A big sign on the door clearly states, “This is a trade show: Absolutely No Children Allowed”. Lucky for us (and you), children cleverly disguised as adults were allowed free reign of the most exciting toy showcase of the year. With a camera in one hand, and a bag full of candy in my pocket, I walked through the International Toy Fair in New York City for three days like…well…a kid in a candy store.
As one can expect, Toy Fair is no trip to the mall. A mix of people who have made there toy dreams a reality, and those who have REALLY made there toy dreams a reality, fill two floors of the Javitts Center, hoping to find the perfect marriage of product and retailer.
So, what was the big deal this year? A mixture of urban toys, fantastical board games, hot tomatoes,
“hands off” interactivity, dolls of
ugly cuteness, and
pogosticks that launch up to 8ft heights, were just a couple of the tricks up this show’s sleeve.
Needless to say, its gonna be a very exciting year for toys. Here’s a sneak peek of inside the show, and a little teaser of just what is in store for the future…..
Planet Toy's International Toy Fair 2007 Scrapbook
Book Pick of the Week:
So when I’m not glued to watching Lost at night, my bed stand is stacked high with the most contemporary literature on the market. This week, I voraciously read the most hyped book at Toy Fair (a book that I begged for an advanced copy of and was rewarded for my persistence). “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” is not only a gorgeously illustrated book, but fills the magical quota of books equal in size (511 pages) with an inventive dialog and an eccentric cast of characters. With 284 of those pages being illustrated, if you start it after dinner, you just might be able to finish it by bedtime.
The story is a spellbinding tale of a young boy, Hugo Cabret, who finds himself without parents in a little abandoned attic in a train station in Paris. His only possession is an automata, an little man holding a pen, who is constructed from a gears and switches. The automata is broken, but Hugo, son of a watchmaker, is determined, that, with a little work, he just might be able to fix the machine. And if he can, he’ll discover the automata’s secrets….a series of pen strokes that will change his life forever….
This book is a great read and hugely magical. It's was inspired by the 1902 movie,
Le Voyage Dans La Lune, an incredibly innovative and magical film by Georges Méliès.
Come on in and pick up a signed copy today while they are still in stock. Then pick up some hot cocoa at the grocery store, and a kiddo at home, and snuggle up to the mystery of The Invention of Hugo Cabret……
