S'No Joke -- Century-Old Toy Fair Confronts the Elements

Barbie waited huddled by the Easy Bake Oven and even the Big Wheels needed four-wheel-drive when New York City was blanketed with close to two feet of snow in the middle of the 100th annual American International Toy Fair, held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the city's West Side from February 16 - 19. Retailers who attended on Sunday, the opening day of the show floor, and left promptly in the afternoon, were in luck. Others, who planned on visiting Monday or Tuesday, were faced with few, if any, transportation options. By Wednesday, travel within the city was possible, but many booksellers from the greater metropolitan area were reluctant to venture out.

A gloomy economic landscape, preparations for war, and terrorist alerts may have all contributed to a drop in toy sales in 2002. Consumers spent $20.3 billion on toys in 2002 versus $20.5 billion in 2001 (all figures according to NPD Group).

However, significant growth was tracked in the last half of 2002 over the same period in 2001 in certain categories of special interest to booksellers. The sales of arts and crafts as well as games and puzzle sales grew 17 percent and 19 percent in dollar volume, respectively. Of the top 10 bestsellers in the game and puzzle category, five were Yu-Gi-Oh! Card games.

Dee Stevens, owner of The Growcery, a toy store in Glen Rock New Jersey, told BTW that she found little excitement this year. "Because of general economic fear, not many factories are willing to take chances. I've seen lots of Bobble Heads but no 'must have' toy."

As the going gets tougher, the past looks better

This year, under the tagline, 100 Years Old and Still Full of Surprises, Toy Fair drew special attention to other anniversaries. Notably, the teddy bear, originally manufactured by Ideal, and Crayola Crayons, now manufactured by Binney & Smith, Inc., both celebrated centenaries this year. The 100-year-old teddy bear, now dressed in all manner of costumes and manufactured by scores of companies, is the subject of its own new CD with original songs and an impressive roster of musicians -- Teddy Bear Tunes, by Doug Pell, distributed by Rounder Records. Crayola Crayons can boast that average U.S. citizens will each wear down 730 crayons by the time they're 100 years old.

Although they maintain their age remarkably well, Madame Alexander Dolls (Alexander Doll Company, Inc.) turn 80 this year. The collectible dolls, who wear couture outfits as well as Americana and storybook garb, are trying not to show disdain for the doll company's latest acquisition, Olivia, the wildly popular piglet. Ian Falconer's multi-talented creation, starred in Olivia and Olivia Saves the Circus (S&S), and has won numerous accolades, including the 2001 Caldecott Medal and the 2001 and 2002 Book Sense Book of the Year awards in the children's illustrated category. Now, new from Madame Alexander, Olivia has a complete trunk set with many red-and-white striped outfits available, and circus costumes in a hatbox cum big-top play set.

Other companies who displayed Olivia toys or craft sets include Alex, Gund, and Schylling. Donna Jaffe, at the Peaceable Kingdom Press booth, pointed out the new Olivia line with boxed invitations, cards, and posters. The company, which published its first product, a poster image from Goodnight Moon, 20 years ago, is introducing many new 5" x 7" die-cut cards by notable children's illustrators and brand-new this spring, 200-page, 6" x 8" blank journals featuring the work of Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, H.A. Rey, and Divya Srinivasan.

Jewelry for people who don't wear jewelry

The 50th anniversary of the discovery of the double helix of DNA unlocked the molecular secret of life. The now familiar twisted form has found its way to museums, fashion runways, postage stamps, theaters, and, now, Toy Fair. Very popular items at Carolyn Forsman jewelry -- billed as jewelry for people who don't wear jewelry -- are the springy bracelets, twisted in the shape of the double helix, hand sprayed over silver. Forsman sells her inventive pieces at museums, including the Franklin Institute and the Smithsonian, and retail stores (www.carolynforsman.com).

The Erector Set (distributed in the U.S. by Brio Corporation), invented and marketed by A.C. Gilbert in 1913, may have had an incalculable impact on the world of science. Alfred Carleton Gilbert, physician, magician, Olympic gold medalist, and founder of the toy industry's trade organization, has been the subject of a recent biography by Bruce Watson, The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made (Viking), and a made-for-television movie on CBS in December 2002, The Man Who Saved Christmas. The portable Bailey Bridge, hailed by Eisenhower as behind only radar and heavy bombers in the technological advancements of war, was invented in 1940 by Donald Bailey on his Erector Set. Yale Medical School student William Sewell used Erector girders, an Erector motor, and rubber flaps to craft the first functional artificial heart in 1949. Featured this year, from Brio, is Erector's new "Design line," with molecular metal flexible pieces to permit more realistic models.

Pleasant Company is celebrating the 10th anniversary of American Girl Magazine with a sparkle theme. New this year is a Sparkle card set, including the fixings for 20 cards. To keep track of significant events in the life of girls, Pleasant Company has the 2003-2004 School Smarts Planner. Kind of a tween's Kate Turabian, it has a strong editorial component and tips on preparing a bibliography.

