The Toy Book Podcasts by Adventure Media & Events

In the latest episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Kevin Daniels, President and Co-Founder of Fun In Motion Toys to the show. Fun In Motion is the four-time Toy of the Year (TOTY) finalist behind mesmerizing toys including Shashibo, Spin Ball, and Wandini.

On the show, Daniels explains how an activity invented by the indigenous people of New Zealand became the inspiration for Fun In Motion Toys' first product. He and Albritton go on to discuss the success of Fun In Motion with independent retailers and the methods used to grab customers' attention. Following the backstory on Shashibo, Daniels shares insight into how the company is leveraging its existing items to break into new product categories.

In the latest episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Kyle Cosgrove, Territory Manager at Goliath Games to the show. A sales vet with experience at Crazy Aaron's and Monkey Fish Toys, Cosgrove is focused on expanding Goliath's footprint across independent toy and game stores.

On the show, he and Albritton discuss the skills learned in working toy retail and how those skills still apply today. Cosgrove shares his experiences in selling to kids in-store and how they think differently about product. Additionally, he shares some advice for young people starting out in the toy industry, the current state of games at specialty, and how independent retailers can set themselves up for sales success.

In the latest episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Tom Delaney, Executive Vice President of MUKIKIM to the show.

A seasoned toy industry veteran, Delaney has held roles at Mattel, The Walt Disney Co., JAKKS Pacific, and ran his own company, Homegrown Toys. On the show, Delaney shares insight into the world of MUKIKM and its 14 unique product lines, including the Rock and Roll It Piano, Spy X, Drench, and this fall's buzzworthy new offering, the Drench Soda Game.

Go Ninja! Go Ninja! Go!

In the latest episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Pat Linden, Vice President of Marketing at Playmates Toys to the show.

Ahead of this week's release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Linden shares insight on his experience working with every iteration of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) since 1998.

On the show, Linden discusses his early years in the toy industry in which he worked on the classic farm toy brand, Ertl prior to joining Playmates Toys. He then shares details on the different versions of the TMNT brand over the years and explains how the team works on developing reimagined toys for the brand. Finally, Linden delves into this year's line and why he's excited for Mutant Mayhem.

In the latest episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Leah Ringelstein, Director of Impact at Zigazoo to the show.

Ringelstein is on the front lines of the world's biggest social media network for kids and leverages her background in classroom education and curriculum building in her work. Zigazoo has been designed to be a safe, positive, empowering online community where kids can create videos, enter challenges and win prizes.

On the show, Ringelstein discusses the early stages of creating Zigazoo and shares how positivity and safety are built into the core of everything the company does. Then, she and Albritton discuss the challenges and triumphs of moving away from an “engagement at all costs” social media model and how brands can best get involved and benefit from what Zigazoo is doing.

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design goes LIVE from the show floor at ASTRA Marketplace & Academy in Columbus, Ohio.

Check out mini interviews featuring Adam Hocherman (Fat Brain Toy Co.), Karen Hermann (Hand Craft), Julien Amundsen (Fantasma Toys), Chrissy Fagerholt (EAP Toys and Games), Jan Marie Zawitz (Tangle Creations), Dan Hakim (It Coins), and Eric Child (Tubelox).

In this week’s episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Alan and Christine Blumberg from RGB Sales and Lea Culliton (ex-HABA, ABC Kids Expo) to the show to discuss the launch of The North East Toy Show (NETS).

"The Northeast connection to specialty" opens its doors in February 2024 for its inaugural show, and in this episode, the organizers delve into the genesis of the event and what it takes to plan a toy-focused trade show. From there, Albritton asks them to discuss their backgrounds in toys, current trends, the importance of independent toy stores, and where they are seeing growth.

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Talia Filippelli, founder of Starr Therapy, to the show.

Filippelli is a Genius of Play Ambassador, an award-winning “Top Doc,” and has served as an advisor for Sesame Workshop. Most recently, she developed The Genius of Play’s Emotional Wellness Playbook, a free resource that provides parents and caregivers with play-based, screen-free activities that help kids develop emotional intelligence and learn to express their feelings in a healthy way.

On the show, Filippelli and Albritton discuss how classic games can be a great way to build emotional intelligence skills and why play works when helping children access their emotions. Additionally, Filippelli offers examples of how she has seen play change lives.

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Lauren Derse, CEO of Learning Express Toys & Gifts to the show.

Derse leads the largest franchised toy store chain in the U.S. and has vast experience with store ownership and oversight. Learning Express is known for its expert staff, localized selection, and incredible customer service — including gift wrapping, personalization, and the famed birthday boxes.

In this episode, Derse delves into the origin of Learning Express and her mother’s vision of an educational and fun place for kids and families. She then shares with Albritton what her years of experience as Director of Marketing taught her about the Learning Express customers. From there, the conversation moves toward the importance of a neighborhood toy store, what Learning Express looks for in a new franchisee, and what trends to look for in the future of brick-and-mortar retail this year.

In this week’s episode of the "Power Kid Podcast," host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design welcomes Chris Cote, founder and president of Scentco to the show.

On the show, Cote unpacks the exact moment the idea of scented pencils struck him and what he did next. He shares the complexities involved in finding the perfect scent for every product, and how he overcame some early speed bumps in the business.  From there, Cote tells Albritton about how a group of entrepreneurial school kids opened up an entirely new sales channel for Scentco. Finally, the conversation moves from the psychology of scent in marketing to the launch of Scentco's new Bedtime Defenderz brand.