As Toy Fair season comes to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to let you all know what it was like. As a new addition to the Mastermind Buying Team, this was my first time I’ve ever been to a Toy Show and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. However, nothing could have prepared me for what I was going to see in New York City!

Sunday was the first day of the Toy Show. After a quick breakfast at our hotel, we jumped on the Shuttle and headed to the Javits Center. When we walked in we saw people EVERYWHERE! Not only that, there were people standing at the front door giving out a free stuff! After we signed in, we walked up the stairs to get to the main entrance of the actual show. As we were waiting, a clown band was marching around on the main floor. It was almost like a circus! Although we weren’t allowed in until 10 o’clock, I could still see the inside and it was HUGE. It looked like the halls going up and down the fair were endless!

When the show FINALLY opened, another buyer and I went down to the basement of the show where all sorts of newer vendors were set up. It was our mission to find something really cool and although I can’t get into any specifics we found some really wicked toys that we think Mastermind Customers are going to love! We found some cool new outdoor toys, great new games and puzzles, and some fun new art products!

Although slightly overwhelming, my first Toy Fair experience was amazing. It was great meeting with the people who created the product because I got to experience firsthand how their product came to be! It was also really neat to go upstairs and meet with the people who’s product we already sell like Melissa and Doug, Hape, Ganz, Alex, Fashion Angels, Spin Master, Corolle and many, many, MANY more. Overall, a really wonderful experience!

--Lisa the ToyWhiz