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Over the years, James Zahn aka “The Rock Father™” and/or his work has appeared in the press and mainstream media on occasion. In 2020, this continues as part of his role as Senior Editor of The Toy Book, The Pop Insider, and The Toy Insider.
James is available for interviews, television appearances, and public speaking engagements with a focus on entertainment, family, parenting, fatherhood, music, toys, and culture along with retail and consumer products trends. Need a toy expert or pop culture expert for your TV segment? Contact James today: james@therockfather.com
Select Hits:
2020:
- 12/04/2020 – Top Gifts for Teens on News12 New York
- 12/04/2020 – UPDATED New York Magazine: The Holiday Toys to Buy Before They Sell Out, According to Toy Experts
- 11/26/2020 – The Year’s Hottest Toys on FOX32 Chicago
- 11/25/2020 – Yahoo! Finance Live: Black Friday and the Hottest Toys of 2020
- 11/19/2020 – The Washington Post: Hot holiday toys: Baby Yoda, L.O.L. Remix and nostalgic favorites
- 11/19/2020 – The List: Pop Culture Advent Calendars
- 11/15/2020 – Forbes: Rubik’s Cube and Spin Master – a $50 Million Deal
- 10/23/2020 – Yahoo! Finance The First Trade: Mattel’s Surprising Q3 Earnings and Hot Holiday Toys on Yahoo Finance
- 10/16/2020 – CNBC – TikTok is driving massive toy sales as play dates become less frequent during pandemic
- 10/13/2020 – New York Magazine: The Holiday Toys to Buy Before They Sell Out, According to Toy Experts
- 10/12/2020 – Loss Prevention Magazine: The New Black Friday: Retailers Kicking Off Holiday Sales
- 10/12/2020 – Seeking Alpha: Countering Prime Day Transforms Into New Black Friday
- 10/09/2020 – Yahoo! Finance: Target x FAO Schwarz and Hot Holiday Toys
- 10/09/2020 – The Washington Post: The new Black Friday: Amazon, Target, Best Buy and others kicking off holiday sales
- 10/09/2020 – Holiday Shopping Starts Early Due to Coronavirus Pandemic to Avoid Seasonal Rush
- 10/07/2020 – CNN: 3 reasons why holiday toy sales will be huge this year
- 10/02/2020 – MONEY Magazine: Baby Yoda Toys Will Be Insanely Hot Holiday Gifts in 2020. May the Force Be With You Finding Them in Stock
- 09/30/2020 – MarketWatch: Barbie could be queen of the holiday season with analysts upbeat about Mattel and Hasbro
- 09/24/2020 – Yahoo! Finance: The Hottest Holiday Toys + Global Spin Master Present Pets Debut
- 09/20/2020 – Mighty Marvel Geeks: Marvelous Toys with James Zahn
- 09/17/2020 – MediaPost: If You Don’t Have the Virus, You Can Buy it For Halloween
- 09/16/2020 – NRF: National Retail Federation: COVID Takes its toll on movie-based toys
- 09/01/2020 – Yahoo! Finance: Toy Industry Earnings Update + Global Debut of Squishmallows Star Wars Plush
- 08/19/2020 – Forbes: Toys R Us, Amazon Are Linked Online Again, After E-Commerce Deal With Target Ends
- 07/29/2020 – Geek Watch One: Pop Inside Comic-Con
- 07/27/2020 – Hasbro profit misses as production delays weigh on board game sales
- 07/27/2020 – CO – By the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: How Mattel and Walmart Drove Toy Sales by Responding to COVID-Altered Shopping Behaviors
- 07/23/2020 – Yahoo! Finance: Here’s why the toy industry will shake off the global pandemic + Global JAKKS Pacific Elf Debut
- 07/21/2020 – The HUSTLE: Hollywood is in crisis. That spells trouble for movie-themed toys
- 07/20/2020 – National Geographic: Out of Ideas for New Things to Do? Go Old-School Instead!
