115. 🤓 Nostalgia 101: Tickle Me Elmo Developer Matt Nuccio

Dan & Manny are joined by toy designer & President of Design Edge Inc Matt Nuccio to discuss the inner workings of creating some of the most nostalgic toys from our childhood. 

Matt discusses taking Tickle Me Elmo from idea to reality, talks about his family's history in the toy business, how his company Design Edge Inc collaborates with first-time entrepreneurs, the collaboration between toy designers and movie producers, there's definitely a Pogs discussion, some of his hilarious stories about celebrities, the show he's producing that's coming soon, and so much more! 

And of course, there's your classic Nostalgia Test Podcast tangents about Days of Thunder, Over the Top, & Rocky.

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Watch 115. 🤓 Nostalgia 101: Tickle Me Elmo Developer Matt Nuccio

 

 

Matt Nuccio is the president of Design Edge Inc, a leading toy and game development company. Founded over 30 years ago, Design Edge quickly rose to prominence by designing products and packaging for iconic brands such as Creepy Crawlers, Tickle Me Elmo, Nintendo Power Glove, Laser Challenge, and Barbie Sparkle Kingdom. Today, Design Edge is known as “Your Toy Company for Hire™,” handling all aspects of toy development from concept to distribution.

 

In addition to running Design Edge, Matt sits on the executive board of the United Inventors Association of America (UIA) and the People of Play advisory board. He writes a column in Toy Family & Entertainment magazine and lectures at major industry events like the New York Toy Fair, ASTRA, People of Play, and the Hong Kong Toy Fair. Design Edge's products have been nominated for and won many industry awards, including TOTY, TAGIE, Games 100, Origin, and Family Fun.

 

In 2019, Matt was honored by the NSA as an American Innovator. For the past four years in a row, he has been listed by Mojo Nation as one of the top 100 most influential people in the toy industry today. In 2023, Matt was chosen by the United Nations to represent the U.S. invention community as an elected board member of the International Federation of Inventors Association (IFIA).

 

 

Some Episode Notes

• Matt Nuccio
• Tickle Me Elmo (Toy)
• Hungry Hungry Hippos (Board Game)
• Furby (Toy)
• Nostalgia Test Rocky Franchise Episode Playlist
• Simon (Game)
• Skip-It (Toy)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Thrower
• 🤜👊🤛 Street Fighter (1994) w/ Eric Althoff
• ⚡Days Of Thunder w/ Lee Kaplan
• Lithology Brewing Co
• Design Edge
• Days of Thunder (Movie 1990)
• Tom Cruise
• Robert Duvall
• 🍺 Road House 2024 Reboot Nostalgia Test Now! w/ Billy D'Elia
• The Matrix (Movie 1999)
• Fire in the Sky (Movie 1993)
• Top Gun (Movie 1986)
• Cocktail (Movie 1988)
• Ideal Toys
• HG Toys
• Toy Biz
• Lego
• Star Wars Franchise
• Over the Top (Movie 1987)
• Tyco Toys
• Cabbage Patch Kids
• Pogs
• Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
• Howard Stern
• Post Malone
• How Wheels
• Mezco Toyz
• Run-DMC
• Reservoir Dogs (Movie 1992)
• Steve Buscemi
• Michael Madsen
• Free Willy (Movie 1993)
• Viggo Mortensen
• Funko
• Angry Birds
• Magic the Gathering
• Tamagotchi
• Kevin Eastman
• UNO Card Game
• Crossfire
• FAO Schwarz
• Power Rangers Franchise
• Voltron (TV Series)
• ThunderCats (TV Series 1985)
• The Talented Mr. Ripley (Movie 1999)
• Barbie (Movie 2023)
• Airheads (Movie 1994)
• 🎸 Airheads (1994) w/ Longtime Friend Steve Herrera
• Mitch Hedberg
• The Animal
• Pogo Bal
• Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (Movie 1984)
• Breakin' (Movie 1984)

 

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The intro and outro music ('Neon Attack 80s') is by Emanmusic.

The other music ("ABCD") is by Pudge. Any other music you hear, The Nostalgia Test Podcast does not own.