Toy Fair set to return in 2021

It was one of the last major conventions before everything shut down in the wake of Covid, and now Toy Fair is going to be one of the first to reopen.

Delayed, but back

Toy Fair was maybe the last of the giant industry-centric shows to be held before the global shutdown due to the pandemic that will have swallowed basically all of 2020. I can’t think of another one off the top of my head at any rate, and the con was in February, which was just before the craziness started.

I attended that Toy Fair for BG, and little did I know that it would be the last convention of any kind that I’d go to this year. Though I’m sure there are a heck of a lot of people who feel that way right now.

That pause though, is in the rear view mirror. Toy Fair’s view is centered squarely on the future, and a date this coming… May. That’s right, May. While Toy Fair is a winter-time NYC staple usually, it’s set to move into the spring. I’m sure no one will complain about that one.

The ‘why’ of that basically shakes out to be that Toy Fair talked to exhibitors and May was the date that they settled on from that communication. Toy Fair will also be smaller and “less extravagant” overall this coming year. It’ll continue to have a beefier digital footprint though, via Toy Fair Everywhere, which is a new initiative from the group.

So what does the future hold past 2021? Well, a return to normal for the show, that’s what. Toy Fair say that they plan on not only having a more normal Fair in the year after next, but also that it’ll be returning to its usual February slot. Sorry if you were hoping for a springier show moving forward.

Source: Toy Book