Toy Fair Set to Become Fall Event Starting in 2023
The 2022 version of Toy Fair would have taken place last week had it not been cancelled by The Toy Association earlier this year. In a move that will change the tradeshow event for the foreseeable future, TTA has now announced that they'll be moving Toy Fair to the fall and it will all start with their 2023, The Toy Association is in talks with the Javits Center to continue hosting the event. The Toy Book brings word of the change, noting that a fall toy preview will take place this year in Dallas but that Toy Fair Dallas will be retired.
The change of dates for Toy Fair New York, which are still being finalized to a more specific timeframe within the fall window, comes after "a year of research" consulting toy manufacturers, licensors, media, etc, about their preferences. "Fall is a powerful pre-holiday opportunity for toy companies to get in front of the news media," Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association revealed to the Toy Book. "Fall in New York City is also prime for licensors that hold meetings in the city during the same timeframe. This is an opportunity to do business in different ways at the same time."
Toy Fair New York, formerly the American International Toy Fair, first started back in 1903 and has been ongoing for 117 years. The event was previously cancelled in both 2021 and this year, marking the only two years without a New York Toy Fair in over a century.
For many fans, Toy Fair's placement in February frequently marked a time for first looks at new products that would arrive for the rest of the year, plus the potential for a tease of what was to come out of major Hollywood blockbusters. With the event set in the early winter it frequently resulted in hints and reveals for major summer movies, but a fall preview might alter what toy vendors are willing to display (perhaps to the delight of Marvel Studios and DC Films).
On the other hand it will also set a high bar for the holiday season with toys, figures, playsets, and the like all being shown ahead of Christmas shopping.