Ok, now that we’ve had a month or so to rest, relax, and recover from the whirlwind that is Toy Fair we’re going to give you a rundown of all the news that was there (yes, there was actually information given out and not just pretty pictures!) First, I’m sure there are still a lot of people out there who don’t realize that not only did AFi shoot a metric ton of photos in NY, but also labeled pretty much all of them! So go check ‘em out here if you haven’t already.
This first recap is actually going to highlight one of the more recent phenomenons of the Toy Fair experience: free swag. I remember back when I first went to Toy Fair in 1997 with Eric Myers. When we went as RTM it was the first time a website was allowed in as media and just getting them to take us seriously back in those early days of the web was very tough; we jumped through a lot of hurdles to be able to get photos and info out to the interwebs as the show was happening. It didn’t take long for other sites to jump on the bandwagon and go through the process to gain press credentials. And over time so many websites did it that now all you need is a blog or Facebook page even marginally devoted to toys to gain access.
But traveling to New York in Winter is time consuming and expensive, so many companies now give away various items just for going to the show and giving them free press. While in the old days it wasn’t terribly unusual for many companies to give out free samples to buyers/press/licensors, now you are likely to find exclusive, limited items being made expressly for the media at the show and nowhere else. Why? To be honest, most companies at this point expect people to sell them to help pay for the trip so they offer toys that have new paint jobs, packaging, etc. to make them a bit more desirable for collectors who aren’t at TF. Heck, some people go to Toy Fair now just to get these freebies! (Full Disclosure: I did put a few of mine on ebay to help pay for my trip, too! Kept some of them, though, and gave away a bunch to friends with kids).
I think Jakks might have been the first to do this with their exclusive wrestler repaints, but pretty much all major companies have something to hand out. Back in ’98 I don’t think we got anything, but this year we given some really nice items. Shown below are a few of the toys: MOTUC Trap-Jaw from Mattel (They also gave out some WWE figures), Glow-In-The-Dark Alien Force Ben 10 from Bandai (also given out was a new Tamagotcha figurine and a Harumika mannequin). BY far the most talked about goodie bag was that given out by Lego: a white Concept Boba Fett based on designs by Joe Johnston/Ralph McQuarrie and a fancy catalog of all the Star Wars Lego toys, AND a unique "Cube Dude" of Buzz Lightyear signed and numbered by its creator, Pixar Animator Angus MacLane. The most unique item, though, is probably the Hasbro Transformers RPMs Optimus Prime. This one wasn’t given out at the media event for the press (and I don’t think Hasbro gave out any goodies this year to the press at all), but instead was a sample for buyers and licensing partners. It has a custom paint job, exclusive packaging, and Toy Fair 2010 deco. I’ve only seen it reported at one site so far, so not sure how many of these got out but I think it’s safe to say that far less than any of the other collectibles this year.
More to come, with each company getting a recap in the next week! Keep checking back, or just hit the Toy Fair graphic in the sidebar at right to get all the 2010 Toy Fair reports in one place!
Toy Hall Of Fame Inductee John Lasseter & Toy Story 3 Filmmakers Reveal 2010 Toy Line and Film Details
NEW YORK, NY – February 14, 2010 – Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 kicked off the American International Toy Fair in New York City today with a plethora of new toys and playthings that pay homage and celebrate the best the toy industry has to offer. In a playful, Toy Story-themed setting before an invitation-only crowd of toy industry insiders, Green Army Men descended from the ceiling in “take-over” mode as they helped John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, Lee Unkrich, director, Toy Story 3, Darla K. Anderson, producer, Toy Story 3 and John Ratzenberger, voice of Hamm, unveil a first look at some of the more than 250 new toys releasing this Summer and into the 2010 Holidays. Toy Story is the largest toy licensing event of 2010 and the only film franchise that galvanizes the toy industry with an unprecedented line-up from Disney Consumer Products and more than 20 world-renowned toy companies, including Thinkway Toys, Mattel, The LEGO Group, HASBRO, JAKKS Pacific, and Fisher-Price. Boasting $8B in global merchandise sales to date since it was introduced in 1995, Toy Story will continue to bring excitement to retailers around the world and turn up the fun for kids at playtime. The new Toy Story 3 toy line features action figures, dolls, role play, games, play sets, construction sets, vehicles, talking plush and robots that might just come alive when kids are not around.
The filmmakers also revealed a look at the much-anticipated Toy Story 3 with an all new film trailer introducing a plush bear character named Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear, one of the 14 new toys featured in Toy Story 3’s Sunnyside Day Care, and the first plush toy to appear in the film franchise. The trailer, which will air tonight on Disney Channel, also previews an explosive train sequence and a host of other new characters. The new Toy Story 3 toy line will also include toys inspired by these new characters adding hours of fun as kids play out scenes from the new film.
“I’ve always had a great love and fascination with toys and that’s really where the idea for Toy Story began,” said Lasseter. “When we set out to create Toy Story, I imagined this really amazing group of characters that would entertain kids and families for hours. And that’s also what we set out to do with the toys inspired by the films. Working with some of the best toy companies, we took every single detail into consideration to develop a great toy line that is true to this franchise. Taking a look around the room today, I think we again achieved our vision with Toy Story 3.”
Lasseter was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame at the Toy Industry Association Toy of the Year Awards banquet last night. Through such hits as Toy Story and, he has brought toys to life on the big screen in a magical way that has engaged kids and collectors off-screen with film-inspired product for nearly 15 years. Lasseter follows in the footsteps of Walt Disney, who was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 1987.
“Toy Story is the only franchise that brings together the best in classic evergreen toys such as Barbie, Chatter Phone and Mr. Potato Head, and combines them with the creativity and storytelling behind new Toy Story characters that have gone on to become classic toys in their own right including Woody, Buzz Lightyear and,” said Vince Klaseus, senior vice president of global toys for Disney Consumer Products. “Kids are in for a treat as the new Toy Story 3 toy line is loaded with features such as sound effects, lights and movement sensors, and collectors will not be disappointed as the assortment of definitive action figures continues to grow.”
Here’s your insider look at Mattel’s Collector Press event held Sunday Feb 14th as part of Toy Fair 2010 at the Javits center. This two part video is as close as you can get to actually being there as it’s not just focused on Mattel Brand Manager Scott Neitlich, but it also shows you the showroom and what he’s talking about in the Q&A session.
AFi is proud to bring you the full press conference straight from "Matty’s" mouth answering questions about all of Mattel’s collector lines including Masters of the Universe, DC Universe Classics, Justice League Unlimited, DC Infinite Heroes, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, WWE, Avatar, Disney/Pixar’s CARS and Toy Story 3 and Ghostbusters!
PART I
PART II
There’s still more Toy Fair coverage coming, more pictures in our Toy Fair gallery as well as more videos, so stay tuned!
A ton of pictures have been added over the past two days! We’re labeling them like crazy, but for those who can’t wait you can dig into the plasticky goodness right now, right here!
We stopped by the NECA Toy Fair both to get the scoop on NECA’s latest offerings from Randy Falk. He gives us the scoop on their latest movie, video game and game products.
Ok, now that we’ve had a month or so to rest, relax, and recover from the whirlwind that is Toy Fair we’re going to give you a rundown of all the news that was there (yes, there was actually information given out and not just pretty pictures!) First, I’m sure there are still a lot of people out there who don’t realize that not only did AFi shoot a metric ton of photos in NY, but also labeled pretty much all of them! 
