OBSERVATIONS FROM TOY FAIR

It's been a while since I've posted, I've been busy. Always good to keep going. We've had the Dallas Toy fair and I just got back from the New York Toy Fair.
New York is always an amazing eye opening trip. It's exhausting but always fun. Of course we got caught in the snow storms and ate to much at the wonderful restaurants. We stayed up to late and spent to much money. You know, a normal trip to New York.
NY is a shock to the system, an overload to the senses and a kick start to creativity. If you can't feel alive and creative in NY I really don't know what to tell you.
So anyway I have some observations from Toy Fair. In between meetings and toy pitches I walked the Javits floor to see what's new and what's coming. I think that because of the economy most of the toy companies are running scared. They didn't invest in new product design and all went with the tried and true product. Buyers were there and spending but no one had anything really new and amazing to offer. A lot of the same thing repackaged and re-themed.
Because of that the companies where looking for something new which made it very easy for my company to sell. They jumped at new creative ideas. A bad economy creates lots of openings for someone with new ideas and vision. You have to realistic and create something that they can actually use or do. But the opportunities are there.
Another observation was the number of new start up companies that were offering what they took to be the best and greatest new concept. Yes I'm pushing you to be creative and to put yourself out there. But be smart! I saw far to many people out there who obviously have put their life savings on the line for their idea. A sign of the economy. What is sad is that so many of these ideas were bad. Some were horribly bad, some had just not been thought out and some were so old that they could never make a dime at them.
If your going to put your savings on the line folks, do some research first and always keep going. Don't ever just stop at one idea. A simple patent search would save some of these people to find out what had been done before and why it failed. Also if your idea has been done before and patents have expired that means that you have no rights and anyone can turn around and do the same toy. So if the buyer from a large company walked thru and looked at your design. He can return to his company and start manufacturing the same design, beat you to market and you can't do anything about it.
Life is long and even if that one idea does go you had better have a second act. Companies are not looking for a single toy. They are looking for a line of toys. They may like your design but dealing with buying one toy from you may be more trouble than its worth after all the shipping, stocking and the blow back from the larger companies.
This doesn't mean by any means that you shouldn't be doing this. It means "BE SMART". Do your homework and don't put all your eggs in one basket. Plan ahead.