Image: Toy Fair International
From February 18-20th, New York City hosted Toy Fair International, the biggest gathering of toy manufacturers in the world. Toy Fair is basically the place where my internal six-year-old gets to run around drooling and oohing and ahhing over all the new toys that have yet to hit shelves. With this in mind, and knowing that I have the memory of Dory from Finding Nemo, I decided to try a little something new in my coverage. When I saw booths that had cool products, I Facebook Lived some interviews and showed off how the toys worked. However, for people who aren’t on Facebook, hate Facebook, or just really don’t like videos, I’ve decided to do a roundup with the videos here so that you can read a summary and watch the video if it interests you.
Tangle makes a really great line of fidgets for kids and adults, originally created by an artist who realized that his static sculptures would be inspirational if brought down to a handheld size. Coming in all sorts of textures, the Tangles are wonderful for kids who need sensory stimulation as well as physical stimulation. In addition, the company produces a Proteins Building Set which is one of the most accurate proteins models on the market and is often purchased for use by schools and universities.
These were just cool. While walking around the main hall upstairs at Toy Fair, this tiny little booth stood out to me. A nifty little fidget, this basically consists of two light up rubber balls attached by a string. If your kid is like mine and likes to swing whistles around in a circle, the Thumb Chucks will be right up their alley. Honestly? My kid doesn’t like this nearly as much as I do. It’s kind of similar to having that coin rolling fidget–only it lights up.
Waff Stationary is an ingenious product. Perfect for kids who have sensory issues, Waff runs a line of notebooks that include LEGO-like pieces that connect to the covers. In addition, they have new snap-on pieces, similar to those Crocs snap-ons kids love. Finally, they also have a playmate that gives the ability to play in multiple ways. They also have the special letters for Spanish and French.
A nifty little game, Blast Box is a game of luck where mini-balloons are placed inside a box, you spin the wheel, and take a number of hits on little spikes hoping not to break the balloons. The oversized version was super fun to watch, and the regular sized game fits right on a table. It’s a nifty little game.
By far, some of my favorite games at Toy Fair were the new games coming out from Yulu. Break Free is a set of plastic handcuffs where kids get cuffed together and whoever works the “lockpick” puzzle maze first wins. Another game is a safe that needs to be picked. Coming out later this year, Operation: Escape is an escape room experience for kids. All three of these games are excellent in that they’re multifunctional. Kids can play them as games or incorporate them into imaginary spy play. One of the thoughts I had, however, is how cool it would be to run an Operation: Escape birthday party. Giving kids the option to work as teams and solve problems, this can be a really great way to set up a birthday party that gives kids a sense of competition and imaginative play.
Starting out in the UK, this wood and metal puzzle company is trying to migrate into the United States. Professor Puzzle brought toys for kids and adults to Toy Fair. One of my favorites was the gigantic lawn chess board. However, they also make mini-matchbox puzzles. The best part of these puzzles is that they’re just as much art for your living room as they are puzzles with which to play.
With a kid who collects all the stuffed animals, Aurora World caught my eye because of the bright colors and adorable stuffies in their booth. The best part of Aurora World is that their plush toys are insanely soft. Some of their most popular toys include pom-pom penguins and Yoo-Hoos. In addition, for collectors, there are some stuffed animals that are more of the realistic art pieces. Their baby toys include sewn on eyes for safety, making them perfect baby shower gifts.
Walking into Toy Fair, one of the biggest displays was the Ty display. Walking around the Javits, Ty had decorations all over the place. If your kid is anything like mine, Beanie Boos are the best thing in the history of ever. My son has a whole Beanie Boo Crew. Focusing specifically on the Boo line, I spent some time talking to the reps.
Known by parents for the realistic stuffed animals often found at museum gift shops, Wild Republic also has some more whimsical products. Coming out this year, specifically, they brought their new Huggers line with them. Like slap bracelets from the old days, a quick snap on your wrist, and these snuggly little creatures give a hug-like response.
With a focus on pre-K through 5th grade, Learning Resources was one of the few companies at Toy Fair with some really amazing STEM toys just for the littles in the crowd. Following up on their coding mouse, they brought a new game that’s almost like coding twister for kids. Using cards, kids have to “code” their way from one place to another. In addition, they brought their building sets that start out with directions and then allow for parents or teachers to question, “How can you make this better?” Mental Blocks Jr is a really great early logic game where kids have to try to figure out how to match the blocks to the pictures on the cards.
You’re probably already acquainted with Be Amazing Toys if you’ve ever bought STEM toys for your child. At Toy Fair, however, Be Amazing was using liquid nitrogen to drag us all into their booth, because, really, who doesn’t love playing with liquid nitrogen? They had a collection of their circuit cards that has 18 different circuit cards. Their collections include physics and chemistry experiments as well as kits that incorporate several different types of science exploration. One of their best selling products is the insta-snow, which is reusable. Their new kit includes molds for the insta-snow.
Goobi is a nifty little STEM toy. Similar to some of the other magnetic tile toys, Goobi allows kids to build new projects creatively. Goobi is different because it’s individual sticks with magnets on either end. The metal balls are non-magnetized so parents don’t need to worry about the potential for kids swallowing magnets. They also brought to Toy Fair their new-for-this-year Juniors sets. The Juniors are large for little hands and way too large to be swallowed.
