By Ana Herrera
I didn’t know what to expect when I attended the New York City Toy Fair 2018, but I had been warned that it was much more than just fun and games. I had also been told that my press pass would not guarantee me access to the bigger toy industry players (no pun intended) or the hottest items that would be debuted in this massive trade show that is billed as “the Western Hemisphere’s largest and most important toy show.” According to the Toy Fair’s site the event hosts the equivalent of “more than seven football fields filled with brand-new toys and games”, and with so many top vendors in play(again, no pun intended), I knew there would be no shortage of amazing items to discover and enjoy.
The biggest buzz was understandably centered around the highly anticipated new entries in the popular Star Wars and Jurassic Park franchises, with the Hasbro, Lego and Mattel each unveiling a large number of fantastic action figures, vehicles, robots and playsets sure to entice even the most reluctant attendees. But there were also a number of noteworthy items from exciting new movie releases such as Black Panther (with a variety of bestselling merchandise offered by Hasbro), long-running TV powerhouses such as Game of Thrones (with gorgeous statues from Dark Horse), and acclaimed video game franchises such as Overwatch (a surprise bestselling line for Funko).
Added to this were a multitude of items from new favorites such as Stranger Things (with McFarlane Toy’s season 2 figures as standouts) and Riverdale (another great Pop! line from Funko), plus tried-and-true classics such as DC’s Justice League (with Diamond Select’s glorious Joker bust, designed by Hollywood special effects/makeup artist Rick Baker, stealing the spotlight). Also of interest were the Pacific Rim and Ninja Batman figures from Tamashi Nations, Witcher busts and statues from Dark Horse, and an unexpectedly popular Hela statue from Mezco.
If you think you’re seeing a pattern in my reviews, you’re not mistaken. I confess that a large portion of my time was spent in booths with all manner of action figures and collectibles. I raced around taking pictures, speaking to largely helpful vendors, learning which of their items seemed to have generated the most interest among the attendees, and thoroughly enjoying myself as the hours and days sped by in a whirlwind of dinosaurs, superheroes and fantastical beings. It was the best combination of work and play, and an experience I hope to repeat next year. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy viewing the pictures that have now been posted to Skewed and Reviewed as much as I enjoyed taking them.
