Welcome to the Toy Business Unboxed Podcast, where we sit down with the visionaries and veterans shaping the world of toys and games. In this episode, host Jason Hsieh speaks with Bruce “Buddy” Paris, the founder of Toytronics and a man who has spent nearly 57 years living and breathing the toy business. Bruce’s career reads like a living history of the entire industry, from calling on stores in New England in 1969 to working with Bill Gates at Microsoft to manufacturing Wizard of Oz collectibles today. His story is a masterclass in passion, adaptability, and the enduring power of play.
#170: 57 Years of Toys: One Legend's Incredible Journey – Toy Business Unboxed
Episode Highlight
- 00:00 Welcome and guest introduction
- 00:45 How Bruce entered toy industry
- 02:32 Mattel: Hot Wheels and Barbie
- 03:17 Handheld games revolution
- 03:33 Microsoft employee 250
- 04:34 Toytronics and Wizard of Oz
- 06:12 Product line walkthrough
- 08:43 Industry changes: AI and retail
- 10:26 Tariff impact on toys
- 17:38 Advice for newcomers
From New England Sales Rep to Industry Icon: How It All Began
Bruce Paris did not enter the toy industry with a master plan. He was fresh out of college, looking for a sales role, and answered an ad for Ideal Toys purely by chance. He got the job as a retail salesman covering a territory in New England, responsible for detailing shelves, building end caps, and managing store inventory. He fell in love with the work immediately, describing the feeling as being like a kid in a candy store. That first role set the foundation for a career that would take him from retail floors to the executive ranks of some of the biggest names in the business.
Learning the Trade at Ideal Toys and Mattel
After starting in New England, Bruce was eventually transferred to New York, which was the undisputed capital of the toy industry at the time. He worked at Ideal before moving to Mattel, which he credits as the company where he received his real professional training. Mattel was a deeply professional operation, and Bruce was there during one of the most exciting chapters in the company’s history. He saw Hot Wheels launch, worked alongside Barbie at the height of her popularity, and spent ten years building the kind of industry knowledge that only comes from being in the room when history is made. It was at Mattel that he discovered what was truly possible in the toy business.
Hot Wheels, Handheld Games, and the Electronics Revolution
During his time at Mattel, Bruce had a front-row seat to the toy industry’s first major shift into electronic entertainment. Mattel introduced the first handheld electronic game, a small football device that Bruce describes as having revolutionized the business overnight. The company then entered the video game market with Intellivision, competing directly with Atari and helping define what interactive play could look like in the home. These experiences gave Bruce deep expertise in electronics at a time when the entire industry was trying to figure out what the category even meant. That background would later open a door into one of the most unexpected chapters of his career.
Why Bruce Chose Toys Over His Career at Microsoft
After Mattel, Bruce made a move that surprised nearly everyone around him. He joined Microsoft as their 250th employee, bringing his electronics background to the software world and spending several years working directly alongside Bill Gates. Gates reportedly begged Bruce not to leave when he finally decided to go. But Bruce’s heart was never truly in software, and he chose to walk away from one of the most successful companies in technology history to return to the industry he loved. He went back to work in toys through View Master Ideal before eventually landing at Kid Design, a company looking to break into the toy business through electronics licensing.
Building Toytronics Around the Wizard of Oz
Bruce left the corporate world in 2004 to launch his own company, working first as a consultant and manufacturer before settling into the Wizard of Oz niche. His involvement deepened through the 2014 animated film Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, which featured stars like Lea Michele, Patrick Stewart, Dan Aykroyd, and Martin Short. After Bandai’s original toy license ended, Bruce took over manufacturing through his company, Toytronics, now producing an interactive Walking Talking Toto plush, mini collectible figures, bendable characters, and a Dorothy/Glinda/Wicked Witch doll line that is sold on Amazon and Walmart.com at a moment when Oz-themed products are surging in popularity.
