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2014 Toy Fest West Toy Report New Specialty Toys and Pictures from 2014 Toy Fest WestOur reporters were on the floor of the recent 2014 Toy Fest West show in Las Vegas, learning more about toys we love and discovering new products for the year ahead. We were excited to finally meet Brett and Susan of FIGPICKELS TOY EMPORIUM, who have been long time contributors to TDmonthly Magazine. (Learn more about them, and some of our other contributing retailers, here). Our other retailer reporters at the show included David Campbell of AMAZING TOYS, Marylin Goehrig from TOYWORKS, CAPITAL BAY TOYS, Retha Davis from KIDS' CENTER, GREAT ROCKY MOUNTAIN TOY store and John Naisbitt of THINKER THINGS. Amazing Toys carries A BROADER VIEW's Roundtable Puzzles, which allow groups of people to work on the same puzzle. They have intricate 500-piece puzzles and also large-piece puzzles for little kids and seniors, which they were demonstrating at the show.  At the show we loved the new offerings from TYNIES, including a Paul Frank line and a whole selection of tiny glass desserts. Tynies also has new clickable, stackable displays for their figurines. Did you know that Tynies artist Sean Demircift is brother to PUZZLE ZOO's Jay Demircift, who owns 5 stores? You can learn more about Jay here.   Figpickels Toy Emporium loved the new Spanish Stork Babies from The Fiammetta Toy Co., and told TDmonthly that they sell well.  The demo booth at SET ENTERPRISES was nonstop busy! We got to check out their new Quiddler Deluxe set.  Darn Yarn is a cool new tween product from FASHION ANGELS LLC that will be released this fall.   IMPROV ELECTRONICS was at the show introducing their new colored Boogie Boards, exclusive to the specialty market. Toyworks loved the entire line so much, they ordered all of them! Capital Bay Toys was also knocked out the new Boogie Boards. First time order: got ALL of them!  Kids' Center loves FOLKMANIS' new puppets. Retha Davis' favorite is the Grunting Pig. Figpickels told us that even people who don't buy puppets have to touch and play with Folkmanis when they're in the store.  We're loving these funky new plush Dooodolls from BSV.    We saw a lot of cool outdoor toys at the show, just in time for spring. KRAINKN SKATEBOARDS has ridden into the toy channel, attracting kids who normally might go for a scooter. Krainkn's patented bungee safety system skateboards attracted Thinker Things, who had never carried skateboards before, but now will!  New outdoor toy SWRING was at the show looking for partners for their awesome new playground toy that improves vestibular coordination. Don't have room for the Swring? They drop ship from sales you get from their video!  We saw new Slack Lines and Zip Lines from SLACKERS. Slackers told us there are even professional Slackline athletes! Who knew?  Keeping with the outdoor theme, KETTLER was at the show with their new lean-and-steer Verso Scooters. GAMES WORKSHOP was at the show, and their products are not just for gamers! Kids can build and paint their own intricate models. It's been a big hit in UK and European toy stores, and is now in the U.S.. Games Workshop told TDmonthly that their products can extend the presence of boy customers in toy stores by 4 to 6 years.  SCIENCE WIZ (Norman & Globus) was showing off their new Charge toy. It let's kids create a spark, like Dr. Frankenstein! Science Wiz toys do well in toy stores and college bookstores - grad students tend to have cool, nerdy kids.  Other new science toys at the show were SICK SCIENCE and Geek & Co products from THAMES & KOSMOS.   MARILYN CHALAIS ASSOCIATES was at the show, ecstatic to have high-quality wooden HOLZTIGER toys back in their line. They carry Goki, too.    Thinker Things brought in the new plastic TINKER TOYS from K'NEX for the first time.  AMAZING TOYS loved SANDS ALIVE, a NEAT-OH! ZipBin that turns into dollhouse, and GREEN TOYS' Helicopter & Airplane.  Neat-Oh! was also showing their new Everyday Princess Backpack.  Great Rock Mountain Toy Store loved the Big Wind-up Toys, new HexBugs from INNOVATION FIRST LABS and ELENCO's electric building sets. Figpickels' Genny Kotyk and Sarah Lilly were both impressed by new Spirographs and 3-D puzzles. You can see more new toys from the show below. ATTACH-A-PAK zippable backpack components are designed and marketed by mother/daughter team.                     Still looking for new products? You can also check out our videos from the 2014 American International Toy Fair!  Writer's Bio: Justina Huddleston graduated Magna Cum Laude from Emerson College with a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing in 2009. After graduating she was the on-site director of the Boston Children's Museum gift store for a year, selling educational, developmental, and creative activity toys that tied in with the museum's exhibits. Justina also interned at children's book publisher Candlewick Press before moving from Boston to Los Angeles, where she is now Editorial Director of TDmonthly Magazine. Read more articles by this author |
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