Tag Archives: spin master

Scenes From Toy Insider’s “Spring Fling” 2024 @ Lavan Midtown (Part One)

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Last week, “The Chronicles of Piercing Ken” was in attendance for the first-ever Toy Insider “Spring Fling” Toy Preview. I shared the news about attending that same day over on Ken Pierce Media (HERE) and mentioned in that post that I wasn’t sure where the overall coverage was going to run. As it turned out, most of the products that I saw across the exploration would end up bein more suitable over here on “The Chronicles” with only a small bit of products falling under what the readers of PiercingMetal might expect. The new event would be held at a brand-new event space called Lavan Midtown. It was located way down on 42nd Street and I hadn’t been here before so was looking forward to it. When I arrived there were already a lot of people waiting to get in. The Toy Insider events are not open to the general public and fall under more of a trade show vibe and they invite a number of the “Influencer” crowd and some members of the press which is where we come in. Let’s get this party started.

event spaces, lavan midtown, lavan

Once inside and past the friendly signage it was time to get that exploring done. I am always curious about a new event since one never knows what to expect and this even applies to me who considers himself to be a pretty resourceful and seasoned convention and trade show attendee. In addtion to the Toy Insider events, I’ve been attending New York Comic Con, Toy Fair, NY Now and The New York International Auto Show as media for years. One gets good at this kind of stuff after all those shows but I digress. This is about The Spring Fling and not myself ;p

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Continue reading Scenes From Toy Insider’s “Spring Fling” 2024 @ Lavan Midtown (Part One)

2021 Toy Of The Year Winners Are Announced

the toy association logo

The TOTY Award Winners were recently announced in a first-ever virtual ceremony with the in-person event being impossible to hold due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. After a brief commentary by Toy Association President Steve Pasierb, the nominations were replayed and the winners announced. For ease of seeing who was up for what and who would eventually win the coveted award, I’ve left the original full list of nominations for your perusal. Now without any further adieu, here are the 2021 TOTY Winners…

ACTION FIGURE TOY OF THE YEAR:
Alter Nation Action Figure Assortment (Panda Mony Toy Brands)
Anime Heroes (Bandai America)
Batman 4 Inch Action Figures (Spin Master)
WINNER – Fisher-Price #ThankYouHeroes Line (Mattel)
Heroes of Goo Jit Zu (Moose Toys)
The Original Spawn Action Figure and Comic Remastered (2020) (McFarlane Toys)
Treasure X (Moose Toys)

COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEAR:
Blume Petal Pets (Skyrocket)
Charaction CUBE (Bandai America)
Hairdorables Hair Art Series (Just Play)
HEXBUG JUNKBOTS Large Dumpster (HEXBUG)
WINNER – LEGO Super Mario Character Packs (LEGO)
L.O.L. Surprise! Remix Hair Flip (MGA Entertainment)
Space Invaders Micro Player (My Arcade)
Continue reading 2021 Toy Of The Year Winners Are Announced

Exploring The Toy Insiders 2017 “Holiday Of Play”: Part 2

Well hello there and welcome back my friends, you have safely landed on another installment of my Toy Insider “Holiday Of Play” features. If you missed the first chapter that ran, you’re going to want to click HERE to see it. Much like my Toy Fair postings, I wander each booth with some focus to let their wonders shine through your computer or mobile screens. I’m starting off with a giant-sized version of the game “Ker-plunk”, I remember this as a kid but this giant one looks like madness.

the toy insider, holiday of play 2017

the toy insider, holiday of play 2017
Continue reading Exploring The Toy Insiders 2017 “Holiday Of Play”: Part 2

Exploring The Toy Insiders 2017 “Holiday Of Play”: Part 1

Hello my friends and welcome to this latest adventure. It wasn’t that long ago when we last spent some time with the folks over at The Toy Insider for their annual “Sweet Suite” event. If you missed that group of narratives just click HERE so you can see what it was all about.  The “Holiday Of Play” is a smaller event of theirs but in a sense even more impacting because its aimed at the products that they found to be the best in the marketplace.

the toy insider, holiday of play 2017

After heading up to the Penthouse of this Manhattan skyscraper, we were greeted by copies of the annual guidebook that they publish.

the toy insider, holiday of play 2017
Continue reading Exploring The Toy Insiders 2017 “Holiday Of Play”: Part 1

Sights and Scenes From The Toy Insider “Sweet Suite” 2017: Part 1

As a creative who’s been covering the American International Toy Fair since 2011, I must admit that it’s been a blast to expand the event narratives right here on “The Chronicles Of PiercingKen”. I decided to do that in addition to what goes up on PiercingMetal.com but this is about another event entirely for you see back back in 2016, I was fortunate enough to meet the kind folks at The Toy Insider

sweet suite 2017, toy insider, sweet suite

It was great to add this happening to my series of toy related narratives and while last years event was on a luxury yacht, this years showcase was down in the Chelsea Piers which according to Skeleton Pete has happened there a few times before. Giving this an overlook as we walked in to set up, it felt like this would be a better way to absorb the items being showcased since it was all on one level. With the yacht, you were on three floors and there was a chance to miss something by accident. One never wants to miss anything at an event like this when it comes to toys.

sweet suite 2017, toy insider, sweet suite

sweet suite 2017, toy insider, sweet suite
Continue reading Sights and Scenes From The Toy Insider “Sweet Suite” 2017: Part 1