Inside the Product Line: Toto, Dorothy, and the Wicked Witch
The Toytronics line spans generations of fans. The Walking Talking Toto plush walks, talks, and wiggles right out of the box, blending the classic and animated Toto. Two-inch collector gift sets with six classic Wizard of Oz figures have become a hit with adults buying for themselves and their kids. A bendable, poseable line lets fans interact hands-on with Dorothy, the Tin Man, and other characters. Rounding it out, the doll collection includes Dorothy with a yellow brick road piece, Glinda with her gown and wand, and the Wicked Witch with her broomstick and accessories.
Five Decades of Change: Retail, Technology, and AI
When Bruce entered the toy business in 1969, hundreds of mass market and specialty retailers existed across the country, giving manufacturers many channels to reach consumers. That landscape has compressed dramatically. Today, mass market retail is effectively controlled by three players: Walmart, Amazon, and Target, and everything else, including Toys R Us, which once defined the category, is largely gone. Beyond retail consolidation, Bruce points to artificial intelligence as the defining shift of the current era, noting that companies like Hasbro and Mattel now rely on AI for everything from product design and development to sales forecasting and marketing strategy. The pace of change that once unfolded over decades now happens in years.
Toytronics Eyes the Future of the Wizard of Oz Franchise
Bruce is candid about where Toytronics goes from here. At nearly 57 years in the business, he is thoughtful about how he wants to spend his remaining time in the industry and has not committed to launching new products either within the Oz franchise or in a different category. What he does know is that he will never fully walk away from toys. He still visits Walmart and Target stores every week, walking the aisles the same way he has for decades, because the passion that drew him in back in 1969 has never left. His only certainty about the future is that whatever comes next, it will involve toys.
Advice for Newcomers in the Toy and Game Industry
Bruce’s advice for anyone entering the toy and game industry comes down to one word: passion. The business is competitive, constantly changing, and requires the kind of commitment that cannot be faked or sustained without genuine love for the work. New product is the engine that drives everything, with manufacturers launching hundreds of items every year knowing the vast majority will never gain traction. That kind of environment rewards people who can take repeated setbacks without losing enthusiasm for what they are building. His guidance is simple and direct: be passionate about what you do, have fun, and enjoy the ride.
Conclusion
Bruce “Buddy” Paris is a living archive of the toy industry’s entire modern era. From his first sales call in New England in 1969 to producing an animated Wizard of Oz film in Hollywood to manufacturing collectibles for the franchise’s 125th anniversary, his career has moved with the industry at every turn. His story is a reminder that longevity in a creative business does not come from chasing trends but from staying rooted in genuine passion for the work. For anyone building a career in toys, games, or any creative field, Bruce’s journey offers both inspiration and practical wisdom that only comes from decades of showing up. Tune in to the full episode to hear everything Bruce shared, including his thoughts on where the toy industry is headed next.
Connect with Bruce “Buddy” Paris
If you’re interested in learning more about Toytronics or connecting with Bruce “Buddy” Paris you can reach out through the following channels:
- Website: Visit Walmart’s official website to purchase Toytronics’ Wizard Of Oz Merchandise.
- Website: Visit Amazon’s official website visit Amazon’s official website to purchase Toytronics’ Wizard Of Oz Merchandise.
Transcript
Jason Hsieh (00:00)
Welcome back to another episode of Toy Business Unboxed. Today, our guest is a true legend in the toy industry, Bruce. His journey has begun way back in 1969. That’s way back before I was born, obviously. And he started at Ideal Toys, the company that introduced the teddy bear, and also took in from through big names like Mattel and other big toy companies. Then he helped drive hundreds of millions in sales in his role in the business. Then he took a detour into software worlds.
with Microsoft and working alongside with Bill Gates before returning to the toy industry and launch his own company now with Toytronics today. So it was honor to have you on the show, Bruce and share your journey with our audience.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (00:38)
Thank you very much, Jason. Glad to still be here after almost fifty seven years in the business.
