Special Feature - Nuremberg Toy Fair

Getting in the Spirit of Play

Spielwarenmesse returns to Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from 28th January to 1st February 2025, once again bringing together toy suppliers, distributors, buyers and retailers from across the globe for the largest toy fair of its kind. With preparations for the show ramping up, Toy World sums up what we know about the event so far.

The countdown has begun for Spielwarenmesse 2025, which invites industry professionals to Germany to experience the ‘Spirit of Play’ first-hand across over 160,000 square metres of expertly curated exhibition space. The show has become an unmissable part of the trade fair calendar and attracts more than 2,300 exhibitors from 68 countries, making it one of the key places to be if you’re looking for new, innovative and break-through toys, games and kids’ products. Spielwarenmesse 2025 will be hoping to surpass last year’s visitor numbers (a whopping 57,000 visitors from 125 countries) by once again laying on a raft of events, presentations and awards, in addition to the seemingly endless displays of new product launches, that promise to elevate the show experience and leave visitors both inspired and informed.

Organiser Spielwarenmesse eG is creating a new on-site experience for the 2025 show. Changes to space allocation at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre –including, for the first time ever, use of the modern, light and airy multiple prize-winning Hall 3C, which will host the Baby and Infant Articles and Lifestyle Products categories – will open up more space and long-term growth opportunities for various product categories. The School Articles, Stationery and Creative Design product group, meanwhile, is moving to the directly adjacent Hall 2, and Hall 7 will now accommodate Sports, Leisure and Outdoor alongside Model Railways and Model Construction, as well as Services for Trade and Industry.

For the 2025 fair, in celebration of its 20th anniversary, the popular Toy Business Forum has undergone a concept refresh, with engaging talks and networking opportunities providing education and entertainment in equal measure. Mornings will see the new ToyPitch format (Tuesday 28th), live podcast recordings with captivating guests and the Exhibitors on Stage event, while a lunchtime ‘Networking Break’ each day invites visitors to eat while they network at one of the numerous food trucks located around the Toy Business Forum. And from 1.30pm each day, new and interactive lecture formats headed by industry experts and top international speakers will engage those wanting to take home new learnings about this fast-paced and ever-evolving industry.

Via its Special Areas and ToyTrends zone, Spielwarenmesse highlights the categories and consumer behaviours that that it believes will shape the months ahead. ToyTrends returns this year, having taken a brief hiatus in 2024, with a redesigned look and new central location in Eingang Mitte. The international TrendCommittee (on which sits Toy World’s very own John Baulch), together with the Spielwarenmesse team, has identified two ToyTrends for the coming year: Anime & Friends and Healthy Heroes. The former will shine a light on the influence of anime and manga characters on pop culture and media, including TV, video games, merchandise and toys. Healthy Heroes, meanwhile, aims to strengthen children in both body and mind, bringing movement, mindfulness and healthy eating under one banner with products that encourage relaxation, meditation and physical activity. Both trends will be highlighted alongside inspiring products on individual themed ‘islands’.

On a related note, Sports, Leisure and Outdoor toys will become the focus of a new themed Special in 2025 owing to their demand worldwide. To help spark conversation and facilitate decision making (and order placing), 500 metres squared of Hall 7A will be dedicated to the testing of ride-on vehicles, while a playing area will be set up for those who want to try their hand at ball sports and other outdoor games. Roller skates, bikes and skateboards can be tried out on a specially designed track, so if you’re feeling fit (and brave), head on over and get involved. Toys for Kidults returns as a Special this year after featuring prominently across 2024’s fair. With studies by international market research institutes such as the BrandTrends Group and Circana demonstrating the category’s ongoing importance to the toy industry, this year’s Spielwarenmesse will highlight standout product lines, share useful information on the category and tips on best retail practice in a prominent location in Eingang Mitte. The Toys Go Green Special, which champions sustainable, eco-friendly toys that also teach kids to care about the planet, will take pride of place in Hall 3C, where the space and natural lighting will show off the toys’ materials and colourways to best effect.

If all this has galvanised you to register for a ticket, you’ll be pleased to hear that new travel arrangements will make it even easier to attend Spielwarenmesse 2025. To assist international visitors, the fair will be laying on an extra shuttle bus service between Sunday 26th January and Sunday 2nd February. Spielwarenmesse buses will run directly from Munich Airport to the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre and back, several times a day, for a fare of €35 each way. Exhibitors, trade visitors and media representatives can book their tickets now. Your Spielwarenmesse entry ticket can also be used for free return journeys throughout the entire VGN area: all the administrative districts of Middle and Upper Franconia as well as parts of Lower Franconia, the Oberpfalz, Swabia and Upper and Lower Bavaria. And if you’re flying in, official Spielwarenmesse airline Turkish Airlines is offering special discounts on flights into Nuremberg or Munich.

Over the following pages, Toy World brings you an early look at some of the toys and games that will be on show at Spielwarenmesse 2025. For even more information on the fair, including the latest updates from the organising committee, news and views from exhibitors and mustknow information about the fair’s packed events schedule, look out for Toy World’s dedicated Spielwarenmesse supplement, which will be out in early January.