Making the World a Better Place to Play!™
Today’s global toy business is a distinctly modern phenomenon. The first New York Toy Fair in 1903 was nowhere near the massive show that it is today. In fact, the American toy industry was virtually non-existent. Many, if not most, toys were home made, or locally crafted. Real toys came from Europe. In those early
The holidays are here…well, at least the shopping is! The shopping season is just kicking off, and we’re excited about many of the new toys this year. The good news is that there are some wonderful ideas for virtually every kid, from preschoolers to teenagers…and beyond. The toy year that began more than a year
When I talk about “risk” and “children” in the same sentence, you can see some parents start to vibrate. I get told, “You’re irresponsible.” Or, “Are you suggesting I put my kids in danger?” No and no. As these final days of summer wind down, perhaps one of the best things you can do for
When I was a kid, we didn’t have too much scheduled activity. We were left to our own devices, and after breakfast my mom would turn us out of the house to play. There was no sitting inside watching TV. Well, maybe on a rainy day, though we were much more likely to play games
I was sitting in the gentle drizzle in Central Park this week watching the Public Theater’s splendid new production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Kenny Leon, and I reflected, during a rain delay, on how as I’ve often said, Shakespeare knew everything. Seriously, gender politics and the current #metoo movement? Yeah, that’s Measure
I’ve been playing with Gayle Anderson at KTLA for the better part of two decades! When it comes to just plain having fun, she’s simply the best. No wonder she’s beloved throughout LA! Over the years, Gayle’s dressed me in silly hats, and we’ve ridden roller coasters together and gotten to all sorts of fun
Summer fun means summer toys, and who better to kick off this season of play than Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. The most playful (and Emmy Winning) daytime hosts on TV know a thing or two about great play. Here are the toys that made the cut! By the way, it’s not easy to make
The news stories keep coming about parents paying massive sums to secure college admission for their kids. From the C-List actors to C-suite executives to anyone with enough cash, they are committing fraud and buying their way into slots in top-tier schools their kids (presumably) can’t otherwise earn. It’s cheating, of course,
I can’t tell you how many people over the years have introduced a product to me saying, “This is going to be a huge fad.” (It’s a lot.) I can, however, tell you how many of those ended up actually becoming fads. Exactly none. A fad is an anomaly in the world of toys. No
What are kids going to be putting on their lists to Santa in 2019? (And asking for throughout the year?) Well, nobody really knows the answer to that, but in the high stakes toy business, inventors and manufacturers have been placing their bets since last year. And now, it’s go time. The first months of
