Play Fair, which began as an open-to-consumers auxiliary event at New York Toy Fair 2016, is moving to a fall show and will take place this year on the weekend of November 4th and 5th. It will remain, though, at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

At the inaugural event last year, 20,000 people attended Play Fair. Among the exhibitors already signed on for this year’s Play Fair are LEGO, ALEX Brands, K’Nex, Snazaroo, SCS Direct, VTech, Mattel, Hasbro, and Safari.

Play Fair is hosted by the Toy Industry Association and LeftField Media.

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For its next Toy of the Year Awards, granted annually at New York Toy Fair, the Toy Industry Association is eliminating gender categories. No more Girl Toy of the Year or Boy Toy of the Year. For 2017, the categories will be:

• Action Figure of the Year (new)
• Active/Outdoor Toy of the Year (formerly Outdoor)
• Activity Toy of the Year
• Collectible of the Year (new)
• Construction Toy of the Year (new)
• Doll of the Year (new)
• Game of the Year
• Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year (formerly two separate categories)
• Innovative Toy of the Year
• License of the Year (formerly Property)
• Rookie [Company] of the Year (new)
• Specialty Toy of the Year
• Tech Toy of the Year (formerly e-Connected)
• Vehicle of the Year (new)
• People’s Choice Toy of the Year
• Toy of the Year

In addition to the new categories, a new streamlined selection process in being implemented. Also worth noting, public voting this year will result in a separate “People’s Choice” award for Toy of the Year.

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Would you like to be the primary person responsible for the Monopoly brand or help preserve games for museum archives or develop the digital version of a popular card game?

At Hasbro, the numerous open jobs include Senior Director of Global Marketing (“define and drive the global strategy for Family Gaming”), Design Manager (supervise technical design development efforts for a games category product line), and Product Designer (for “Phygital Games” combining physical and digital products). Subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast, is looking for, among others, a Director of Competitive Gaming and eSports for Magic: The Gathering, a Game Designer fluent in Japanese for Duel Masters, and a Principal Product Designer to oversee MtG R&D efforts and “develop strategic direction for block environments.”

Spin Master wants to hire a Public Relations Coordinator to manage outreach to press and a Senior Copywriter to author marketing materials.

Mattel has three Senior Designer positions open in the Boys Toy Box team for people with “a passion for action figures and/or game design.” Also positions for a Sr. Manager Digital Marketing and a Digital Producer.

ThinkFun is looking for a Product Manager and a Senior Product Manager to help organize the company’s projects, keep them moving forward, and manage quality.

Among the people that The Strong (National Museum of Play) is looking for are a Director of Conservation (to preserve games and toys in its collections), a Project Cataloger (to digitize and inventory games and puzzles), and a Teaching Host (to work with visiting school groups).

Ceaco (A.K.A. Gamewright) needs a Sales & Marketing Coordinator to assist with accounts, prepare marketing materials, and analyze sales data.

White Wizard Games (Star Realms) has an opening for a Digital Deckbuilder, that is, someone with experience in server-side apps and “a passion for card games.”

Thames & Kosmos needs a Purchasing & Planning Coordinator for analyzing sales data, managing inventories, and working with suppliers.

TOMY (Battroborg, Mr. Mouth) is recruiting for several positions: Brand Assistant, Digital Merchandising Manager, and Legal & Marketing Coordinator.

Toobeez (U.S. distributor of Funskool games from India) seeks a Junior Sales and Marketing Executive to help with social media, email marketing, and specialty retailer support.

The Toy Industry Association needs a Communications Specialist/Content Developer and a Director of Audience Relations. Both positions have a fair amount to do with New York Toy Fair.

Toyjobs is a specialty recruiter for the toy industry.

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The Toy Industry Association is launching a new event to take place concurrent with New York Toy Fair. Play Fair will open to 25,000 members of the public at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan this coming February. As Toy Fair runs February 13-16, 2016, I’d assume Play Fair will be the 13th and 14th, though no official announcement has yet been made. Ticket prices will be $30.

The idea behind Play Fair is to provide a venue for toy and game companies to directly engage their consumers, as well as to provide an alternative for the children every year denied entry to the business-to-business exclusive Toy Fair.

No doubt the move was also spurred on by the rise of social media, both in terms of tantalizing the public with behind-the-scenes peeks at Toy Fair and the significant impact kid reviewers and consumer-to-consumer networking can have on building buzz.

[via Fortune]

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A new Toy Halls of Fame exhibit opens this weekend at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. The exhibit combines The Strong’s National Toy Hall of Fame, which focuses on iconic toys and games, and the Toy Industry Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame, which recognizes the people who make them.

As with the other exhibits at the National Museum of Play, the Toy Halls of Fame puts historical and educational information right alongside interactive displays. The 5,000 square-foot space includes installations that allow visitors to:

• Create, move, and pop, via motion-capture technology, virtual bubbles in a 20-foot bubble tower.
• Orchestrate a music and light show by playing a Crayon piano.
• Use cranks, pulleys, and cords to manipulate a kinetic toy sculpture.
• Aim an air cannon at a massive mobile hanging over the atrium.

Opening festivities Saturday and Sunday include a toy character parade, dance parties, and a Yo-Yo competition.

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