Touching Base - Nuremberg

ToyCity talk

Exhibitors tell us what they are most looking forward to showcasing at Spielwarenmesse, and why exhibiting at the international show is important to their company.

Sam Chung - Sales manager, Chengzhen International

One of the products I’m eager to showcase at the Spielwarenmesse toy fair is the Lamborghini Revuelto. Lamborghini is one of the most well-known car brands in the world, and it is a car that many people dream to have. Revuelto is a brand-new car, and it is the automaker’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle. It is also the successor of Aventador which makes it a truly special car. We are super honoured to have the official licence from Lamborghini to make this new model with light and sound function. After many successful ranges, I’m sure that all our customers will like this new addition.

As an exhibitor, this toy fair is very important for us for two main reasons; firstly, because we can meet our customers in the flesh. Being based in China makes it difficult to get to meet all our customers face-to-face, so Spielwarenmesse give us a great opportunity to meet our global clientele every year. Additionally, most of our products are licensed items, the fair also gives us the chance to meet most of our car licensors, share information with them and discuss new car applications.

Amber Elliott - Website, Marketing & Social Media manager, The Noble Collection UK

The Noble Collection is looking forward to showcasing its new line of video game collector replicas from the fan-favourite sandbox game, Minecraft, at Spielwarenmesse 2024. The Noble Collection has been known for many years as a creator of prop replicas and collectibles from film and TV franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. This is the first time that it has ventured into the licensed video game market.

This opportunity has inspired us to use elements from the game to recreate iconic items such as torches, ores and tools, as we imagine they would exist in the real world. Created with unique textured finishes inspired by wood, stone and ores, these collector replicas are our unique take on the many worlds within Minecraft.

As visitors during the start-up days of our EMEA branch, the unseen size and qualitative diversity of the International Toy Fair impressed us from day one. Its history since 1949 in Nuremberg is remarkable, and its legacy still continues over 70 years later. Today, it is the most important business meeting place and high mass for our market on the continent. For 14 years, we have met our global customers and partners at our booth in Hall 5, and we will continue to welcome new customers and contacts in 2024 and beyond.

Greg Kirk - Marketing executive, The Carat Shop

The Carat Shop is most excited to be showcasing its new Barbie collection. The already popular franchise skyrocketed due to the Barbie film release in 2024 and we have taken full advantage of the increase in interest to create a collection that we truly believe will resonate with fans of all ages. It also broadens our reach when it comes to the clientele we can bring on board, as it brings a fresh new brand, away from the magic of Harry Potter.

Spielwarenmesse, as a trade show, is a huge opportunity for The Carat Shop to widen its span of stockists on a global scale. We took huge strides in 2023 and plan to capitalise upon this by making new business relationships and finding amazing stockists to work with across Europe and further. By the end of the five days, it would be fantastic to have a large and diverse number of new leads to take back to our wider sales team, as well as catch up with existing clients to find out how they are doing and share our new product ranges. We have three huge brands on-board for 2024 and are excited to see what next year has in store.

Dominique Peckett - Director, Smiffys

The product range that I’m most looking forward to showcasing in Nuremberg has to be our Rocky Horror Show collection. It is such a classic, iconic licence with a cult following that, for us, truly encapsulates the essence of dress-up and escapism.

Smiffys has exhibited at Spielwarenmesse for literally decades and must be one of the longest serving exhibitors. We consider it the number one trade show in the dress up calendar. Nuremberg Toy Fair gives us an opportunity to not just welcome new customers, but to strengthen relationships with existing ones, and we have no doubt that it will deliver again in 2024.

Pete Thomson - International Sales director, Make It Real

Make It Real is proud to be introducing LinXo, a true innovation that combines construction and fashion. The product offers repeated creation and continuous playability, and we anticipate it will be loved by consumers and all our global retail and distribution partners.

Make It Real products are currently listed and loved around the world in over 90 countries. Spielwarenmesse gives us the perfect opportunity to meet our partners from international channels in one place. For us, Nuremberg is the pinnacle of all the hard work by our design and customer marketing teams and our distributors and retail partners. We can finally sit together in person and formulate an action plan to realize our objectives for 2024. Spielwarenmesse is also a lovely opportunity for the Make It Real global leadership team to meet with our partners. This provides the full team an opportunity to truly understand international customer needs, which can be leveraged in the global commercial planning process.

