Toy Fair New York Goes Viral

February 26, 2019 | Toy Fair New York was the show heard round the world, and Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were just some of the methods attendees used to highlight the most buzzworthy toys and games seen at the Javits Center.

More than 64,000 people used the hashtag #TFNY to share insider news about Toy Fair to audiences worldwide. On opening day (Saturday, February 16), “Toy Fair” was a trending topic on Twitter. Throughout the show, the hashtag #TFNY was used in more than 97,000 posts. In addition, #TFNY had 191 million impressions, reaching more than 93 million people on social media globally.

Toy Fair New York welcomed nearly 1,000 print journalists, broadcast reporters, online influencers, and bloggers to report on the top toy-trends of 2019. The show welcomed YouTube influencers Ryan ToysReview, Stephen Sharer, Ninja Kidz, and ThatYouTub3Family, among others.

Some of the most talked-about toys included Mattel's BTS UNO game; WWE Collectibles by Funko POP!; NECA’s Friday the 13th 7-inch Action Figure; the Ikemen Series Batman Action Figures by Kotobukiya Co.; and Hasbro’s Power Rangers Beast X-Morphers.

WWE’s Instagram post highlighting Mattel’s licensed WWE action figure collection garnered more than 83,000 likes – making it the top Instagram post using the #TFNY hashtag. Mattel’s Tweet offering a sneak peek at its new BTS dolls was the top post on Twitter using #TFNY, with more than 70,000 likes, and over 27,000 retweets.

“Tapping into the vast social media network around the globe allows brands to promote their products to toy enthusiasts and professionals who weren’t able to be at the show, and to get fans really amped up about exciting and innovative toys, games, and licensed properties coming to market,” said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “Today, using social media is a crucial and important strategy in promoting products – without it, brands are likely missing out on valuable opportunities to appeal to consumers.”

Added Bossard: “This year, for the first time, Toy Fair’s social media team partnered with a number of exhibiting companies to feature their brands and playthings on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds. Going forward we will look for additional ways to promote brands via social media.”

The global toy industry will come together once again next year at the 117th North American International Toy Fair, taking place one week later from Saturday, February 22 to Tuesday, February 25 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.