David Yakos was named Toy Innovator of the Year in both 2016 (Lionel’s Mega Tracks) and 2020 (Educational Insights’ Circuit Explorer) and has been a finalist for four TOTY Awards: Toy of the Year (Lionel’s Mega Tracks), Game of the Year (ThinkFun’s Circuit Maze), Toy of the Year (Thames & Kosmos Gumball Machine Maker), and Toy of the Year (ThinkFun’s Thinking Putty Puzzle).
Along with his creative team, David has developed and invented thousands of products from cryogenic space valves for NASA to playful games, like Hasbro’s
Dunk Hat.David hosts the podcast Hidden Role: The Brains Behind Your Favorite Games alongside game designer Branson Faustini.