Steve Finch - Managing director, Click Europe

I’m delighted to be showcasing our new boppi 10 in 1 progressive toddler jigsaw puzzles. They’ve been doing so well since their soft launch in September 2023 and the response from parents and influencers has been great. boppi is viewed as a lot more than just a puzzle: thanks to the inclusion of the themed backgrounds, they allow the play to be extended.

With our expansion into Europe and fully operational warehouse, the show gives us an opportunity to meet face to face with current wholesale clients. This is so important to trust and relationship building. This year we’re also hoping to build distribution relations so that we can get the boppi brand out to an even wider audience.

Andrea John - Managing director John Toys

The product range we’re most looking forward to showcasing is the soap bubbles that we are exhibiting for the first time at Nuremberg. We have already secured great licences from Disney, Marvel, Universal and Mattel for this new product category and are excited to present them to our customers.

We are really proud to have been exhibiting at the fair for the last 70 years. We find it is the perfect opportunity for us to present our new product ranges to customers – it is so important that they can touch the items and see the great quality. Equally important is meeting new customers from around the globe as we sell to over 40 countries. We look forward to sharing our ranges with our visitors and of course receiving their feedback.

Mike Barratt - Bayer Design

We’re looking forward to exhibiting at Spielwarenmesse this year and will be showcasing our range that’s now available domestically in the UK for the first time. As it was previously an FOB only line, Nuremberg will be the first opportunity for UK visiting independents to see the range. We hope to talk to as many of them as possible during the fair.

We’ll have everything from the Charlene supermodel styling head, our number one best seller in Europe, to our wide range of prams and buggies. These ranges from basic umbrella strollers right up to full travel systems which allow the swapping of a pram and car seat to create a one stop solution to transporting precious little ones – just like mum and dad. Buyers can also see our Charlene function doll – a 46 cm doll with 100 functions and 90 sentences - all in perfect English, and my own daughter did the voice over.

Michael Valenta - President, Magna-Tiles

We are looking forward to showcasing the new Magna-Tiles Downhill Duo 40-Piece set, a highlight of our catalogue. Launched in August 2023, the Downhill Duo set won the esteemed US Toy of The Year Award in the pre-school category. Seamlessly integrating with all other Magna-Tiles sets, it introduces the first-ever magnetic figure and a revamped car designed to ride along the ramps and roads. Spielwarenmesse holds great importance to the Magna-Tiles team. Through this show, we have the opportunity to showcase our entire product catalogue to the global community. While one might argue that this can be accomplished virtually in today's digital age, our products, designed for young children, are so much more effectively demonstrated by a hands-on experience. We are committed to designing quality products that foster meaningful play, and merely presenting images and price lists falls short of conveying our passion. Each year, our company eagerly anticipates participating in Spielwarenmesse as it provides such a valuable opportunity to engage with our international retailers face-to-face, that we all thoroughly enjoy.

Omer Dekel - Chief operating officer, PMI

We are equally excited for all our brands for different combinations of reasons, and we could not choose one over another. This year, we are proud to showcase several new master toy lines from our newly acquired licenses, Stumble Guys and The Creature Cases, and by popular demand, bringing series two of both Pudgy Penguins and Sonic Prime toy lines onto the show floor. We also have a surprise announcement for another brand-new toy line that we will reveal during the event, so stay tuned!

I believe that it is important to build a true connection with our customers and attendees by sharing our genuine excitement for the new toys we planned while bonding over an in-person conversation. To us, Spielwarenmesse has been one of the most important international trade shows that can continue to bring our partners and major customers together.

By the end of the five days at the event, we aim to drive excitement for our new products through the roof and give customers a chance to experience our products firsthand. We want to help our customers secure additional orders, especially in markets PMI has yet to reach, and we aim to do this by uniting PMI’s passion for toys and engaging interest from our attendees.

Chirag Shah - Chief operating officer, Hy-Pro

There are plenty of product ranges that I am looking forward to showcasing at the up-and-coming Spielwarenmesse toy fair. As the UK’s fastest growing sports equipment, licensing and scooter brand, we have a wide variety of stunning product choice that we will be presenting. These vary from Formula E scooters to our innovative Zinc Flyte scooter range, as well as officially licensed merchandise for some of the world’s biggest football clubs.

