It might be raining and dreary here in NYC today, but I’ll be headed to Time to Play’s Spring and Summer Showcase, where Chris Byrne and Jim Silver, two of the biggest industry gurus, will be spotlighting this season’s hot toys. If you can remember way back to last fall, I attended the fall showcase, where we learned about their holiday picks.
Must Have toys from the 2009 Holiday Season
Even though I just did Toy Fair a little over two months ago (and am still reeling from all of that information), I am a big fan of the Time to Play showcase. It’s an intimate event where media representatives and bloggers can meet with publicists and company executives to discuss—what else—toys.
Spring and summer toys goes beyond the usual outdoor activities. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge advocate for outdoor play, and outdoor toys are always a staple of the season. Think: roadtrips, summer rainy days, playgroups and oh yeah, those sweltering 90-degree days where it’s too hot to move. Activity sets, board game, action figures and collectibles all come to mind right now.
I expect there to be a great range of toys for both boys and girls of all ages. Summer yields a lot of great family-centric movies, so I’m sure we’ll see lots of licensed products. I’ll personally be on the look out for more Ironman and Toy Story 3 toys. Green and eco-friendly toys are always on my radar, so expect to see coverage of the sustainable goodies, too!
There will be a myriad of companies onhand at the showcase today, but specifically, I have scheduled meetings with TechnoSource, Hasbro, Mega Brands, Nickelodeon, Playmobil, Backyard Discovery, Mattel, Zhu Zhu Pets, Disney, Jazwares, Street Surfing and perhaps, more.
As time permits and my brain allows, I will live-tweet and post my findings on Facebook.
