I don’t wanna grow up I’m a… I miss Geoffrey.
So another show has come and gone the take away from this year is that we all miss Geoffrey and Toys R Us. Although they have been gone for over a year it seems this year the effects really hit home for a lot of companies. Several Companies booths shrank considerably, others lacked tons of new products as everyone clamored to please Wal Mart and Target to pick up the slack. Sad to say in my area there still is a lack of toy aisle growth that was promised to us when TRU closed down.
This year really seemed to lack something that I can’t quite put my finger on. However, we also have to take into consideration the now-infamous Coronavirus halting production and delivery of new products for many toy companies. We heard it way too often this year and it finally has hit home on how it will affect companies and their consumers. Stuff that was planned for reveals just didn’t happen because of China factories being shut down and overseas shipping being affected as well.
There also seemed to be a new generation of reviewers roaming the floor you could tell who they were because they were a bit standoffish and carried themselves as if they were in a hurry to get ahead( I found that this was a chance to be polite in how I worded this). The one piece of advice I would give them is respect each other and do not be rude. We are the long-timers and we all have grown to coexist together and realize the world is big enough to have a wide variety of an audience. If you made it to the press lounge you would recognized this by those who chatted with each other even discussing what we all saw. You just never know when a piece of advice is needed so don’t alienate reach out and say hi to anyone you will be pleasantly surprised with the responses you get. As a sight w I mean I was passing out 1:10 scale 3d printed beer bottles to people I didn’t even know but just chatted with at the show. We as a site have realized over the years we may not always be the first to publish but we are the ones who’s passion for this industry shows in our publishes.
All that said we still saw some great products spread throughout the show. I would have to say the highlights for me were Mcfarlane Toys and Diamond Select Toys. Both brought lots of new products to the show which added excitement to their existing lines. DST, as usual, is gathering licenses left and right to bring a mixture of nostalgia and modern characters to the collector’s world. McFarlane expanded their DC line and brought Spawn into a new era. NECA came in strong as well with their turtles line up and Horror figures. I’m a Halloween movie fan and its great to see figures from older movies coming soon. Mezco instead of making more Batmans have dipped their toes into the villain pool with additions of Mr. Freeze, and Two-Face among others. Bluefin is ramping up for Gundams 40th and adding much-needed diversity in the action figure world. Hasbro’s big hoorah was the reintroduction of G. I. Joe in six-inch legends forms called the Classified Series. This for me was a very nice surprise and I am ready for my Joe fix as I have loved the line since the early eighties. Jazwares one of our favorite companies although showed off some great stuff we were unable to take photos so was harder to share what was in store. Let’s just say UFC and AEW made a huge splash into the toy market and their Fortnite line continues to expand with even more great figures and accessories. I cannot forget to mention Boss Fight Studios I actually geeked out in their booth and felt more like a fan than an interviewer Thank god for the boss who was able to maintain his cool and snap lots of pictures while I acted like a giddy school girl.
Finally, we will close with my hidden gem of the show. Every show I’ve tried to find that company that I feel will make an impact to the industry. My first year it was zombie kids, Last year for me it was Jazwares, yes I know they are a large toy company but their jump into the larger scaled legends style figures and the quarter scale market did not go unnoticed. This year we want to recognize an up and comer jumping into the 1:12 cloth scaled line. and boy did come out the gate flying. Chronicle Collectibles introduced their Jurassic Park Line with 3 great figures and two raptors(Fully Articulated) Dr. Ian Malcom, Dr. Allan Grant, and Velociraptor. From Jurassic World Owen Grady and Blue. Conan The Barbarian(Arnold, not Jason) sliced his way onto the scene with a great rendition from the movie. We asked if we were going to see more all they could tell us this go-round is playsets and more figures were in the works. I am excited to see what they will do with this great line.
Another year another great show. It’s the one time of year that I as a collector get to be excited about the upcoming releases for the year. Thank you for reading our articles and looking at our pictures. I have always looked forward to news from Toy Fair for years now and it’s only been recent that I am able to go with a great outlet and deliver to those who share our love and passion for collectibles or as some who don’t understand it our kid’s toys. 365 more days of patiently waiting to enjoy another one. Can next year top this year? We will see.
Newsdesk