Hi Robb! We’re excited to officially welcome you as Chair of the TAGIE Awards Committee and to the POP Advisory Board—and thought this was the perfect time for our readers to get to know you a little better. Why don't you start by telling us what do you do in and out of our industry? I'm the Director of Merchandising, Hardlines at Disney Experiences, overseeing Toys, Plush, Dolls, Collectibles, Ornaments, Fine Art, and Souvenirs. I've been with Disney for 25 years now, with the vast majority of that time spent developing product across a wide range of categories. I'm part of the vertical retail team at Disney that leads the retail strategies for Disney Parks and Disney Stores. On any given day that means everything from shaping multi-year category strategy to sitting in a showroom talking through product reviews with my team. I also chair the TAGIE Awards Committee and sit on the POP Advisory Board, so a good chunk of my world outside of Disney is spent with this industry's community too.   Outside of the toy space, I'm an active volunteer within my hometown of Celebration, FL, a Founding Member of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and I love to travel, garden, fish, ski, and enjoy good food (and wine).   Why and how did you get into the Toy and Game industry? My path in was anything but conventional. As a young professional and Retail Manager at the Magic Kingdom Park, I always wondered how our products actually came to be. Being on the frontline, it felt mysterious to me, this whole world happening somewhere behind the scenes. During a mentorship session, I was introduced to an executive who led that very team. I was thrilled, but I also knew, on paper, I wasn't qualified for a role like that.   So I asked if I could volunteer, one day a week, in that department, on what would've been my day off from my "real" job. To my surprise, they said yes. For a year and a half, I gave up my day off to show up and learn, and the people on that team invested in me and in my growth within the product space in a way I'm still grateful for. It genuinely changed the trajectory of my career.   After that year and a half, they offered me a role in the department. Years later, I've had the enormous opportunity to grow into an executive, with so many incredible experiences along the way.   What advice do you have for people starting in the industry? Raise your hand, even when you don't feel qualified yet. I didn't have the resume for this industry when I started, I just had curiosity and a willingness to show up on my day off and learn. Nobody handed me a title first; I had to earn the trust of the people already doing the work.   So my advice is simple: find the people already doing what you want to do, ask genuine questions, and look for ways to add value before you ever ask for anything in return. This industry is small and relationship-driven, the people who invest in you early often become the same people who open doors for you years later. Be patient with the process, but don't be patient about starting it.   What are you working on now? Here at Disney, we're pretty confidential about our plans, so I can't get into everything just yet. But what I'm genuinely excited about right now is our new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Batuu Adventure Buddies lineup, and honestly, the credit for this one belongs to my Merchandising team, along with our Product Designers and key Sourcing partners, who all brought it to life together. It's been years in the making, and it's easily one of the most connected products this team has ever developed.   These aren't just plush toys, they're companions that come alive the moment you interact with them. A head touch or belly rub brings out real emotion through expressive eyes and motorized facial features, along with their own signature sounds and giggles, all thanks to the technical ingenuity of our merchandising, design, and sourcing teams working hand in hand. Take your Buddy into Galaxy's Edge itself, and beacons throughout Black Spire Outpost trigger location-specific reactions, so the toy is actually responding to where you are in the story. They even notice each other, and Mubo's Droids, striking up their own little conversations when they're near one another.   We're launching with the Ewok, and there are more characters on the way in the near future, so this is really just the beginning of the lineup.     It's the kind of product that reminds me why I love this job, watching a talented team turn something this ambitious into reality. It doesn't just sit on a shelf, it extends the story of the destination itself, long after the guest has left Batuu.   What is the most rewarding part of your job? Two things, really. The first is the team and partners I get to work with every day, there's nothing quite like being surrounded by people who bring that much creativity and care to their work. The second is working with a brand that carries so much admiration across the globe, with what feels like endless product opportunities to explore.   But if I'm being honest, it all comes together in one moment: seeing our toys hit shelves, land in the hands of kids and collectors, and watching their reaction. That's when it all becomes worthwhile. In that moment, it stops being an object entirely, it becomes a piece of magic, a small extension of the brand that millions of people carry in their hearts, and a memory a family will hold onto long after their Disney Parks vacation has concluded.   What trends do you see in toys or games that excite or worry you? What excites me most right now is the kidult and collector space. Seeing adults chase down a limited release with the same excitement a kid has on Christmas morning tells me play never really has an age limit, it just evolves. Trading card games have been a huge part of that too; watching something like Disney Lorcana create genuine cultural moments and turn our stores into a real destination for collectors has been energizing to be part of.   What worries me a little is how quickly some of these same categories can saturate. The blind box and collectible space, in particular, is facing steep price competition as more players pile into what worked for someone else. The trend that wins is never just "more of the same, faster", it's whoever finds a way to bring genuine storytelling and craftsmanship to a category before it becomes a commodity. That's the balance I think about constantly: how do we stay ahead of a trend instead of chasing the tail end of it.   What was your favorite toy growing up? Truth be told, I wasn't much of a "toy kid." I spent most of my childhood outside, on the farm working or playing with my extended family out in nature. That said, as a young kid, I loved my Glo Worm! (kind of embarrassing!)   Who is the person you most admire? Personally, my mother. I come from a small town in Western Massachusetts, where my family operates a 200+ acre farm and greenhouse business. She's a true inspiration, not only for being the best mother in the world, but for how she juggled so many priorities at once. She taught me that all you have in life is your name, that integrity is everything, and she brought that same entrepreneurial spirit to everything she did. I also credit her with passing down my love and passion for the Disney brand. Love ya Mom!

