New York Toy Fair 2009!!

I wasn't sure what to expect at the International Toy fair in New York this year. It has been a rough year on everyone in seemingly every industry, but I think it seems particularly hard in the toy industry because toys are supposed to be well, fun. Watching toy stores go out of business, seeing some of our good vendors pull out of the U.S. and having to spend so much time and energy attaining certificates of compliance from people we have come to think of as our friends has been hard for many of us. Knowing the kind of money our vendors have had to spend and the effort and time they have had to put into compliance, it's hard to ask "So, do you have COC's on all of this?" We have built relationships with these companies based on trust. We have taken great pride in hand picking the safest best quality items to set us apart from our competition. These, our manufacturers have made that possible. But it's a question we have had to ask. We are all rowing this boat of liability together.I thought there would be a dark cloud hanging over toy fair. I thought that we would hear over and over again, "Well, with the economy....." "The costs we have incurred this year have made it hard to...." I have found instead a marketplace full of Play. Every isle is full of people with new creative ideas. Yes, there is a finger on the pulse of the American pocketbook. Yes, every vendor has increased it's number of SKU's under $20. Yes, prices on things have gone up substantially due to testing and shipping and raw materials increases, but there is an overall sense of optimism, a sense that we are needed in this world that somehow we will prevail and what doesn't kill us will indeed make us stronger. That toys really are fun. Mini celebrations of our inventive creative character. A symbol of human perseverance. Toy fair so far, has been a blast. An enthusiastic joy filled playing with toys blast. I'll keep you posted with what I've chosen to bring home. Today, I was focused on vinyl art. I ordered little vinyl Ugly Dolls. I'm looking at several other lines. I have teenagers these days and I want my own kids to think that hopscotch is the bees knees more than ever. With any luck, keeping up with their interests will allow your children to find that we are relevant to them as the years pass as well. It's a sad day when all they want is music and clothes. We'll keep them playing as long as possible.