Press release -
S.T.E.M Products Blossom at Toy Fair 2017
Toy Fair 2018 returns, 23-25 January at London’s Olympia
Friday 27 January: Toy Fair 2017 began on Tuesday in a buoyant mood with the announcement that the UK toy industry grew by 6.3 per cent over the previous year to a value of £3.5 billion. This positivity continued over all three days of Toy Fair as more than 250 exhibiting companies launched thousands of brand new product-lines to the market.
The brightest of the new product launches were showcased in Toy Fair’s Best New Toy awards. Selected by an independent panel of retailers, these 43 toys across 15 categories proved a popular feature with visitors and media.
While no one toy dominated coverage or interest, it was a strong show for Collectable ranges, movie license products and toys that fall under the S.T.E.M category. From beat boxing watches and robotic spiders to blow up bubble balls and board games, toys captured the imagination of the media with coverage from the BBC, the Sun, the Mirror, the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph and the I, in what is expected to be a positive year for the toy industry.
Toy Fair TV, including the Demo Zone, covered three fun-filled days continuing its success since being introduced in 2013. Hosted by TV presenters Anna Williamson and Gavin Inskip, exhibitors had further opportunity to showcase their products to visitors on screens broadcasting live throughout Toy Fair as well as on the Toy Fair website.
“We would like to thank all of our exhibitors and the industry as a whole for helping make Toy Fair 2017 a success,” commented Majen Immink, Head of Toy Fair Operations and Sales. “The continued support of the industry helps to make Toy Fair such a strong event at the beginning of the year. Thousands of exciting and innovative products were launched at Toy Fair this year and it kick-started what we all hope to be a successful year for the toy industry. We are very grateful for all the feedback we’ve had so far and looking forward to making our 65th Toy Fair next year very special.”
The British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), organisers of Toy Fair, announced the event will return to Olympia in 2018 running from Tuesday 23rd to Thursday 25th(9am-6pm on all three days).
Toy Fair testimonials
Nick Saunders, Brainstorm Ltd
“This year we made the decision to move to a bigger more central stand and it has shown dividends. There was a real buzz around the stand thanks to our StikBots Green Screen allowing us to take pics of visitors in different locations with celebs. Toy Fair is always a great show for us with packed diaries of appointments and its always great to see everyone. It was also great to welcome Zing and Yulu onto the stand as we make plans to grow their brands in the UK throughout 2017.”
David Kelly, Magformers UK
"Toy Fair was excellent for us and attracted a great mix of independent and major retailers as well as generating very strong national media interest for the toy trade, which is vital for everyone in it. We set an 'unofficial world record' for the fastest Magformers rhombicuboctahedron (26-sided shape) ever built, in 12.62 seconds, and we were absolutely delighted when our new Neon LED Set was awarded a 'Best New Toy' accolade by the BTHA in only our second year of exhibiting. The show goes from strength to strength in my opinion."
Dean Tempest, Big Potato
“This has been our busiest show ever! We think our quirky ‘Menagerie’ stand design definitely had people intrigued to find out more, so it was a great way of enticing people to come in and see the games. Our First Dates game has proved popular – visitors have been pleasantly surprised with the gameplay. Overall, all the new 2017 lines have been really well received so we are excited for the year ahead.”
Judith Stark, Halilit
“We’ve had some really good meetings and we are excited for 2017. We’ve had an amazing reaction to our new products and the launch of the new developmental Taf toys has been very well received. Dr Pooch winning the Best Infant and Preschool Toy at the awards was certainly the icing on the cake!”
Jonny Taylor, Jazwares
“The show has been amazing for us this year! We’ve had a huge amount of buzz around Roblox in particular and Fingerlings from WowWee Toys is certainly causing a stir - we are confident both programs will pack a punch in 2017. We have also had really strong reaction to our new line of Nerf core accessories and First Act range of musical instruments. Overall, we’ve had a brilliant three days and look forward to returning in 2018!”
Ruki Sayid, Daily Mirror
“Toy Fair is well organised and there are plenty of experts on tap. It’s good to get ahead of the game and see the innovations for the coming year as well as an insight into the state of the industry.”
Eddie Mulholland, Daily Telegraph
“It’s a massive collection of toy companies, the biggest in Europe. It’s really well organised and everyone’s always very helpful.”
Categories
Notes to editors:
For more information:
Ravi Vijh, Bastion
About the BTHA The British Toy & Hobby Association was established in 1944 to represent the interests of British toy manufacturers and to raise standards of practice in the industry. Today it has around 125 members ranging from international toy giants to small family-run businesses that together account for approximately 80% of the UK toy market. Membership of the British Toy & Hobby Association shows the member’s commitment to adhere to the BTHA Code of Practice under the umbrella of the Lion Mark which includes rules covering ethical and safe manufacture of toys, toy safety, a ban on counterfeit goods, an assurance to market responsibly, a commitment to improving sustainability and a desire to promote the value of all play, particularly through support of the Make Time 2 Play campaign. Our members are manufacturers committed to making good quality toys in a responsible way. The BTHA also administers the Toy Trust - the industry’s charity and owns and runs the annual trade exhibition, Toy Fair
