TAKING OFF TOY MAKERS BRING THEIR BEST TO INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION WITH HIGH-FLYING ASPIRATIONS.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer Toy makers are heading to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , but not to play. At the American International Toy Fair The American International Toy Fair (the trademarked name uses all capitals for TOY FAIR) is one of a few major toy industry trade shows held around the world. It is held annually in late winter (mid February) in New York City's Toy District (Broadway and 5th Avenue in the mid , kicking off Sunday in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , more than 1,500 manufacturers, distributors and industry insiders will exhibit their wares. During the four-day show, they'll try to land coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. space on retailers' shelves. Though the show has lost some of its luster, with fewer vendors attending than in years past, it still remains the epicenter of the toy world Track listing
``This is where you have to be,'' said Maria Weiskott, editor in chief of Playthings Magazine. ``You have to come here and take the chance that people will find you, whether it's a catalog company, QVC QVC Quality Value Convenience QVC Question Valid Command or a specialty store Noun 1. specialty store - a store that sells only one kind of merchandise shop, store - a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services; "he bought it at a shop on Cape Cod" .'' The always-competitive industry has become even tougher in recent years because major manufacturers like Mattel and Hasbro show directly to major retailers, locking up deals before smaller companies can even contend. A shift away from traditional toy stores to massive discounters, such as Wal-Mart and Target, has rocked the overall industry, forcing prices down and driving many toy stores out of business. With a shrinking number of outlets and increased pressure from the toy titans, competition has greatly intensified. A successful trip nets new accounts and, more importantly, buzz that turns a lukewarm product into a must-have. To compete against their mega-rivals, three San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. companies have adopted different strategies for their appearance. Each will take the floor this weekend, using past results, sales numbers and charm to try to work their way onto an order form. So small that it can do most of its business from Vice President Cheryl Kerzner's spare bedroom, Just Products banks on its tininess. Rather than relying on a work force of thousands, it makes do with workers spread from New Jersey to Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. , connecting through e-mail and teleconferencing to make product decisions. In its short time in existence, the company has produced a licensed line of kids' television trays that has sold out from Target's housewares house·wares pl.n. Cooking utensils, dishes, and other small articles used in a household, especially in the kitchen. department. Its key introduction this time around will be BendEms, flexible toys based on designs licensed from Mighty Beanz Mighty Beanz are toys manufactured by Moose Enterprises, a corporation headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Moose launched Mighty Beanz in the Australia market in 2002; the toy launched in the United States in summer, 2003. , a kids collectible that has sold more than 25 million units in mass retail. Just Products aims to leverage its small size and flexibility, hyping its ability to customize the packages to each retailer's sales plan. ``We can respond so much more quickly than a big company,'' said Kerzner, who handles marketing. ``If I want a prototype, I can call China and have one in three days. In a big company, you've got to call engineering and three different departments before you can get it done.'' In contrast, Overbreak hopes to woo retailers with results. The manufacturer boasts an unusual sales strategy that puts it in the hands of 500 kiosk-based vendors at malls nationwide before it hits stores. It's seen past success with its Rainbow Art water color Wa´ter col`or 1. (Paint.) A color ground with water and gum or other glutinous medium; a color the vehicle of which is water; - so called in distinction from 2. A picture painted with such colors. set and is currently pushing its HoverDisc line. The giant mylar balloons, which float and bob like UFOs, have already sold nearly 3.5 million units since May. ``We can go to major retailers and say. Our model has worked extremely well,'' said Dayne Sieling, Overbreak's president. ``We do the live sales, millions of dollars of TV advertising, then go to retail.'' And when it does hit mass retail, it will do so in a big way. At the show, it will announce a partnership with Toys 'R' Us, putting the $5 discs on the cover of the chain's spring catalog. The high profile will allow it to market the discs to florists, grocery stores and specialty toy shops, to say nothing of the 1,600 stores in the Toys 'R' Us chain. Its second tool to put some extra lift into the product will be the announcement of a license with Marvel Entertainment Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) is an American entertainment company. The company traces its origins to the May 1933 publication of Western Supernovel Magazine. Inc., allowing Overbreak to slap Spider-Man's face onto the HoverDiscs. Launching May 1, this gives the company a chance to tap into the hype of the summer release of ``Spider-Man 2,'' expected to be another blockbuster. Knowing how hard it is to fight in the toy department, What Kids Want has both brought a big friend to back it up and looked in different directions. The company, headed by brothers Jordan and Steven Kort, will debut a line of sidewalk toys, jump-rope and hopscotch accessories, branded with Disney characters This is a currently incomplete list of Disney characters:
``That's a conscious decision,'' said Dave Schwartz, What Kids Want's senior vice president of marketing. ``There's always competition, but it's good to be in a channel where you have a little more elbow room than you would with a mass merchant.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com NAME: Just Products Inc. FOUNDED: 2002 HEADQUARTERS: Woodland Hills NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 5 PRODUCT LINES: 2 ANNUAL SALES: Projected $4 million to $5 million this year NAME: Overbreak LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control FOUNDED: 1997 HEADQUARTERS: Sun Valley NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 65 PRODUCT LINES: 4 ANNUAL SALES: $31 million NAME: What Kids Want Inc. FOUNDED: 1999 HEADQUARTERS: Northridge NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 12 PRODUCT LINES: 4 ANNUAL SALES: Over $10 million CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 3 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) Overbreak LLC's Dayne Sieling, left, and Arie Aharon toss two of the hovering discs their firm is bringing to a New York toy fair. (2 -- 3 -- color) no caption (Toys John Lazar/Staff Photographer Box: (1) NAME: Overbreak LLC (see text) (2) NAME: Just Products Inc. (see text) (3) NAME: What Kids Want Inc. (see text) |
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