I recently attended the Toy Insider Fair and learned about hot holiday toys. It was fun to chat with companies that have some of the hottest toys for the holiday season. In today's post, I'll share some of my favorites and inside information that I learned about the toys!
Let's start with the format. This year's Toy Insider Fair was a virtual event. It was very cool because you could virtually walk through the hallways to view exhibits. Within a couple of clicks, you could zoom with people from the different companies! They also had plenty of information about the brands at each booth. Each brand provided a fun and informative experience at their booth. In my experience, the booths that I visited had samples of toys on display and the reps were very knowledgeable as they showed them off. One of my favorite booths was the Elenco booth. They are the maker of Snap Circuits. My oldest son loved Snap Circuits when he was younger. As a mom and an engineer, I've always had admiration of this brand because their hands-on projects are creative and easy for little hands to assemble. My son spent a large chunk of his childhood playing with Snap Circuits. I enjoyed learning behind-the-scenes information about the brand and how they fill a niche for hands-on tech toys! When I told my son that I chatted with people from the company at the toy fair, he lit up and raved about how much he loved Snap Circuits when he was little. He suggested that we get them for my youngest son. Stay tuned because I will definitely feature some Snap Circuits products soon! My oldest son informed me that my youngest son's childhood wouldn't be complete without them.
Another brand that I met at the toy fair is Exploding Kittens. This company has a big following. Their games are creative and fun. I was excited to see the Original Exploding Kittens game in our swag bag (or perhaps I should say swag box.) All of the items in the swag bag are awesome, but Exploding Kittens was my favorite item. My family really enjoys this game and the humor that goes along with it.
In addition to experiencing Exploding Kittens from our swag bag, I had the opportunity to chat with some of their employees. They demoed their latest game and told me some behind-the-scenes information. Stay tuned because I will have more information about that experience soon!
Crayola was also at the Toy Fair. I enjoyed learning about their hot products for the holiday season. A few of our favorite picks are shown below.
Crayola Spin and Spiral Station is a classic toy that I had as a child and am thrilled to share with my own children. It's one of those toys that provides hours and hours of entertainment! Creating spiralized art has never been easier (and more fun!) until now. Using a combination of markers, inks and stencils, kids can use the Crayola Spin and Spiral Art Station to create endless unique color and shape combinations using circular cut out discs. The 2-in-1 kid powered station allows kids to rotate paper cut-outs and drop the ink to create splatter art on one side and spiral designs with markers on the other. This toy is recommended for children ages 6+ and has a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets are adorable little friends that your children are able to decorate with markers, wash, and decorate again. This is a gift that is fun to play with throughout the year as your children are able to customize their pets' looks to different seasons, holidays, and events. Designed for kids with a nurturing side, these color and wash clean collectible toys give kids a chance to customize and be caretakers for their pets. With the four adorable included pets – two dogs, one cat and one rabbit – and washable markers, kids can create new colorful coats for their pets over and over again. When it’s time for a new look, just pop them in the kid-powered scrub tub to clean
them up, and kids will have a fresh blank canvas on which to create. This toy is recommended for children ages 3+ and has a suggested retail price of $19.99.
Crayola Glitter Dots Keychains provide a fun way for little ones to create projects using the cool Crayola Glitter Dots technology. As a parent, I love that the squishy glitter dots are basically glitter with less mess. This set is perfect for stocking stuffers! This toy is recommended for children ages 5+ and has a suggested retail price of $9.99.
Some of the brands at the toy fair had contests. For instance, Bonkers Toys had a contest where I won the Ryan's World Toy Review Spy Kit shown below. It's actually called, Super Spy Ryan's Mystery Mission Case. I learned that this toy is only available on Amazon and the rep predicts that it will sell out this year. They demoed the toy, but I don't want to spoil the cool surprises since the toy involves finding a code, key, and more for your little spy.
I enjoyed talking to the Bonkers Toys team and learned that the Ryan's World Treasure Chest was the #1 selling item at Target last year in the preschool toys category.
As I mentioned earlier, we received a swag box. The photo below shares a glimpse into the box.
My children had fun setting everything up for the photo below. Don't these toys just scream -- HAPPY CHILDHOOD?! We kept the Exploding Kittens game and then plan to donate the others to a toy drive. This is a tough year for many people, so I am excited to donate the items to brighten the holidays for some little ones! I love that the toys are colorful and encourage creativity. They are sure to keep little ones busy!
There were many other companies at the Toy Insider Fair. We'll feature some of them in the coming weeks. The list includes:
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