Another one of the better STEM products I found was Heebie Jeebies. Already a hit in Australia, Heebie Jeebies is more than just a fun name. The company brought some of its more popular lines to Toy Fair to introduce its products to US markets. Personally, I wanted the mini-micro magnifier for myself. However, they also had a really reasonably priced line of working but also “kid tough” microscopes and telescopes.
Smart Labs brought “stealth learning” to Toy Fair. Everything you needed for their Ultimate Secret Formula Lab comes with the kit. Best of all? There’s a tray to help with cleanup! In addition, they have a line of comic books that come with a science experiment that helps solve the story’s problem. After you go on the adventure, then you have a full kit to build their science experiment. Since research shows that girls often will engage in science when it’s paired with reading while boys often prefer hands on work but will engage in the reading that accompanies it, these products are a great way to introduce reading and science to anyone reluctant for either.
In business for thirty years, Spacerail is a line of marble roller coasters. The easier introductory sets are based on single build options while the larger sets are more adaptable. With more pieces and more options for personalization, they also range in size up to six feet long. While there may not be much more to say about Spacerail, watch the video because the product is seriously STEM awesome.
The new sensory pad game Mighty Runner is a great adventure game for kids that gets them moving. With a Dance Dance Revolution feel to the pad, Mighty Runner connects to televisions as well as tablets. In addition, there’s no weight limit so parents can engage in the play as well. Jakks also has a selection of branded toys from lines such as Star Wars, Disney Princesses, and DC Super Hero Girls. Be advised that I squee rather loudly at the DC Super Hero Toddler Dolls because they’re ADORABLE. Also, fast forward to 17:25 to check out the best interlocking block cleanup truck toy ever.
Schylling is an interesting company that brought lines of traditional style toys, retro toys, and small trinket style toys perfect for birthday parties. GeekMom Jackie loved the superhero soaps while I preferred the cool wooden banks. The Frankenstein’s monster bank made me particularly joyous. Also, Schylling brought their line of Lottie dolls (mentioned here by GeekMom Jackie) that come with male and female dolls. The dolls have an excellent cross-representation of different genders and races. In addition, they had the old school Strawberry Shortcake dolls.
Originally a Kickstarter, GeekDad covered Buddyphones back in the day. However, the product is so amazing that it really deserves an extra shout-out here. Buddyphones are headphones specifically designed with families, and children, in mind. First, Buddyphones have a decibel rating specifically intended to protect kids’ hearing and don’t go above age-oriented decibel recommendations. Second, for families that travel with multiple kids, Buddyphones have headphone jacks that allow for up to four headsets on the same device.
When walking the floor, I tried to find a good mix of traditional toys, branded toys, electronic toys, and unplugged toys. My second stop at Toy Fair was a brand that is pronounced Hap-AY: a German brand with unmechanized, unplugged wooden toys. Walking through the booth, I really loved the train line with the music. Unlike the branded Thomas line, this particular one is multifunctional. Their new train line won best toy at the Nuremberg Toy Fair.
OK, let’s start with: I. Hate. Play-Doh. I mean, I hate it a lot. It smears into the grout in my kitchen floor. It smells gross. It’s slimy. I just hate the stuff. I love the concept of molding and free artistic play. I hate hate hate Play-Doh specifically. Morph, on the other hand, is more foamy and lightweight. It’s non-sticky. I was introduced to Morph by two exhibitors playing with the stuff before walking into the main Toy Fair halls. With Morph, you can not only mold cool objects, but you can clean up just by tapping the Morph to itself. The feel is foam-like as opposed to slimy. There’s no disgusting smell.
Re-Marks sucked Jackie and me in because they had Harry Potter bookmarks. Although one of the smaller booths at Toy Fair, Re-Marks sells puzzles, bookmarks, and sticker collections that are phenomenally cool. Excellent as small prizes or just for fun, many of these are found at Barnes & Noble stores. In addition, some of their puzzles include a puzzle of the United States as well as one consisting of book covers from women authors.
GeekMom Jackie was already a huge fan of Pacific Play Tents when we stopped by the Toy Fair booth. Stephanie Zuckerberg, the art director for the company, sold me on the product. Her personality and the joy she brings to her work made me want to highlight their tents. Some of the new tents coming out this year will be a firefly light up tent as well as the retro American flag tent. Some of their main lines include a tent shaped like a food truck as well as more traditional indoor/outdoor play tents. But seriously, if for no other reason than the sheer joy Stephanie brings to this video, you have to watch it.
In business for eight years now, the Fungripper balls have a patented grip technology to help kids learn how to hold balls correctly. Made of a softer material than most sports balls, the Saturnian lines are intended for kids who find regular balls too hard and to protect children during sports. By making these softer, children are less afraid of injury and more willing to engage in athletic play. In addition, some of the Fungripper line come in a cloth covering which makes them better for indoor soccer. Finally, Saturnian also makes a line of oversized balls that are excellent for balance practice.
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