Fairreviews
Empire State of Mind M
ore than 30,000 play professionals from 100 countries gathered to explore 412,000 net square feet of exhibition space at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center. Over
1,150 toy companies, 285 of which exhibited for the very fi rst time, unveiled the year’s hottest trends in toys, games and youth entertainment products in front of an estimated 14,000 global buyers. “New York Toy Fair is the only show in the world
that provides the international toy industry with direct access to the tremendous creativity and talent of North American toymakers,” said Carter Keithley, president of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), the trade group that owns and operates the show. “The diverse Toy Fair marketplace offers something for everyone including niche buyers, mass retailers, licensing executives, and many more, all of whom consider the show to be a ‘must-attend’ stop on the global buying circuit.” Toy Fair opened at 10am on the morning of the 16th
February with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Alicia Keys. Immediately following the show opener, trade guests surged the exhibit hall and kicked off four, jam-packed days of trend-spotting, networking and order-writing. Providing media and trade guests with the inside scoop on which toys will top wish lists this year, TIA experts revealed the biggest trends of 2014 at the annual Toy Trends Tea on Monday February 17th. The trend categories were revealed with information about all of them available onsite throughout the show; they are as follows: Larger than life: Focusing on large-sized toys including dollhouses, infl atables, cars, trucks, trains, plush and baby doll carriages, cribs and other role-play accessories. RC rampage: Including traditional RCs with added
features, such as the ability to fl y higher, drive faster or launch projectiles. Full STEAM ahead: Featuring educational toys, games and crafts that teach kids STEAM subjects (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths). Frightfully fun: Looking at classic toys with a zombie twist; gothic-style fashion dolls and accessories; detailed fi gures for older collectors; and trivia games for fans of popular movies and TV shows like The Walking Dead. Retro/back-to-basics: First identifi ed by TIA in 2013,
the retro and back-to-basics trend is alive and well and looks at re-releases and refreshed retro toys, low-tech/ back-to-basics toys that refl ect the enduring popularity
84 Toyworld
of classic play patterns over time, and old- school family games that foster inter-generational play. Custom built: In
addition to building and construction toys, this trend extends across several toy categories. Includes two sub-trends: “Mash-up” toys, which incorporate many uses or ways to play in a single toy or game, and “Fashion Forward” toys, which include DIY sets that allow kids to create their own accessories, fashion dolls that can be styled in a personalised way and realistically-designed dollhouses and building/playsets. Educational seminars were held throughout the
show include licensing-focused seminars, global trade and market expansion research presentations, workshops for inventors and designers, and toy safety and compliance forums for manufacturers and retailers. New for Toy Fair 2014 was a free e-tool that extends the marketplace beyond its four-day run, ShopToyFair365, which enabled buyers and sellers to connect and conduct business online before, during and after the show.
Toy of the Year Awards As part of the fair, guests gathered to honour the year’s fi nest toys and industry luminaries at the 14th Annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards and Toy Industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The TIA-administered event in support of the philanthropic work of the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) took place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Carter Keithley, TIA president, said: “This year’s top TOTY winners are outstanding examples of the magical and creative playthings that originate from innovative toy companies of all sizes. We congratulate Choon’s Design, Goldieblox, and the winners across all 12 categories for their wonderful achievements.” Interspersed with the awards presentation was a special tribute to the Toy Industry Foundation, which gifted more than 3m toys and games to children in need worldwide in 2013 alone. The event also welcomed the induction of fi ve individuals into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame: Jill Barad, former chairman and CEO at Mattel, Horst Brandstätter, president and
Hundreds of thousands of innovative playthings were unveiled at the 111th American International Toy Fair which took place over 16-19 February, 2014. Tom Roberts reports.
sole owner of Playmobil/geobra Brandstätter, Jack Friedman, former chairman, CEO and co-founder of Jakks Pacifi c, and Arthur “Spur” Melin and Richard Knerr, co-founders of Wham-O Toy. These new inductees join a distinguished roster of dozens of luminaries who have been inducted into the Hall since its establishment in 1985. TOTY Award winners were selected with the input of consumers (on
ToyAwards.org), retailers (mass and specialty), media and members of the toy industry. The fi ve ballots were weighted and used to determine the category winners, with the exception of the “People’s Choice” award, which was selected exclusively by consumers. The winners were as follows: Activity Toy of the Year – Rainbow Loom (Choon’s Design) Boy Toy of the Year – Despicable Me 2 Special Feature Minion Dave Talking Action Figure (Thinkway Toys) e-Connected Toy of the Year – LeapPad Ultra (LeapFrog Enterprises) Educational Toy of the Year – GoldieBlox and the Spinning Machine (GoldieBlox) Game of the Year – Boom Boom Balloon (Spin Master) Girl Toy of the Year – Rainbow Loom (Choon’s Design) Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year – Big Hugs Elmo (Playskool) Innovative Toy of the Year – Zoomer (Spin Master) Outdoor Toy of the Year – Razor Crazy Cart (Razor USA) Pre-school Toy of the Year – Doc McStuffi ns Get Better Check-Up Center (Just Play) Property of the Year – Minecraft (Mojang AB) Specialty Toy of the Year – Rainbow Loom (Choon’s Design)
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