October 21, 2026
In 2008, ToyDirectory and TDmonthly.com sponsored a documentary following first-time inventors at New York Toy Fair. Then the Great Recession wiped out the funding. Nearly two decades later, director Alison Marek is finishing the job. We caught up with her after a successful September fundraiser.
TDmonthly: Alison, where does PLAY ON! Will the Fun Survive? stand today?
Alison Marek: For the first time in years, it's really moving. In 2008 my team and I filmed five inventors through the set-up, pitching, and breakdown at Toy Fair. Then the recession hit and we couldn't finish. Thanks to the support we've gathered, we're ready to shoot 2026 footage focused on Aimee Symington, who invented the manners board game BLUNDERS. Her story will become its own short, PLAY ON! BLUNDERS, ready for audiences in early 2027. It will also be Chapter One of the feature.
Why launch the in-person fundraiser in Tryon, NC?
Tryon, my current hometown, has deep toy roots. Tryon Toymakers and Woodcarvers was founded in 1915 by Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale, and its hand-carved wooden toys earned national acclaim. The town's mascot is Morris, a giant fiberglass hobby horse. A movie celebrating independent toymakers – especially women toymakers – belongs here.
What happened at the event?
On September 17, at the Tryon Depot, guests enjoyed wine and light snacks and bid in a silent auction of donated toys, games, and artwork. We screened our updated trailer and a 2008 scene of Aimee debriefing in her hotel with husband George after a day of pitching. We also showed video greetings from our producer, Sharri Hefner, and co-producer David Esposito of Harvest Time Partners and Abundant Harvest games. People were enthusiastic, and they laughed a lot.
Aimee was a surprise guest. How did she react?
She was our special mystery guest, and she'd never seen the 2008 footage before! In the hotel scene, she and her husband George talk about how New York buyers dismissed manners as a "southern" thing. By the end, the etiquette expert herself forgets her manners.
After the screening, she told me she remembered none of it, only the exhausting, rainy walk back to the hotel.
Who made the evening possible?
A wonderful mix of toy companies and local merchants. On the industry side: Harvest Time Partners, EzyRoller, Tot-Talk, Maple Landmark, Wiggles 3D, Successful Kids, Scramble Squares by b. dazzle inc., Hugg-a-Planet, Fliptomania flip books, and Cheeky Monkey Toys.
Locally: O.P. Taylor's toy store, Wild Petunias, The Curious Caldron, Mountain Trail Soap Company, Nature's Storehouse, Tryon IGA, All Good Things Bakery, Elizabeth Shanahan Studios, and the current Tryon Toymakers and Woodcarvers, which donated a tiny Morris the Horse. It was hard to let him go!
Artisan Jay Goree contributed fused-glass bowls, and Aimee donated copies of BLUNDERS and Manners Mats. Many of these donations will help future fundraisers, too.
You've also been spreading the word elsewhere?
Yes. Earlier this month I presented a documentary workshop at the Tryon International Film Festival, where I showed the PLAY ON! trailer plus Aimee's scene to attendees. Sharing the work with fellow- or potential filmmakers is energizing, and it reminds me why independent documentaries matter.
What will the fundraiser's proceeds accomplish?
They'll help me finish editing Aimee's 2008 footage and return to Aimee and her family before the end of the year. The short film also serves a second purpose: it stands on its own, and it helps raise funds for the full feature.
What do you hope audiences take away?
PLAY ON! is a love letter to the specialty toy industry, which is always under pressure from giant corporations and mass-market retailers. I hope its message encourages would-be inventors to take a risk on their dreams. I also hope it reminds people to support their local toy stores and independent inventors.
How can TDmonthly readers help?
Go to PlayOnToyMovie.com to find out how your name or logo can join our Thank You page. All donations are tax-deductible through our fiscal sponsor, From the Heart Productions. We especially need people who'd like to join at the producer or presenter levels, which come with credits in the film. Donors also get sneak peeks as the movie progresses.
If you know someone who might want to help, please send them our way. This story has waited nearly twenty years, and I'd love to finish it with this industry's help.
PHOTOS:
The PLAY ON! Tryon Fundraiser team, from Left: Charlotte Ware Epley, Aimee Symington, Eliza and Alison Marek, Darlene Cah.
Toy industry and local supporters for PLAY ON!
Alison with donated toys from Harvest Time Partners and Wiggles 3D
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