By Ed Avis
Last weekend I visited the Toy Fair, a giant trade show in New York that is packed with vendors showing off their latest toys, games and other amusements. I spent most of my time meeting with NCA Vendor Members who exhibited in the Halloween Pavilion (see the photo gallery of our members below), a new section of the Toy Fair organized by sales rep and friend-of-the-NCA Nigel Febland. But naturally I also walked the rest of the show and discovered countless items that NCA members may be interested in carrying.
Toys and games would be just a sideline for a costume shop, but they could bring in sales in the non-Halloween months, especially at Christmas. I didn’t spend time looking at the giant manufacturers’ exhibits, and I dodged any kinds of toys that customers could find in Target or Walmart. Instead, I focused my attention on innovative, unusual and high quality items that might sell successfully in a costume shop that is trying to offer merchandise customers can’t find elsewhere. I also preferred items that were nicely packaged, but not garish.
This list of 10 ideas is just a tiny sample of what was there – it’s just designed to inspire you to consider adding toys and games to your store.
Honey Sticks – Crayons, finger paint, colored bath bubbles and other fun stuff made with beeswax and other totally natural ingredients.
Hootenany Games – Creative, hands-on board games made with quality materials.
Jupiter Creations – Interesting toys for tech-minded kids, such as the Rocket Drone, a radio-controlled space ship.
Lower Case Toys – High quality felt dress up dolls that let kids experiment with multiple colorful outfits. The person in the booth told me they are next coming out with a version that includes extra squares of felt so that kids can create their own clothes for the dolls.
Lucky Duck Games – Attractive and innovative board games, such as Chronicles of Crime, My Shelfie, and Sherlock, some of which include QR codes that players scan to watch game-related scenarios play out.
Lulu Junior – Kits that guide children in creating their own book. Once they’re done, they send the elements back to the company, where a real book is created and shipped back. Definitely something that any kid would value.
Tiny Easel – Beautifully crafted watercolor craft kits that include everything from paints to brushes to a small canvas to a spill-proof water container. Designed by an artist and mom.
Trick or Treat Studios – This NCA member is better known for masks, but they have a great line of well-designed board games based on scary movies, such as Halloween and Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The games don’t just depend on the licensed movie for their appeal; they’re also professionally designed to be truly fun to play.
Wild Life Outdoor Adventures – Kits designed to inspire kids to explore the outdoors, from cloud gazing to building forts to learning how to use a compass.
Wood Trick – Elaborate wooden toys that kids assemble from pre-cut wood pieces. Mechanically minded kids would love to put these together, and they’re fun to play with afterwards.
