A new grant has been established by the family and friends of toy industry luminary Richard Gottlieb.
Gottlieb, who died from Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 2023, played a vital role in the toy industry for 25 years. Founder of Global Toy News and Global Toy Experts, Gottlieb was a respected consultant and a tireless advocate for the value of toys and play.
Wendy Levey, Richard’s wife and educational consultant, said during a conversation with Toy Tales, “Richard cared deeply about the toy industry; it was his passion. The world of play was in his soul. He marveled at what the fun of play and toys brought to everyday life. Richard was a people person. He was always interested and interesting, and what better way to be so than in the world of toys?”
The annual grant program — launched in partnership with The Toy Foundation and the University of Richmond (Gottlieb’s alma mater) — offers students the chance to cultivate a career in the toy industry through education and internship opportunities. Four students and a faculty member will also be invited to attend The Toy Foundation’s education and recruitment program at Toy Fair NYC, one of the industry’s most anticipated trade shows.
Levey noted, “We hope the students at The University of Richmond, especially women and people from other cultures, will learn about the toy business and want to make it their career; this was important to Richard — he wanted to see the industry be more broad-based,” explained Levey.
She continued, “The culmination of this course will be coming to The Toy Fair in NYC with their teacher next February. This will give the four students a chance to see people from all over the world and the toys they represent, invent, create, and manufacture. They will also meet people in the toy industry and see what was one of Richard’s greatest joys, attending The Toy Fair, seeing all ‘his people’ from far and wide, and meeting new people who attended. I will also continue giving the cocktail party during the Toy Fair that Global Toy News did every year pre-COVID and welcome the many people that Richard cherished into our home for drinks and time to share ideas and the fun of their world at the end of a busy day at the Fair.”
The Richard Gottlieb Toy Entrepreneurship Grant program is actively collecting donations to support students in attending Toy Fair in 2025. Donations to the program can be made through The Toy Foundation.
