Welcoming play professionals from nearly 100 countries, the show took place in New York for the first time since before the pandemic.
Visitors to the 118th North American Toy Fair were able to shop, explore and see the latest trends and innovations in toys and play at Javits Center in New York City from September 30th to October 3rd. Tens of thousands of products were on display by 1,021 exhibiting companies, including nearly 400 first-time Toy Fair exhibitors.
“When the ribbon was cut to welcome the global play community back together for Toy Fair 2023, attendees were met with an experience that had been reimagined to encourage more engagement and interaction between exhibitors, buyers, media and other showgoers as well as offer more of the targeted business intelligence our industry needs to succeed in today’s evolving, and uncertain, economy,” commented Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “But more than anything, Toy Fair emphasised what happens when the brightest minds in toy design, manufacturing and marketing converge.”
“It was terrific to be back at Toy Fair to connect with and celebrate the incredible people and ideas that make our industry so dynamic,” said Skip Kodak, regional president of The Lego Group. “The energy onsite was electric – congratulations to The Toy Association on a great event.”
Taking place just before the critical Q4 selling season, the show attracted thousands of buyers from mass, mid-sized, and specialty retail outlets spanning all 50 states and 74 countries and territories. These toy buyers, as well as buyers from ancillary industries such as pet products, confectionery and fashion, previewed 2024 lines, while many also placed orders on ready-to-ship, trending items to stock shelves for this holiday season. From Amazon and Barnes & Noble, to Costco, Target and Walmart, 23 of the top 25 toy sellers were said to be in attendance.
With licensed toys accounting for 30% of total global toy sales in 2022, according to Circana, licensing executives from Moonbug Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Paramount and other studios were on-site to scout new trends and forge licensing agreements with toy companies, further highlighting the symbiotic relationship between toys and pop culture.
Toy Fair also welcomed 800+ registered global print, digital and broadcasts journalists, plus an array of top-tier social content creators, to attend and report on the latest toy trends. Media outlets represented at Toy Fair included ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNET, Good Housekeeping, and many more, including, of course, Toy World.
The global toy industry will come together once again for the 119th North American International Toy Fair, taking place March 1- 4th, 2025 at the Javits Center in New York City.
