Jim Silver Quotations

In order for the toy industry to survive, companies will have to deal with Wal-Mart. It has to be understood that Wal-Mart doesn't make deals with everyone who approaches them. Ultimately it's Wal-Mart who chooses who will be in their stores.

I think the empty box will appeal strictly to the collectors rather than the 7-year-old kid who wants to leave the store with a Star Wars toy.

Room decor is a hot trend right now and several toymakers are expanding into it, ... But I don't think toymakers should try to become experts in every area. That's going to be very difficult. Maybe with consumer electronics, it could make sense to have a licensing relationship with another manufacturer instead of keeping it in-house.

The biggest trend in 2005 is the growth of the tech toys.

The split with Ken was a great publicity gimmick. It brought Barbie lots of attention. The attempt is to reposition Barbie as a single, independent woman and to make her attractive to an older demographic,

I think Toys R Us will continue to run some kind of toy operation in the future. But in order to still be competitive, it will need to slim down considerably and run probably around 450 to 500 stores.

What kids really want to do is become the hero.

Over $500 million last year was spent on Harry Potter toys and this year is expected to be even bigger.

There is no comparison. 'Star Wars' is on an entirely different level.

It's going to be extremely competitive to draw customers to their stores.