Sweet Suite 2016

ASTRA Negotiates Preschool Products Deal Exclusively for Member Retailers

February 18, 2015 By

Attendees at the Exclusive Yours Reception hosted by ASTRA during North American International Toy Fair on Saturday (left to right): Stephen Rhoads, Snapo; Laura Dann, ASTRA staff; Katie Marso, ASTRA staff; Kathleen McHugh, president of ASTRA; Sue Warfield, director of member relations for ASTRA.

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) announced today that Snapo, PlanToys, and Outset Media have each signed a deal to offer a line of preschool products exclusively to independent toy stores that are ASTRA members. [Read more...]

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China Toy Expo Highlights Sustainability, Safety, and Education as Popular Trends in China

October 16, 2014 By

Despite being half a world away, the concerns and demands of toy consumers in China are not all that different from their U.S. counterparts, according to China Toy Expo.

The first day of the trade fair, along with China Kids Expo and China Licensing Expo—all hosted by China Toy & Juvenile Products Association—kicked off this past Tuesday in sprawling fashion at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Shanghai. Across three days, 1,364 global brands were on display, and roughly 80,000 visitors were expected to participate.

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The China Toy Expo took place at the Shanghai International Expo Center in Shanghai from Oct. 14-16.

Recent news shows reasons to be optimistic about the Chinese toy market’s future, including the country’s overtaking of the U.S. in terms of purchasing power. Yet based on the flow of crowds at the show, many of the types of toys that Chinese consumers are especially interested in are ones promoting sustainability, safety, and educational development. [Read more...]

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COMMENTARY: Bath Time Is Play Time in My House

March 28, 2014 By

I’m a lucky mom (for many reasons), but in the context of this post I’m lucky because my kids love taking baths. It’s one less thing to fight about. However, the reason they don’t mind cleaning up is that it’s fun. It’s not the getting clean part they enjoy (Lena has tried to make me forget about that portion of the experience many times), but the playing. Entertaining a 4-year-old in the tub is very different from distracting an 8-month-old, but bath toys have come a long way since I was a kid (plastic cup and Dawn dish soap, anyone?), and I’ve got a whole array of toys to get the job done. [Read more...]

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