- 06/24/2020 – Good Day LA/FOX 11 Los Angeles: Toys That Promote Diversity and Inclusion
- 06/24/2020 – MarketWatch/SectorWatch (Wall St. Journal Network): How Delayed Movie Releases Hurt Toys and Licensing
- 06/18/2020 – Cheddar Explains: How Little Tikes’ Cozy Couple Became the Best Selling Car of All-Time
- 06/12/2020 – Unveiling the Sony PlayStation 5 on Yahoo! Finance
- 06/16/2020 – Celebrating Fisher-Price’s 90th Anniversary and Talking Classic Toys
- 05/26/2020 – NBC News: Toy Sales are Spiking During COVID-19
- 05/12/2020 – ABC News: Movie-related products still hit stores despite film delays
- 05/05/2020 – Yahoo! Finance: Licensing for Toys and Movies are “Out of Sync” says Expert
- 05/05/2020 – Forbes: As Toy Sales Soar During The Pandemic, Mattel Falls Short
- 05/04/2020 – CT Post: Post-Virus Pandemic: What’s in and What’s Out?
- 04/10/2020 – Marketplace: Puzzle Sales are Peaking During COVID-19 Quarantine
- 04/02/2020 – Chicago Tribune: Yes, hand sanitizer and toilet paper are COVID-19 quarantine essentials. So, apparently, are jigsaw puzzles, bread machines and paint.
- 04/01/2020 – Forbes: Sales Of Board Games, Crafts, Puzzles Soar As America Stays Home
- 04/01/2020 – Asbury Park Press/USA TODAY: Coronavirus means business for Matawan game maker, but closed stores makes it tough
- 02/26/2020 – Electric Playground EP Live: Talking Toy Fair
- 02/26/2020 – Forbes: Green is the Hottest Color in the Toy Box
- 02/24/2020 – Yahoo Finance: Coronavirus and the Toy Industry
- 02/06/2020 – Retail Dive: The Toy Industry Still Hasn’t Recovered Since the Death of Toys “R” Us
- 01/28/2020 – Staten Island Advance: Report: With Toys “R” Us Shuttered, Toy Sales Decline 4%
- 01/27/2020 – CO— by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: A New Toy Story: Inside the CAMP Game Plan
2019:
- 12/24/2019 – Toys R Us This Weekend Drew Lots Of Shoppers And A Visit From 50 Cent. Guess Which Generated More Revenue?
- 12/18/2019 – SiriusXM Business Ch. 132 – Marketing Matters presented by the Wharton School
- 12/14/2019 – NBC 5 Chicago Tech Trends
- 12/09/2019 – WXYZ ABC Detroit – Super Stocking Stuffers
- 12/06/2019 – WCIU The CW 26 Chicago: Holiday Giving and Hot Toys on The Jam
- 11/27/2019 – CBS News: No Breakout Hits, But a Handful of “Wow” Gifts
- 11/27/2019 – MarketWatch: Toys “R” Us, digitally powered by Target, opens its doors once again in New Jersey
- 11/20/2019 – Washington Post: Hot Toys 2019: Star Wars, Hatchimals, Owleez and Frozen offerings top holiday wish lists
- 11/20/2019 – Scranton Times-Herald/Citizens Voice: Toymaker Broadens Scope of Little Green Army Women
- 11/18/2019 – Fox 32 Good Day Chicago: Ultra-popular Toys That Are Flying Off the Shelves This Holiday Season
- 11/18/2019 – Retailers Look to “Wow” Toys to Revive Fortunes During the Holidays
- 10/22/2019 – CGTN America’s Global Business: James Zahn on the Toy Industry and How It’s Had to Adapt
- 09/20/2019 – Jezebel: Toys “R” Us is Back as an Instagram Pop-Up Adventure
- 09/19/2019 – Forbes: The Next Chapter in the Toys “R” Us Story? Interactive Play Spaces
- 08/20/2019 – Forbes: Hasbro Says it’s Game Over for Plastic Packaging
- 07/27/2019 – MotorTrend: 2019 Hot Wheels Legends Tour Chicago