  Hi Ben! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. For our readers, can you please who are you and what do you do?  My name is Ben Hansen, and I’m the inventor and co-founder of Boppo, the screen-free tablet. I’m a software engineer, but in true startup fashion my job includes doing whatever is needed to help Boppo become better, whether it is working with our suppliers, testing out hardware, speaking with customers, or writing code, I do a little bit of everything.    Why and how did you get into the Toy and Game industry?  As a software engineer, I didn’t originally plan to join the toy industry but am very happy to have ended up here. The inspiration for Boppo came when I noticed how my son, who was a baby at the time, loved to press buttons or turn light switches on and off. So I built him a toy where pushing buttons is rewarded. The reaction really astounded me - when I saw how much kids enjoyed playing with it and the potential for really learning from it, I quit my job to take Boppo from a prototype to a console anyone can buy and enjoy.      What are you working on now?  We are developing new Toppos, which are themed add-ons that go on top of Boppo, kind of like expansion packs. We originally launched with 3, then released 2 more (Dinos and Realm of Wonder) with lots more in the pipeline, which I’m very excited about!    If you look back at yourself 10 years ago, is this where you thought you’d be? Where did you think you’d be? What changed? What went right?  Not at all! 10 years ago, I had just left Google, where I was working on Chrome OS and Android, and had just started a new role at a finance company. Boppo has been a great surprise and every day brings something new.      What is it about the Toy and Game Industry that you love?  Watching kids learn through play. It's truly magical.    What keeps you up at night?  Bugs. I hate it when my software (or even worse, hardware) doesn’t work correctly. I spend a lot of time testing what we’re making to make sure the experience is great.      What are you still hoping to accomplish?  There are a lot of milestones ahead of us, but the big one for me is to reach 1 million families who have experienced Boppo and love having fun with our products.    Do you have a mantra that you live by?  Love, Learn, Teach.      What has been your favorite project to date?  Building the initial games and activities on Boppo was a lot of fun. It was really fast to make as they were simple color or counting activities, and it was something new for my son, and then I got to watch him play with it. I also really enjoyed making the DJ mode for our MP3 player which allows kids to layer on fun effects to the songs they are listening to.    Do you have a typical workday and how does it play out for you?  Ha, typical isn’t really a thing for us right now as a new company. Some days I wake up to urgent messages that take up my morning, and other days I’ll be up really late talking with our factory. And often it's both, but it has been worth it to watch the excitement grow around what we’re building.    What advice would you give a young adult graduating from high school or college today?  Keep looking for something that you are 1) passionate about, 2) pays enough, and 3) you are relatively good at. You can’t always find all 3 to start but if you find two of the three and keep at it, the third will often follow.    Whatever you do, try to look past your role and understand the entire business. Specific skills are becoming less important, which is tough for some people, but I think there is even more opportunity now for those who can think holistically.      What advice can you give to inventors who are presenting new toy or game ideas?  Many people might not understand or get your idea at first, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea. If your idea is unique and category defining, a lot of people will need to play with it first before they can start to understand it or see what you see.    Also, don’t underestimate the work that comes after the idea. It amazed me how much work it takes to go from an idea to a prototype, and then from a prototype to a product you can actually sell, and then how to sell a product to become a profitable business. For Boppo, it took us 2+ years to get a good prototype. Then 2 more years to get to something we can actually mass produce, then certified and safety-tested so we can legally sell it in the US and Canada.    What is the worst job you’ve ever had and what did you learn from it?  When I was 14, I operated carnival games for a local amusement park (like throwing a ball to knock over milk jugs style games). I ended up leaving when they didn’t pay out my bonus like they said they would, but I learned a lot about selling, how to treat employees, and come to think of it, some of the game aspects might have helped influence Boppo.    What excites you?  We recently launched a Software Developer Kit for Boppo where anyone can create their own activities on Boppo. Multiple parents have reached out who are interested in starting to build games for their kids. I am excited about growing our community and Boppo as the platform for screen-free interactive play.      What’s your workspace setup like?  It changes often, my family travels full-time, and we’re always living in new, different places across the globe. So as we move around, I often work from cafes, hotel rooms, my parents’ basement, or co-working spaces. I like the variety and it helps me be more creative. When I worked in trading, people were obsessed with having multiple monitors. Now I always just use my single laptop screen. I tell people I can switch between windows faster than they can move their head.    