by GENNA ROSENBERG, Founder, GennComm, GennComm ImaGENNation, Play with Purpose
Innovation is often framed as something that begins with a new product, feature, or form factor.
But some of the most meaningful innovations begin with intentional leaders brave enough to build initiatives that do more. That matters because the stakes are high, and purpose-driven work rarely feels risk-free in the moment.
Toy companies and brand owners are balancing shifting consumer expectations, loud social media scrutiny, tight margins, shrinking shelf space, uncertainty from tariffs, and a business climate in which every decision is judged against return on investment. But we are not just selling products. Through who we design for, the stories we tell, and the realities we reflect, we shape how children see themselves, understand others, and imagine what is possible in the world around them.
Real social impact does not come from checking a box or doing only what feels easy or safe. It comes from leaders willing to be vulnerable, debate, learn, and take risks. When we design for those who need it most, the impact can benefit the masses.
Mattel offers an important example. As the steward of one of the world’s most iconic brands, Barbie, Mattel has enormous brand equity to protect and much at stake when making bold decisions. Yet the company understands its influence and continues to evolve Barbie while nurturing a culture that authentically envisions broader, more inclusive, and socially responsible representation. That kind of progress does not happen by accident.
Bailey Curtis, Marketing Manager and President of Women of Mattel, describes the culture of courageous leadership within a legacy company as extending beyond the C-suite. Courage is not only what happens in the spotlight. It also happens in quieter moments at every level, when a leader encourages a mentee, direct report, or peer to step outside their comfort zone and create meaningful change through their work. It’s “a balance between taking leaps of faith for yourself and encouraging others to do the same.”
Curtis makes an important point about how teams move from intention to execution: “Involve people from strategy through assessment, communicate the vision, and give individuals time-bound ownership tied to their strengths. That is how ideas stop living in presentations and start becoming real.”
Jess Weiner, Cultural Expert + CEO of Talk to Jess, offers another essential lens. “True inclusivity is an always-on mindset, not a check-the-box tactic,” she says. That means leaders and creators must consistently ask who is in the room, whose story is centered, who they are not thinking about, and how they can push beyond stereotypes and tropes. As Weiner makes clear, this work is not just about the final product. Courage throughout the creative process is a business advantage that fuels growth, strengthens values, builds lasting community, and creates “a deepening of audience engagement.”
Renowned researcher Brené Brown writes in her book, Strong Ground, “We cannot have courage without vulnerability.” That feels especially relevant for the toy industry today. For teams to make bolder choices while staying aligned with their brand values, they must be willing to have honest conversations, hear what they missed, and keep learning.
We have an extraordinary opportunity in front of us. In the business of play, courage is not separate from impact. It is what makes impact possible.
Stay on the Pulse of Play!
A version of this feature first appeared in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Specialty Toys & Gifts Issue. Read the full issue here!
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