DOUGLAS Company launches Princess Mermaids Collection

Soft toy maker and lifestyle gift creator Douglas Company has just introduced Princess Mermaids with brushable hair. Ciara, the 15-inch large Aqua Mermaid, is elegantly serene in shades of aquamarine with a fancy, textured tail with translucent blue organza fins. Her hair is shades of aqua and platinum blonde and she comes with a brush included. Designed for ages 3 and up, 

DOUGLAS Mermaid Collection will debut at all the Winter Gift Shows including Toy Fair in Booth #1669 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. 

The entire Mermaids Collection is expected on specialty gift store shelves in March 2017.

Top Toy Trends for 2015 Announced by Toy Industry Association

During this year's Toy Fair, discover which key trends will dominate toy sales through Holiday 2015 at the annual Toy Trends Briefing, an exclusive presentation hosted by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), owner and operator of the 112th North American International Toy Fair. Toy Industry Association's toy and play experts will provide analyses of each trend and live product demos using playthings from the show floor. A Q&A session will be held immediately following the presentation. Show staff will also be on-hand to assist media with mapping out their visits to exhibitor booths. Throughout the year, TIA's team of experts work with hundreds of global toy companies to identify the products and trends that will drive consumer spending on toys, games and related youth entertainment products.

The presentation will be held Sunday, February 15, 2015 at 4 p.m. in Room 1E21 (Hall E – lower level) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Toy Fair will be held from February 14-17, 2015. Registration is mandatory for access to Toy Fair 2015.

From the Floor of Toy Fair

 

110th American International Toy Fair Transforms NYC into Massive Playground

An estimated 33,000 toy industry insiders from 100 countries attended the 110th annual American International Toy Fair (Feb. 10-13) opened its doors for four, fun-filled days of business-building, networking, trend-spotting, and more.

Owned and operated by the Toy Industry Association (TIA), Toy Fair (Feb. 10-13) is expected to draw nearly 20,000 retailers, wholesalers, importers, buying groups and trade guests to scope out 150,000 innovative toys, games and youth entertainment products across a record-breaking 375,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

More than 1,000 companies - 239 of which are exhibiting at Toy Fair for the very first time - will reveal their hottest toys and product lines - including tried-and-true classic and nostalgic playthings; DIY design, construction toys, arts and creative activities; extreme and outdoor sporting equipment; licensed figures and accessories; virtual / augmented reality games; and more. The Toy Fair playground is divided into 13 specific product zones to keep the experience focused and efficient.

In addition to business-building, trend-spotting and licensing opportunities, Toy Fair offered its diverse audience with unparalleled educational seminars, networking events and special activities. For information about TIA's Content Connection, the Digital Kids Conference & Digital Kids Safety Summit, TIA's Annual Toy Safety and Compliance Update, Independent Thinking and Creative Factor seminars, and more, be sure to visit the Education section of ToyFairNY.com or consult the on-site signage at the Javits Center for details.

Ribbon Cutting

DEMDACO

Dress by Aurora

Douglas Toys

WELCOME TO THE 2103 TOY FAIR

Baby & Kids Magazine at the American International Toy Fair 2012

Community coming together was a huge theme of the 2012 American International Toy Fair, which concluded in New York on February 15. Baby & Kids visited with the Lennon Sisters, Westminster Best in Show winner-Malachy and one of his owners David Fitzpatrick, tegu, the Power Rangers, Fuzzy Friends slippers and gunaPod among many others.

Other highlights from the fair include:

• Toy Drive at Toy Fair 2012 Projected to Impact 25,000 Children in Need The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) capped off the 109th American International Toy Fair with its largest Toy Bank collection of the year on Wednesday, February 15th, when an army of volunteers in bright orange t-shirts scoured the show floor collecting toys, games and plush worth a projected $250,000.

• 2012 Toy Trends Unveiled by Industry Experts After scouring through 100,000+ products now on display at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, TIA's trend experts have laid out a fresh crop of trends that will connect, glow, teach, "WOW" and hit a "high note" with kids of all ages. The six toy categories are: GENERATION APP, GLOWING WILD, LITTLE LEARNERS, MANY WAYS TO PLAY!, SAVE 'N' SPLURGE and YOUNG MAESTROS.

• Toy Industry Association Elects Leadership at Annual Business Meeting At its Annual Business Meeting held earlier today, the Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced the election of two new members to the TIA Board of Directors, marking the first-ever retail executive and sales representative to join the TIA Board. The meeting also saw the chairmanship gavel pass to Soren Torp Laursen of LEGO Systems from retiring Board Chairman Bryan Stockton of Mattel. Additionally, these exciting product announcements were made:

• Gift and home décor source Demdaco launched Nat & Jules, its new juvenile plush and gift division, during Toy Fair this week. The new division is composed of three lines: Baby, Christmas and Everyday. Baby includes plush, blankets and rattles in traditional pink and blue colorways, Noah's Ark-themed plush, a Tender Blessings line of plush and activity dolls for newborns and young toddlers. Christmas features various plush animals decked out in holiday and seasonal garb, and Everyday includes a range of animal plush collections including dogs and cats, woodland, sea life, jungle and more. The Everyday line also includes backpack clips and plush flowers.

• From the makers of the award-winning Twilight Turtle™ and Sleep Sheep™, comes the highly anticipated Tranquil Turtle™. Tranquil Turtle™ by Cloud b made its debut at Toy Fair 2012 in New York City and is the first product in the new Tranquil Lagoon™ Collection. The innovative new toy transforms any room into a peaceful seaside oasis. Tranquil Turtle™ projects a magical underwater light effect with a gentle wave motion and plays two soothing sounds to help children sleep. To learn more, please visit cloudb.com.