The Playground Podcast

In this episode Chris talks to Nelo Lucich, one of the co-founders of Skyrocket Toys about the company and notably their introduction of Poe: The AI Storytelling Bear.

Nelo and Chris talk about the process, the underlying structure and a little bit about the future of AI in the toy business.

The Playground Podcast is supported by Global Toy News, Th Toy Guy and Beacon Media Group.

Designing effective and engaging learning toys for children is always a challenge. It's one that Dr. Ben Miller has embraced. He's a learning scientist and senior learning designer for LeapFrog.

He talks with Chris about the concept of purposeful play, designing for learning, the opportunities and challenges for AI in learning toys, and best practices for those developing learning toys.

It's a wide-ranging conversation, but you'll be impressed by Ben's insight and passion for building play-based learning.

In this episode, Jay Foreman, CEO Basic Fun makes his fifth visit to The Playground Podcast.

This is one of our most important and timely episodes to date as Jay and Chris discuss the current state of China, the reality of doing business, and the implications for our business if threatened economic developments occur.

Jay is his usual frank self with insight, thoughtful commentary, and humor. Let this interview be your first step to examining the complex issues surrounding our relationship with China and what it means for toys.

In this episode, Chris talks to Barry and Jason of the eponymous Barry and Jason games about their careers, their work, the process of pitching games, and more.

Listen in as two of the most entertaining and thoughtful guys in the business talk about what they're doing, and what's next.

We promise you a good time.

Chris talks to drag racing star Alex Taylor who has been a star in her field since she was 16. She is the co-host of Hot Rod Garage and has a popular YouTube channel as well.

This is a story that goes beyond cars and talks about passion around which to build a life and career. Even more, it's a great tale for folks in the industry looking to build meaningful marketing relationships to build brands, and sales and expand franchises.

In this episode Chris talks to industry veteran and technology whiz kid Josh Garrett about his career, his vision, and how leveraging technology in a kid-centric way contributes to positive, enriching, and immersive play experiences for kids.

Josh is the chief creative officer for Readyland and vice president of design for Creativity, Inc.

This is a "must-listen" episode for anyone looking to enhance toys and play through technology.

In this episode, Chris talks to Matt Nuccio, president of Design Edge.

This full-service design, production, and marketing agency over its long history has been involved in groundbreaking innovation. From Tickle Me Elmo to POGS, to, yes, a very successful stick; the team has guided inventors and companies to exceptional successes.

Matt talks about design, innovation, AI, what's needed to make a (hopeful) hit, and much more.

In this episode, we talk to Greg Ahearn, the new president and CEO of The Toy Association.

Greg takes the reins in a dynamic time for the 108-year-old organization, and talks about its vital role in the industry today and where it's going in the future.

Listen in and get a new appreciation for all the association does, and much more.

With Pickleball a huge trend in the U.S. in 2024, leave it to savvy industry veterans Jeffrey Breslow and Frank Adler to adapt that into a clever, fun, and opportunistic game.

Listen in as Chris talks to them about how they did it, how a popular sport became a card game, and how they Jeffrey and Frank are riding the trend to create a new game company.

Chris talks to Denis Crushell, chief commercial officer of London-Based Precise TV about his company, the power of contextual advertising for the current toy industry, and how to set your digital strategy to reach kids successfully.