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On the Floor with Core: Toy Designs You Should Know About from Toy Fair 2018

By Flo Peters - March 9, 2018

Toy Fair is an annual toy industry trade show held mid-February in New York City. The event is open to industry only and is the largest toy trade show in the Western hemisphere. It's the place to be if you're an up and coming studio trying to get your big break and where the big studios show off their new toys for the coming year. This was my second year at the fair, and I saw a lot of exciting new booths and some familiar faces.

DIY culture and customization were very present in toy designs this year. Modern toys are all about how a child can really make the product their own. There was also a focus on space-saving items to please parents living in small spaces. Kids are notoriously bad at cleaning up after themselves, so many products try to make the clean-up process easy and fun.

A big trend across the whole fair was getting kids interested in programming. STEM has become a big theme in a lot of kids education as we enter further into the digital age, and the toy industry is jumping on board. Designers seemed split down the middle in terms of how we should be handling the large amount of technology kids are exposed to these days. Half of the educational toys focused on reducing screen time; getting kids off screens and learning in real life. Others took a more optimistic approach to screen addiction—kids are going to look at screens anyway, so we might as well teach them something while they do.

Magnets have always been cool to kids (and honestly adults). This year I saw some really creative uses of magnets in everything from stuffed toys to building blocks and robots. As a designer myself, it gave me hope—sometimes it can feel like everything innovative has already been done with classic ideas like magnets, but there is always a new application out there waiting to be thought of.

