Chris Byrne

As an independent toy analyst, researcher and consultant with more than 35 years of toy industry expertise, Chris Byrne blends his passion for play with a deep understanding of product development, child development, marketing, popular culture and research. He shares insights on toys and play through books, TV appearances and The Playground Podcast, a show he created to talk about toys and culture with leading figures in the industry.

Byrne began his career in marketing and operations for major toy brands, contributing to the success of products under Gabriel, Child Guidance, Creative Playthings, and Ideal. He led the team that made Pictionary one of the most popular games of its era. In 1988, he formed Byrne Communications with broad-based consulting in the toy, children’s entertainment, financial and consumer products industries. He co-founded and served as creative director for the TTPM website, which combines expert reviews with live price comparison, one-click purchasing, and product availability at major retailers. Today, Byrne Communications helps companies and entrepreneurs develop and launch products, while Byrne also advises analysts and investors on the global toy industry.

Byrne is also the creator, producer and co-host with another industry veteran, Richard Gottlieb, of The Playground Podcast, an industry-facing, weekly program that covers a broad range of issues facing the contemporary toy industry.

Byrne has been widely published on the topic of toys and family life and his work has appeared in a variety of trade magazines, journals and websites. He can be seen in the Netflix documentary "The Toys That Made Us" as a toy historian, and will be featured in an upcoming series on toys from National Geographic.

His book on the most popular toys from the 1950s to the 1980s, "Toy Time" gives the background on some of the all-time classic toys. He is also the author of "An Introduction to the U.S. Toy Industry: Serious Fun," which is used as an introductory textbook for students studying the toy business. His book "Funny Business: Harnessing the Power of Play to Give Your Business a Competitive Advantage" is widely used by management consultancies. Byrne also wrote two books for the Toy Association: "Toys" and "They Came to Play: A History of the Toy Industry Association."

Byrne is extensively quoted in the media and appears regularly on local and national television commenting on toys and demonstrating new products. He appears regularly on “Live! With Kelly & Ryan,” and has been seen on “Oprah, “Today,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS Evening News,” “ABC Nightly News,” “Fox & Friends,” “CBS This Morning,” CNBC, CNNfn, MSNBC, ABC, “The Motley Fool,” National Public Radio, Bloomberg Television and Radio, and on countless other national and local market business and consumer programs and publications in the U.S. and internationally.