintaining your taste, trusting your judgement, protecting your IP, and actually saving time.
This first episode is the foundation for the coming weeks. Before you dive any deeper into AI, let’s get real about the risks of operating it with little to no guardrails.

In this episode, we’ll talk about:
digital amnesia
the environmental impact of AI
the hidden ways AI is already showing up inside your tool stack
AI use cases that dull your brain and personality
Season 6 begins now.
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
39min
January 07, 2026 #300: What I’ve Learned, What’s Changing, and What Comes Next
After 299 weeks of toy talk, our 300th episode marks the closing of one chapter and opening another. This little podcast that started as “let’s see what happens” has turned into a full-on resource library for toy inventors, toy entrepreneurs, and creative creatives like you who just can’t shake that pull toward the toy industry.
In this episode, I'm sharing the biggest lessons from 5+ years of episodes: why most toy ideas don’t fail because they’re “bad,” how confidence actually follows clarity, and why community and the right mentors matter more than “perfect” artwork or prototypes.
This year I was on national TV with Jimmy Fallon, landed some truly incredible clients, and became a mom for the first time. So with all those big life shifts, it was time to take a reflective look at this podcast as well.
Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!
Support the show
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
...more
23min

FAQs about Making It in The Toy Industry:

How many episodes does Making It in The Toy Industry have?

The podcast currently has 311 episodes available.

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