So Sound’s Toy and Game Designer Sam Roberts talks cats, coffee and coming up with ideas.

“This year’s biggest trends underscore the ongoing impact of the pandemic on play; the toy industry’s growing commitment to helping kids become better global citizens; and the many social, emotional, and cognitive benefits of mindful, musical, and ‘kidult’ toys,” said The Toy Association’s Adrienne Appell.

“It’s an honour to sign the first ever llama and LEGO minifigure to a global record deal,” said Luke Armitage, VP of Marketing at Astralwerks.

Phalgun Polepalli, Director at DICE Toy Labs, spells out what needs to happen for the Indian board game market to soar, and why international publishers – both tabletop and mass market – should look to license their next hit from India’s growing community of inventors

“Our aim with SILC 2021 is to help both future-proof our industry and our world,” said conference curator Helena Mansell-Stopher.

Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Child Animatronic Edition Toy won Toy of the Year, and also took home the award for Innovative Toy of the Year.

“Clue is an iconic whodunit property that exudes mystery and intrigue, and has fans all over the world – we can’t wait to share our reimagined animated version with audiences,” said eOne’s Pancho Mansfield.

Nikki Bauman discusses Fisher-Price’s process, inventor relations, and killing creativity.

Christine Nicholls of Golden Bear on family values, being bold and moving forward.

We caught up with Rachel and Heinze to learn more about the origins of Semi Co-op, and why comics is a perfect vehicle for celebrating great game design.