- 07/25/2019 – Reuters: Toy Story 4, Barbie Star in Mattel’s Surprise Revenue Rise
- 07/25/2019 – Marketwatch: Hasbro’s Nerf and Play-Doh Were Big Sellers on Amazon Prime Day
- 07/22/2019 – Marketwatch: Toys “R” Us is Making a Comeback in the U.S., but Maybe it Shouldn’t (also at Wall St. Journal)
- 07/21/2019 – SDCC Panelist — Behind the Plastic: Licensees, Licensors, and Buyers: How Your Favorite Action Figures and Collectibles Are Made
- 07/18/2019 – CBS8 San Diego: Morning Extra: The Best SDCC Exclusives and Happenings
- 05/07/2019 – Parenting.com: Top Pokemon: Detective Pikachu Toys
- 04/25/2019 – CNBC: Mattel Signals End to Toys “R” Us Woes as Barbie Boosts Sales
- 04/23/2019 – Reuters: Bumblebee Movie Boost Transforms Hasbro First Quarter; Shares Surge
- 04/13/2019 – WGN Morning News: Star Wars Celebration — A Look at Star Wars Toys
- 03/14/2019 – Fatherly: The Most Valuable Nerf Blasters
- 02/23/2019 – Global China Television Network (GCTN) America: James Zahn on LEGO Expansion into China
2018:
- 10/04/2018 – New York Post: Toys “R” Us Could Make a Small Comeback with Store-Within-a-Store
- 10/04/2018 – PR Daily: Toys “R” Us to comeback with brand aimed at wholesale vendors
- 10/03/2018 – USA Today: Toys “R” Us Comeback (Updated)
- 10/03/2018 – NorthJersey.com/USA Today Network: Toys R Us comeback? New name, same Geoffrey emerges from Wayne headquarters
- 10/03/2018 – Toy World Magazine (UK): Could Toys “R” Us Be Brought Back from the Dead?
- 09/25/2018 – CoStar: Retailers Bet Big on Toy Sales Ahead of First Holiday Season Without Toys R Us
- 09/06/2018 – NorthJersey.com/USA Today Network: A new player enters the toy business: Toy City opens in Rockaway, two other stores planned
- 08/30/2018 – ComicBook.com: Party City’s New Toy Stores Are Starting to Open
- 08/13/2018 – The Toy Book: Recap of SDCC Panel
- 07/21/2018 – San Diego Comic-Con International: Panelist – Living in a Post-Toys “R” Us World: Navigating the Future of Toy Retail
- 06/06/2018 – New York Post: Former Toys ‘R’ Us boss has plan to salvage chain
- 05/11/2018 – Toy World Magazine (UK): Further Plans Unveiled for KB Toys Resurrection
- 03/23/2018 – Toy World Magazine (UK): The “f” Word
- 02/28/2018 – The Toy Book: Feature on Using Brand Ambassadors (published in New York Toy Fair edition)
Earlier:
- 11/2017 – Fox Business: Zicam Profile
- 05/23/2016 – Blabbermouth.net: Product of Hate – “Kill. You. Now.” Video Released
- 06/25/2015 – Real Clever: Agency Profile on James Zahn, The Rock Father
- 02/24/2015 – BusinessWire: The secrets behind press conferences, product reveals and trade show marketing
Other Highlights:
- 2017 Fox Business Segment: Innovations with Ed Begley Jr.
- In the Fall of 2013, James and his girls (“The Rock Daughters”) appeared on ABC News discussing toy safety for the holidays, and appeared on WGN News in a segment regarding the Kohl Children’s Museum.
- Quoted in articles for CNN, Babble, and The Huffington Post
- Featured as one of three At-Home Dads in the 2013 Father’s Day issue of Lake County Magazine
- Has previously appeared as a guest on AC360 with Anderson Cooper on CNN, and has been interviewed on NBC and in The Chicago Tribune.
Interested in booking James? Send him an email.