Being at Spielwarenmesse means that we are in the right place to meet the right contacts that will help our business flourish. It’s a great platform that allows us to put our products in front of the buyers for some of the biggest stores worldwide. It’s the ultimate toy buying destination for retailers, independents and multiples, and it provides suppliers like us with the chance to present our new launches with them.

Alison Downie - Global Licensing and Brand director, HTI Toys

We're witnessing expansion and growth in the Colour Change range, particularly with the latest addition, Brain Wash, which is poised to become a standout favourite at the upcoming show. Filling the translucent, squishy brain with water and loading the Colour Change car to the back of the skull is such great fun, as is releasing the water by squeezing the brain and pulling down the lever to watch the skulls eyes spin and the Colour Change car fly.

HTI holds a strong position at Spielwarenmesse and while our showroom might not encompass every product line featured in our Lancashire and Hong Kong showrooms, we are fortunate to have the space to highlight the top products from our key brands. Among them are Teamsterz, EVO Baby, Chic, Bubblz and Epic Fun, alongside our roleplay licences, including Peppa Pig, Bluey, Gabby’s Dollhouse and Baby Shark.

Our international team from various corners of the globe participate in the show, allowing us to accommodate existing retailers and engage with new buyers from around the world. Given the extensive range of offerings and the presence of the global toy industry at Spielwarenmesse, it stands as a pivotal event for HTI to explore new business opportunities and establish valuable connections.

Michael Sacks - VP, Small World Toys

Our Creativity Kits have been very successful these past few years and we expect them to enjoy plenty of attention at this year’s Spielwarenmesse. Our R&D team has done a great job at coming up with trendy new ideas and activities kids can spend a good amount of time both creating and playing with.

We come to Nuremberg to meet with potential new customers and to touch base with our existing longterm customers. Our product performs best when you see it in person, play with it, try it out: the best way to connect with our products is to experience them. We’ll be presenting open packages for the buyers to touch and feel, making Spielwarenmesse a great place to see our complete range.

Massimo Pellegrino - CEO, Diramix

I am most excited about showcasing our MonsterFlex line and the new licensed collections, Dragon Ball Super and Stumble Guys, which are already receiving a lot of interest from the market.

It is important for me to be at Spielwarenmesse to meet with our partners and reinforce our business relations. We hope to meet new partners as well, this way we can expand our distribution in countries where we are not yet present.

Laura Atorrasagasti - ‘Marketing ninja’, Eolo Toys

Biggies, the super mega-size plush, is Eolo Toy’s hottest brand this year. Its rapid expansion into more than 40 markets within its first year is an impressive achievement and we are very happy with the trust placed in the brand. Thanks to this success, we will be showcasing the brand extension, Little Biggies, set to launch for the spring and summer 2024 campaign.

The Nuremberg Toy Fair has always been essential for us. The timing, location, visitor profile and exhibitors make it one of the most important events in the toy industry. In fact, this year, the Eolo Toys group will have a presence with two of our companies: Toyzone and Eolo Toys. We see this event as strategically beneficial for showcasing the offerings of both companies, as well as for getting in contact with potential customers and staying in touch with our current ones.

Daniel Ward - Head of Sales, Craft Buddy

The product I’m most looking forward to showcasing at Spielwarenmesse is the Harry Potter licensed collection. One of the most frequentlyasked questions when we meet with new partners at trade shows is: ‘Do you have a Harry Potter licence?’ and we are happy to finally be able to say ‘Yes, we do!’. Bringing the beloved Harry Potter characters and icons to our Crystal Art & Paint By Numb3rs ranges is bound to gain us a lot of interest from international partners. We can’t wait to see their faces light up when we show them the new range at Spielwarenmesse.

Spielwarenmesse holds significant importance for us as it's the event where we meet and acquire new international distributors, key partners and venture into new markets. Müller, ROFU and Vedes are a few key German retail partners we met at previous shows and have since established an amazing relationship with. It’s a key stage to present all our new products to present to our existing partners, and - just as importantly - it’s an annual celebration of the toy industry where we can get together, catch-up, connect and have a few drinks.

