It’s February and I’m headed to New York, so it must be time for Toy Fair. Officially know as the American International Toy Fair, the 120 year old toy trade show brings together major toy companies from all over the world, showing off the latest and greatest from some of the biggest brands in the industry, as well as the newest innovations from first time toy makers. It is a frenetic, four day celebration of play that has, for the last 25 years, been one of my favorite events to attend. Every year recently, I walk into the show knowing about all of the financial and logistical challenges the toy industry faces, and every year, i leave toy fair amazed at how well the industry is responding to them and full of hope and excitement for the year to come. This year is no different, and as our coverage will show, the future of the industry in both the long and short term is very bright indeed.
Before we get there though, it is necessary to “set the stage” with all of the big announcements and news that came out before the show began. So, here, in no particular order, are those announcements.
TMNT = TEENAGE MATTEL NINJA TURTLES
In what was without a doubt, the biggest bombshell of the lead up to Toy Fair, in December it was announced the Playmates and Viacom would not be renewing their licensing contract for Playmates to produce action figures based on the Teenage Mutant Ninjas Turtles property. This was a tremendous surprise, since Playmates has held this license for 40 years. So, then, of course, the question became: who WOULD get the license to become the next makes of TMNT Toys? The answer would come just before Toy Fair as the announcement was made that Mattel, maker of Barbie and Hot Wheels, would possess the Master Toy License for TMNT, beginning in 2027. This, of course, will add to Mattel’s already robust Boy’s Brand portfolio, which includes Masters of the Universe, Jurassic Park, WWE and, beginning later this year, DC (more on that below.) The license agreement is a multi-year deal and will cover the sequel to the Mutant Mayhem movie in 2027 and the new live action/animation hybrid series due in 2028. It’s expected more information will be revealed as the year goes on.
A NEW DAY DAWNS FOR DC
This one wasn’t a total surprise, since the initial announcement was the single biggest announcement of last year’s Toy Fair. For those who weren’t aware, last year it was announced that Spin Master and McFarlane Toys were losing their respective DC Multiverse licenses and the Master Toy License was being awarded to Mattel. Mattel subsequently announced that there would be two lines a “core” line will debut in late 2026, with a “collector” line debuting in 2027. The license encompasses different figure scales, play sets and vehicles.
So, where does that leave the previous companies? For Spin Master, the answer is easy, they are out of the DC figure business period. They have no more DC product in production or planned, and any product remaining on shelves will not be replenished.
For McFarlane, the answer has more layers. First off , the 66 Batman line is over. No additional figures will be produced. Second, the 7inch DC Multiverse line is over. McFarlane is able to continue releases in the line through the end of the year, but the license ends in December. A decision has been made on the continuation of Super Powers, which I will discuss in my McFarlane Toys Booth Report. But, the biggest question mark for the longest time, was the fate of DC Direct, which McFarlane had taken over management and distribution of. At Toy Fair, it was revealed that McFarlane will retain DC Direct and continue to produce new figures in the Batman: the Animated Series and Page Punchers lines, as well as statues and busts.
TODD OF WAR
Although this Toy Fair leadup was a bit more somber for McFarlane due to the impending loss of the DC License, McFarlane did not remain complacent heading into the show. Instead, the announcement was made that they had acquired the Sony PlayStation license. The first properties from this line would be from the video game series Helldivers. These products will available in the Spring. The next products, due in Summer, will be based on the God of War franchise. I am very excited about this license. The Helldivers’ figures look great, but I can’t wait to see what Todd does with God of War. This is a fantastic bounce back from the disappointing loss of the DC License.
Q-FIGS RETURN THANKS TO MCFARLANE
McFarlane announced the acquisition of the QMx brand, heralding the return of the popular Q-Figs brand, The relaunch of the popular small scale collectible will feature DC, Marvel and, of course, Spawn items. More details and images to follow.
PADAWER FOR PRESIDENT AT JAZWARES
The legendary founders of Jazwares, Judd and Laura Zebersky, announced their retirement this year, leaving the role of President vacant. It would take an extraordinary individual to fill such large shoes. Fortunately, they had such an individual on staff already. And so, the announcement was made that the newest President of Jazwares would be their current Global Brand Officer, Jeremy Padawer. Jeremy’s list of successes and accomplishments in the Toy Industry are too numerous to mention here, but from Mattel to Jakks to Wicked Cool Toys and finally to Jazwares, his business intellect and innate ability to detect trends has elevated the standing of any company and brand he has touched, culminating in being awarded the Master Toy License for Pokémon. Since joining Jazwares, they have also acquired the Squishmallows brand and license for Stranger Things. (Personal Note: I am proud to have been associated with Jeremy for 25 years and wish him the best in this exciting new chapter of his toy industry journey.)
LEGO SMART PLAY IS HERE AND BUILDING WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
At CES in Las Vegas, LEGO introduced their new SMART PLAY system, which utilizes a computer chip enabled brick, the “Smart Brick”, as well as special “Smart Tag” enabled tiles and minifigures to add lights and sounds to LEGO sets. The first examples of this new system and technology will be released in a series of LEGO Star Wars sets. This marks the largest innovation initiative LEGO has ever embarked on, encompassing years of development. LEGO has stated the smart bricks and tags can be used in any LEGO set, opening up new avenues of play for previously released products. The possibilities of this initiative are very exciting and the years to come will, I think, see this technology refined and expanded across several themes.
Those were the biggest stories heading into Toy Fair. Since, this is Plastic Buffet, think of those as appetizers. Now, it’s time for the Main Course: All of our Toy Fair booth coverage and photos. So, pull up your chair, tuck in your napkin, and dig in.
