PLAY ON! — Will the Fun Survive?

By Alison Marek
October 2025

A Documentary Film

Seventeen years ago, we went to Toy Fair with new inventors who hoped they’d created the next hit toy. Where are they now?

In 2008, six first-time toy inventors walked into New York’s Toy Fair with big dreams and even bigger stakes. ToyDirectory’s cameras were there to discreetly capture every moment. What we didn’t know then was how dramatically their resolve — and the specialty toy industry itself — would be tested.

Big Dreams at the Biggest Toy Show

The New York Toy Fair is the Super Bowl of play: thousands of inventors, buyers, and media packed into the Javits Center, hoping to discover the “next big thing.” For newcomers, it’s a make-or-break moment. One order could launch a company; silence could crush it.

These six dreamers came with inventions as diverse as their life stories:

A mother who couldn’t have more children — so she created an $85,000 Jack Russell terrier movie series, “The Tails of Abbygail,” to bring joy to other people’s kids instead.
A water-loving tinkerer who spent 12 years and tens of thousands of dollars engineering the ultimate self-siphoning water gun, “Frolicking Floaters.”
A mom and corporate etiquette expert who raided her children’s college funds to invent “Blunders,” a board game that makes manners fun (and prayed that Oprah would notice!).
A special-effects artist who sculpted dinosaur puppets so real they could star in a movie, determined to resurrect a dream that almost went extinct.
A Brazilian software manager who quit his steady job to gamble everything on a three-D puzzle no one thought could sell.
Two ex-HR executives sickened by toxic corporate culture who crafted a game to teach kids about values, empathy, and character.

The Crash

Months after Toy Fair, the Great Recession hit. Hard. The myth that toys were “recession-proof” was quickly disproved. By 2010, Aimee was operating a crane lift to ship out her games herself. Brett still hadn’t recouped his investment, had most of his original inventory sitting in a warehouse, and was in danger of losing his home to foreclosure.

Independent toy stores shuttered and small manufacturers struggled as the economy dived and Amazon rose. We shelved our documentary. The plans to follow up with our dreamers on video were postponed indefinitely.

Meet the Toymakers

AIMEE is a mom and corporate etiquette expert who raided her children’s college funds to invent “Blunders,” a board game that makes manners fun (and prayed that Oprah would notice!).

RAY is a former marine whose flash of inspiration led him to create a moveable board for his favorite game, chess. "Beyond Chess" was already a hit in game stores before he came to Toy Fair.

TERRI couldn’t have more kids — so she created an $85,000 Jack Russell terrier movie series with her pets and farm animals - “The Tails of Abbygail” -- to bring joy to other people’s children instead.

BRETT is a water-loving tinkerer and adventurer who spent 12 years and tens of thousands of dollars engineering the ultimate self-siphoning water gun for his toy, “Frolicking Floaters.”

MICHAEL is a special-effects artist who sculpted dinosaur puppets so real they could star in a movie. He came to Toy Fair determined to resurrect a dream that almost went extinct: "PuppeToys"

SUSAN partnered with another ex-HR executive who was sickened by toxic corporate culture. Together, they crafted a game to teach kids about values, empathy, and character: "What's the Deal?"

Seventeen Years Later…

Now, like Michael Apted’s UP series of documentary films — which follow children throughout their lives – PLAY ON’s once-in-a-lifetime footage offers a rare chance to see these dreamers at the beginning of their journey … and then find out where that long, bumpy road took them.

Executive Producer BOB NAIMI (founder of ToyDirectory, 1996, and TDMonthly Magazine) and Co-producer/Co-director/Cinematographer/Editor ALISON MAREK (award-winning filmmaker and former Director of Videography at ToyDirectory), have teamed up with another award-winning filmmaker, KARINA DUFFY (Co-producer, Co-director/Cinematographer/Editor), whose widely acclaimed feature film TAHI: THE HUMAN JOURNEY has played internationally in festivals and on multiple streaming sites.

We’re also thrilled to share that PLAY ON! has fiscal sponsorship through FROM THE HEART PRODUCTIONS, who considers this an important historical project. This partnership also offers a tax deduction for any contributions made toward the film.

Why It Matters

Toys are more than playthings. They shape imagination, teach values, and spark curiosity. PLAY ON! explores what happens when ordinary people risk their security, careers, and savings to bring joy and meaning into children’s lives.

This film is about resilience, creativity, and the human drive to make something that matters. It’s about parents, innovators, and dreamers daring to leave a legacy.

Join Us in Bringing This Story to Life

Your support will help us complete PLAY ON! and bring it to parents, retailers, educators, and toy inventors:

Stage 1: The Trailer — Re-capture the 2008 footage, edit, score, and finish a trailer; post on ToyDirectory, Social Media, etc.; use for Grants and Fundraising.
Stage 2: “Blunders” (North Carolina) — Film follow-ups with Aimee Symington of BLUNDERS; edit, score and promote 15- to 20- minute film; distribute online and via in-person North Carolina events; use for Grants and Fundraising.
Stage 3: The Feature — Film follow-ups with the rest of our dreamers; edit and finish feature-length film with original score; administration and legal; distribute and publicize through conventions, festivals, streamers, TV, and online.

Thanks to our fiscal sponsor, FROM THE HEART PRODUCTIONS, your donation is tax deductible. Significant donations may also qualify you for an associate producer credit on the film, web page, and IMDB.

Pay by Check:

Please make check donations payable to From the Heart Productions.
Indicate the name of the film “PLAY ON! Documentary” on the memo line.
Mail your check to:

From The Heart Productions
1013 Harbor Blvd. #53
Oxnard, CA 93035

PLEASE BE SURE TO PUT THE NAME “PLAY ON!” ON ALL DONATIONS so that we will receive the funds.

Thank you!