The toymakers that brought us Lazer Tag

The Shoot the Moon, Yes! Entertainment team

When most people think of creative industries, they think of music or movies. Only those in the know add the toy industry to that list. In the movie industry, studios depend upon the input of creative screenwriters to make a successful product. The toy industry is similar, with development companies like Shoot the Moon, selling concepts to manufacturers like, Yes! Entertainment.

Inventive minds

"We are classically known as inventors, particularly in the toy industry," explains David Small, who with partner Paul Rago forms the creative team behind Shoot the Moon. "We develop and license our technologies or products to other companies such as Yes! Entertainment, Mattel, Hasbro, Tyco, and other manufacturers."

"In a lot of creative fields, there really is an industry outside of the marketing and distribution side, where the creativity comes in," adds Rago.

History with Yes!

Shoot the Moon and Yes! Entertainment share an important history. "David and I were founders of Worlds of Wonder, with Don Kingsborough from Yes!," explains Rago. Worlds of Wonder created toys like Lazer Tag and the wildly popular Teddy Ruxpin, the hottest toy of the 1985 holiday season.