(32 minutes)

Chris talks with the inventors of the hit product, The Eggmazing Egg Decorator. It's an amazing, funny story of a classic toy biz success: how an idea at a kitchen table turned into a million-dollar idea. The first in our Upstarts and Innovators series, Chris talks with entrepreneurs Curtis McGill and Scott Houdashell about how they came up with the idea, how they went for it, and what happened when they went on Shark Tank and teamed up with Shark/Investor Lori Grenier.

The story of their company Hey Buddy Hey Pal, is a classic toy industry tale, full of trial-and-error, how to deal with a shipment of 10,000 units, and how a lucky (and unplanned) event catapulted them to huge popularity. You'll enjoy hearing how they went from two guys who were making it up as they went along, made this a huge hit, along with very cool line extensions that have made it a year-round hit and their ongoing work at giving back.

In The Endcap, Chris provides some historic perspective on challenges facing the toy industry, and while it won't change the current Coronavirus crisis, perhaps there's some comfort in the fact that the toy industry just keeps bouncing back...and it will again.

Richard is on vacation during this episode, and he'll be back next time.

The Playground Podcast is brought to you by Global Toy Experts, The Toy Guy, and KidStuff Public Relations.

The Toy Foundation: Pam Mastrota

The Playground PodcastBy Chris Byrne May 01, 2024