Core 77 Toy Fair 2018
Core 77 Sago Mini / Pillow Playsets Utility for Parents, Fun for Kids: Sago Mini is an an example of a company that is really thinking all the details through and nailing it! All their toys aim to please parents and preschoolers alike with space saving, portable designs and fun creative accessories.
Core 77 Sago Mini / Pillow Playsets These awesome Pillow Playsets, available Fall 2018, turn your couch into a kitchen, doctors office, or dollhouse! The sets have fun pockets that reveal hidden surprises and accessories like a frying pan and food items.
Core 77 Sago Mini / Pillow Playsets The Pillow Playsets can be quickly tucked away, perfect for families where space is limited. Designed with a black and white neutral exterior, the pillows fit beautifully into any room.
Core 77 Sago Mini / Portable Playsets Sago Mini doesn't limit their playsets to the couch though. Inspired by Moleskine notebooks, their portable sets come fully loaded with figurines and accessories that all pack up into the playhouse.
Core 77 Sago Mini / Portable Playsets Perfect for trips, the sets come with a built-in handle that's easy for kids to carry. Once you're ready to play, the sets provide lots of explorative play and silly surprises behind flaps. Check out their site for more fun
Core 77 Thought Full Toys / Modarri Modarri cars are another great example of a really well designed toy. The company started on Kickstarter and found success with their durable cars that can be taken apart to mix and match colourful parts.
Core 77 Thought Full Toys / Modarri They have real suspension springs on the wheels and are driven around by putting your finger into the driver's seat.
Core 77 Thought Full Toys / Modarri Putting these cars together was so satisfying as each part fit perfectly together. It's impressive how much variety there is in the designs while still being seamlessly interchangeable.
Core 77 Thought Full Toys / Modarri Coming in March, you can also get an all white Modarri set that comes with paints so you can pimp your ride.
Core 77 Thought Full Toys / Enduro Enduro is a new line from the makers of Modarri that include a durable truck and a classic looking race car.
Core 77 Thought Full Toys / Enduro The race car even has a leather seat for your finger to sit in. Pre-Order them on their Kickstarter here
Core 77 3Doodler Start 3Doodler is getting them young! Kids can use the 3Doodler Product Design set to design and customize their own unique watch, phone case, phone speaker amplifier and more.
Core 77 3Doodler Start These sets use the 3Doodler Start which is designed specifically for kids 8+. There are no hot parts, it uses low-heat BPA-free plastic that you can draw directly onto your skin with. The plastic is even biodegradable, so when you need to make room on your desk you can just bury your 3D recreation of the pantheon in the backyard.
Core 77 3Doodler Creative There is also the 3Doodler Create, which is more geared towards young adults and up. It's their most popular option behind the Start and the tricked out Pro version, which comes with all kinds of crazy stuff like wood filament.
Core 77 3Doodler Creative The Create definitely provides more precision, and once you get the hang of it, you can make some pretty neat stuff.
Core 77 Moluk All the toys by Swiss studio Moluk work together as a family of products. Charming and abstract, Moluk toys are a shining example of what modern toy design can be.
Core 77 Moluk / Boi Boi is a simple spinning toy with a fun silicone head. It appeals to children's natural curiosity and defies the trend of hyper gendered toys.
Core 77 Moluk / Boi
Core 77 Half Toys Half Toys are simple and adorable. They are plastic animal figures that split in half, revealing a skeleton.
Core 77 Half Toys These dinos are encouraging kids look at their toys and wonder what's inside.
Core 77 Half Toys Figures come with a small environment and foliage.
Core77 Fat Brain Toy Co. / The Off Bits The Off Bits are a construction toy that uses real nuts and bolts. The idea came from using the scrapes laying around a workshop to make something new
Core 77 Fat Brain Toy Co. / The Off Bits The building set gives kids real tools and allows them the option to add elements with hardware they have at home.
Core 77 Fat Brain Toy Co. / The Off Bits Interestingly enough, these toys have lead to a penpal relationship between kids and grandparents. The child will build something and then send it to a relative who can add on and send it back.
Core 77 Inventor Blocks Inventor Blocks embrace the fact that when you give a kid a toy, sometimes they just play with the box. Their simple modular design means kids can build anything they want.
Core 77 Inventor Blocks The cardboard construction blocks flatpack for easy storage and can be colored on for extra flair.
Core77 Strawbees Strawbees is bringing play and curiosity into the classroom! Learn about electricity while building robots with straws and connectors.
Core77 Strawbees Strawbees encourages kids to explore for themselves rather than follow instructions. The goal of the building sets is to teach design, construction, electronics and programming.
Core77 Strawbees The sets come with a motor that is interchangeable between builds, and they can even be powered by bananas!
Core 77 GeoSmart GeoSmart takes the trend of magnetic building blocks one step further with their DIY Robots.
Core 77 GeoSmart This is the Mars ExplorerRC robot
Core 77 GeoSmart The Moon Lander RC robot can flip over onto it;s back set of wheels
Core 77 GeoSmart We also got a look at a prototype for a gear set that can build an automated marble run.
Core 77 Primo / Cubetto Cubetto by Primo introduces coding to babies, with wood not screens
Core 77 Primo / Cubetto Kids 3+ use wooden blocks to program this cute little wooden robot
Core 77 Pai Technology / Circuit Conductor The Circuit Conductor, by Pai Technology, was a great example of the trend of toy+tablet integration. It teaches kids about electricity, currents, and magnets with modular games and puzzles.
Core 77 Pai Technology / Circuit Conductor Once you complete a circuit, take a picture in their app and view the electrical flow in real time. Pai Technology has other products also aimed and fusing traditional toys and screens, like AR storybooks and coding robots
Core 77 Turing Tumble Turing Tumble is another Kickstarter success. Players build real, marble powered computers to solve logic puzzles.
Core 77 Turing Tumble
Core77 Turing Tumble Instead of instructions, Turing Tumble comes with a graphic novel that takes you an adventure with Alia the space engineer. Pre-order it now on their Kickstarter
Core77 Merge / AR/VR Goggles Kids want the latest tech too! Merge AR/VR goggles are made from kid friendly foam.
Core 77 Merge / Cube As an accessory to the goggles, the Merge Cube creates holograms and games you can hold in your hands!
Core 77 Merge / Cube
Core 77 Pop n' Play Pimples Pop n' Play Pimples is another take on a product we are weirdly into
Core77 Take some of your political aggression out on these splat balls.
Core77 Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty We had some fun with this Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty that you can draw on with UV light!
Core 77 Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty We had some fun with this Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty that you can draw on with UV light!
Core 77 Ogo Sport / Glove A Bubble We talked to the creators of Glove A Bubble, and the idea was simple: combine the bubble wand with a more interactive movement. What wasn't easy was keeping the price point low enough to make the product viable.
Core 77 Ogo Sport / Glove A Bubble What they settled on was the Glove A Bubble—fun, cheap, and in a Target near you.
Core 77 Ogo Sport / Glove A Bubble
Core77 FAO Schwarz FAO Schwarz had a great booth to promote their new flagship store opening at 30 Rock this year.
Core77 FAO Schwarz FAO Schwarz had a great booth to promote their new flagship store opening at 30 Rock this year.
Core77 FAO Schwarz The booth had a lot of references to the movie Big, like the Zoltar Speaks.
Core 77 FAO Schwarz Also available in mini form
Core 77 FAO Schwarz We loved the "Nostalgic Model" for these bumper cars
Core 77 FAO Schwarz We also indulged ourselves with some Heart and Soul(It's a lot harder than it looked in the movie)
Core 77 Casdon / dyson vacuum Now you and your kid can have matching dyson vacuums thanks to Casdon.
Core 77 Monkey Mat Monkey Mat is a lightweight picnic mat that folds into a small pouch.
Core 77 Monkey Mat An smart feature are the loops at the center for parents to clip baby toys and turn it into a play mat.
Core 77 Monkey Mat It also has weighted corners to keep it in place during windy outings. Check out all their other products
Core77 Roooz Planet Roooz Planet's creator says "There are too many Monkeys and Donkeys," so he created a line of really unique stuffed toys.
Core 77 Roooz Planet This character is called Bellli
Core 77 Roooz Planet
Core 77 Roooz Planet Some of these plush friends are piggy banks, cell phone stands, clocks, even shirts.
Core77 Gund / Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki fans will be excited to know that Gund is expanding its line of characters from Studio Ghibli films. Totoro, featured here, is a fan favorite but they are also introducing plushies from other films like Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Spirited Away. See if they have your favorite characters
Core 77 Gund / Gudetama Gund is also the official plush for Gudetama, the wildly popular lazy egg character from Japan. He has a constant case of the Mondays and a cute butt.
Core 77 Gund / We Bare Bears These little guys are the stars of the Cartoon Network show We Bare Bears. The three bear brothers like to travel in a stack, so Gund has made these plushies magnetically stackable!
Core 77 Gund / Snuffles Snuffles is not a new toy—the design is actually the oldest on the Gund product line. It's unique crescent shape body means that when you hug it to your chest it smiles up at you. Gund has given Snuffles a new ultra-plush fabric that is so soft it's hard to put down.
Core 77

Flo Peters

Industrial Design student at Pratt Institute '19
Current toy enthusiast—future toy designer.

2 Comments

Ryan Hamilton

a year ago

Z

1Z

Reply

Hey Flo - great recap! We were exhibiting there, and you spotted lots of our great neighbors (Moluk being my personal favorite). Next year you should come to Nuremberg for Spielwarenmesse - that show makes NY Toy Fair look tiny!

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- Flo Peters
  
  Ryan Hamilton
  
  a year ago
  
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  Thanks Ryan!
  
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