Category Archives: From The Editor

Updates from the Media Command HQ.

Ken Pierce Media Posts 950th Clip on TikTok

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Greetings my dear friends out there in TikTok land, I am saying a very loud and somewhat boisterous “Welcome Back” because I have to admit that I thought when we were doing this the last time back in early January, I felt that it would have been my last broadcast of this nature based on the ban that TikTok was facing. You might recall that the at the time sitting President Biden signed off on banning the social media platform for matters of national security but once Donald Trump defeated him he reviewed this and kept pushing the ban aside. You’re not going to get much politics from me, but I was surely glad that he did that since I felt there were other items overlooked during the Biden presidency that were greater risks to our national security. I am stoked to have gotten right back into the posting of these briefs and now that another increment of “50” has been achieved we can add another notch to our website publishing belt. The short down below comes from the recent NY NOW Gifting Show and one of the booths that I explored. This is called “The Gifting Suite” and many exhibitors leave products to be taken by VIP Buyers and the Media. I love this part of the trade show since it gives me something else to talk about and here now is post #950.

@kenpiercemedia

One of the highlights of the NY NOW Winter Market is the VIP Gifting Suite. Let’s have a look around #fyp #foryoupage #nynow #javitscenter #piercingken

♬ original sound – Ken Pierce Media


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The Toy Book Reveals 2025 Pulse of Play Awards Winners

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The Press Release:
The Toy Book, the leading trade publication serving the North American toy industry since 1984, has officially revealed the winners of its inaugural Pulse of Play Awards.

Timed with The Toy Book’s 40th-anniversary celebration, the Pulse of Play Awards celebrates the individuals, companies, and activations that shape the toy industry’s heartbeat and drive its pulse across toys, licensing, entertainment, and the overall business of play.

“The toy industry is a vibrant place powered by some of the most creative people on the planet, and that creativity transcends the toy department as it shapes experiences and other consumer products while intersecting with adjacent industries. Our inaugural Pulse of Play Awards recognizes hard work and the constant pursuit of excellence. We congratulate all of this year’s winners and look forward to honoring them in The BIG Toy Book, debuting March 1 at Toy Fair New York.”
James Zahn

— James Zahn, Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book and Director of The Pulse of Play Awards
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The TikTok Social Media Platform and More Are Now Banned In The United States

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Well, they said it would be banned and here we are. TikTok is effectively inaccessible in the United States of America to protect our interests and for National Security sake. You’re seeing this notice super early in the morning if you’re still awake but I can say that I lost access to my account at around 10PM EST after I had updated the profile just a little bit. Let’s review the timeline of this.

The Timeline:
4/23/2024: The Senate passed legislation to force the Chinese owned TikTok to be sold to a US Owner or be banned in the coming months.
4/24: President Biden signs the legislation for TikTok to be banned in the United States unless its sold by ByteDance to a US owner.
1/17/25: Supreme Court Unanimously upholds the Federal Law to ban TikTok with only hours to go before its Official Ban Date.
1/18/2025: TikTok goes offline in the United States. A few hours on the day before it was supposed to. A message seen on the application informs its 170M strong user base that now President Donald Trump would look to working on solution to resolve this.
Continue reading The TikTok Social Media Platform and More Are Now Banned In The United States

Ken Pierce Media Posts 900th Clip on TikTok

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Greetings my dear friends out there in TikTok land, I am saying a loud but also a little bit sad “Welcome Back” for while I have yet again achieved another “50” post plateau on the platform, this could very well be our last one based on the US ban that is now less than a couple of weeks away. There are now “900” videos on the TikTok for Ken Pierce Media and while these never generated any real website traffic vibe, they have done rather well on the platform itself. The funny thing is I usually mentally map out a post like this with something that is right on point with my passions. So something comic book, KISS or maybe even Godzilla to have it be easier to talk about but since I was so busy doing the Christmas tree videos I lost count and then realized that a few videos from the past summers Anime NYC were not online and that led me to having the awesome artist King Guro aka Kris Starlein be the 900th TikTok video on Ken Pierce Media’s profile.

@kenpiercemedia

Scrolling back with briefs that were previously unshared from @Anime NYC – This is @KingGuro #fyp #foryoupage #animenyc #animenyc2024 #kingguro #piercingmetal

♬ original sound – Ken Pierce Media


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The Toy Book Reveals 2025 Pulse of Play Awards Finalists

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The Press Release:
The Toy Book® has been on the Pulse of Play™ as the leading trade publication serving the North American toy industry since 1984. To celebrate its 40th volume and the forthcoming 40th anniversary of its first print edition (released in February 1985), The Toy Book reveals the finalists for the inaugural Pulse of Play Awards™ — a celebration of the individuals, companies, and activations that shape the heartbeat of the toy industry and drive its pulse across toys, licensing, entertainment, and the overall business of play.

Congratulations to the 2025 finalists! Click here for the official Pulse of Play Awards hub, and look for more information on the finalists in the weeks ahead!

PURVEYORS OF PLAY*

DISPLAY OF THE YEAR – Honoring achievements in merchandising and display at retail across major channels, including special sections, themed pull-togethers, endcaps, main aisle features, pallet trains, PDQs, and window displays.

Schleich: Toronto Zoo Larger-Than-Life Displays
Mattel: Walmart’s Fisher-Price “Childhood Starts Here” Trendpod
Moose Toys x MINISO: XOX Kweenie
PMI Kids’ World: Stumble Guys Toys Half Pallet Display
Spin Master’s GUND x Saatchi: Toys “R” Us at Macy’s Herald Square, International Friendship Day Presentation
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