ToyFest West 2019: Toys make their debut in Las Vegas — VIDEO
Retro products in retro packaging. Action figures from upcoming movies and animated shows. Toys that can be opened with a surprise element.
These will be among the attractions at ToyFest West in Las Vegas, according to Bill St. John, president of the Western Toy & Hobby Representatives Association.
“The major licensed products from the following movies: ‘Toy Story 4’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Lego’, ‘Angry Birds’, ‘Minecraft’ and ‘Pokemon’ will be big draws,” he said.
The show runs Sunday through Tuesday at South Point and is expected to host 421 exhibitors and almost 900 attendees, according to Show Director Carrie Scanlan.
“With Toys R Us closing down a lot of its U.S. stores, it feels like it may have hurt the manufacturer toy industry a little but specialty toy stores (who shop at ToyFest West) are able to pick up some of those lines because they have increased local sales,” she said via email.
Founded in 1961, the show has grown over the years and is now recognized as both the second-oldest and second-largest toy trade show of its kind in the United States, Scanlan said.
This year marks the show’s seventh annual in Las Vegas.
Contact Nicole Raz at nraz@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Follow @Nicole0Raz on Twitter.