John joined Richard Gottleib, Chris Byrne and The Toy Book’s James Zahn for the popular podcast, which explored the events of 2020 and what lies ahead for the toy industry. 

Toy World publisher John Baulch has appeared as a guest alongside James Zahn of The Toy Book on the popular Playground Podcast, the brainchild of Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy, and Richard Gottlieb, president of Global Toy Experts.

Part 1 of the Playground Podcast episode focused on the year just passed, and its implications for the toy business, product, entertainment and more. John, James, Richard and Chris discussed the changes that took place in 2020, and what changes may become permanent.

Richard and Chris continued the conversation with James and John in Part 2, as the group looked ahead at implications for the post-Covid world. From product categories to cultural changes to the seismic shifts in the entertainment and licensing businesses, the experts provide insights on topics that will affect the toy industry as it moves ahead into the “new normal”.

The Playground Podcast is supported by Global Toy Experts, The Toy Guy, and Chizcomm. Readers can listen to both parts of the podcast, or browse other episodes, by clicking here.

Co-host Chris Byrne said: “Yes, we all want to forget 2020! But there are lessons to be learned, and insights to be gained. Check out our conversation with John Baulch and James Zahn as we look back at the crazy year just passed in Part 1, while in Part 2 we look ahead to 2021 in the toy business.”

John Baulch added: “I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be a guest on the latest edition of the Playground Podcast. It was fascinating to compare and contrast the experiences of the UK and US toy markets to the unique retail trading conditions last year. The timing of the recording was particularly awkward when it came to predicting what was about to happen with the Brexit negotiations, but it was good to reflect on how well the global toy community coped with the challenges of 2020, and to look ahead to what may happen over the coming months.”