They sold out before summer, got emails from retailers and industry outsiders, and scored a back-to-back TOTY nomination… so how did they do it?

In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, I talk with Ron Weizman of South Beach Bubbles about the strategy behind their hit product, the Galactic Color Bubble Machine. We cover what it takes to stand out in a saturated market, how packaging and demos drove retail success, and why award wins matter more than you think.

Listen in and see why this toy is taking over the bubble aisle and… don’t forget to vote for it in the Outdoor Toy of the Year category!

Voting is open to Toy Association members and media. Not registered? Reach out to info@toyassociation.org for access.

Listen for these Important Moments:

• [00:01:30] – Learn how to pitch your toy in 30 seconds or less, as Ron shares the quick-hit sell for a product that became a TOTY nominee two years in a row.
• [00:03:10] – Thinking of adding tech to your toy? This breakdown of how the Galactic Bubble Machine works will spark ideas for simple, affordable "wow" moments.
• [00:06:03] – Discover how to make your product stand out in a crowded category Ron explains the strategy behind going beyond a standard bubble machine.
• [00:11:04] – Get inspired by the R&D story behind Poppin Colorz, and learn how chemistry, persistence, and a little creative obsession turned into a category-disrupting toy.
• [00:21:08] – Hear how one toy’s demo power translated into real retail impact including sidewalk traffic, trade show buzz, and in-store conversion.

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Visit for The Toy Coach's toy of the year picks at thetoycoach.com/toty for the link to vote before January 7th.

What if kids could learn about sports, INSIDE SportsCenter? Well 27 licensing deals, 7 TOTY nominations, and 1 incredible host all led to this incredible feat of edutainment.

For 2025, Abacus Brands teamed up with ESPN and a roster of elite athletes to create the ESPN Virtual Reality Headset. This fully immersive toy is nominated for Educational Toy of the Year and delivers sports history, rules, trivia, and facts in a way kids have never experienced before.

In this episode of Making It in the Toy Industry, I sat down with Steve Rad, CEO of Abacus Brands, to unpack the creative, technical, and licensing marathon behind this ambitious VR learning tool and how his team managed to turn a sports encyclopedia into an unforgettable, fully immersive experience for kids.
Steve reveals what it was like working with Disney and ESPN, and how they managed to feature icons like Shohei Ohtani, Kobe, and Ronaldo all while staying true to their educational mission.

This toy teaches kids the why behind the rules of sports, helps kids explore games they’ve never played, and lets them learn inside SportsCenter alongside one of ESPN’s top anchors: Arda Öcal. This is edutainment to the highest level.

The ESPN Virtual reality headset is nominated for Educational Toy of The Year and you can (and should) vote here.

Featured in this episode:

• The shocking cost of licensing deals with some of the biggest names in sports
• Why Jordan was the one athlete they couldn’t lock in
• What happens when licensing constraints actually push creativity
• And how an early prototype made Steve stop in his tracks and send an all-team email

Vote for ESPN Virtual Reality Headset in the Educational Toy of the Year category. Voting is open to Toy Association members AND members of the media. Cast your vote for Virtual Reality ESPN in the Educational Toy of the Year category!

Voting is open to Toy Association members AND members of the media. So if you're in the media and you aren’t registered to vote, contact the toy association at info@toyassociation.org for details.

Listen for these Important Moments!

• [00:06:02] – Steve explains how the ESPN VR Headset turns every page of a 148-page book into a fully immersive sports learning experience from standing inside SportsCenter to skydiving out of planes.
• [00:16:31] – It took 27 separate licensing deals to make this toy happen. Steve shares what it took to get athletes like Kobe, Ohtani, and Messi inside the experience (and why Jordan didn’t make the cut).
• [00:23:44] – Want to pitch a brand like ESPN? Steve walks through why they said yes to a toy concept, and how Abacus framed it to feel more like a cultural experience than a product pitch.
• [00:27:10] – If you’re hitting walls with licensing, this segment shows how constraints can lead to more creative storytelling including how Abacus pivoted when big names were too expensive to use.
• [00:35:57] – You’ll hear about the moment Steve saw the first VR prototype and knew they had something special. Plus, how that one moment raised the creative bar for the entire project.

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What started as an inventor's pitch, evolved into a collectible phenomenon. Sky Castle Toys is showing us what happens when you combine viral content with collectibility… and it’s Sticki Rolls.

Sticki Rolls is nominated for Collectible Toy Of The Year, and if you ask me, they should be the ones taking home the TOTY. (sorry Lego!) Sky Castle built a brand, demand, and a community from scratch, and they’re only continuing to grow. Driven by viral content and partnerships with niche artists, the Sticki rolls brand is one of the few toys that can get kids excited about putting down their phones…even if it’s just to cover them with stickers. 😏

In this episode of Making It In The Toy Industry, co-founder of Sticki rolls, Lev Nelson, reveals how this TOTY-nominated toy went from concept to category disrupter in under two years. Sticki Rolls may look simple: “just stickers on a bracelet” but behind this viral collectible is a smart design, strategic marketing, and a product kids can’t stop sharing and sticking to everything and with everyone.

Lev shares how Sticki Rolls launched during the pandemic, innovated manufacturing, survived the shipping crisis, built a global fan base, and YouTube-first marketing engine from scratch. (That now has over a million subscribers, by the way!)

If you were considering giving another company your TOTY vote…you might want to think again after hearing this episode.

Featured in this episode:

• The top-secret rarity system built into every Sticki Rolls bracelet
• The manufacturing challenge that nearly derailed the product
• How Sticki Rolls are designed with parents in mind
• And what I think about this new brand going head-to-head with collectible giants like LEGO, Pokémon, and Magic: The Gathering for their TOTY nomination.

Sticki Rolls earned their spot among the greats and now they need your vote to seal the deal. If this episode inspired you, if this product wowed you, cast your vote for Sticki Rolls in the Collectible Toy of the Year category!

Voting is open to Toy Association members AND members of the media. So if you're in the media and you aren’t registered to vote, contact the toy association at info@toyassociation.org for details.

Send The Toy Coach Fan Mail!

Support the show

Visit for The Toy Coach's toy of the year picks at thetoycoach.com/toty for the link to vote before January 7th.