Hape Wooden Toys   This season, I had the pleasure of checking out some of the new releases from Hape Toys, including a block set from their collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hape prides themselves on being a sustainability-focused company without compromising on durability or playability, and both sets that I reviewed measured up to that standard. Whenever a toy company sends me samples of their fire truck toys, I always get excited. I was a volunteer firefighter earlier in my life, so seeing how different companies portray fire trucks always excites me, and I’m proud to have built up quite the collection. Hape’s Siren & Lights Toy Fire Truck is my first wooden fire truck, and I am a big fan. Made out of Hape’s signature bamboo wood, the truck itself is sturdy yet also rolls smoothly. The different moving parts also operate smoothly, including the extendable ladder and the retractable hose, which are excellent for developing fine motor skills while also strengthening the imaginative play muscle.   The fire truck also comes with a posable firefighter that can snap into the driver’s seat, climb into the bucket to operate the water gun, or take hold of the retractable hose to fight fires on foot. Like the name suggests, the truck is built with battery-operated lights and sirens to simulate real-life emergency sounds and flashing lights. A great addition to my fire truck collection, and one you should add to yours, especially if you’re opting for wood-based toys over plastic. In addition to the Siren & Lights Toy Fire Truck, I also got a chance to play with the Hokusai Great Wave Building Block Set, which Hape released in collaboration with The Metropolitian Museum of Art. The 14-piece set is inspired by Under the Wave off Kanagawa, the iconic painting by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, also referred to as The Great Wave.   The blocks come in shades of blue and white, with tan pieces making up the boats and people that ride them. They can be artfully arranged to emulate The Great Wave, or can simply be used for abstract play. The pieces are curved with no sharp edges, making them a great toy for early childhood. Finding different ways to stack the pieces on top of one another to create different scenes can really strike that artistic chord in a young child, too. These blocks as well are made of Hape’s bamboo wood, making them both durable and environmentally friendly.   Hape was first established in Germany in 1986 by Peter Handstein. They’re a very sustainability-focused company—many of their toys are made out of bamboo and sugarcane-based plastic, and their packaging is made of recycled cardboard, organic inks, and water-based colors.  

One Move at a Time is now available for purchase!   The following book review comes from Peggy Brown.   One Move at a Time, the book by storied game industry vet Kevin McNulty, is a fun 50-year romp through the memory of one of the game industry’s absolute OGs. The game business, as it is today, well, is what it is. But for those who don't have a deep well of historical knowledge, One Move at a Time is a chronicle of just how different things were in the before-times.   Before big box retail, before online anything, before artificial everything, the business of board games was run on coffee, handshakes, positive ambition and sheer determination.     Kevin starts where he grew up - in Stuyvesant Town - and tells the stories of how New York City and the people around him heavily influenced who he became. There’s nothing about his salt-of-the-earth childhood that would indicate things could have turned out any other way – it’s clear that Kevin was always the Kevin everybody knows and loves. And while some of his old stories might sound a little quaint or even fantastical, his account is 100% legit: this is the way things were done.   Reminiscing about the Toy Building at 200 Fifth Avenue and all the history that bubbled out of it for a century paints the colorful backdrop for the long lists of retailers, travels, distributors, trials, tribulations, and game industry icons that run through this memoir. The remarkable longevity of Kevin's 50+-year career is distilled down into this book, but if you were to ask him to expand on any one of the million or so anecdotes in it, I would bet each one could be a book of its own.     One Move at a Time is a time capsule that, thankfully, is no longer trapped inside the mind and memory of Kevin McNulty… it has memorialized a time and a place and an origin of how a major multibillion dollar industry pretty much began, and the experience of being brought up in the middle of it. Even though the world has turned and is virtually unrecognizable since some of Kevin's game industry memories and friendships were formed, it's a valuable read to remind anybody in the business, or teach anyone new to the business, that relationship building along with knowing how to work very hard while having lots of fun was - and still is - the foundation of how board games are born.   Photo Credit: Matt Nuccio

