Richard Gottlieb is president of Richard Gottlieb & Associates

There is no better illustration of the enormous impact toys have on our culture than that of inventor Jeffrey Breslow, who received the evening's "Lifetime Achievement Award." Over the life of his 41 year career, Breslow's creations have sold over a billion units and are said to be found in 80 percent of American homes. Think about it: That puts his sales on a par with the Beatles and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. We know more than we ever need to know about the impact Mr. Potter and the Beatles have had on world culture. Yet, we know next to nothing about how many children found joy, made a career choice, learned something new, made a friend, developed a lifetime enthusiasm and/or created a lasting memory because they played with one of Breslow's creations. Similarly, how many artists started with paint by numbers sets; how many architects with a construction toy; and how many doctors with a toy stethoscope and a pretend play doctor's bag?

Toy Nation's impact on our world does not stop with its cultural impact. We can also make the case that the toy industry is among the very foundations of our overall economy.

The first purchase a child makes is typically a toy. In many cases, that toy is the miniature version of a brand or product that they will purchase in adulthood. The Ford Motor Company certainly realizes this. Here is a telling quote from its website:

"We're building a relationship with the consumer that starts when they're just a kid," said John Nens, director, Ford Global Brand Licensing. "They'll always remember the great time they had with their favorite Ford ride-on toy or Matchbox-sized car, and they will carry that relationship with the brand all the way to when they finally start buying vehicles."

Ford realizes the foundation of any brand relationship starts in childhood. And that fact means that toys really do play an important role in our economy.

Most people reading this article are fortunate to live in countries ruled by laws. Those who participate in these societies do so by agreeing to obey rules and regulations that they may not want to obey. They do so, however, because they have learned the importance of living by those rules.

Where do children learn to participate in a society of laws? Well, one place is by playing board games. By sitting down with their peers and families, they learn the fun of competition while obeying rules that are applicable to all (even to their parents).

Obviously, for such a small industry, we have a dramatically oversized impact on the world. But where is the recognition of such? After all, when you visit any liberal arts university or college, you will find degree programs in art, literature and music. When you pick up any major newspaper or popular magazine, you will find book, music, movie and art reviews—and loving profiles of those who made them.

In short, though we have an important impact on people's lives, our artists get little or no recognition. Isn't it time that that changes? Shouldn't we and our cultural institutions be trumpeting what we do and the effect it has on our society?

So, how do we make that happen? Well, one place to start is to turn our tradeshows into true celebrations of the toy industry. While we "professionals" are busy buying and selling, everyone else could be taking that week to celebrate toys through contests ("championship" tournaments, for example), celebrations, parades, and a televised Toy of the Year awards show. We could also reach out to the academic community by sponsoring scholarly workshops; giving support to academic journals like the fledgling American Journal of Play, and encouraging the study of toys and the toy industry.

Most importantly, we would take control of the image we present to the world rather than leaving that up to groups who may or may not like the toy industry. Groups who, ironically, are among the few to fully recognize the impact we have on people's lives.

The extra work would be well worth it. Sales would go up, investment would come in and idols would be acknowledged. It would be a long overdue recognition for an industry that more than pulls its weight.