Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2018 (Issue 110)

giftfocus 89 toy fair Toy Fair, the UK’s largest dedicated toy, game, and hobby show, is returning to Olympia from 22 nd -24 th January, 2019. The exhibition has been running for more than 60 years, giving retailers, media and the industry at large an insight into the year’s must-have Christmas gifts and trendsetting toys. To mark the show’s history there will be an overview of the show’s inception and the toys that have shaped it over the years. The first British Toy and Hobby Fair, organised by Jack Watkins for the British Toy Manufacturer’s Association, took place in Brighton in 1954. Over the next few years the fair moved to London Olympia and then Earls Court, before returning to Brighton in 1960. This was the first year the show welcomed European manufacturers, exhibiting LEGO for the first time. By 1960, the toy industry had an estimated worth of £85million. The decade that followed saw Barbie and her British counterpart, Sindy, make their debuts to roaring success, with Action Man first deployed in 1966. As the first line of dolls designed for young boys in the UK, the posable soldier proved a revolutionary toy for a revolutionary time. 1965 saw the beginning of the Toy of the Year award organised by the Toy Retailer’s Association. The prestigious award was first won by Corgi’s James Bond Aston Martin, which launched following the big-screen success of Goldfinger the previous year. Toy Fair celebrated its 25 th show in 1978 and became the British Toy & Hobby Fair, moving to Birmingham’s NEC. The organisers, likewise, rebranded as the British Toy & Hobby Association. The following year, the fair moved back to Earls Court. The ’70s were a decade marked by the arrival of Star Wars, which was and would continue to be a Toy Fair regular. George Lucas’ sci-fi adventure became a worldwide phenomenon, with the toys proving as hotly- anticipated as any sequel that followed and ushering in a new era for licensed lines. A string of iconic toys emerged during the ’80s. This included the Rubik’s Cube, which won Toy of the Year two years running. The fair returned to Olympia in 1994, and not long after, Barbie enjoyed a resurgence and was crowned Toy of the Year in 1996. At the turn of the millennium, Toy Fair became London ExCeL’s first major exhibition. As the show continued to grow, so did opportunities for exhibiting companies. Introduced in 2004, as the fair moved back to Olympia, the Greenhouse Area highlights how important championing new ideas and small businesses is for the future of the toy industry. The Greenhouse Area is a Toy Fair staple, which offers inventors and start-up companies the chance to showcase innovative new products to a wide audience. Creating further opportunities for exhibitors, Toy Fair TV launched in 2011. Produced live, it broadcasts across the three- day event, allowing manufacturers of all sizes to show off their products on screens across Olympia and on the Toy Fair website. Recently, Toy Fair has continued to house the latest trends, such as Hatchimals and the recently resurgent Star Wars franchise. With more than 250 exhibiting companies, including LEGO, Spin Master, Asmodee, and VTech, and thousands of products on show, Toy Fair 2019 is set to be another great show for the industry. g Toy Fair’s long history of innovation in the world of toys. Sixty six years of trendsetting toys IN BRIEF Show Toy Fair Organiser British Toy & Hobby Association Where Olympia, London When 22 nd -24 th , January, 2019 Website toyfair.co.uk Twitter @toyfairuk Contact For more information and to register for a free visitor pass, visit toyfair.co.uk