I just got back from the Toy Show in China, which is one of the largest in the world where people from almost every country come to source toys and see what’s new. This year I heard a lot of Italian and French being spoken, along with Chinese, Thai and English. The crowds are heavy on opening day with everyone rushing to see the new products.
The convention center overlooks Hong Kong harbor and that’s a great sight! One of my favorite parts of this show is taking the harbor ferry from one side of the harbor to the other each day.
We stay in a hotel on the Kowloon side of the harbor because that’s where many showrooms are open from early in the morning to late in the afternoon so that buyers can drop in or schedule appointments. Our days start around 8 AM and sometimes don’t end until late into the evening.
Here is a photo of one of the wonderful displays at the show. Everything is colorful and fun and of course, there are cool toys everywhere.
Being a toy buyer is a great job – you get to play with toys all day long. But don’t forget, we also have to be aware of all the new safety regulations, study a toy for possible problems with safety, think about what colors will sell best, what’s the best cost we can get so that customers receive a lot of value when they purchase – it takes a lot of time and energy to bring the best toys home for our customers.
Hong Kong in January is usually warm – in the range of 60 degrees F. This year most days were quite chilly and temperatures were more in the range of 40 degrees F. But the hustle and bustle of Toy Fair keeps your mind off the cold and focused on what’s the best new toy and what might be found just around the next aisle or in the next showroom. It’s an exciting and challenging time.
This is me at the show. I’m the one in the front in the white cardigan. My boss, Beverly is standing behind me. Next up on the show schedule is Nurnberg Germany – another huge show with a lot of excitement. And then on to New York for the final show of the season.
The toy industry packs the shows tightly together so that all the newly developed toys are brought out from under wraps at the same time, ready for reviews and lots of happy kids!
by Roberta J, product manager







