Toy Fair ’18 ‘Launch Pad’ to Feature First-Time Exhibitors Showcasing the Latest Innovations in Toys & Games

February 5, 2018 | In less than two weeks, more than 1,000 toy companies from startups to veteran brands will descend on New York City to showcase the industry’s hottest new toys and games at the 115^th North American International Toy Fair. 

As new companies continue to look to Toy Fair to debut their innovative products, the show will feature first-time exhibitors in a dedicated area in Hall 1E of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, dubbed the “Launch Pad.” This section will be exclusive to more than 100 newcomers and other young companies looking to unveil their fresh inventions and unique toys in front of 30,000 global Toy Fair attendees.

“Toy Fair’s Launch Pad is a terrific place to see up-and-coming toy inventors as well as international companies looking to expand their product to the U.S.,” says Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at the Toy Association, the trade group that produces Toy Fair. “Toys and games being featured in this area are wonderful examples of the novel and exciting perspectives toy inventors and designers are taking on the future of play.”

Retailers exploring the Launch Pad will have access to toys and games from exhibitors representing more than a dozen countries, including Canada, China, France, Israel, Japan, Poland, Turkey, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. A total of 31 countries will be represented by exhibitors at Toy Fair.

As the largest toy, game, and youth entertainment marketplace in the Western Hemisphere, Toy Fair will feature hundreds of thousands of toys and games from both new and veteran toymakers across a whopping 443,500 net square feet of exhibit space.

To date, buyer delegations from 23 of the top 25 toy sellers representing the $27 billion U.S. toy industry have registered for Toy Fair, including Toys“R”Us, Walmart, and Target. Toy Fair also attracts a sizable number of specialty buyers in search of eye-catching toys, creative products, and educational playthings that will draw shoppers to their stores.

Toy Fair buyers who would like to connect with exhibitors and scout products before the show opens are encouraged to check out ShopToys365.com, the industry’s only dynamic digital social marketplace allowing toy buyers and sellers to connect and conduct business online before, during, and after Toy Fair.

Toy Fair 2018 will take place February 17 to 20 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. Visit www.ToyFairNY.com for up-to-the minute details on exhibitor listings, educational sessions, and more, or download the free Toy Fair Mobile app on iTunes or Google Play.