Jason Hsieh (00:45)
Yeah, that’s a long time. So can we kind of walk all the way back, like what first drew you into the industry, into the world of play?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (00:54)
Well, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was in college. My dad said, you know, you should look for something in sales, maybe in marketing, and sounded good and I didn’t know anything about the toy business. I started answering ads for sales jobs and interviewed with several different companies. One was Polaroid and
I remember them and luckily I interviewed with Ideal Toy. They were looking for a retail salesman to call on the stores back then. And it sounded like it was interesting and fun. And they hired me and got the job, and basically the rest is history. And I’ve always had a passion. You know, I just fell in love with it. I was like a a kid in a candy store to be able to
Jason Hsieh (01:31)
Hm I
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (01:39)
sell and market and also play with all the toys that I was involved with. And I’m still sorta doing that with my company today.
Jason Hsieh (01:47)
What was your role way back then with that company?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (01:50)
Well when I first started in 1969, I was what they called a retail salesman at a territory in New England. Yeah. And I would call on all the stores and my job was to both mostly detail, you know, inventory.
Jason Hsieh (01:58)
okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (02:09)
The merchandise, make sure the stuff was out from the back room on the counter, building end caps, and depending on what the account was, actually sell them, you know, if they were out of stock on a particular item. My job was to sell the product. That’s how I started in New England, and then eventually they moved me to New York, which was obviously back then the capital of the toy business.
Jason Hsieh (02:28)
okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (02:32)
All the big manufacturers had offices there and spent most of my career in New York with Ideal first and then I see went to Mattel. That’s where I really got my training because they were a very, very professional company and I was there when they introduced Hot Wheels and was Barbie was already there and I was with Mattel for
Jason Hsieh (02:42)
Yeah.
Well.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (02:56)
Ten years both in toys and then they got involved in the electronics business with handheld games. They were the first to introduce the handheld games. They introduced the little handheld football, which revolutionized the business. Then they got into video games with something called Intellivision, ⁓ to compete with Atari and
Jason Hsieh (03:14)
Okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (03:17)
Then I left the toy business for a couple of years and was with Microsoft for a couple of years and with my electronic background and I was a two hundred and fiftieth employee and I used to take Bill Gates around ’cause I was…
Jason Hsieh (03:31)
Nice
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (03:33)
I was a VP
and you know sales and he begged me not to leave the company but my heart really wasn’t into software it was always with toys so I left and I went back to the toy business with View Master Ideal and I was there for a couple of years and then left and went to a smaller company called Kid Design which was
Electronics company wanted to get into the toy business, so we built a business licensing electronics. And then I left back in 2004, started my own company, consulting and then manufacturing, and got involved in the movie business a little bit. Now I’m a manufacturer of a Wizard of Oz merchandise.
Jason Hsieh (04:14)
I see, okay.
I see. Well that sounds like a very interesting journey for that
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (04:22)
my career in a nutshell over fifty seven.
Jason Hsieh (04:25)
I see. So I wanna kind of talk more about the current business that you run. Can you kind of elaborate the toy line that you’re in charge of? I know some of you are you have some of the part behind you as well.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (04:34)
Got involved in a movie. We made an animated movie based on the Wizard of Oz franchise and a book. And we were able to license toys for that movie. Originally with Bandai, they were the original licensee, and we licensed some toys based on the movie, and that was the old
2014 so after that I decided to take on the franchise myself and started manufacturing toys based on the Wizard of Oz franchise, which has obviously had a big, big resurgence over the last few years, particularly with the introduction of the Wicked movies, Wicked for Good.
Jason Hsieh (04:56)
Okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (05:19)
Yeah. Wicked. And this year is the hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the book that was actually written by Frank Al Baum. He wrote the wonderful Wizard of Oz. I see. So that’s when it all started. And it’s also the 86th anniversary of the movie that really put the Wizard of Oz franchise on the map.