Daniel DeLapa - CMO, Creative Kids

The product range we are most looking forward to showcasing is Nano Crafts. It’s such an innovative and trend-driven line that doesn’t exist anywhere in the market to the mass consumer. Nano Crafts is a line that demonstrates the direction Creative Kids is going as a change-maker in the industry: being first to market, always innovating and focusing on what’s new.

Creative Kids is one of the fastest growing global activity suppliers so exhibiting at an international show such as Spielwarenmesse is a no-brainer. We’re on a mission to have our products in the hands of consumers across the planet. There’s no better show to do that than Spielwarenmesse.

Fabrizio Frisoni - Sales manager, Dulcop International S.p.A.

All our products hold significance: buyers at Spielwarenmesse aren't just looking at the product itself, but at the extensive array of choices and the opportunity to explore tailored offerings for their specific needs. At Dulcop, our strength lies in being quick and adaptable and delivering personalised products. Furthermore, we provide a guarantee of safety and have already made substantial strides in minimising our environmental impact, which is an ongoing commitment.

Spielwarenmesse holds a special place for us as a key event in the toy industry. With our active participation in over 50 iterations, we are confident that we have evolved into a noteworthy presence at the fair, establishing ourselves as a significant player in the industry.

Andrei Kalesnikovich - Chief executive officer, EWA

Our core business since the foundation of the company has been the creation of moving mechanical models in the form of constructors. We are regularly expanding our product range in this area and will continue to do so, following positive feedback on them from our partners and customers. So, the product range which we will prioritise to present at Spielwarenmesse will be EWA puzzles and mechanical constructors.

Spielwarenmesse is the largest toy exhibition in Europe, where all manufacturers of goods that can relate to the toys and games category take part. At this exhibition, we plan to meet our current partners, find new ones, discuss co-operation with both and, of course, let them see for themselves the current range and all the new products of EWA Eco-Wood-Art in person.

Lawrence Rosen - Founder and chairman , Cra-Z-Art

Cra-Z-Art is excited about all the lines it will be exhibiting as this encompasses a huge range of toy items, from hot licences like Barbie, to collectibles like Crystal Surprise, and our popular line of on-trend fashion and beauty items from our Shimmer ‘n Sparkle brand. Of course, we’ll be showing many other innovative products as well, including new Slimy and Softee Dough products.

We’ve had many successful shows in Nuremberg and we’re confident that will continue. Spielwarenmesse plays an integral role in selling-in our fantastic brands into the European market. Our goal is to maintain current thriving relationships with our existing retail and distribution partners, as well as extend our distribution into new markets and channels.

Phil Cassidy - Managing director, Casdon

At Casdon, we’re beyond excited to have a brand-new licensed range to share with everyone at Spielwarenmesse. We are extremely proud to be launching the Ooni toy range, a brilliant addition to our already hugely successful foodinspired lines by Casdon, including Joseph Joseph and Kenwood. These lines are key to a child's development, as they not only encourage key development and imagination skills, but also teach children to have a healthy relationship with food from a very early age.

Spielwarenmesse is a great way to spend quality time with our customers and the wider industry. We are hoping to have meaningful conversations and meetings with our customers and spend valuable time with our retailers to show them around and present some exciting newness to them.

James Vallis - Managing director, Hyper Toys

Our strategic growth in the last 12-18 months has been within the e-mobility categories. This is always a great category to showcase as it is constantly driven with new development on Hyper e-bikes, e-scooters, hoverboards and electric rides – and the product demos are such great fun too!

Spielwarenmesse has always been, and continues to be, a fantastic global toy show where we can meet colleagues and friends, both old and new, from all destinations and retailers around the world. We look forward to meeting everyone and receiving strong (and hopefully positive) feedback as usual on our new product launches from buying teams from around the world.

Emma Charlesworth - Director, Roma Prams

This year, Roma will be attending Spielwarenmesse with a full collection of doll prams, complete with coordinating accessories. I’m most excited to showcase our latest fabric, the Teddy. Each of our ranges is designed around the fabrics, which reflect current trends in fashion and toy categories. The Teddy is classic but with a modern twist, featuring sherpa fabrics and a soft cream palette. The fabrics are featured across a range of models including dolls buggies, highchairs, car seats, backpacks and a soft sherpa blanket. There will also be a coordinating range in our full-size baby category, so little ones can be matching with mum.

