Toy Fair Changes
Toy Fair itself is going through changes. The International Toy Center at 200 Fifth Avenue which houses the show rooms of many toy and doll manufacturers was sold to a real estate company in early 2005, and its future as a continuing home for the toy industry is up in the air after 2006. Even Toy Fair itself may be on the move—faced with declining attendance, the Toy Industry Association (“TIA”) is looking to move Toy Fair starting in 2007, perhaps to Atlanta or Orlando. TIA is convinced that the high cost of attending Toy Fair in New York, as well as the inclement February weather, keeps many potential attendees away, and that those attendees can be more easily lured to a warmer, less expensive location. Of course, TIA needs to take into account that if they have Toy Fair in the southeast, that is already where IDEX is and that will make it very hard for most doll retailers from other parts of the country to attend both shows. Already, Toy Fair has been a bit “split up” by the mass market toy fair now held in the Fall (for the big boys of toys—Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, Target, etc.)
Fewer Dolls At Toy Fair?
As for dolls at Toy Fair, every year I see less and less of them. Some doll companies have gone out of business, and some have merged with other companies. Some doll manufacturers and artists have decided to not have as big a presence at Toy Fair due to the expense (smaller booths with less of their line, like Lee Middleton last year) or they don’t come at all, instead preferring to only attend IDEX or other collector shows. Also, some of the Toy Fair thunder is stolen when most manufacturers release their new lines well in advance of Toy Fair—many collectors and retailers already know which dolls they are going to purchase before Toy Fair even starts. Part of this is the fault of Toy Fair—it doesn’t even start until February 20 this year, which is quite late. The Internet is also at fault, since many manufacturers debut their product to the public directly on the Internet.
Why Is Toy Fair Important?
Personally, as both a reporter in the doll industry and as a doll retailer, I still find there is no replacement for Toy Fair. There is no better way to put your finger on the pulse of dolls and the doll industry, no better way to assess its health and to get a sense of what is hot and what is not. As a retailer, I find ordering from catalogs to stock my store to be a poor second to ordering in person and seeing the actual merchandise. Too many costly mistakes are made when you don’t get to see product in person—dolls are visual and physical and emotional items and often the photo of a doll either doesn’t do a doll justice, or it overstates a doll’s charms. Really, the catalog-only method of ordering a doll can cut both ways (photo looks too good, or photo looks too bad) and collectors should also try to see dolls in person at shows such as IDEX or local doll stores or shows before purchase, whenever possible.
Predictions for Toy Fair 2005
So, the question remains—what will Toy Fair bring this year? Some years, I already know—I have enough sense of trends and the industry to know before I set foot in the giant exhibit hall at Javitz or the Toy Center. This year, I really don’t have a feel for it. Overall, I think that doll collecting is bouncing back nicely from the years right after 9/11 when many companies closed and doll collecting was a bit stagnant. I think that specialty doll and toy retail shops will have to continue to differentiate themselves from the Wal-Marts and Toys R Uses’ of the world with different, better, and more innovative dolls, and that Toy Fair will remain a crucial venue for finding those special dolls. I’m hoping to see more doll companies at Toy Fair than last year, but I’m prepared to see fewer (in fact, this year there isn’t even a special Dolls & Plush section—this year its called “Collectibles and Plush”).
Don’t Miss Our Toy Fair 2005 Coverage
It will be fantastic to see the new dolls in person, and to find out what this year's doll buzz words are, plus what is new and innovative. Of course, I’ll report everything I find at Toy Fair this year--new dolls as well as all of your old favorites-- so stay tuned to our home page where I’ll be blogging (reporting on) everything I find, and look for many new buying guides and articles on the 2005 dolls when I return!
