My profession was that of an Engineer at Mattel Toys for 31 years. My academic degree was in Industrial Design but “viable” opportunities and experiences (early 80’s at Revell Model Kits) led me down the development side of D&D. These early experiences encompassed all facets of a product development, from product and tool design to debug and final approval, I have done it all. 31 years at the same company came with a lot of...how could you work there so long…inquires. Recognition for my work, overseas on-site support and the ability to “dabble” on the design side were the principal reasons for my longevity and interest. Managing to get one of my own concepts on the shelf was also a plus factor in keeping me engaged. For the majority of the time, the challenge of generating solutions and the sense of accomplishment were extraordinary. During this period, I supported the dev/eng. side of the following category of toys: Boy’s action, wheels, and RC, Girl’s large, small & plush dolls, Barbie doll & accessories and Pre-school. But with time came changes. Project managing the “engineering” of products from afar became the norm.With less and less opportunities to be creative, I left a quite dysfunctional Mattel in 2014 to give it a go at being a toy/game inventor. With many friends in the toy industry sharing their stories, any success at getting one of my concepts selected for production will be akin to being hit by lightning but…the challenges are worth it. Preparing descriptive concept videos has added a whole new level of fun to this concept “sharing" process.An update... Just saw my "licensed" action feature on product promotion/packaging for Fall '20 race set. Not a lightning strike yet, just a little thunder clap.So, if still reading…a 3+ year stint at Maya Toys that satisfied my need to be creative has come to an end. Small toy companies are the most rewarding and volatile. Maya IP was bought by Spinmaster at the end of 2019 and all of us toy people are looking for the next adventure.