Held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, the annual show today welcomes top influencers and bloggers. 

Kids@Play’s Talking Sorting Hat and Magical Infinity Calendar.

The opening Press Day of Christmas in July was widely hailed a success by a number of exhibiting toy companies. Now in its third year, the festival is attended by 1,000 top-tier media, journalists and social media influencers, and allows companies from across a broad range of categories to showcase the ranges they believe will be big this festive season.

Situated at the front of the hall, Kids@Play – a first time exhibitor at the show – drew the crowds with its five core lines: Waddles the Waddle Duck, An Elf for Christmas, the pedal Land Rover Defender, its award-winning Harry Potter Talking Sorting Hat and its new Harry Potter Magical Infinity Advent Calendar.

Speaking from the event, Nathaniel Southworth, Kids@Play founder, said: “I love talking about what we at Kids@Play are doing, so Christmas in July is a brilliant way to talk directly to press ahead of the Christmas rush. We’re positioned in a good location, and our Infinity Calendar is definitely proving a hit among attendees. In recent weeks we’ve had retail partners who’d previously said their calendar stocks were sorted do a 180 when seeing this product. It’s a Christmas must-have and a dream for social media and PR purposes. Having been featured in the Sunday Times on 7th July we have been inundated with follow up opportunities – this event comes at a great time for our business.”

Wow! Stuff’s booth let visitors experience the magic of the Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak.

Wow! Stuff brought some of its signature magic to the event with its Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak, which attendees could model in the company’s bespoke booth. Hasbro’s Cubby the Curious Bear was front and centre on the stand, demonstrating its high-tech interactive play features, while Jazwares presented ranges including Fortnite action figures, Nanables collectibles and Feisty Pets plush. Playtime PR was on hand to provide an overview of ranges from a number of big name clients, including Moose Toys UK’s new Scruff a Luvs Real Rescue, and Asmodee’s range of games.

L-R: Darran and Geoff from MTW display the Thinkway Fall-Down Buzz and Woody figures.

MTW Toys, the official UK & Ireland distributor for Toy Story master toy licensee Thinkway, gave pride of place on its stand to its much-hyped Fall-Down Feature Buzz and Woody toys. And Darran Garnham, MTW CEO, and Geoff Sheffield, VP of sales for the UK & Ireland, were only too happy to demo the toys to an enthusiastic crowd of visitors.

“Our range is performing exceptionally well, and there’s been a huge pickup on certain characters since the movie came out,” explained Darran. “Our Fall Down product has been unbelievable in terms of reaction; visitors are walking in, recognising it straight away and asking to see them in action. The show is great – it’s a very different set of trade press and media representatives compared to other shows, so we are reaching a new audience. It’s a really positive mixture.”

The show continues today.