  Hi David! Can you share with our readers, on the off chance someone doesn't know you, what do you do in our industry? Forrmerly I a toy inventor who spent decades creating, licensing, and building products and brands. Today, I’m President of the world-famous Laugh Factory, where we’re expanding in many way including expansion of our clubs, feature films and television, content and consumer products - including our collaboration with EPOCH on the first-ever stand-up comedian trading cards.   What is it about the Toy and Game Industry that you love? It’s one of the few industries where creativity, joy, and business all intersect. You’re literally creating happiness. I like to say that both toys and comedy are the “smile business.”     What is your claim to fame? I’ve had an unusual and fun career. I hold a Guinness World Record as the World’s Fastest Backwards Talker, and I’ve licensed many successful products including the Nerf Vortex football, Aqua Doodle, Twisty Petz, and the current viral sensation Reel Big Catch from Educational Insights. Now, I’m helping introduce an entirely new collectible category: stand-up comedian trading cards.   What are you working on now? We’re launching the Laugh Factory Comedian Trading Cards with EPOCH - bringing comedy into the collectibles world for the first time. At the same time, we’re expanding the Laugh Factory into a full lifestyle brand across media, products, and live experiences.   Howie Mandel Bobby Lee Caroline Rhea starring in Adam Rifkin’s ‘Toad’   Katt Williams, Tiffany Haddish, James Franco, and Craig Robinson Joining cast of Adam Rifkin’s ‘Toad’   As part of that, we’re producing our first feature film, TOAD - a campy, irreverent comedy built around strong comedic voices. What’s exciting is that we don’t just see it as a film, but as an IP platform with real licensing potential across games, collectibles, and merchandise - very similar to how successful entertainment properties expand into products.   Why now? Comedy has never been more global or more digital. Comedians have massive followings, but there hasn’t been a physical collectible that captures that culture. Trading cards are the perfect bridge between nostalgia and modern fandom. Comedy has always been something you experience - now it’s something you can collect. I’m incredibly fortunate to have great partners like Jamie Kiskis at Epoch and Shane Mang from Landware Entertainment who brought us this great opportunity.   What inspired the cards? Sports cards and entertainment collectibles - but no one had ever done it for comedians. That gap was an opportunity to create something truly original and historic. We’re not just launching a product—we’re establishing comedy as a legitimate collectible category for the first time.   What do you hope comes from this? We want to build a long-term collectible ecosystem where fans engage with comedians the same way they do with athletes or musicians. This is just Series 1.     What trends excite you? Convergence - where entertainment, social media, and physical products all connect. That’s exactly what we’re doing with the Laugh Factory brand.   What’s next? Expanding the Laugh Factory brand globally across content, live shows, and licensed products - and continuing to create ideas that bring joy and laughter into people’s lives. The trading card platform itself is highly expandable, with future series, rare inserts, live events, and digital integrations. We’re also building original IP like our feature film TOAD with a focus on creating licensing extensions across products and collectibles.   What do you hope your legacy will be? That I helped create things that gave people joy, laughter, fun, and human connection - and that I found a way to turn creativity into something meaningful and lasting.   What makes this different from traditional trading cards? What makes this different is that we’re not just capturing statistics or performances - we’re capturing personality, voice, and cultural impact. Comedians are storytellers with massive fan engagement, especially on social media, and these cards reflect that modern fandom.     How does your background in toys influence this project? For me, this is really about bridging my two worlds - decades in the toy industry creating products people love, and now building the Laugh Factory brand. I’ve spent my career understanding what makes something collectible and meaningful, and now I’m applying that thinking to comedy. These cards are where those two paths finally come together.   Do you see this as a one-time release or something bigger? This is just the beginning. We see this as a long-term platform - multiple series, rare inserts, live events, digital extensions, and global expansion. The goal is to build a true collectible ecosystem around comedy, similar to what exists in sports and entertainment.   Why has no one done this before? Comedy has always been culturally powerful, but it hasn’t been treated as a collectible category - until now. Sometimes the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight, and once we saw the gap, it became clear this could be something historic.   I hear you have a special invitation for toy industry people who enjoy a great show and love to laugh! Yes! On Monday, April 27 join us for a great night of comedy and receive a $40 box of trading cards. With the code EPOCH50, the cost of the ticket will be 50% off. ($20 plus tax). Get your tickets HERE!