Toy Fair 2018

​The Toy Fair is one of the biggest events of the year for the wonderful world of toys. Held annually at London’s Olympia it brings together many of the biggest distributor in the country along with buyers and of course the press. This is all in the name of both informing and influencing the trends of the next year and beyond. The photo below shows a view of the show floor although there is more hidden at the back of the gallery.

​One of the major trends that seemed to leap walking the show floor was the abundance of outdoor toys available. This is certainly a feature that I love to see in any child’s toy cupboard. The mix of physical and mental stimulation is a key aspect of children’s development and I’m glad to see manufacturers are trying as hard as they can to make outdoor (and indoor) play as active as they can. This is reflected in my top picks below.

Of course there were a number of new ideas in both toys and lines on show however some staples of the industry were on show with new versions of previously loved products. These include things like Monopoly which I am very glad to see expanding into different partnerships and more importantly focusing on paper money and not as much on the idea of electronic transactions.

Although we will be adding more previews and reviews for now I just wanted to look at a few of my top picks from the show floor

​Ultra Dash

​University games has produced a rather simple but in my opinion awesome little game. The idea is to place a glowing stick into a corresponding coloured base. When you do this the colour on the stick changes and you have to place the tick into the next base. The premise can allow for various game types from one in a park with the bases set a big distance to a reaction based tabletop game. With multiple game modes included as well this certainly seems like a game that will have a long shelf life.

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Nerf Surgefire

One of the Toy Fair's heroes this year if Nerf's Surgefire. A Pump Action cylinder feed blaster I was rather impressed with the form factor and solidity of this new blaster. The ease of use of a cylinder is a big selling point as all you need to do is place the darts in the right way and your blaster is ready to fire. Both grips are comfortable and the priming mechanism felt good although not quite as smooth as some of Nerf's latest outings.

Overall though I'm really looking forward to taking the Surgefire through it's paces at a later date.

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Razor

Two offerings from Razor this year in the form of The RazorX Cruiser and the Razor Turbo Jetts Electric Heel Wheels really caught my eye.

Razor have a reputation for creating some of the best scooters out there and there range keeps on growing.

The RazorX Cruiser is certainly a head turner with a 40 minute run time the handy board uses a remote for acceleration as well as braking. It still needs the rider to kick off and steer so still giving a physical workout. The ability to reach speeds of 10 mph though certainly is something to get excited about.

The Razor Turbo Jetts Electric Heel Wheels much like the Cruiser can reach a speed of 10 mph with a run time of 30 minutes. The ability to clip them to your trainers or shoes is a big selling point as is the ability to whizz by people with ease.

​Pokémon

A brand which is going from strength to strength with new games, films, card decks and of course toys coming at a seemingly unstoppable pace. Toy manufacturer TOMY are making sure Pokémon hunters of all types are getting help in their quest to Catch 'em all.

Although not a new product the Z-Ring is a great way to link the digital world in Pokémon Sun and Moon with the physical world. 

Along with moving the Pokémon brand in to a more realistic vent is the Throw 'N' Pop range (shown below). The ability to throw a Pokéball much like Ash and his cohorts and have your chosen Pokémon ready to battle is a big deal for want to be Pokémon trainers.

On top of these we have more plushes and moulded toys in the future and it really is a seemingly golden age for the Pocket Monsters.