After a near three year hiatus the New York Toy Fair finally returned to an in person event for one of the last times in the foreseeable future at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. After the 2020 event the show went through a bit of a transition once the 2021 and 2022 editions were cancelled and was moved all the way into September of 2023.
Due to these changes the make-up of the event was also changed with some larger companies noticeably absent. Another change that was felt was that while the companies that did attend did have large displays because of the timing of the show as well as shifting ways many of these companies interact with their consumers there were not as many new product reveals that was a staple of previous Toy Fairs. That’s not to say the event was not beneficial, interacting with staff at companies I had not seen in a while as well as fellow press friends still made coming back to the Javits after so long feel special. Since 2024 will not have a Toy Fair and after 2025 the show will move to New Orleans let’s get a good look at some of what I did see when attending the 2023 New York Toy Fair.
As is typically the case when reporting on these events I’ve split up my coverage into a few articles while trying to keep a general theme to each one. I won’t go into too much of a preamble in each of the focused articles and will instead mostly dive right into the relevant companies.
What I will do a bit different than other years is showcase some of the displays The Toy Association had in the Crystal Palace of the Javits Center. Split into three areas the Toy Association decided to showcase toys which had been nominated and/or won Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, a Hot for Holiday section, and a Freshman Class section.
Toy of the Year
The Toy of the Year awards are a big deal to a company attending the Toy Fair. While there are many categories, some less relevant here, there were some familiar faces and some interesting finds. On display were toys that had been nominated for a TOTY. Specifically I would call out Funko Games Disney Animated, LEGO Technic NASA Mars Rover Perseverance, LEGO The Lord of the Rings Rivendell, Playmates Teenage Ninja Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem Pizza Fire Van, Jazwares Squishmallows, Playmobil My Figures: Island of the Pirates, and even the coolest slimmest deck of cards you’ve seen by Storyastic.
Freshman Class
The freshman class section focused on new attendees to the show. While there were less collectibles or hot brands in this area a few gems to be found included Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza card game from Dolphin Hat Games, Nikko Toys R/C Road Rippers Machine Maker, M&J Toys die cast cars, and some wooden puzzles by Crafthub.
Hot For Holiday Section
Since the holiday season is right around the corner the Toy Association made a section dedicated to toys perfect for the holiday season. Again not many collectible here but one or two noteworthy items including the New Zealand Mint Comix Pure Silver Coins, Hasbro Nerf Elite 2.0 Double Punch, Jada Toys Pink Slip, Jada Toys Nano Scenes, and a Steiff Disney Mickey and Rolling Stones Teddy Bear
