February 18, 2009: Another Look At The New York Toy Fair

It's now Tuesday afternoon and I've officially wrapped up all of my scheduled meetings and events. There's no doubt I'll have a few more unscheduled meetings (and there are a couple of booths I want to visit, including one for a company specializing in creating custom floor displays), but for the most part, the heavy lifting for this trip is over. That means Gina and I have tomorrow to enjoy the show and, if we're lucky, actually enjoy a little of the city.

What else have I seen at the show?

The prototype for Super Rad Toys' Tootsie Pop vinyl figures. That's him on the right. How many licks? You decide.
Another cool robot toy, Asoblock is a "build it from the bits" toy line that looks and feels great. The pieces are fairly solid and the toy feels like it could stand up to some severe play.
The LEGO booth, but only from the outside since I didn't have the necessary contacts to get inside. Still, the new stuff on display -- especially some of the new Star Wars sets -- look as great as ever.

And not at the show, but in the city, Ross, Gina, and I visited The Compleat Strategist, a game store very close to the Empire State Building. This was exactly the sort of game store I love to visit: big, packed with old and new products, and staffed by friendly, helpful employees. I picked up a couple of older products and I'm already thinking about going back for more. Great store.

Overall this has turned out to be a great trip . . . and not just for the fun sites, toys, and people. We've had some great meetings with buyers from several different stores (the Barnes & Noble meeting was especially productive), Ross and I have worked out some ideas to review with Steve when we get back to Austin on Thursday, and I sat in on an informative seminar on child safety testing.