Page 24 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine June-July 2020

INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIRS
SPIELWARENMESSE 2020
TOP ROW, L to R:
Daddy & Mommy’s Tiny Helper.
Mommy’s Tiny Helper – Angelo Reitano and Dennis Mitrevski.
Geomag recycled line.
The Freckled Frog – Oliver Pescott and Victoria Reading.
MIDDLE ROW, L to R:
Zimbler – Joel and Jonathan Zimbler.
Pregnant Steffi doll progression. Papoose Toys – John Carbone. Beautiful packaging design.
BOTTOM ROW, L to R:
Hunter Products – Madeleine Hunter and Jordan Bannister.
Himalayan Felt dragons. Climate change puzzle. Woman on giant rocking horse.
how busy their stand was, I think it’s safe to say it paid off.
As I made my way around the halls I managed to get in a quick hello with the University Games team, who was hosting freshly appointed U. Games Australia MD Andrew McCosker. I had a lovely chat with Victoria Reading at The Freckled Frog stand about the new Create and Play Happy Architect product, which doubles as a construction toy and an arts-and-crafts item, allowing kids to draw on the chalkboard side of the eco-friendly, wooden blocks.
At the Hunter Products stand Madeline Hunter and Jordan Bannister showed me the magic of the Gemex product which capitalises on the customisation and personalisation trend growing in the girl’s products’ category. I was also treated to a tour of the Bruder stand by Jonathan Zimbler, who showed me the detailed and high-quality products that
Zimbler will be bringing into Australia. At only his second Spielwarenmesse,
Himalayan Felt Company owner Lobsang Lakatsang had upgraded to a larger stand to showcase more of his beautiful felt products.
Closing out the first day of the fair was the ToyNight event which was themed ‘One Night in Havana’ and featured gymnastics, singing and dancing performances.
Back in the halls on day two on the Simba Dickie stand, I was really taken with the pregnant Steffi doll. Kids can remove the
baby from Steffi’s stomach and can then ‘switch’ her stomach around to no longer be pregnant – very cool.
In terms of trends throughout the
halls, the green, eco-conscious movement could not be ignored. As one of the Spielwarenmesse’s own trends – Toys For Future – it was encouraging to see that so many toy businesses have stepped up their
24 TOY & HOBBY RETAILER MAY / JUNE / JULY 2020