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Making It in The Toy Industry | Start A Toy BusinessAuthor: Azhelle Wade The Toy Coach Toy Creators Academy
How do I bring my toy ideas to life? How can I pitch my toy concept to top toy companies like Hasbro, Mattel, or Goliath Games? What does it cost to make a prototype, and where can I get one made? Are there toy manufacturing options outside of China? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered on this weekly podcast, Making It In The Toy Industry. In addition to mini toy masterclasses, and step-by-step guides, each episode is designed to help you take immediate action toward developing, presenting, licensing, and producing your next big toy or game idea. Learn how to find the right factory, negotiate manufacturing costs, and use successful sales techniques to get your product noticed by major toy companies.Meet Your HostAzhelle Wade, aka The Toy Coach, has been in the toy industry since 2010. With 3 toy patents, multiple toy awards, and a track record of managing multi-million-dollar toy lines for companies like Toys R Us, Party City, Madame Alexander, and Creative Kids, Azhelle brings passionate and enthusiastic toy industry expertise to every episode.Join thousands of toy creators and entrepreneurs who are making their toy dreams real with Making It In The Toy Industry! Language: en-us Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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#267: Winning a TOTY Award and Scaling a Toy Business Through 3D Printing with Solobo Toys
Episode 267
Wednesday, 23 April, 2025
Can 3D printing really replace traditional toy manufacturing? One founder says “absolutely” and she’s got the award to prove it.In this episode, I’m chatting with the amazing Courtney Peebles, founder of Solobo Toys, about how she won a TOTY Award for her hit plush toy, Emotional Baggage, and how rising manufacturing challenges pushed her to transform her business using 3D printed toys.Courtney gets real about the challenges she faced with manufacturing overseas, and how jumping into 3D printed toys helped her reduce costs, improve margins, and take back control of her production. Even better? She did it all while staying true to her brand's mission: creating inclusive toys that help kids express their emotions and feel seen.We’ll talk about how 3D printing can help small toy brands build profitable direct-to-consumer businesses, the exact steps Courtney took to pass essential safety testing, and why sustainable manufacturing with 3D printers is more accessible than you might think. You’ll also hear how winning a TOTY Award for her plush toy, Emotional Baggage, boosted both her visibility and sales and what it really takes to scale a toy business with limited resources.If you’ve ever dreamed about taking your toy idea from sketch to shelf without a big factory or warehouse, you need to hear this one! Listen now and let Courtney’s story inspire your next step in the toy industry.Listen for these Imporant Moments! [00:03:27] - Courtney shares the emotional moment her plush toy, Emotional Baggage, won a TOTY Award, beating major brands like Disney and Miss Rachel. She never expected it—and it changed her business overnight.[00:07:46] - A simple post about her award win triggered a wave of direct-to-consumer orders. She had to leave Toy Fair early just to keep up with the shipping![00:13:18] - With rising tariffs and time pressure, Courtney stopped manufacturing overseas and leaned into 3D printed toys to take back control of her production process.[00:15:32] - Courtney walks us through how she passed all the required safety testing for her 3D printed toys using small-batch manufacturing guidelines—no shortcuts, just smart strategy.[00:24:57] - Starting with one $600 printer, Courtney’s now scaling up to 41. She explains how Solobo Toys is growing quickly—without the stress of massive factory MOQs.Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail! Support the showPopular Masterclass! How To Make & Sell Your Toy IdeasYour Low-Stress, Start-To-Finish Playful Product Launch In 5 Steps >> https://learn.thetoycoach.com/masterclass <<
