Aching feet, but broad smiles, greeted the first day of Spielwarenmesse, as the international toy industry descended on Nuremberg. After what many agreed was a fair-to-middling 2024, the halls of the show were buzzing and excitement was high for slates of new and innovative product.
Mattel kicked off the first day with an event designed to begin their 80th birthday celebration, complete with cake and a first look at a line celebrating their history. They also unveiled a new line of Formula 1 set of models under the Hot Wheels brand, and announced that they would be revamping their construction business with a line called Mattel Brick Shop. Their formal press release says, “Mattel Brick Shop is designed to disrupt the status quo, bending the rules of building with innovative features, materials and techniques that inspire builders to try something new.” We got a peek behind the closed doors, and it is indeed a line that will live up to–maybe even surpass–the hype. And how often do we get to say that? More information will come in the spring with the first products set to drop in May. Stay tuned.
Over at Moose, the company continues to show innovation in games, and innovative lines from Bluey and Mr. Beast, as well as a couple of games we can’t wait to get our hands on.
We also got a look at Fat Brain and Tomy, and Fat Brain has the distinction of having the toy I would most have wanted when I was a kid, Magshuto. It’s a rubber-band powered disk shooting game. So simple and yet so challenging.
Oh, and how could we forget Kidults? We didn’t. Nor did a huge percentage of the companies showing. Everything from games and puzzles to plush and collectibles were targeted to what looks like one of the strongest categories and one that is continuing to expand.
Plush was everywhere, and the buzz was that companies are angling to have lightning strike a third time–following up on Squishmallows and Jellycat. That’s a tough one, and buyers we talked to said that absent a consumer-driven brand, like the two mentioned above, the real play in the plush aisle–besides great design–is margin.
Germany is known for its games, and aisles and aisles of offerings didn’t disappoint. Of course, mainstream companies like Ravensburger have an impressive line-up, led in large part by the runaway success of Lorcana, but we were also happy to see some very clever, often complex, niche games, such as one that challenges you to build New York’s Flatiron building–down the street from the old Toy Building.
There were tons of licenses in so many different categories, and we’ll follow-up this story with one on one of the hottest licenses of the year. Stay tuned.
Design was also front and center, in preschool and ride-ons particularly. We were happy to see that the “beige mom” trend of a couple of years ago has really died down. I mean, who wants a bland toy with all the color appeal of a saltine? However, the lingering aftereffect of that trend is a renewed emphasis on softer, pastel colors and a palette that goes way beyond pink and blue. Matte finishes were everywhere, and you’ll even find some of this in lines coming from some of the majors. Does it affect the play or the fun of these toys? Obviously not. However, it does underscore that the toy industry is a fashion business, too, and it’s always important to appeal to current sensibilities.
The one issue on everyone’s mind was tariffs. As of this writing, President Trump has used the Emergency Powers Act to place 25 percent tariffs on everything coming from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on things from China. In conversations at the fair with various toy companies, the impact may be rough, and I don’t think anyone I spoke to thought that they would come so quickly. The tariffs are slated to hit the first week of February, so unless something changes, the impact will be felt almost immediately.
The first night ended with the annual Spielwarenmesse Toy Night, a rollicking dinner and networking event, easily one of the most jubilant parties of the year. They always manage some over-the-top entertainment, and this year, they had a guy who flies with water-powered boots. You had to be there. And if you were in the front rows, you had to get wet.
Overall, despite the tariffs, moods were upbeat. A stronger entertainment slate, and lots of innovation (some that blew us away but is still under wraps) are headed to toy shelves this year.
Spielwarenmesse reported that more than 57,500 visitors wore themselves out walking the 12 halls. I mean, rather, visited the show. There were 2,362 exhibitors from 71 countries, and a survey during the show by Spielwarenmesse revealed that 96 percent of participants would urge companies to participate. (Maybe that lacking 4 percent is to avoid competition?)
Stay tuned for more as the swelling in our feet goes down and the ramp up to New York Toy Fair begins!
