“This was the best Toy Fair we’ve ever had.”

That quote sticks in my head as it’s been echoed by several people over the past few days.

This year’s Toy Fair in New York was a great show, and I feel that it reinforced its place in our universe. It was energetic, positive, and filled with the creativity and enthusiasm the toy industry needs! 

The road to get here hasn’t been easy — there have been twists and turns, potholes, and the occasional roadblock — and I credit The Toy Association and its hard-working teams for bringing Toy Fair back to its spot as the “grand finale” of sorts in the global toy show tour each winter.

And that first sentence? I loved hearing it from so many small- to mid-sized companies that put on a great show, wrote some orders, and may one day become industry giants.

Being a realist, I must also acknowledge that there is no one-size-fits-all scenario in life. Some companies will do big business in New York, while others won’t. That goes for any trade show, convention, or live event. 

Today’s Toy Fair isn’t the Toy Fair of five years ago. No, it isn’t the big “order-writing” show that it once was, and those within the industry have known that for years. But there are no absolutes: many, many orders were written at the Javits this week, but every business is different.

On the lower level, the founder of one emerging company told me that their booth “was paid for during the first hour of the show … we had an immediate response.” Upstairs, a C-suite exec from another company with a “name” we all know told me, “Our staff here wouldn’t know how to write an order if they had to; it’s all about the media.”

Toy Fair is an important media event and a prime stage for creating a spectacle and building hype for new product launches — and companies of all sizes are taking advantage of that. New York is still the world’s media capital, and that’s why Toy Fair — in winter — remains crucial. 

While many products seen at Toy Fair have been shown to retail buyers during the LA Fall Toy Previews, The Toy Fair in London, and Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, Toy Fair in New York is where the curtain drops and the embargoes lift to tell the world about the great new offerings in the business of play.

Pair that with the robust networking and educational programming opportunities — all valuable and hopping! — and you have a truly can’t-miss event.

As the saying goes, there is an elephant in the room when it comes to the industry’s migration to Los Angeles, and nuances get missed when those outside the toy industry’s day-to-day life pop in. The main point that constantly gets missed is this: LA is not a toy fair, nor is it a trade show.

While it’s true that some players who once set up shop in New York have opted to do their own thing and lean into their LA showroom presence, the toy industry flag remains firmly planted on both coasts (and the “Third Coast” in Chicago, but a conversation for another time). Utilizing the available opportunities across the board can lead to big wins while avoiding missed opportunities. I can tell you that some great toys and games were left out of dozens of TV segments and digital and print features highlighting “the hottest toys of 2025” simply because they weren’t shown in New York. It’s about finding balance and deciding what works best for each company. Again, there are no absolutes here, but I believe New York and LA work best together.

As the leading media organization serving the toy industry and the business of play in North America, Adventure Media & Events (AM&E), the team behind The Toy Book, The Toy Insider, The Pop Insider, FUNfluential, Sweet Suite, and Holiday of Play, was everywhere all at once during Toy Fair.

This year’s installment of The BIG Toy Book, kicking off The Toy Book’s 41st volume, and The Pop Insider’s Winter 2025 issue were hot items met with must-read enthusiasm in a booth that welcomed guests to our first-ever FUNfluential influencer gathering with highlights from The Toy Insider’s never-ending TV tour and The Toy Book’s inaugural Pulse of Play Awards proudly displayed on glowing screens.

It’s a team effort from an American small business that punches well above its weight class each and every day to deliver the absolute best in coverage as we tell this industry’s story and do our part to help it grow and thrive across the B2B and B2C ecosystems. 

While there is more travel on the horizon, there’s just one thing that I can’t shake…

I can’t wait to be back in NYC with everyone on Valentine’s Day next year so we can all live that #ToyFairLife again!

Toy Fair returns to New York City February 14-16, 2026. For details visit toyfairny.com