As headlines focus on tariffs, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty, a quieter story is unfolding behind the scenes.   It's the story of thousands of small manufacturers, toy makers, and baby brands doing whatever it takes to keep their businesses alive.   Many of us have already spoken to reporters about the challenges. We've shared how tariffs have depleted cash flow, disrupted sourcing, and forced impossible decisions. Those stories are important.   But that's only half the story.   The other half is resilience.   While larger companies have resources to weather uncertainty, small brands are relying on grit, creativity, and determination. We're exhibiting at trade shows, even when our booths are overshadowed by bigger competitors. We're creating content, calling retailers, managing inventory, and finding new ways to connect with customers.   We're rolling up our sleeves and getting back to the basics of building businesses.   Every day, small manufacturers across the country are making difficult choices simply to keep moving forward.   There's no dramatic headline in that.   No viral moment.   Just real entrepreneurs working hard to preserve the businesses they've spent years building.   A group of approximately 40 creators, mostly in the toy and baby industries, meets quarterly to support one another through these challenges.   This week, many of us are gathering at the Astra Marketplace in Milwaukee, WI, where we will share the same retail floor as larger competitors while continuing to fight for space on store shelves.   We understand the reality we face as we pitch our products to specialty retailers from across the US, all small business owners themselves. Many of these retailers have been forced to make difficult purchasing decisions, which often includes eliminating the small brands. With some consumers are trading down to lower-cost alternatives, our task is getting ever more difficult.   Many small businesses are operating with less margin for error than ever before.   Yet we're still here. Still innovating. Still showing up. Still believing that thoughtfully designed, independently created products deserve a place in the market.   The story of small business right now isn't simply about what we've lost. It's about what we're doing to survive—and why we're determined to keep going.   About Baby Paper Founded by Sari Wiaz, Baby Paper is a sensory toy brand known for its crinkly baby products sold through specialty retailers and online across the United States and internationally. Phone: 847-272-5588 Email address: marketing@babypaper.com  

Submit Your Nominations Now through July 31 CHICAGO, IL | June 1, 2026 — Nominations are now open for the 2026 Toy & Game Innovation Excellence (TAGIE®) Awards, presented by the People of Play™, a division of The Toy Association. Taking place on November 6, 2026 as part of POP Week, this year’s event marks the TAGIEs’ 19th year honoring the best and brightest innovators, designers, retailers, suppliers, PR professionals, and marketers who drive creativity and success across the global toy and game industry.   Anyone in the industry may submit a nomination by July 31, 2026. There is no fee to nominate a candidate for consideration. This year’s categories include:   Toy Innovator of the Year - Ages 0 - 13 Toy Innovator of the Year - Ages 13+ Game Innovator of the Year - Ages 0 - 13 Game Innovator of the Year - Ages 13+ Licensed Product Innovator of the Year Young Innovator of the Year Most Innovative Designer of the Year - Art & Visuals Most Innovative PR & Marketing Team of the Year Sales Innovator of the Year Toy Industry Game Changer Most Innovative Partner of the Year   “The TAGIE Awards are where the toy and game community comes together to celebrate the ideas that make people stop and say, ‘I wish I had thought of that,’” said Mary Couzin, senior vice president and founder of People of Play at The Toy Association. “We can’t wait to recognize the incredible talent and innovation driving play experiences around the world!”   Finalists will be announced in early September, at which time voting will open to the general public, media, and industry. The Game Changer and Lifetime Achievement Awards are selected exclusively by the TAGIE Awards Committee and the Lifetime Achievement Committee.   The TAGIEs ceremony is one of several events that takes place during People of Play’s annual POP Week (November 5 to 8 in Rosemont, IL), including the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, Young Inventor Challenge, and Chicago Toy & Game Fair. Click here for more information about the TAGIE Awards and follow for updates on social media using #chitag, #chitag2026, & #peopleofplay. Photos from the 2025 TAGIE Awards are available here.   About the TAGIE® Awards chitag.com/2026-tagie-awardsFounded in 2008, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE®) Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of toy and game industry leaders from around the world, by honoring masters of innovation. The annual event also pays homage to industry professionals who differentiate themselves with their spirit for fun, philanthropy, inventor advocacy, creativity, and humanitarianism. Inventors, designers, manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, media, public relations and marketing professionals, and the general public come together for this prestigious annual gala event. The TAGIEs are hosted annually in the fall in conjunction with the Toy & Game Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference, Chicago Toy & Game Fair, and the Young Inventor Challenge.   About People of Play™ peopleofplay.com People of Play™ (POP), a division of The Toy Association™, leads the global toy and game industry in promoting innovation, creativity, and connectivity. A one-stop source of community for industry professionals, aspiring inventors, and people of all ages who love to play, People of Play hosts a play platform packed with resources, the largest toy and game directory in the industry, and a wide range of events, including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge®, the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, and more.   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: People of Play PR Emily Auriemma856.723.3055emilya@carvecomms.com Madelyn Jones919.923.3259madelyn@carvecomms.com 

Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity by Cas Holman   If you’re looking to reconnect with your inner child, or perhaps just add a bit more joy—or as the cool kids call it these days, whimsy—to your life, Cas Holman’s Playful is the perfect next read. Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity is a wonderful book from Holman, an accomplished educator, inventor, designer, and play expert, and science writer Lydia Denworth. Holman explains what play really means, breaking through the notion that it is reserved for children and offering ways to incorporate it into your adult life.   Holman dives into the concept of “free play,” exploring what that might look like in childhood: imaginary play or making up games with sticks and rocks and whatever else might be in your backyard, and how it shines through differently in adulthood, if only you let it. You might think to yourself that you don’t have any interest in pretending you’re on an expedition to discover new species (turning rocks and logs over in your backyard to see what kinds of worms and beetles are waiting), but Cas has an answer for you there, too. In fact, many answers. Cas breaks down what play, especially free play, can look like in adulthood. You’d be surprised—you might even be playing more than you think.   One of the most memorable parts of the book for me was Cas's breakdown of the different types of play for adults. Meditative play can include activities like yoga, knitting, puzzles, or even assembling IKEA furniture. Creative play shows up in everyday moments like decorating your home, dancing in the kitchen, or singing in the car. Possibility play can look like making a vision board on Pinterest or saving different Airbnb listings for a dream trip. Play isn't just throwing a ball around or moving pieces on a board game (although both of those things are very fun!). The point is that play is everywhere, and once you begin to recognize it, life can feel a lot more playful.   There are many benefits of incorporating and recognizing play in adulthood, and Cas outlines a few of them in the title of the book. Play helps to overcome fear of failure and embrace new ways of thinking—approaching something with a playful perspective, letting go of how a “serious” person would do something can help bring new ideas to the table. It can help spark creativity and joy, and most importantly, I think, it can bring people together. Moreover, it isn’t just helpful. Cas argues that it’s indeed crucial for a happy and healthy life. And everything you need to know about why and how to achieve this playfully happy and healthy life is right inside this book!   Cas Holman is an accomplished educator, designer, inventor, and author. She studied Fine Arts at University of California, Santa Cruz and honed her skills again at Cranbrook Academy of Art, where she earned her Master of Fine Art. Since then, she’s invented Geemo, which launched at the Museum of Modern Art in 2007, and Rigamajig, which has been incorporated into playgrounds and classrooms all over the world. She’s held professorships at Rhode Island School of Design and Syracuse University, and she’s designed the High Line Children’s Workyard Kit in collaboration with Friends of the High Line Park. You can learn more about Cas and her work on her website, or tune in to her episode of Netflix’s series Abstract: The Art of Design.