Today I’m pleased to share this interview with Richard Gottlieb, a longtime provider of business development services to the toy industry.

Codename: Richard Gottlieb
Base of Operations: richardgottliebassoc.com
History: Richard Gottlieb is President of Richard Gottlieb’s USA Toy Experts, LLC, and a provider of business development services to the consumer products industry. Richard combines an MBA in Global Management with thirty-five years of consumer products experience to help small, medium, and Fortune 500 Manufacturers increase their market share. Providing straight talk and out of the box thinking, Richard helps companies create innovative, new ideas that leverage their company’s existing assets in dynamic new ways. He is also a Contributing Editor and blogger for “Playthings” and “Gifts & Decorative Accessories” magazines.

PG: In the 1980s, action figures were huge business, with mass market lines like Star Wars, He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers dominating the market. Today, kids appear to be more interested in electronics (such as videogames and Ipods) than traditional toys. Overall, what is the action figure industry like today compared to twenty years ago?

RG: It is alive and well. It certainly does compete with other forms of entertainment for children but is a staple part of the industry. Its health will vary with the health of the movie, television and other intellectual property it relies on. Bottom line, if there are hot properties then the segment will be hot. (more…)