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TDmonthly's Toy Fair 2008
Highlights
Monday, February 18, 2008
Julie was found! Make sure to check out Top 10 Arts & Craft Toys
and Top 10 Specialty Source Toys at the show.
| Toy of the Day:
 Discover Rig
by SPRIG TOYS
Sprig Toys is a new, environmentally responsible toy company created
by award-winning industry veterans (former Mattel and Radica designers).
They are launching a line of rugged, kid-powered and totally green
adventure vehicles for preschoolers. Made from Sprigwood™,
a child-safe bio-composite material derived from 100-percent recycled
wood and reclaimed plastic, the Sprig Adventure Series harnesses
the natural energy of push- and pump-action play to power lights
and other electronics — all without batteries. Adventure Guide characters
wearing LED-lit hats plug into durable, attractively designed vehicles
and engage preschoolers with audio that guides them through exciting
adventures as they play. |
 Find Julie!
Congratulations to President John Kokolakis of Gnosi Toys in Astoria,
NY, for being the first to "FIND JULIE" on the trade show floor!
John, whose company focuses primarily on bilingual toys, told TDmonthly
he has witnessed a demand for bilingual products at Toy Fair 2008
that just wasn't evident last year. "This year," he said, "you can
see that it's the magic buzzword."
Bob and Kathy Jenkins of Toys in the Attic in Dalton, Ga., caught
up with Julie at FAO Schwarz Sunday evening during the ASTRA party.
How did they handle all the recall news back in the fall? After
learning about Innov-X
handheld analyzers in TDmonthly, they
called up the company and hosted a lead-testing day in their store.
Bob added that 99.9 percent of the product in their store, which
opened just last year, can't be found in any nearby superstores.
"We want to put products in there from all over the world that you
cannot find anywhere else," he said.
 Find TDmonthly's
Julie L. Jones on the showroom floor and get noticed!
RETAILERS: Give her a business card and your impression
of the show and you may be quoted in TDmonthly's Toy Fair Highlights!
MANUFACTURERS: Give her your business card and
find out how you can get a FREE VALUE LISTING with ToyDirectory.
Read TDmonthly's Toy Fair Highlights
each day to find out where Julie will be the next day. Julie is
checking out Hobby goods at the lower level today. |
 TDmonthly's
Top-10 Artsy Toys
These Kits Put Hands and Minds to Work
Whether they require donning a smock and utilizing the right
side of the brain or just setting on a shelf to admire, these
products are sure to bring out the artsy side in people. These
10 picks rank as favorites among the arts and crafts and designer
toys TDmonthly spotted on the trade show floor...READ
MORE |
 TDmonthly's
Top-10: Specialty Source and Fundamentals
Eco-Friendly Themes Define New Offerings
Toy Fair's Specialty Source went all out this year, playing
up the show's green theme with battery-free toys and natural
materials, displaying themed sets for building and play, and
showing fair attendees what's in the cards...READ
MORE |
|
| Toy Fair Daily Reports
| Members of the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association
partied (and danced!) the night away at ASTRA's Party With the
Stars at NYC's famed FAO Schwarz on Fifth Avenue. Putumayo provided
the music, and the band kept things moving with a Caribbean
flair. (Photo Report) |
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|  Exhibitor Tip of
the Day:
"Make friendly eye contact, introduce [yourself] and shake hands
first ... before looking at the prospect's badge." —
Charles W. Allen, The C.W. Allen Group |
|  Retailer Tip
of the Day:
"Disregard things that you know are not going to be a good fit
for your store because you'll run out of time. Don't take every
catalog they hand you because you won't be able to walk after five
feet." — Matt Hannifin, owner of Timmy’s Toy Chest,
Lake Mary, FL |
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