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WAMG At Toy Fair 2017
Toy Fair is an annual trade show where hundreds of toy companies get together to showcase their latest innovations for buyers and press. Founded in 1903, there is some serious history behind this show, which takes place every February at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Unlike Comic Con and similar pop culture events, the public is not allowed to attend. This meant that instead of a claustrophobic mess of fans and cosplayers, the completely manageable crowd was mostly comprised of well-dressed business people, the occasional company mascots and seemingly omnipresent Power Rangers promoting Bandai.
While I hoped to pick up a few “samples” of cool collectibles during my trip, I left with nothing in my backpack aside from some business cards and product catalogues. However, there were quite a few hands-on displays to test out products and it is pretty spectacular seeing adults in business attire playing with preschool toys. It also makes one wonder how to apply for a job like that because I would totally crush it.
Speaking of displays, I was also surprised to find many booths were completely enclosed. A general rule of thumb is that the bigger the company, the less that is on display publicly. Companies like Mattel, Hasbro, and Lego required appointments, often made weeks in advance. Since our invite came a bit last minute, we will have to save them for next year. However, I did get to peep some truly cool products from companies like NECA, Funko, and Diamond Select that I am excited to share with you.
Rather than overload this page with hundreds of photos, I will make a few posts broken down by the specific companies and add a link below so that all the coverage can be found in one place. I will also be posting an awesome little video demonstration on Augmented Realty from Pai Technology and an interview with the creator of Movie Buff, a trivia game that should be of interest to everyone reading this site. The rest of my photos can be found below!
TOY FAIR 2017 COVERAGE
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