Jason Hsieh (05:28)
really?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (05:42)
And that was the nineteen thirty-nine movie that everybody knows with Judy Garland singing, you know, somewhere over the rainbow. And according to science, that movie is as influential today as it was in 1939. And it’s supposedly the most watched movie in history. People keep watching it over and over.
Jason Hsieh (06:03)
really? Okay.
I keep on thinking it was Titanic.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (06:12)
Las
Vegas in the sphere, which a lot of people, you know, it’s an interactive thing, and it’s just given a big, big resurgence to the whole line of Wizard of Oz. So I introduced some toys based on the movie. If you like, I can show you a few. ⁓ Interactive plush toy called Walking Talking Toto. All you do is you pull his leash.
Jason Hsieh (06:30)
Yeah, please.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (06:38)
He walks and talks and he wiggles.
Jason Hsieh (06:40)
Mm-hmm.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (06:40)
Out of the box.
Jason Hsieh (06:41)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (06:43)
And then I also have a just a plain little plush Toto. The combination of the Toto from the original Wizard of Oz and the Toto that’s in the Legends of Oz, Dorothy’s Return, the animated movie that we made.
Jason Hsieh (06:47)
this
I see, okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (06:59)
And then I have some two-inch characters of the Wizard of Oz, the little two-inch hat this happens to be the Tin Man, so this is a gift set with six little characters. It’s for collectors, and interestingly enough, adults are going crazy over all this stuff. Buying it for themselves and they’re buying it for their kids.
Jason Hsieh (07:20)
I see, I see.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (07:21)
Then I also have if you remember back in the nineties there was a concept called bendable characters where you could bend the characters and playable. So I introduced a whole line of the six classic characters. Here’s Dorothy where they’re poseable and they’re bendable.
Jason Hsieh (07:38)
okay, okay, okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (07:39)
So
the kids can pose them and bend them and do whatever they want, interact. And then of course I have the dolls. The star of the show, Dorothy, in her outfit with a piece of the yellow brick road, plus a little bonus Toto.
Jason Hsieh (07:44)
Really?
Yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (07:57)
And then the wonderful witch Glinda with her gorgeous little gown and all the accessories, the wand, the tiara, and another piece of the yellow brick robe.
Then of course, everybody’s favorite, the Wicked Witch of the West.
Jason Hsieh (08:11)
Okay, yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (08:12)
Comes with her black outfit as well as the broomstick and accessories. So I’m basically capitalizing on the resurgence of the Wizard of Oz. I’m selling this product on Amazon and it’s also available on Walmart.com. Those are basically the two retailers that are
Jason Hsieh (08:18)
Yeah,
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (08:34)
Selling the product.
Jason Hsieh (08:35)
Mm, I see, I see. And I know since you have been in the industry for so long, like what are some of the major changes that you see over the year that the industry has made? Well
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (08:43)
The biggest change is obviously the use of the technology today like AI to help deal with everything and anything in this business. You know, in the old days, everything was done by hand, whether it was product design, development, sales forecasting, you name it, it was all it was done by hand.
Yeah. You had to use your head and your brain and your hand. Today, obviously, in 2025, you have artificial intelligence, which is literally taking over all of those things. We’re still interacting, but you manufactures today, especially the larger ones, like a Hasbro or a Mattel, they rely so much on artificial intelligence.
To help them manufacture and market the products. Same thing with the retailers. I mean the biggest change with retailers today is in 1969 when I first started, yeah, there were hundreds of mass market retailers and small retailers.
Jason Hsieh (09:52)
Yeah, yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (09:53)
Many, many, many channels of distribution to sell to. Those people are long since gone. Certainly in the mass market today, it’s just dominated by number one Walmart, Amazon, and then Target. After that, that’s it. Even Toys R Us, who used to own the toy business.
