Today’s episode is a treat for the senses toy people. My guest today is a published book author and illustrator with books released by Sky Pony Press, Abrams Books, and Harper Collins. Charles George Esperanza grew up in the south Bronx and found the mentor and structure he needed while studying Illustration at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

During our chat today Charles shares his come-up story, premiers a banger of a song, and of course, provides advice to all you aspiring book authors and illustrators out there. If you’ve ever considered illustrating a children’s book or writing one, then today’s episode is for you.

You’re guaranteed to walk away with a few valuable takeaways to inspire and guide you on your journey. To find out where to purchase Charles’ books, head over to thetoycoach.com/92 to grab all the links to purchase the books referenced in today’s episode.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/92

Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!

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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

Have you been looking for an overview on all the possible career paths in the toy industry? Wondering what it takes to make it as an inventor or corporate toy person? Well during my chat with the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures I covered just that. And lucky for you, that incredibly valuable talk is now available right here on your favorite podcast.

The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is home to the world’s largest collection of fine-scale miniatures and one of the largest collections of historic toys currently on public display.

This conversation, called Meet the experts, was the result of an invitation extended to The Toy Coach to teach what it’s like to have a career in the wonderful world of the toy industry. If you’re curious what it takes to Make It In the Toy Industry, then pop your earbuds in and listen.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/91

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

According to Gallup research, the great resignation of 2021 found 48% of the American workforce actively looking to change jobs. Among the reasons to leave? Not seeing opportunities for growth, lack of community at work, and not feeling a sense of purpose or passion in their work. 2021 was a good year for the toy industry regarding sales, but how has it been regarding hiring?

On today’s podcast episode I invite two listeners of the podcast, on the podcast to share their toy career stories. These women just so happen to be Latina’s and this episode is coming out at a perfect time, to celebrate their accomplishments at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. Erica and Lilliana share how they found a home in the toy industry in their new roles, but also reflect on what it took to get there. Today’s episode will leave you with advice for landing a toy job and building your toy network. But most importantly, you’ll walk away feeling inspired, because you too can find a job in the toy industry. You just need to set your goals, focus on them, and be patient.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/90

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

If you’re a devoted listener of this podcast, then I’ve been calling you a toy person for almost 100 episodes now, and it just hit me recently, that I’ve never actually talked about what it means to be a toy person! 

Today’s episode covers just that.  Learn 3 simple strategies that you can start implementing today to become a toy person in this industry.  This episode is for YOU if you’ve ever felt a little imposter syndrome when you’ve been referred to as a toy person. This episode will also help YOU if you are a new toy creator and you want to put your best foot forward when stepping into this industry.

The 3 strategies covered in this episode will teach you how to mentally show up as a joyful toy person, how to keep focused with a toy goals notebook, and share the importance of knowing the category that you want to innovate. You’ll hear personal stories from me that will help you approach your toy career, toy business, or general toy journey more strategically.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/89

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

Students of Toy Creators Academy join The Toy Coach on the podcast today to share their experience going through Toy Creators Academy, and ultimately pitching at the TCA Virtual Pitch Event. During this chat, Chrissy Fagerholt, Geordie Humphrey, and Scott Underwood share lessons learned, and achievements as new toy creators.

In this episode, hear specific stories about what it was like to virtually pitch to major toy companies like Hasbro, Mattel and Spinmaster. Chrissy shares her what it was like to work 1:1 with The Toy Coach to perfect ideas, Scott shares how he took a positive perspective after hearing “no” to his ideas, and Geordie shares how Toy Creators Academy and the TCA Virtual pitch event really helped him understand what the toy industry needs AND how to deliver that.

By the end of this episode, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of what it’s like to pitch virtually as a toy creator, and hopefully, you’ll sign up for the Toy Creators Academy launch party to learn and celebrate with fellow aspiring toy creators.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/88

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

Remember when you came up with your latest and greatest toy idea? At any point, did you stop and wonder to yourself, is this really a toy product? If you’ve had an idea or two that you weren’t quite sure fell into the category of toys and games, then today’s episode is going to help you clear that thought process right up.

Today’s episode was inspired after about a dozen inquiries I’ve gotten asking to clarify what makes a toy a toy. This episode will walk you through 3 exercises to take your idea through which will help you identify if it’s a toy, game, or kids’ product. Plus, in this episode, I touch on what to do if your idea doesn’t fall into the traditional toy category at all!

