For the first time ever, The New York International Toy Fair (which is a trade event not open to the public) is getting a “sister” Fair next door open to families and collectors to visit with manufacturers and play with some fun toys and games. Play Fair, which runs February 13th and 14th, will have a bunch of fun stuff for the young and the young at heart. One of these is a new, original… and limited edition… vinyl collectible.
Want to know all the details? Here it is, straight from Play Fair:
Play Fair is a celebration of toys and games, and we’re heightening the celebration with a brand new toy created just for us! Play Fair’s official mascot figure is a collaboration among a number of amazing artists, and the result is a fun, friendly new toy fit for everyone from kids, moms, and dads to the designer toy collector!
The Play Fair mascot figure’s original design comes from artist Paul Petyo, who also created the Play Fair logo, and was modeled by Michael DeFeo, a designer who’s worked on Despicable Me, Ice Age, and more, and the process and production was overseen by Brett Klisch, a toy maker with over 20 years in the toy industry.
The final figure is super cute, posable, and expressive – and would love to call your desk, shelf, or play room home!
WHAT’S ITS NAME?
That’s up to you! While we’ve created Play Fair’s official figure, it’s up to you to name it! From now to February 20, you can submit your names for our mascot – with the winner taking home super cool Play Fair prizes! Enter Now!
INAUGURAL EDITIONS
You’ll be able to take home two different versions of the figure at the inaugural Play Fair…
CYO (CREATE-YOUR-OWN) EDITION
A blank toy for you to fill with your colors and imagination Limited to 4,000 – $20
2016 EDITION
Play Fair’s official toy decked out in our logo’s colors Limited to 1,000 – $20
Both versions will be for sale at the Official Play Fair Show Store (Booth 401) – run by the world famous Midtown Comics! Wanna pre-order your figure now? You can reserve your toy on our Tickets page, and a 2016 Edition is included with every Weekend Experience ticket!
CUSTOM EDITIONS
We’re not done yet! We’re honored to team up with NYC’s Toy Tokyo gallery and toy store to present a collection of special, customized figures from some of the biggest artists in the toy world! Lev Levarek, Toy Tokyo’s founder, gave our blank toys to a roster of dynamic, electric artists, all you’ll see their results at Play Fair!
Peter Kato
Joohee Park
Dave Cortez
P.H.A.S.E.2
David Healey
Sucklord
UNBOX (a mix of Hong Kong artists)
Nathan Jurevicius
After Play Fair, the customs will be on display at Toy Tokyo, and they’ll ultimately be sold to benefit the Toy Industry Foundation.
FROM SKETCH TO TOY
Take a look behind-the-scenes at how Play Fair’s mascot figure came to life…
What do you think of this new vinyl collectible? I, for one, love the design and look forward to hopefully adding one of the 2016 designs to my collection, and maybe even pick up one to customize.
Who else will be at Play Fair? I will be attending both Play Fair and Toy Fair, reporting for PopVinyls.com and DisKingdom.com. Stay turned mid-February for some awesome toy and collectible news!
Living in the NYC area, Travis has grown up loving a multitude of things, from Disney to Broadway to the fine arts... and beyond. You can find him rambling on from time to time on PopVinyls.com, DisKingdom, and VinylmationKingdom.com as Feature Editor. He also runs the Vinylmation Kingdom Custom Swaps and is the Press Reporter for such events like the NY Toy Fair and New York Comic Con. Additionally, he is also an amateur puppeteer, avid movie goer, and carries his camera around wherever he goes.
