Thanksgiving

Today is a day to reflect back, take stock in the present and acknowledge the gratitude we have for the millions of little things that make up a life. I can't possibly sum up the feelings of love and appreciation I have for my family, friends and the God who blessed me with them... in a blog post. You can't sum up a life, but a career? That's digestible.

Last Friday night I had the incredible opportunity to host the Toy and Game Inventor Awards at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. These awards are to toy and game inventors, what the Oscars are to actors, the difference being that game and toy inventors are anonymous. In that regard, these awards carry with them a gravitas for the inventors, some who have worked for 30 years providing countless moments of fun to strangers around the world. For them, this event may very well be their first moment of public acknowledgment, recognition and yes, thanks.

Adler Planetarium was the perfect venue for the evening. Overlooking Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, Toy Nation mingled before settling into their seats for what would turn out to be a very special evening, indeed. The winner of the award for Excellence in Toy Design went to Russell Hornsby, founder of Cepia, the company behind Zhu-Zhu Pets. Since they are the "must have," "sold out everywhere" toy of 2009, the evening began with a buzz of excitement. Russell was in Hong Kong, undoubtedly trying to get Hamsters on a boat, but his daughters came forward and gave a heartfelt acceptance speech that only proud daughters could give.

Leslie Scott, the inventor of Jenga was the next presenter. She flew in from London for the event and was the perfect person to announce the winner of the award for Excellence in Game Design. The place erupted when Leslie read, "The winner is... Peggy Brown!" Peggy's humorous, yet emotional speech set the tone for the rest of the evening. Laughs and tears would follow.

Jack Degnan won Rising Star Inventor and his humble speech thanking everyone for welcoming him into the industry was great. Actor John Ratzenberger videotaped a fun tribute to the kids nominated for Young Inventor of the Year and helped award it to Seth Calvin. Bruce Lund (TMX Elmo among many other toys) won the TAGIE Humanitarian Award for his generosity and his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters. More warmth, more gratitude.

Next Betty James won the first ever TAGIE Award In Memoriam. We played some footage of her from our TOYLAND film, in which she tells the story of saving her family and the company she co-founded, after her husband suddenly left her. Not a dry eye in the house.

Finally, Reuben Klamer was awarded the TAGIE Lifetime Achievement award. Reuben invented The Game of Life, 1-2-3 Roller Skates, Moon Rocks, Bash, and dozens and dozens of other toys and games. George Burtch of Hasbro gave a wonderful introduction and then Reuben made his slow journey to the stage, with a little help from his friends, riding a wave of applause. Although Reuben needed help getting to the podium, once there, he needed no help in giving his incredible speech. He took the crowd on a sentimental journey that kept us in stitches and at times, on the verge of tears. No one there will ever forget it.


There was a moment during Reuben's speech that I looked around the room at friends with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I got into this crazy business in 1990, after being influenced by the phenomenal success of Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary. There was Richard Gill, who took those two games around the world by securing licensing deals in the '80s and '90s. I have thanked him on many occasions for being a part of the games that I credit for having gotten me into the toy biz. There was Gary Donner, who is a part of the team who invented a game called Buzzword. That night he pulled me aside and thanked me for clearing the way for his game with my games, TriBond and Blurt. And we all played and were influenced by The Game of Life.

What Reuben did in his career matters. Not just in terms of the benefit of play to children and the influence that playthings have on all of us, but in terms of launching the careers of others. This idea, that we are all connected, is alive and well in the toy invention business. The woman who conceived and founded the Chigago Toy and Game Expo and the Toy and Game Inventor Awards knows this. Mary Couzin once emailed me a lead for a media story and when I emailed her back to thank her, she wrote in response, "...always looking out for my friends. A rising tide floats all boats."

A rising tide floats all boats. Thank you Mary, for a philosophy of generosity that permeates our business. And with generosity comes thankfulness.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.