Toy Fair is coming...t-minus 19 days and counting. The 2008 American International Toy Fair is the largest gathering of toy manufacturers and sellers in the US.
I can assure you what the big topic at Toy Fair will be - toy safety. Clearly, 2007 was a year like no other in toy history and, despite the thinking of some in the toy industry, I don't think toy safety is an issue that will pass quickly from the minds of consumers. I get the impression from the 2008 catalogs that are slowly arriving that toy manufacturers are jumping into the topic of toy safety. (The HaPe catalog arrived today with two children on the cover with "HaPe celebrates" and "being eco-friendly" signs.) I am sure that we will see many manufacturers introducing hundreds of products that are certifiably safe, or eco-friendly or guaranteed to be lead-free. I can tell you that products that will instill confidence in my customers as far as their safely is one of the big things I will be looking for at Toy Fair. Quality matters today more than ever before. People want to make sure that the toys they buy will be safe for their children to play with.
An interesting aside about Toy Fair is that it is an industry trade show. Every kid I've ever told about Toy Fair is shocked (shocked!) to hear that you have to be 18 to get in. My son's opinion is "well, that's stupid." I'm sure they imagine a vast array of toys waiting to be played with. While it is fun, it's a lot of work and a lot of walking. I think I read somewhere that walking the floor of Toy Fair is akin to walking something like three miles. Plus, there's tons of vendors that have products you have no interest in.
Also, my internet radio side project, YoYoRadio, will again attempt to do a live broadcast from Toy Fair on Monday night, February 18th at 9:30 pm - East Coast time. It will be the third year we have attempted to do a live broadcast from Toy Fair and, if successful, the first to actually go live. Worst case scenario, we tape the show for future broadcast. The show will be broadcast from the location (as yet T.B.D) of the annual YoYoNation Toy Fair party. It's always a blast, so if you're in the area, you should try to make it.

Dr. Toy on hiatus

According to Playthings magazine, Stevanne Auerbach, aka 'Dr. Toy,' announced yesterday that the awards she annually gives to toys (Dr. Toy's seal of approval) will not be given in 2008 while "while she focuses on reorganizing the Dr. Toy organization, and exploring new business prospects and opportunities."
Dr. Toys seal of approval is always something we look for when we purchase new toys each year, so for us, she will be missed. Check out the full article here.

Do you own this toy?

Mattel has yet to recall this toy medical kit. Why should it? Apparently, the red and green versions (kits with other colors tested OK) of the blood pressure cuff contain 4500 to 5900 parts per million of lead, about eight times the federally allowable amount of lead in paint. Alas, the cuff is not painted, it's plastic and the federal law only covers those items that are painted. So, technically, they're legal. Check out this New York Times article about the brouhaha.

In more Mattel related news, remember this post about Mattel's attempts to make their workplaces a better place for it's employees in their factories in China. Part of their attempt was to make the entire process transparent - to allow the public to review it's efforts. Well, they've issued a follow up report, available as a pdf file here. It's pretty interesting.

If you promote it, people will shop

A recent survey by the Independent Business Forum shows that in communities that promoted "Buy Local" campaigns, sales for independently owned businesses were up an average of 2%, as opposed to those in communities that did not promote "Buy Local" campaigns where they were up only .5% 82% of the 1382 nationwide independent businesses surveyed said the fact that they were locally owned and independent matters to their customers. Read a summary of the findings here.

Hey Ugly!

Yea, I'm talkin' to you. If you haven't discovered Uglydolls, what the heck is wrong with you? When I first saw them at Toy Fair a couple years ago, I thought, "those are just about the dumbest thing I've ever seen." (FYI, here's the dumbest thing I've ever seen at Toy Fair) Well, paint me purple and call me Susan, cause these ugly critters are hot. We've sold hundreds of the attractive-challenged toys! Why? Well, they're so ugly, they're cute, plus they're ultra soft and each toy features a wonderfully wacky tag that describes them. Pictured above are the newest of the Uglydolls which are (Front row, L to R): Poe (a dragon who hates to fly and loves Chocolate ice cream), Babo's Bird (Babo can't stand birds, but his is his), Plunko (a business man) (Back row, L to R): Puglee (she's super smart!) and Ugly Ghost (found way out beyond the back exits of Uglytown). First scheduled to arrive? - Poe!

Lego Batman Video Game

In more LEGO news, apparently LEGO Indiana Jones is not the only video game coming out this year to support LEGO products. LEGO Batman is slated to arrive in Fall of 2008. This should be interesting, because LEGO Batman hasn't been the best selling of the licensed lines LEGO has produced. Actually, it's somewhat similar to the way Star Wars LEGO was selling before the advent of LEGO Star Wars. Check out the game trailer below:

Happy 50th Birthday, LEGO!

Apparently, today at 1:58 PM (er 32 minutes ago), LEGO turned fifty! I'm not sure how they pegged an exact time on the creation on arguably the most successful toy in history, but someone did. Check out this article on gizmodo.com about the last fifty years of LEGO. Click the timeline above for a bigger (more readable) version.
It's funny, we get lots of people who come in and ask what happened to the big bulk boxes (or tubs) of LEGO that didn't make just one model. LEGO still makes 'em, but only a couple. 99% of their sets go to make a specific model nowadays.
As many people who come in looking for the old fashioned bulk sets, we get at least twice as many looking for specific sets - usually Star Wars. Since Star Wars I, LEGO jumped into the licensed toy arena. As mentioned on this blog, you can now get Indiana Jones LEGO as well as Batman, Spongebob Squarepants and of course Star Wars LEGO.
Regardless of whether LEGO is in the form of a set that makes a specific toy or a bulk box, the beauty of LEGO (and all construction toys, really) is that the kids can tear it apart and make whatever comes to mind. Keep that in mind if you buy a kit to make one model, challenge your child to take that model apart and make something entirely different. It's one way to help them learn creative thinking.