Spielwarenmesse Wraps Up 71st International Toy Fair

The 71st Spielwarenmesse international toy fair is in the books.

The annual global gathering of the toy industry in Nuremberg, Germany welcomed more than 63,500 independent retailers and buyers from 136 countries. Despite growing fears related to the spread of the coronavirus, attendance took just a minimal hit with 2,843 companies from 70 countries represented, a slight decline from the 2,886 companies from 68 countries that exhibited last year.

“The high proportion of international visitors and the positive mood among exhibitors corroborates our forward-looking approach to the event,” says Ernst Kick, CEO, Spielwarenmesse eG. “Venturing down the right track early on, we set our sights on leading the industry into a new and successful business year.”

Mattel used its presence at Spielwarenmesse to kick off its 75th anniversary celebration as the TrendGallery showcased a trio of hot categories to watch this year.

Additionally, the 2020 ToyAwards highlighted top innovations from a selection of exhibitors.

The 72nd Spielwarenmesse will take place from Jan. 27-31, 2021.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.