While most of the attention this weekend is on New York Comic Con (NYCC), some big news hit regarding another event that traditionally takes place at the Javits Center in New York City: Toy Fair.
First reported via our sister publication, The Toy Book, The Toy Association has changed course on its controversial decision to move the event to New Orleans for three years beginning in 2026.
Under the new plan, Toy Fair has reaffirmed its commitment to New York and will return to its traditional first quarter time frame following this year’s fall show — itself an unusual occurrence following a 3.5-year pandemic-fueled hiatus.
Toy Fair has called New York home for more than a century and has become a tradition despite a large migration of the toy industry to Los Angeles. When the news of a move was announced during this year’s show, the reaction was swift and led to a post-show survey to gauge industry feelings on the matter. An open letter to the industry was sent via email to Toy Association members late Friday afternoon and was subsequently published on the Association’s website.
It has become abundantly clear through the passionate reaction, that the PLACE holds as much or more importance than the DATE, and that the industry’s desired location for the great industry-wide coming together remains New York City."
While Toy Fair is a trade show that is not open to the public, many companies familiar to Pop Insider readers (Mattel, The Loyal Subjects, Super Impulse, Super7, NECA, Funko, etc.) exhibit their products for retail buyers and announce new toys and collectibles that will hit the market in the months ahead.
In addition to restoring Toy Fair’s position and timing in New York City, the Association plans to host a three-day pop-up event in Dallas this January paired with the existing Gift Show and is exploring the options of hosting some sort of event designed to support toy and game manufacturers that are already showing off new products in Los Angeles during the “LA Previews” that occur in August and September each year.
The next Toy Fair in New York is slated to begin on March 1, 2025.
