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.

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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

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Support the show

🔴 Want to add to the conversation? Join the live premiere of this week's episode on YouTube at 12pm EST to ask follow-up questions, share your thoughts, and chat with other toy people. Click here to join the LIVE YouTube premiere.

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

🔴 Want to add to the conversation? Join the live premiere of this week's episode on YouTube at 12pm EST to ask follow-up questions, share your thoughts, and chat with other toy people. Click here to join the LIVE YouTube premiere.

Before Swift Clicks ever hit the shelves, the team at Make It Real was staring down the brutal math of the craft aisle: rising costs, shrinking margins, and kids who expect faster, cooler results than ever. So how did her team turn that pressure into a Creative Toy of the Year finalist bracelet maker that Swifties can’t stop talking about?

In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, I sit down with Gena Lavallee, VP of Global Brands at Make It Real, to reveal the story behind Swift Clicks, the Make It Real Heishi Bracelet Maker. From the “clicky pen” inspiration to the clever refill system, hidden funnel, built-in storage, lefty/righty-friendly design, and even how to actually tie a jeweler’s knot, you’ll hear how Gena’s team transformed a slow, fiddly craft into a fast, inclusive, and insanely satisfying play experience.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Make It Real reinvented a classic bracelet-making play pattern to prioritize speed, ease, and fashion-forward results
• Why the team designed Swift Clicks to work for both right-handed and left-handed makers
• The “razor and razor blade” strategy behind refills—and how Make It Real solved the refill placement problem at retail
• The smart hidden features inside the product—funnel, aligning tool, built-in storage, and more—that most consumers never notice
• How Swiftie culture, influencer content, and viral videos helped turn Swift Clicks into a breakout hit
• What today’s craft brands can learn about pricing, margins, and marketing in a tough category

🔗 Links & Resources

• Vote Swift Clicks Heishi Bracelet Maker for Creative Toy of the Year and People’s Choice at ToyAwards.org (see show notes for direct link)
• Learn more about Make It Real and Swift Clicks at MakeItReal.com
• Watch Azhelle’s full Swift Clicks toy review on The Toy Coach YouTube channel (companion episode airs the same day as this podcast!)

Hit play to join this bracelet-making party and get inspired to rethink your own toy or craft line through the lens of speed, inclusivity, and smart design.

Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!

Support the show

🔴 Want to add to the conversation? Join the live premiere of this week's episode on YouTube at 12pm EST to ask follow-up questions, share your thoughts, and chat with other toy people. Click here to join the LIVE YouTube premiere.