February’s North America International Toy Fair capped a string of toy industry trade shows which saw toy executives shuttling from Dallas to LA to Hong Kong (twice…at least) to Nuremberg and finally to New York City where, for once, there was no snow and the weather was an agreeable 65 degrees.

Friday, just before the show opened, we were hit with a surprise. Toys ‘R’ Us announced a bloodbath with 270 corporate staff employees, some of whom had been there for decades, being laid off. Rumors and whispers went zipping around the decks of the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum as the fates of both the survivors and the less fortunate slowly became known.

The Intrepid was an inspired venue choice which helped make the Toy of the Year Awards a whole lot of fun. The Toy Industry Association staff did a great job making the evening “all it could be.” As always, it was particularly satisfying to see some of the smaller companies winning TOTY’s like Thames & Kosmos for CodeGamer and Zuru, Inc. for Bunch of Balloons.

Personally, I’m always interested in stories of toy industry veterans who are inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. This year, we were treated to moving tributes to Peter Eio, Ray Larsen, and Sydney Rosen. We learned what it took for each of them to strive for and reach success, as well as a little bit about what made them tick. If I could walk away from the evening with just one word, it would be perseverance.

On Sunday night, the toy industry gathered for the Wonder Women Awards Gala eager to see who would walk away with a coveted pink cape. I think everyone was pleased to see the event return to The Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Genna Rosenburg, Ashley Mady, Janice Ross, Mary Kay Russell, and their team have this thing down pat. As always, they throw a fantastic event while gliding around serene as swans although I am quite sure that underneath they have been paddling like crazy.

This year was highlighted by a Lifetime Achievement Award for former Mattel Chairman and CEO, Jill Barad, as well as a Gamechanger Award for Hollywood’s Geena Davis. Congratulations to all Wonder Women nominees and Award winners!

Meanwhile, back at the Javits Center, Toy Fair was chugging right along. The atmosphere was upbeat, even buoyant. Over the last three years, toy industry sales in the U.S. have grown between 4.5 and 6.7% annually. That will put toy company executives in a good mood. The crowd on Saturday was a bit subdued as if often the case on the first day of the show, but Sunday and Monday were busy and bustling even in what I unfairly call “the basement of gloom.” I will have to admit that this year the basement was buzzing and not gloomy in the least.
Kudos to TIA President Steve Pasierb, SVP Global Events Marian Bossard and the whole TIA staff for doing a fantastic job. My only possible complaint has to do with the interaction between the floors of the Javits Center and my large and bony feet. If my feet weren’t so big, there wouldn’t be so much of them to hurt.

Kudos to TIA President Steve Pasierb, SVP Global Events Marian Bossard and the whole TIA staff for doing a fantastic job. My only possible complaint has to do with the interaction between the floors of the Javits Center and my large and bony feet. If my feet weren’t so big, there wouldn’t be so much of them to hurt.

Life at Toyjobs is often slow during the first quarter as toy companies are too busy traveling from show to show to be able to even think about or doing. That said, this year we have been quite busy to date with strong numbers of search starts and completions. Three consecutive years of strong sales growth has put toy companies into an optimistic mood. Optimistic companies try new things and add new people. I expect that to continue with a lone caveat.

Republican lawmakers have been kicking around the idea of a “border adjustment tax.” That sort of thing would be temporarily devastating for the toy business, although over a year or two we would learn to adjust. Republicans aren’t fully aligned in support of it and the Trump Administration seems to be dancing around the edges but leaning against it. There is also LOTS of business pressure against this proposal. While it seems that everybody’s fingers are crossed, I guess most of us are thinking that a border tax knuckleball isn’t going to happen, if only because it would be so stupid. I am comfortable with that – but I am also mindful…stupider things have happened….and recently.

“May you live in interesting times.”

Tom Keoughan