Richard Gottlieb, a known authority on the “business of play” and CEO of Global Toy Experts, created the blog Global Toy News because he felt there was a need “for serious (and sometimes playful) commentary on the toy industry.” His commentary has ranged from exploring controversial issues and trends to discussions of books, games, TV, sports, science, music and interviews of toy industry leaders.
Global Toy News began in April of 2010 with Richard's blogs, drawing on his extensive international knowledge of the toy industry. During the next three years it expanded to include more than a dozen guest bloggers who collectively have written over 1000 articles which reach readers in over 150 countries. With one half million online visits, they have drawn interest from professionals in the traditional toy industry, playground and the play industry, theme park designers and managers, the digital toy world, and licensing companies and departments.1
Included as bloggers are Mary Couzin of the Chicago Toy & Game Group, Chris Bensch and Michelle Parnett of The Strong National Museum of Play, international experts John Baulch of the United Kingdom and Utku Tansel of Europe and China, industry writers Bailey Bounds of KidsWire and Kim Vandenbroucke of TheGameAisle, and numerous play innovators and toy creators. Richard continues as blogger and publisher while Dawn Wilensky is editor.
In one landmark blog, “The Toy Industry is Dead: Long live the Play Industry,” Richard challenges the industry to expand their vision from providing toys to creating play, much like the railroad business learned that they really were in the transportation business.2 This is one example of how Global Toy News seeks to address the many issues of a global market and a rapidly shifting industry.
