The 59th Toy Fair finished on a high last night after a buzzing three days at Olympia in west London. More than 200 toy companies – large and small – exhibited at the fair launching thousands of new toys for 2012. John Barnes was on hand to relaunch Subbuteo for Paul Lamond, Lorraine Kelly helped promote Raa Raa the Lion toys for Tomy and Steve Backshall shone the spotlight on Character’s new Deadly 60 range. However, it was perhaps the influx of cutting edge app toys that stole the show – and a number of headlines.

LeapPad Explorer (Leapfrog Toys), Hasbro and The Entertainer triumphed at the annual Toy Industry Awards winning Toy of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Toy Retailer of the Year, respectively.

Technology toys were applauded at Toy Fair this morning, with a brand new App category being added to the Best New Toy Awards for 2012. The three winners of the very first Best New App Toys were AppGear from Character Options, Vivid’s Moshi App Monster and first time exhibitor Zeon’s Tardis Smart Safe.

The British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) has announced the finalists for the Toy Retailer of the Year Awards 2011. The shortlist is:

Thousands of pounds worth of toys will be donated to Barnardo’s when volunteers take part in a trolley dash at the 2012 Toy Fair.

Tickets for the Toy Industry Awards 2011 are selling fast with the event on target for another sell out. 375 toy executives are expected to fill the room and many manufacturers and retailers have already booked their tickets.

With 19 weeks still to go until Toy Fair 2012, just one stand remains unsold and organiser the British Toy & Hobby Association expects the 59^th annual event to sell out in record time.

188 exhibitors have been confirmed for Toy Fair, which takes place from 24-26 January 2012 in the Grand and West Halls of Olympia in London. 35 of these are first time exhibitors, 14 are returning with larger stands and three are making the move from the Greenhouse to the main floor.

New exhibitors include the likes of 50 Fifty Gifts, Battlefront Miniatures, Eleventyone, Fulanitos UK, Indigo Jamm, Melrose Kids, Posh Paws and The Wandering Monkey Company.

The British Toy & Hobby Association has reported a major surge in attendance figures following its move to London. The 57th Toy Fair, which was sold out in December, took place in the Grand Hall at Olympia from 26th to 28th January 2010. Nursery Industry was there to report on its success...

Toy Fair is the only dedicated toy, game and hobby exhibition in the UK. This year organisers are expecting around 180 exhibitors ranging from the large internationals to the new start up companies, showcasing thousands of brand new toys, games and hobbies to the UK’s largest gathering of toy industry professionals.

New to the nursery market and launched at the London Toy Fair is the Dantoy range of quality plastic toys, distributed exclusively by Earlybird Toys. These are manufactured in Denmark and offer outstanding play value with no PVC and no phthalates using environmentally-friendly processes.

Another record year for internet spending, yet most independent retailers continue to make little headway with internet sales. Setting up products on their websites is time consuming enough and then managing stock between shop and website is fraught with difficulty.

Great Gizmos’ selection of pre-school toys is ideal for the nursery retailer looking for quality products, excellent service and generous margins.

The colourful Traditional Wooden Pin Puzzles are suitable for 18 months. There are four designs, themed around Farm Animals, Zoo Animals, Transport and Fruits and Vegetables with pictures from everyday life to encourage interaction and conversation. 

Brand new at the show this year is the fantastic Kiditec from Techno Bloxx; a brightly coloured, fun and unique construction system.  Sets are available for 10 months + and can be repeatedly rebuilt and redesigned, even to make a fabulous ride on toy!

Aurora is delighted to be launching a brand new range of nursery products at the 2010 Toy Fair.

Beautifully soft to the touch, beanbag style plush bears, bunnies, elephants in pastel shades and brightly coloured gingham.

New to the Toy Fair this year, Cheeky Rascals are excited to be exhibiting their wonderful range of Playgro pre-school toys as well as showcasing their newest product - the Wishbone Bike.

Playgro toys are brightly coloured, packed with fun activities and ideal for baby’s visual and mental stimulation.

Golden Bears nursery range sees more exciting products being launched at the 2010 Toy Fair.

Being introduced to the range are Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy cuddle harnesses which are designed to ensure safety whilst children are learning to walk with their favourite character. The harnesses are also made for comfort, as the plush toy faces the child so they are able to hug and interact with the character.

Flair’s pre-school collection of licensed creative play products is set to build on an already proven success story at retail with the addition of new licences and new formats in 2010 ideal for the nursery retailer.