Creating Something Big

Perhaps it was the full-sized airplanes suspended above like mobiles in a playful giant's bedroom. Or maybe it was the full-sized train that was tucked behind the stage that looked like a Lionel. If not that, then certainly the 45-foot Christmas tree with 30,000 lights and 1,000 ornaments got your attention.

Everyone who came to the 2010 Toy and Game Inventor Awards last Friday night knew they were in for something big, and once again the heart of the toy industry did not disappoint. It's an evening to honor the designers who create the toys and games we love to play. For a full list of winners see Kim Vandenbroucke's blog post at The Game Aisle: 2010 TAGIE Awards: I love this business!

Every kid creates something big in his or her mind. It's the world of play where anything is possible. It's imagination.

Toy and game inventors create a means through which kids, families and friends can bond. It's about the playthings, but more so, it's people.

Mary Couzin has built something in Chicago over these past 8 years that has heart, soul, substance. It's camaraderie, chemistry. It's connection.

Everyone who had the chance to talk to John Ratzenberger this weekend, walked away impressed. He says, "America's strength is industry. It's manufacturing, it's making things, creating things." It's who we are.

It's a kid, it's a country, and it's everything in between.

We are creating something big.