Would you rather have one $100 toy or 100 $1 toys?  Definitely one $100 toy - since we travel and work full time, we don’t have a lot of room for things, so whatever we bring has to be worth its weight in suitcase space.    How do you jumpstart your creativity when you find yourself stalled?  In software development, there is a famous talk about “Hammock-Driven Development” that resonated with me, which is basically working on a problem until you feel stuck and then stepping away to allow your subconscious to work the problem without active effort. For me it's more “running” driven, because when I go for a run outside my mind wanders between various problems, and I find it both relaxing and surprisingly fruitful.      Do you have any kiddos?  Yes! My now 8-year-old was the inspiration for Boppo back when he was 1, and I have a younger daughter, too.    Are you named after anyone?  My middle name is Theodore, named by my dad after his favorite president, Theodore Roosevelt. My dad trained me from a young age that “far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”    Tell us about your hobbies?  My biggest hobby growing up was programming on computers. It felt lame to say that after it became my full-time job though. I also love running and have recently gotten into playing Padel, which is a racquet sport.    What do you want to be when you grow up?  An astronaut! This is why the Solar System expansion pack was one of our first 3 Toppo add-ons for Boppo. I still hope that someday I’ll get to go to space!    What’s next?  I plan to be working on Boppo for many years to come! I do think about what our next Boppo products will be, but we are going to be focused on our tablet and our Toppos for the near future.    I’m lucky that….  Everyday I get to work with a great team of people who share a passion for making play more fun and educational.   

I've seen something like a fifty thousand pitches in my career.. (including several inside or just outside of the bathroom at Javits, Nuremberg, Dallas, HK….)      A few years ago, while I was in the innovation group at Spin Master Toys, I got a cold outreach from a kid named Jay Brown. Not sure why, but he stood out. I went with my gut. I learned this lesson from David Fuhrer as I stood out to him for some reason.    That happens more than you'd think. What doesn't happen more than you'd think is that the kid had already licensed a product. In high school, he got a product placed!   Photo credit to Jon Vanderbeek   So I invited him to the Spin Master inventor event in LA. The one with the skateboarders in the parking lot for those that were there (I honestly ended up in a surgeon’s office the next day and the doctor politely advised that I not try stunts like that again).    Jay was, by a wide margin, the youngest inventor in the room.   I tried to make Jay comfortable but to my surprise Jay worked the room. He asked questions that were about the business, not about himself. He listened to people twice his age talk about tooling costs and retail windows and margin, and instead of glazing over, he took it in. I've watched grown inventors handle that room worse.   I still can't fully explain what separated him from the pile. It wasn't polish — he didn't have anything to polish yet. I can only point to authenticity and passion.   Then I met his Dad (and later I met his three younger brothers on a video call) , Jay was trying to shue his younger brothers away as he was working and then the whole thing started to make more sense. His dad (Joel) is a preacher, a musician, and an innovator in his own right.    It's rare to have a light within you but Jay had that and then turned that light around and pointed it at his three younger brothers, who now have a “big bro” example of what it looks like to actually pursue an idea rather than just to have one.     In 2024, Spin Master awarded Jay the Toy Design Scholarship. He's in college now and growing because of his drive and a helping hand from Spinmaster. (A shout out to Matt Lentini and his team from the Toronto office for vetting submissions and presenting the award to Jay.)   He still sends me product sheets. He still takes the call. He keeps going at it.   He gets a toy guy and “dad’s” most coveted award: “he's a good kid.”     When I was in Israel years ago, I gave a speech about what we were trying to do at Hasbro and how we were trying to increase the amount of innovation in our products. It was all the usual suspects: Boaz Coster, Omri Rothschild, Gideon Coster, Yoav Ziv, Gil Druckman, and I always make it a point to bring in "wild cards" people like Ciaran Larkin, people from other areas on innovation and I encouraged my team to do the same. Tanya Thompson was the best at this and one year helped increase female attendees of our inventor event with NASA engineers and a shadow puppet artist! I invited Nimrod Bach, as he was a younger guy, as my wild card for that night.   At the end of the evening, I was feeling pretty good: lots of good food, lots of good friends, and a good exchange of information. Nimrod came up to me at the end, and what he said stuck with me. He said, "Rich, you say you're trying to change the world, but where are the people under 30 years old?" He said to me, "I'm going to set up a separate dinner with the younger group of inventors here in Tel Aviv tomorrow." He did, and I had a wonderful dinner the next day. It reminded me of the importance of bringing wild cards to the table and embracing young innovators. And as you're aware, I'm a huge fan of the Young Inventors Challenge in Chicago!!!