Roma is already listed in a wide selection of independent retailers, as well as premium retailer Harrods and some European distributors. Our goal for this year is to establish connections with more distributors and facilitate communication between stores and their respective local distributors to ensure the global visibility of the Roma range.

Florian Loh - Area sales manager, Bruder Spielwaren GmbH + Co. KG

We’re extremely proud and excited to present an entirely new line to the sophisticated fleet of Bruder vehicles at London Toy Fair: the Range Rover Velar series. We’re confident that with this latest addition to the range, the British Range Rover brand, Bruder will continue to capture the imaginations of customers and fans in the UK for years to come.

It is remarkable that London Toy Fair is celebrating its 70th anniversary, but it just goes to show what a timeless show it is - as well as the reliability and year-round appeal of the toy industry, of course.

Chris Burt - Senior product manager, Bladez Toys

At Spielwarenmesse 2023, Bladez’s Minecraft range was so new that we only had a few items ready to show, but this year we will have a full range on display with many more Make Your Own characters, giant Make Your Own playsets and creative activity sets at a range of price points, which I can't wait for buyers to see all together.

There was a real buzz at Spielwarenmesse last year. It was great to be back, and it reminded us that it's an occasion that can create unexpected opportunities. Last year, we came away with everything from small, but exciting, new projects to new distribution partners, so let's see what 2024 has in store.

Tom Hudson - CEO, Marvin’s Magic

I’m most excited about our new Wicked Pranks range. These are classic pranks that we all know and love, combined with some really cool new innovations. The Marvin’s Magic team and I had so much fun putting this range togetherand pranking each other along the way. I don’t think our sales manager has forgiven me for slipping him a Cheesy Feet Sweet!

Spielwarenmesse is important to us because it’s one of the most important shows in the toy industry, and since there is no New York Toy Fair this year, it’s even more important to meet our international partners. It’s great for building brand visibility around the world, as there are so many attendees from far and wide. I’m very keen to show the innovation that we have been working on in the background; I think people are going to be blown away by what we have up our sleeves. It’s also a crucial opportunity to meet colleagues from within the industry, to discuss business highs and lows from the past year and share what we are excited about in the future. Plus, there are some fabulous restaurants and pubs in Nuremberg.

Serge Wehbe - Head of Marketing, Bildits

Our latest thematic range of construction kits is, without a doubt, the line that we’re most looking forward to showcasing at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. Available for both our retail and education portfolios, we've revamped our core offering, upgraded our packaging and launched 10 kits that cover the fundamentals of the construction process. Whether you're laying bricks, pouring concrete, or constructing fortified columns, the Bildits experience is as real as construction gets.

The Nuremberg Toy Fair is one of the most important events on our marketing calendar. The fair provides us with the platform to showcase our award-winning toys in front of the entire industry and get inspired by the latest trends and innovations. More granularly, we get the opportunity to meet retailers and distributors from all over the world and to discuss the prospects of launching new markets. If previous editions are any indication, we're highly optimistic about the prospects of meeting relevant professionals that can help us expand our presence globally.

Matias Ramdohr - CEO, Happy Line

Our company is thrilled to present a wide range of exciting new products at this year's Spielwarenmesse. From the ultimate stress-relief Hey Butty fidget toys, to the enchanting animal play sets with adorable kitty characters, we have a range of exciting toys that I’m sure will capture the hearts and imaginations of children worldwide. However, if we had to choose just one, we can’t wait to showcase Rainbow Shaker, our newest art & crafts toy.

By presenting Rainbow Shaker at Spielwarenmesse and introducing it to the market, we aim to promote mindfulness, self-expression and stress release in a fun and engaging way. We are excited to see the positive impact this product will have on children's well-being and the joy it will bring to families everywhere.

By the end of the five-day event, we aim to have created a lasting impression with our innovative product range, leaving attendees excited and eager to explore our offerings further. We will strive to establish meaningful business partnerships, secure distribution agreements and expand our global reach, and we hope to gather invaluable market insights, identify emerging trends and gain a competitive edge by staying ahead of the curve.

Ultimately, our presence at Spielwarenmesse is a testament to our commitment to excellence, innovation and building meaningful connections within the toy industry. We look forward to showcasing our products, engaging with industry professionals and leaving a lasting impact on the global toy market.