Have Toys, Will Travel: Playthings You Can Pack Up and Take

As we wrap up Toy Fair 2010, I wanted to send you off with a little something for the road ahead. Which is precisely why I’ve selected four fabulous fold-‘n’-go toys that’ll keep those kids—be they tykes or teens—busy in the backseat during your next road trip. So without further ado, I bring you my top travel toys of 2010:

1. Crayola Dry Erase Travel Activity Center. First of all, dry-erase kit racks up major cool points for its ease of portability—but aside from that, it’s also a marvelous educational tool. Interchangeable templates help children write, draw, count or just play different games—whether that’s at the kitchen table or in the car.

2. Zingo Travel Game. Think Fun brings you a way to keep between two and eight kids occupied with this game that’s reminiscent of Bingo: Your kids will have race each other to be the first to fill their cards with a set of matching picture tiles.

3. Animal Soup Card Game. Why not distract your little ones with a quick card game in the back of the SUV? Enter Briarpatch's Animal Soup, which challenges children ages 5 and up to match up the crazy critters they spot on the cards!

4. Travel Around the World Teddy Bear. What better way to gallop the globe than with a plush and portable teddy? Aurora has just the one, and he even comes with in a carrying case the size of a lunch box and with a map so your kid can discover where his or her travelmate is from.

That’s all, peeps! Farewell from the floor of Toy Fair 2010—and thanks for sharing a cyber-conversation that we will certainly continue throughout the year. Happy toy trails!

America Loves TOTY 2010: Congrats to the Winners!

The votes are all counted for the first-ever American Loves TOTY Sweepstakes—and if you’re just now joining us for the party, let me fill you in.

Leading up to this month’s Toy of the Year awards—the Oscars of the toy biz in which industry leaders select the finest playthings in all of the land—the Toy Industry Association (TIA) asked Americans to tell us their faves. Ballots were cast both online and via snail mail, and in total—please hold your applause, ladies and gentlemen—exactly 9,162 of you made your voices heard!

Here’s the best part: All those who voted had the chance to become part of a drawing, for a chance to win every toy in any one of the eleven prize categories of their choosing. So the TIA has finally carried out its (random!) drawing and, ta-dah, these are eleven grand-prize winners:

Activity Toy of the Year
 • Jason C.—submitted online

Boy Toy of the Year
 • Anna S., Cleveland, OH

Educational Toy of the Year
 • Katherine M.—submitted online

Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year
 • Gina S.—submitted online

Game of the Year • 
Janette V., West Jefferson, OH

Girl Toy of the Year
 • Linda C., Westbrook, ME

Infant Toy of the Year
 • Sylvia H., Lacey, WA

Most Innovative Toy of the Year • Kindra R.—submitted online

Outdoor Toy of the Year
 • Thomas S., Norwich, CT

Preschool Toy of the Year • Dianne C., Blackstone, MA

Specialty Toy of the Year
 • Rita Jean M., Fountain Hills, AZ

Let me be among the first to raise a glass to our winners—and to thank you all for talkin’ ‘bout toys with TIA!

A $10,000 Bear Stirs Up Quite a Buzz

You could call it one very expensive squeeze: a limited edition Gund Snuffles bear made of white alpaca fur, black Tahitian pearls as eyes, and sporting a 10-carat diamond attached to a white-gold chain made his debut at Toy Fair 2010. Why so iced down? Because the bear is celebrating its 30th birthday this year—and just to be sure that ogglers don’t spoil the party, a security guard is standing by Mr. Snuffles’ enclosed case, which is even behind a velvet rope.

The one-of-a-kind plush bear is valued at an astounding $10,000—not exactly the kind of pocket change one might usually carry around at a trade show fair. But this special bear is decked out for a good cause: The bear will be put up for an auction sometime in 2010, and all proceeds—which will surely exceed the ten grand the bear is estimated to be worth—will be donated to charity.

But for now, the display of the diamond-clad Snuffles is just a clever way to build some show buzz—which is apparently working since I actually had to elbow my way up to the bear’s case at the Gund booth (733). After eyeballing Gund’s other offerings (check them out on www.gund.com), I even left with a proud reminder of my visit—a sticker that reads “I Hugged Snuffles.” I would’ve preferred to leave with a sticker that said this: “I borrowed Snuffles’ necklace.” Oh, well—maybe next year.

Toys After Tears: Toy Industry Foundation Restores Smiles to the Children of Haiti

At 4pm today as the 2010 Toy Fair exhibitors tear down their booths, you’ll suddenly spot a sea of fluorescent orange: Dozens of volunteers from the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) are collecting toys for charity—but not just any charity. This year, the children of Haiti who endured a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010 will be the recipients of the toy industry's random act of kindness. I asked Foundation Manager Amanda McDorman to give me the latest on how TIF is restoring hope, and perhaps even a little happiness, to the little ones of Haiti—one free toy at a time.

Michelle Burford: How is the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) helping out with the Haitian relief effort this year?

Amanda McDorman: At the end of the show today, the Toy Industry Foundation—which is the philanthropic arm of the North American Toy Industry Association (TIA)—is collecting toys for Haitian children, as well as for the Toy Bank, a year-round product donation program. Today’s toy collection at the fair is the largest in-person collection event. About 85 volunteers will hit the floor to collect the toys from exhibitors’ booths, starting at 4:01pm!

MB: How many toys does TIF typically collect?

AM: Each year, we end up with between $250,000 and $300,000 in fair market value worth of toys. We usually give them to various charities, but with the recent devastation in Haiti, we decided that we wanted to be part of that relief effort this year. Our charity partner is Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S), and they’ve helped us recruit the volunteers and handle logistics on the ground. Even before the quake, K.I.D.S. was already doing work in Haiti, like donating blankets and children’s clothing—but not toys necessarily. Obviously, everyone’s first priority is to make sure that the Haitian people can get food and clothing. So in March—once the first round of necessities has been addressed--we will send a portion of the toys that are collected today to Haiti.

MB: Why is it important to for kids to have toys to play with amid such a crisis?

AM: Many of these kids lost their parents in the earthquake, and I think that play is going to be particularly important in providing these children with comfort and sense of normalcy. A toy can become a trusted friend, a safety blanket, and after a trauma, toys can bring back the everyday joy. In some of the news footage I’ve viewed about Haiti, I’ve noticed that the kids are the ones who are still running around or dancing in the streets. It’s a reminder that, even though they’re handling this tragedy, they’re still kids—and we want to make sure that these kids have toys.

MB: Won't the volunteer collectors be wearing some insane shade of orange?

AM: Yes! They’ll be wearing these ridiculously orange shirts so that you can’t miss them on the floor! We’ve recently re-designed our shirt to celebrate a milestone we hit in late 2009: 50 million dollars worth of toys have been donated to the Toy Bank since its inception. We’re excited to share that with everyone, because it says a lot about what the toy community does for kids in need.