Toy Fair!

February 23, 2013 Colin Play, Random

Or, “OMG Things That I Need!”

Had a chance to visit Toy Fair 2013 down in the city a week and a half ago. While I’ve been to plenty of gaming events over the years, and have reaped the benefits of Toy Fair in the past, this is my first time actually attending. It was an awful lot to take in, and as an industry guest I wasn’t able to get into some of the booths I really wanted to visit, but I grabbed some nice shots of some of the highlights.

Toy Fair 2013 Entrance

I started out upstairs, checking out a variety of big name and kids products. There were some great crafty products, plus stuff I wasn’t even expecting like bikes and similar products. Eventually I found my way downstairs, where the action figures lived, and found some stuff that would look great up on my walls. Checked out the gaming companies, the educational products, and even ran into Lou Nasti which completely blew my mind (to the point that I forgot to snap a photo).

Some Highlights

There was quite a bit of fun to be had, from a full range of toys and games for all ages. Some of the places I really wanted to get into, like the Playmobil and Lego booths I couldn’t get into, and I was surprised to find that some of the larger reps simply weren’t interested in talking to me since I wasn’t with a retailer. But I guess that’s the focus of the expo.

On the other hand, some of the smaller groups were actually really personable and wonderful to talk to. The anaMalz group, who sell amazing products that I discovered not too long ago but look forward to collecting, the ROMO gang that got up and running from a Kickstarter fund with an adorable little iOS-powered toy, the guys at Diamond that caught my eye with a new line of Star Trek figures and the awesome Universal Monsters collection, and the guys at Romper Zombie who know that the most direct path to a man’s heart is through an adorable flesh-eating doll (reminiscent of the Garbage Pail Kids).

The worst part was that I wasn’t able to walk away with any toys. Probably easier on my wallet though. 😉