Fewer small vendors head to Toy Fair
The annual American International Toy Fair in New York kicked off last weekend, and 100 fewer exhibitors are attending over last year. Among those not there this year are the mom and pop shops. Dan Grech reports.
An "Ugly Doll" mascot greets people at the International Toy Fair in New York (Timothy A. Clark/AFP/Getty Images)
More on Retail
TEXT OF STORY
Dan Grech: It's all about fun today in New York. This year's American International Toy Fair is underway. Thousands of items are on display at the largest toy trade show in the country. Fewer of them, though, are from mom and pop shops. Here's Marketplace's Dan Grech.
Dan Grech: This year's Toy Fair has 1,100 exhibitors. That's 100 fewer than last year.
Carter Keithley is president of the Toy Industry Association, the fair organizer:
Carter Keithley: We have lost a few exhibitors, we believe in part because of the economic hardships and in part because they are scrambling to learn what will be required of them under the new laws.
Congress tightened safety tests on children's toys in August after several dangerous toys hit store shelves. Keithley says the mom-and-pop toy makers hit hardest by these changes are at the heart of the industry.
Keithley: The toy industry is really a creativity business. And so it's important to have creative juices coming from hundreds of toy creators out there, bringing new ideas to market.
Keithley says this year, most U.S. toys again will come from China, despite ongoing safety concerns. In strained economic times, organizers expect this year's fair to see a 30 percent jump in toys priced under $25.
I'm Dan Grech for Marketplace.
Comments
Comment | Refresh
Post a Comment: Please be civil, brief and relevant.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments are moderated. Marketplace reserves the right to edit any comments on this site and to read them on the air if they are extra-interesting. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting.
You must be 13 or over to submit information to American Public Media. The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party. For more information see Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.