Jason Hsieh (09:58)
Yeah.
yeah, they went out of business, yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (10:16)
So it’s a dramatic, dramatic change over the last fifty to sixty years and who knows what it’ll be like going forward.
Jason Hsieh (10:26)
Mm. Yeah.
Yeah. And I know before the interview we’re also discussing about the impact of tariff on the industry. How are you dealing with the tariff situation?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (10:35)
with my merchandise, I brought in most of my merchandise early enough before the tariff take place. So I brought my merchandise in. It was all developed and designed last year and the year before. So I brought in all this merchandise early. And I was not subject to any tariffs. You know, it’s all duty free. I see it was all coming from China.
Jason Hsieh (11:01)
Okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (11:01)
I see. If I were to bring in this product today, it’d be a different story because I’d have to pay at this point who knows, at least another thirty percent more. Yeah. And that would put these products up, you know, five, ten dollars more, and that could obviously hurt the business. So who knows what’s gonna happen with the tariffs. Hopefully in the next month or so.
Mr. Trump is going to be in China and he will settle it once and for all because so much of this merchandise is manufactured in China.
Jason Hsieh (11:32)
Yes, yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (11:33)
Maybe forty, fifty percent is still manufactured in China. Manufacturers are trying to circumvent, but there are certain things that the Chinese know how to do and the infrastructure that you can’t do anyplace else in the world, even in Cambodia or Vietnam or anyplace, and certainly not in the United States.
Jason Hsieh (11:55)
Agree. Yeah. Yeah.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (11:56)
Yeah, tariffs have certainly been a headache for the toy business in particular. Absolutely.
Jason Hsieh (12:01)
And marketing wise, what are some of the strategies that has still been working for you to grow the brand?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (12:07)
Well, I don’t do a lot of marketing. I’m lucky that the franchise is so well known. And because of all the marketing that’s going on for the 125th anniversary of the book, the 85th anniversary of the movie, and you know, Universal pounding the airwaves now with the wicked movie that’s coming out in less than a month.
And the Las Vegas introduction of the sphere. There’s a tremendous amount of marketing going on for the Wicked of Oz franchise, which I’m, you know, taking advantage of on their coattails. I mean, there isn’t a person on the planet today that really has never heard of something to do with the Wizard of Oz.
Jason Hsieh (12:51)
Yeah, okay, okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (12:53)
So luckily
I don’t spend a lot of money marketing. I have a website, people go there, you know, if they want to buy the product, they can either buy it through the website, they can buy it from Amazon, they can buy it from Walmart. So
Jason Hsieh (13:07)
I see.
Yeah, so I know Wizard of Oz is your kind of main line that you’re focusing on.
what excite you about the most for the upcoming years?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (13:15)
Well, you know, when I was a kid, I was enamored, and I remember the first time watching the movie I was 10 years old in 1956, and the movie was made in color, but back then very few people had a color TV. So you couldn’t watch it in color, it was all black and white.
Yeah, yeah. But I remember I had a a rich relative who had one of the first color TVs. So I went over there and we watched it and the opening of the movie was still in black and white when Dorothy’s in Kansas and the tornado comes, and we’re all saying, Well, how come it’s not in color? We have a color TV, where’s the color? Yeah. And then you know, she falls
Jason Hsieh (13:44)
okay.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (14:02)
Into Oz through the tornado and opens the door into Oz and then everything was in color. And nobody had seen the kind of color on a TV like that before. And you know, they were Warner Brothers was one of the first, or back then it was MGM, made that movie you know, in Technicolor, and they were one of the first to use Technicolor. So from that point on, I fell in love with the movie.
And I said, yeah, someday, you know, who knows? Maybe I’ll get involved in the toy business and I’ll fantasize about manufacturing Wizard of Oz toys. And that dream came to fruition.
