All aboard for Toy Fair

On the last Wednesday of January I set off on my annual trip to London Toy Fair at the Docklands to see what new gadgets and gizmos are set to light up the faces of little ones across the country this year – and ultimately what the 2009 Dear Santa letters will be politely (yet persuasively) asking for.

Someone must have decided I was owed a few good turns because two miracles occurred between Didcot Parkway and London Paddington; a parking space right outside the train station (and it was raining), and one lone seat on the train that other passengers seemed to dismiss but was free according to the nice lady I sat next to.

On the journey I got my head down and started writing a proposal for a client. With the countryside whizzing by and no office distractions the ideas were coming thick and fast. I love to handwrite ideas, so being away from the computer was a nice change.

Before arriving at the station I checked my tube route on my spangly new (but soon to be returned) phone (grr Vodafone), and packed up ready to hit the underground.

On arrival at Excel I headed straight for the Greenhouse section; an area dedicated to nuturing small and start up companies. This is where you can often find the best innovations and exciting new ideas.

Having spent the morning speaking with some of the newbies in this area, two in particular stood out.

Oball from Crazee Thingz, a dishwasher safe squashy ball made up of lots of holes, which has recently won a number of parental awards. A free sample proved a huge hit with my own six month old – being easy to grab hold of, and most importantly chew!

The second was My Wondercube. Suitable from birth and based on a very popular play pattern, this soft ‘tissue box’ contains fabric squares (like tissues), velcroed together to be pulled out by a curious baby. Cleverly, My Wondercube are introducing add on packs of number and letter squares to add an educational aspect to the toy.

I also stopped by to see Barnado’s who were hosting a charity crazy golf game provided by Urban Crazy. Although I didn’t have appropriate shoes on for a quick round, I spoke with a very nice gentleman called Ray about their plans for 2009.

I was amazed at the sheer number of projects Barnado’s has going on, including The Spark Centre, a fantastic venture for disabled children from birth to 19 in London which provides after school, early evening and weekend activities amongst other services.

Did you know, Clinton Cards donates £1 to Barnado’s for every iTunes gift card sold in their stores, so for the music lovers out there, this is an easy way to help a very worthwhile charity.

All in all it was a great trip. Alongside my meetings with toy manufacturers and distributors I met up with someone I consider to be a mentor and friend, Nic of Jammy Rascals. We team up on projects where I work on PR and Nic on areas including marketing, product development and distribution. He always has a million and one ideas on the go and is working on some really exciting projects at the moment.

I also passed a familiar face from years and years ago, and after an hour or so realised it was Sam, a family friend who I hadn’t seen for nearly 20 years. After a quick call to super sleuth and queen of the internet, my mother, we found a mobile number. I called and we had a great catch up. To say he was surprised when I called is probably an understatement. Sam is a furniture and product designer

Toy Fair was quieter this year than previous years, and although the loss of Woolies and the struggles facing many toy companies was clearly front of mind, this is still a fantastic show case of new and exciting toy ranges in the UK.

My prediction for top selling toy this year – I’m holding out for the big one – I was it to be environmentally friendly, yet with the excitement of the trashiest, nosiest toy - the ones that children love. I want it to have a jaw dropping effect but be purse friendly. Expecting too much? Let's wait and see!