Attendance
Attendance seemed to be down, especially for the last two days of Toy Fair (Toy Fair runs four days, from Sunday through Wednesday). Plus, after walking the entire Javits floor, it was obvious that the show was smaller than years past…many of the companies that had showrooms at the Toy Building (now a condominium) are now exhibiting at Javits, but even with that, there seemed to be fewer aisles, and fewer smaller vendors in those aisles.
Buyers Were There To Buy
Although traffic at many doll manufacturers seemed to be down, the Vice President of one company told me that “the buyers at the show were there to buy,” and that the number of orders written was encouraging. Personally, I think that has everything to do with the economy—if money is tight for a business, why would that company send a representative to Toy Fair unless that representative was there to do serious business.
Economic News of The Week
The economic news of the week also brought everyone down a bit. Wall Street seemed to be on a downward spiral again, and the economic “bailout” package just signed by Congress and the President seemed to do little for toy and doll-related small businesses.
CPSIA Legislation Created Uncertainty
The further uncertainty of the CPSIA legislation and interpretations also effected the mood. I know that for my family’s toy business, every order written was preceded by hard questions regarding the doll or toy company’s current compliance with the CPSIA legislation and also the company’s future compliance plans.
A Big Sigh of Relief
That all said, I think that I wasn’t the only one who left Toy Fair breathing a big sigh of relief. The industry is still there, still busy, and still producing and buying the toys and dolls that collectors and children want. I hope that when the economy turns around (as we know it eventually will) that most doll and toy companies that we know, love and depend on are there on the other side with us.