Get ready to explore the dictionary definitions of the word toy and play and learn how intended use alone may dictate whether your product is a toy or not. There’s a bit of homework at the end of this episode for you, which requires you to reach out to me, your toy coach. I encourage you to put the work in, and I look forward to watching your toy idea blossom because of it.

When you are ready, let’s dive into today’s episode and learn techniques that will help you finally answer the question, “Is my idea a toy product or not?”.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/87

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

Remember Brexit? Well, back in late January when the UK left the EU, I reached out to a Toy Safety expert friend of mine and asked, “What is this going to do to our labeling requirements?” The answer was, "a little when it comes to testing, and "a lot when it comes to paperwork. "

Today’s podcast episode is our Toy Safety 102 lesson, and we spend about 90% of this conversation focusing on the cost, complication, and changes in labeling and testing requirements brought about once the UK split from the EU. EN-71 is the European standard that specifies safety requirements for toys sold in the European Union. Bill walks us through what you need to stay compliant with and points out that we have until January of 2022 to have all product molds, deco, and packages updated with the new required labeling. 

At the end of the episode, you’ll gain a little bit of perspective around accepting international orders for your product line too soon. If you don’t know anything at all about toy safety, you might want to check out episode number 43, Toy Safety 101. You’ll learn more about our guest, Bill Baxter, and get a clearer picture of the acronyms you’ll hear us tossing around in this episode. To listen to episode 43 just visit www.thetoycoach.com/43.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/86

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

If you’ve ever looked into attending a toy trade show and thought, “Nope. Toy trade shows are for the big toy companies with thousands and thousands of orders at least, they’re not for me.” Well, it’s time to declare that a myth right here and right now my friend.

Today’s podcast episode we dive into a review of the ASTRA Marketplace and Academy that takes place every year to connect specialty toy retailers with the manufacturers that make creative, innovative specialty toy products. In this episode you’ll hear a recap of insights and comments direct from attendees of the ASTRA toy show including manufacturers, retailers, and sales reps who all share their perspective on working in the specialty toy market.

You’ll learn the vibe of the ASTRA toy show and why this toy show is known for its personal touch and sense of close-knit community. By the end of this episode, I hope you leave inspired to introduce your toy brand to the specialty market if you haven’t already, and perhaps bring your product to the next ASTRA Marketplace toy show! 


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/85

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

You know that feeling when you submit a job application but you’re pretty sure no one is going to see it? The process of applying for jobs has become more and more impersonal in the digital age. The personalities of resumes today are defined by the template and type face that was chosen. Well today, the ever-growing social media platform, TikTok has stepped up to the plate to create a more personal hiring experience that can almost ensure your resume gets seen…at least once.

TikTok Resumes ran a pilot program in July of 2021 featuring a site tiktokresumes.com and a hashtag #tiktokresumes that boasted job opportunities from top toy and entertainment companies like Spinmaster and WWE. The platform encouraged the creation of polished TikTok resume videos and facilitated the application submission process. The hashtag TikTok Resumes has almost 300 million views and hopefully the program will return in full force very soon. But until it does, this episode will help you prepare to be an early adopter of the latest revolution in job hunting and recruitment. When you’re ready to learn about the future of the job market, listen in to this episode.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/84

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

How much do you know about how the toy products that you make and play with get to you? Most likely, they were shipped to the city you bought them from, on boats in containers. In January of 2021, shipping container prices started to climb. By early spring they were double the standard pricing and today shipping container prices have been reported to have increased 4x what importers are used to paying to ship their products. The growth in sales that the toy industry experienced over the past year is just a fraction of the growing demand weighing heavily on our supply chain. Shipping ports are congested and shipping containers are limited, all leading to a container crisis that’s wiping out profit margins.

In this episode, you’ll learn the history of the shipping container, gain an understanding of the pricing and functionality of containers, but most importantly we’re going to wrap this episode by building out an extensive Market Shift Mind Map around the shipping container crisis. The goal of creating this mind map is to predict and prepare for the future with this major shift in mind. You’ll learn to break apart and analyze the 4 different aspects of the rising shipping costs and predict changes to come so you can be proactive instead of reactive. Whether you’re new to the industry or an experienced toy professional this is a great exercise to appreciate the history of shipping and to think ahead for its future.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

For the links and resources mentioned in this episode, head over to the episode page at www.thetoycoach.com/83

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