Jason Hsieh (14:40)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, that’s a long way to go. And I think you will have a very interesting experience in both not just making toys but also producing film because that’s a very different skill set.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (14:51)
Very different skill set. I got involved in that back in 2010. A small production company basically were looking for investors to help them fund the animated movie. And they approached me.
and I told them that I had a background in toys and electronics. And I obviously could help them with not only making the movie, I mean I didn’t know too much about the movie business, but I was a quick learner in Hollywood. So, you know, we produced the movie, we marketed it.
And I was able to help them develop the line with Bandai of the toys to go along with the movie. So it was a different skill set.
Jason Hsieh (15:41)
Yeah, for sure.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (15:42)
And it was certainly an experience. Going to Hollywood and having the premiere with all the stars of that movie. And they were big, big stars because they basically came to us and they wanted to voice the characters. For instance, Leah Michelle played Dorothy, and she was a big, big star. Patrick Stewart, who everybody knows, he came to us and said, I want to be part of the movie.
Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, all came to us basically and said, I wanna be part of making this animated film. So obviously that helped.
Jason Hsieh (16:17)
Hm, I see, I see, I see.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (16:19)
And that movie is you know, available now on video and streaming and people watch it you know every day like they watch the original movie.
Jason Hsieh (16:29)
looking ahead, what are some of your vision for the company? Are you going to be launching more product next year or?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (16:34)
Well, you know, it’ll depend. I mean I’m getting up in age and I want to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Yeah. So I’m not quite sure whether I’ll be introducing new products within the Oz franchise or new products in another vendor. At this point it’s to be determined.
I see. But I’ll always be involved in the toy business. I still once a week go into the stores. I see. So I’m like a kid in a candy shop. I go into Walmart, I go into Target, yeah, see what they’re selling and you know, it’s a passion of mine.
Jason Hsieh (17:12)
Got it, got it, got it, got it. Yeah. And are you also considering maybe selling the brand in the future then, you know, to work on other projects?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (17:19)
Like I said, everything is you know, from this point on the future is remains to be seen. All I can tell you, J.
Jason Hsieh (17:25)
I see. It’s about all
it got it. So as well kind of wrapping up today’s interview, if you have to share just one piece of advice with someone that’s getting started in the toys and game industry, what would that be?
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (17:38)
good question. I think if you’re interested in the business, knowing that it’s always changing, you must have a passion for it. You really have to have a passion. It’s a very competitive business, it’s a very innovative business. You know, the key to the toy business is new. Everybody wants to know.
What’s new? Yeah. And it’s all about product. And you see, you know as well as I do, yeah, the hundreds of products that all these manufacturers every year invest a lot of money in and introduce. Yeah. 90% of them don’t even make it to market.
So if I were to recommend or give somebody advice, be passionate about what you do and have fun and enjoy it.
Jason Hsieh (18:22)
Mm,
that’s a very good advice. Thank you so much for sharing. And thank you so much for being on our show today, sharing your journey over five decades in the industry. Yeah. That’s a long time.
Bruce “Buddy” Paris (18:32)
Thank you so much for having me and I appreciate it. And we’ll talk again.
Jason Hsieh (18:36)
For sure. And thank you for our audience for turning in to this episode of Toy Business Unboxed Podcast. We hope you have enjoyed today’s conversation and find it both insightful and inspiring. If you like what you have heard, be sure to subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. We also love it if you can leave us a review and share the podcast with your friend and colleague. It really helps us grow and reach more toys and game creators like yourself.
If you want to keep the conversation going, please join our free Facebook community, Toys and Game Launchpad, where toys and game entrepreneurs connect, share ideas, and resources. Visit toy-launch.com/group to learn more. And also for more tips and resources, you can also find the latest update within the toys and industry within our website, toy-launch.com. And until next time, keep innovating, keep creating, keep bringing joys through toys. This is Jason Hsieh
Signing off on the Toy Business Unboxed podcast. We’ll see you in the next episode. Thank you so much, everyone.
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