Let’s pretend we’re working.

(But I’ve actually been doing this professionally for three decades.)

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Hi, I’m Riley Wilkinson. I’m a toy and game designer, creative director, and the proudly self-appointed Director of the Executive Dysfunction Department™. I create delightful distractions for clever grown-ups, curious kids, and anyone who’s ever stared longingly at a fresh pack of file folders.

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For 30+ years, I’ve designed award-winning toys, games, activities, and brain-bending fun for companies like Educational Insights, MGA, Maker Media, Harlequin Children’s Educational Publishing, and Mattel Creations. I’m also the inventor of The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game, a preschool classic that’s sold over two million copies, racked up 10,000+ five-star reviews, and spun off into a whole fuzzy franchise of games and board books.

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I hold two U.S. design patents (which I framed and almost mailed to my childhood self), and I co-created the My Toy Pitch course with Make Art That Sells, helping artists turn their ideas into pitch-ready prototypes.

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My work has been featured in Uppercase Magazine and the Communication Arts Design Annual, but more importantly, it’s landed on toy shelves, in classrooms, and under kitchen tables across the country.

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These days, I run Riley Approves™, where I blend toy expertise with humor, bureaucracy-core aesthetics, and a refusal to take beige adulthood too seriously. You’ll find me livestreaming puzzles, reviewing vintage games, designing merch, and rubber-stamping anything that sparks joy—or at least organized chaos.

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Riley Wilkinson | Riley Approves