The Class of '05

There is almost always a degree of pride that is associated with being a first.

And such is the case for us this month as we announce the first class of Wonder Women of Toys, a joint initiative of Playthings magazine and the professional industry association, Women in Toys. We make the announcement with the highest degree of pride, in fact, as we present the Wonder Women of Toys Class of 2005.

They are as follows:

• Retailer, Maxine Clark, founder and chief executive bear, Build-a-Bear Workshop. In an essay about Maxine, one of her nominators wrote: “Fueled by her passion for teddy bears, (she lost her bear when she was 10 years old and has been looking for it ever since), and her love of retailing, Maxine has shared her enthusiasm and creativity with children world wide and brought entertainment back to retailing.”
• Entrepreneur, Nancy Zwiers, founder and chief executive officer, Funosophy. About Nancy, a nominator extolled her leadership qualities: “I have the highest personal praise and respect for Zwiers as a charismatic leader, caring mentor, coach and teacher. She is a bold risk-taker who acts fearlessly in the face of the unknown.”
• Manufacturer, Nurit Amdur, chief executive officer, Alex. In describing Nurit, a colleague wrote: “As a young mother, she noticed a big gap in the art supplies market for children. So she set out to create highest quality, brightly packaged art materials designed specifically for children.” The writer also noted that Nurit left a high-powered law career to pursue her dream—a career that would be more fulfilling, both creatively and personally.
• Inventor/Designer, Betty Morris, the owner and president, K & B Innovations. The inventor of Shrinky Dinks, Betty is described by one of her nominators as a person who “has always been concerned about bolstering creativity in children. 'There is no wrong way to do a Shrinky Dinks,' she repeats. When speaking at career day at her grandchildren's school, she stresses 'be creative, use your imagination!'''

Over a course of many weeks, toy industry professionals from all niches nominated female colleagues; high achievers and women of note in four categories—Entrepreneur, Manufacturer, Retailer and Inventor/Designer.

The nominations were numerous and the selection process, by an industry panel of judges, arduous. Nevertheless, the panel chose an impressive class of Wonder Women.

All four women will be honored at the Women in Toys' annual networking dinner on Sunday evening, Feb. 20, 2005 in New York City during American International Toy Fair.

We congratulate the winners and are honored to serve in the same industry with them. It is lucky for us that they chose to devote their careers to an industry that serves such an exclusive clientele: adults in training.