Unwinnable

After a year of waiting, I got my chance to return to Toy Fair this week at the Javits Center in New York. Last year, I broke my press cherry and attended Toy Fair 2011 – it was a magical experience. There I stood, a lover of toys and games, surrounded and overwhelmed by future plastic prospects. This year, I had a game plan and got a chance to really take note of, not only the fantastic creations that will flood retailers’ shelves, but also the immensely large business and marketing aspects of the toy industry. It was quite eye-opening. (more…)

One of the best things about this show is that it wasn’t all about kids toys. There were tables of gadgets too. I must say that I didn’t expect to see so much merchandise other than toys. Everyone was represented on a level playing field. You could find anything from a $1000 slot car track to the best of $1 store toys.

I was making my final run through the showrooms and I was sequestered by a young woman to check out an 80′s style block cell phone that houses one’s iPhone.

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After circling McFarlane Toys’ booth like a vulture, I was eventually able to slide in and check out their stock. McFarlane was once known for re-launching the action figure market with their near sculpture like action figures. They also re-invigorated a lot of horror licenses via their Movie Maniacs line, which paved the way for companies like Neca, Mezco and Art Asylum. In the last 10 or so years, they have been known for their high end reproductions of various sports stars. Halo is the only non-sport entity in their line up until now. Days before Toy Fair, McFarlane released pictures of their upcoming The Walking Dead line.

The first 4 figures are directly from the comic. The second set of figures comes from AMC’s highly acclaimed television series and they are set to come out just as Season 2 launches in October.

Here’s a look at Officer Rick Grimes and a Zombie Roamer from the comic series The Walking Dead.

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One of the best parts of any show is the swag. I mostly obtained reference material but I’ve been to shows where I’ve walked out with t-shirts, pens and the like. Other than a free tote bag and some reading material, I guess I didn’t stumble upon anyone giving away free candy or toys. Some dealers were even selling toys. I bring this up because I had specific mission orders from Charles Moran to get him a sticker by Gaming Heads because they make Team Fortress 2 figures and support Valve and blah blah blah. After leaving Underground Toys’ booth, I made a 180 and walked straight into Gaming Heads booth. They had some glass display cabinets and a card table with 4 chairs in the middle. Very sparse considering what most vendors had on display (sorry Charles, no stickers). Quite frankly, it didn’t matter. Their Team Fortress 2 statues and figures looked amazing.

Here’s The Blu Soldier from Team Fortress 2.  (more…)

An exciting day was upon me. From the warm sun cracking through the clouds to my effortless trip into Manhattan, everything seemed magical. As I came upon the doors to the Javits Center, I was awaiting the rolling of the red carpet and could have sworn to have heard the sound of trumpets blaring. I soon realized it was all in my head.

I zipped around in the main corridor looking for an information booth and slowly looked up to see a massive billboard sized print welcoming everyone to Toy Fair 2011. I have been to many shows at the Javits Center, but I have never seen any take up the entire convention center including Javits North. Every inch was packed with toys and merchandise and it was absolutely toygasmic. It was a new experience to enter press registration to get my pass into a world I have loved since a kid. Now I was experiencing it from a different angle. Instead of the would-be buyer and jaded collector, I am now an agent of free speech and opinion and was given a rare glimpse into the underbelly of the toy market.

I received my badge and delivered my usual devilish smirk as I gave it the once over to confirm my “arrival”. I wanted to message everyone I knew to tell them I was “in”.  (more…)

Woah, the weekend is here! Today, in 1938, the BBC aired the first ever science fiction program. It was an adaptation of the Czech play R.U.R which stands for Rossum’s Universal Robots. (more…)

Toy Fair is literally around the corner, so I thought I would take some time to preview what is on the horizon for toys this year.

Announced at the UK Toy Fair, Bandai is resuscitating the Thundercats. They will be released in 4”, 6” and 8” sizes along with an 8” classic line which will start off with a classic Lion-O. Warner Brothers Animation has begun production on the new Thundercats cartoon which is being spearheaded by a popular Japanese animation company. Mezco will also be releasing a 14” classic Lion-O.

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