More • The Adventures of a Dollaholic at Toy Fair • The 2002 Toy Fair Gallery • The 2001 Toy Fair Gallery

Join the Discussion "What Do You Think About The Terror Alert and Toy Fair?  In The Forum!

From Other Guides • Toy Fair 2003 Action Figures

Elsewhere on the Web • Toy Fair 2003 Official Site  •Dolls and Teddy Bear Collectibles Pavillion

Generally, I'm happy and excited the week before Toy Fair.  Its one of the most exciting weeks of the year for anyone involved in the Doll industry, especially if you've never lost the heart and soul of a collector.

Of course, last year there was the sadness and pallor of having the first Toy Fair in New York City after 9/11.  That wasn't fun...it was subdued.  Everyone couldn't get 9/11 off their mind; many of the Toy Fair attendees went to Ground Zero in their off-hours.  The security at the Javitz Center was unusually high--lots of ID, big lines to sign up to get inside, and you couldn't wheel around the usual tiny luggage with your pounds and pounds of brochures, meaning that the pounds and pounds got carried around on the backs of many grumpy attendees.

Orange Alert!

This year, I was expecting a lighter mood.  And, it DID feel lighter (despite threat of war with Iraq) until--until the Terror Meter or whatever that thing is) moved to the "Orange" or "High" level.  That, in and of itself, didn't freak me out.  What DID freak me out was the following Associated Press Report from this weekend: 

"Law enforcement and private security stepped up scrutiny at the nation's borders, airports and hotels after the latest terror alert Friday, with worries raised about New York as a possible target.

Intercepted communications between suspected terrorists suggested a potential threat to New York, a high-ranking law enforcement source told The Associated Press.

The communications, some intercepted as late as Thursday night, raised specific concerns about hotels and subways in the city and the East Coast, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity."

Oh, good--lets see, I'm staying at a high-rise hotel right in Manhattan.

Rifles and Duct Tape

The phone call from my sister from New York yesterday in which she informed me that police were standing around Times Square with large rifles didn't help, either, (yes...my hotel is in Times Square) and neither did reading in a dolls discussion group today about how you can walk down some streets in Manhattan and see taped up windows and that extra police are everywhere.  Oh my goodness!  

You can add that to the fact that any way you look at it, the Javitz Center (where the majority of Toy Fair takes place) is a possible target.  A non-traditional target to be sure, and a soft one, but a target none-the-less thanks to the thousands of people who will be there and the intense week-long media coverage.  Plus, I suppose if you were a terrorist trying to make a point about the commercialism of America and Western culture in some crazy way, a group of adults all completely concerned with children's toys MIGHT be a target you'd choose.

I'm Going!.

In spite of all this--I'm going!  I've thought about moving from my hotel (where I stay every year) to a smaller one  or cutting the trip short (hey, I have little kids!) but...I'm NOT going to do it.  I'm going to Toy Fair. I may be more vigilant, and I may be less light-hearted, and, yes, even terrified in some ways,  BUT...I'm going.

Why?  Well--because that's what I do!! That's what everyone in the doll and toy industry does this time of year.  Its important--you get the real "feel" for the entire doll year here, you see your associates and friends from all over the world, and you get excited all over again about dolls.  Plus, yes, its trite, but I'm NOT going to let terrorists or their threat stop me.  Hmm--in fact, just to spite them, I think I'll try to drop the "terrified" part and just have a great week.

As my fatalist, New York Italian father said during our phone call this week: "So, of course you have to come!  I'd be more worried about your cab driver from the airport skidding off the road in the snow than about some supposed terrorists...."  This, from a man who spent his entire career at the World Trade Center.  And you know, really, Dad is right.   SO....see you at Toy Fair!!

Previous Features

Back to the Doll Collecting Main Page

Copyright Denise Van Patten 2003. All Rights Reserved.