Music for Little People, the country's largest independently owned children's music company boasts that it, like the Toy Fair, has reached 100. That is, its 15-year-old catalog reaches 100 total titles in 2003. The Toddler Favorites recording has gone platinum. Earth Beat, music for former kids, was founded in 1989 as the adult world music sister label to Music for Little People. It offers a wide range of multicultural music from many favorite artists.

Booking it

Although Toy Fair is not generally the place to scout out new books, a few were notable. Chronicle Books introduced its new line of books, journals, and project and craft books featuring the entire Nickelodeon family of characters. The line will launch in fall 2003 with six book titles for both the Nick and Nick Jr. sets.

Candlewick Press marks a sea change in the generation gap with its 2003 release of My Hippie Grandmother, written by Reeve Lindbergh and illustrated by Abby Carter. Lindbergh is the daughter of Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Carter's characters are featured on the Fresh Samantha juice products.

Playing games

Winner of a contest sponsored by Starbucks is Seattle-based merchandising company Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BD&A) and its game, Hear Me Out!™. The game consists of three basic actions, Survey Says! (players must guess how the rest of the group will vote on such topics as Worst Reasons to Get Married); Sound Bites (players improvise on topics or situations for 45 seconds); and Brainstorm (all players must free associate on a topic, for instance, Women Tennis Players). The game, like Cranium, is entitled to Starbucks' distinctive distribution deal: It will only be sold at Starbucks' stores until the spring, when it will be marketed to all retailers.

Another tripartite game, Tall Tales, comes from the tiny company, Stalefish Labs. Tall Tales is a trivia and storytelling game for ages 10 and up. Players compete with Legends, Humdingers, and Creative One-Upsmanship. Available in a 4-1/2" square box, Tall Tales requires no writing, no dice, and has no board -- perfect for casual or traveling play.

For those awaiting the next installment of the Tolkien trilogy, Warren Industries has Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Board Game. As the game board of Middle Earth unfolds, dark powers threaten to destroy all that is good. Players assemble a game board of 14 interlocking game tiles following the story line of the movie, for ages 8 and up.

New this year from Winning Moves comes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Game. Young players visit different rooms to collect the six candy cards needed to win the game. Beware the Juicing Room.

Floorwalking at Toy Fair

Beth Puffer of the Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan, came looking for new things, other than books. "That's what BEA is for," she told BTW. "I found a good creative origami kit from Spectrum Imports in Devon, Pennsylvania. Origami is very big at the store. Also, I found the game Apples to Apples, it's from a company called Out of the Box, and I've been hearing about it from other booksellers and customers." Apples to Apples, "the game of hilarious comparisons," now comes with customizable cards and online instructions.

Puffer continued, "I hardly saw any Harry Potter…. The highlight of Toy Fair for me was meeting the man whose father, Richard James, invented the Slinky and whose mother, Betty James, named it. His father got a display table at Gimbel's -- an old NY department store for those who don't remember it -- and sold 400 Slinkys in 90 minutes. I told the man it was like meeting a celebrity."

Scott and Alison Meyer, owners of Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, New York, and Merritt Bookstore Volume II in Red Hook, New York, attended Toy Fair for the first time this year. The Meyers walked the show floor for six hours, talking with vendors, browsing all the while, but also looking for a few specific things.

First, colored pencils -- kind of like looking for a peanut in the Pacific -- but Meyer did manage to find a suitable supplier. Next, a vendor for telescopes and binoculars -- to tie into the upcoming Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix debut and, also, to forge a link with books by astronomers such as Chet Raymo. Raymo's An Intimate Look at the Night Sky will be out in paperback this April (Walker & Co.).

The Meyers made a contact with Meade Instruments and plans to carry its line. Scott Meyer compared the show to the more familiar book trade shows and found some significant differences. "The toy people seem to be selling a product. It seems more commercial. With books, I'm selling something personal, a friend. I'm thinking, How does the toy react with my customers? I'm interested in tying the product to the books. Customers reading Chet Raymo's books and hearing him speak at the store will need the telescopes to explore the sky."

Meyer continued, "When I'm selling a book I want you [the customer] to become part of it, open it, come and talk about it. Do people come in and talk about a teddy bear they purchased? Other than adult collectors? We are part of the book…. I assumed retail was retail, but it's a whole different ball game. It's not as exciting as BEA. There, people are talking and discussing books. As independent booksellers, we're not just selling an item. It's got a title and a name. We can say to customers, If you like this, you can read others by the same guy or others like it."

Meyer, who opened the Millbrook store in 1983 and the Red Hook store in 1991, sees himself and fellow booksellers as 'bibliotherapists." He introduces himself on the store Web site this way, "I should probably tell you who I am.… I am Scott Meyer, and I started the Merritt Bookstore in 1983 with two tables and no money. I now have two stores and no money." In the spirit of anniversaries, Meyer will celebrate Merritt's 20th with special stickers that read, "20th anniversary -- Don't You Want to Buy Me?" --Nomi Schwartz