Source: Adobe Stock/The Toy Book

Get ready to enjoy Central Park during the fall: Toy Fair New York is looking to move to a new season beginning next year.

The Toy Book exclusively reveals that The Toy Association is making plans to welcome the toy industry back to the Big Apple for a reimagined Toy Fair New York at the Javits Center in fall 2023. The Association and the Javits Center are currently in negotiations for its return with exact dates yet to be determined. It is likely that the show will take place in September.

In addition, a fall toy preview event (name TBD) will take place this year in Dallas from Sept. 20-22. With Toy Fair New York moving into the fall slot in 2023, Toy Fair Dallas will be retired.

The moves come following a year of research conducted by The Toy Association and its strategic partner mdg as part of the Toy Fair Reimagination Project.

According to Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association, the decision was made after consulting with the Association’s members throughout the industry, including manufacturers, buyers, licensors, media representatives, and others. Consideration was given to retail buying cycles, product development timelines, and other factors.

“Fall is a powerful pre-holiday opportunity for toy companies to get in front of the news media,” Pasierb tells 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.”

Related: State of the Industry Q&A 2022: The Toy Association

Additionally, Pasierb states that retail buyers have made it clear that they still want to do the unofficial “LA run” that traditionally takes place in Los Angeles and its suburbs in early September, however, many have little desire to stay for a full trade show event on top of scheduled meetings. With many of the LA-based companies opening their doors to buyers, it is likely, though not entirely confirmed, that some may approach their Toy Fair New York presentation in new ways.

Overall, the toy industry’s concerns have been heard and will continue to shape the future of Toy Fair as the Association moves forward with plans for a fresh event on an entirely new industry timeline.

Additional information regarding the Toy Association’s future plans on a variety of fronts, including government affairs, intellectual property (IP) protection, and more were revealed to members during the Association’s annual general meeting held this afternoon.

For continued updates, visit toyassociation.org.

About the author

James Zahn

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.

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