Behind the Scenes at Toy Fair 2016

Welcome to the World of Creativity!

The North American International Toy Fair, also known as “Toy Fair” is an annual event where hundreds of exhibitors launch new products in the toy industry. Closed to the public, this our opportunity to invite retailers and the press to see the hottest new products coming to the market. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look from the Faber-Castell® USA booth where we launched new products and celebrated company anniversaries:

ANNIVERSARIES

Creativity for Kids® is 40!

“When Creativity for Kids began in 1976, it was the first creative activity kit in the marketplace to really encourage and develop childhood creativity,” said Jamie Gallagher, CEO of Faber-Castell USA. “To see how these products have evolved and continue to inspire kids of all ages is something we’re extremely proud of.”

Encouraging children’s natural creativity has been the driving force behind the Creativity for Kids product line for the past 40 years. The original Creative Art Bag debuted at the 1978 International Toy Fair in New York City. Its memorable burlap bag design held a treasure trove of materials that gave kids permission to explore their creativity without boundaries.

“When you give a child the right tools and the freedom to discover, imagine and create, it’s amazing to see what happens,” said Phyllis Brody, Co-founder of Creativity for Kids. “They innovate, problem solve, and ultimately have fun while learning skills that will prepare them for the future.”

A celebration of this scale wasn’t complete without a few exciting surprises.

Sunday morning we hosted a breakfast for our customers, sales representatives and media that included delicious yellow-themed frosted donuts from Carlo’s Bake Shop (aka Cake Boss).

Sunday afternoon we continued the celebration by surprising Phyllis with a spectacular 3-tiered cake presented by Mauro Castano from Cake Boss. The cake will be unveiled on an episode later this year.

Highlights from the celebration:

NEW PRODUCTS

Creativity for Kids introduced 10 new craft activity kits:

Light-Up Heart Marquee

Light My Bike Basket

Light-Up Doodle Art

Hanging Around Unicorn

Make Your Own Light-Up Water Globe

Wee Water Globes, Flower Fleece Pillow

Create Your World

Plant Peace

Pom Pom Rug

See them all here.

Faber-Castell Premium Children’s Art Products launched three new products:

Do Art Word Art

Color by Number T-Rex Foil Fun

Color by Number Emoji Pop Art

Coming soon – two new Paint by Number Museum Series kits! Look for Kandinsky Concentric Circles and Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers in July.

Toy Fair also marked the public debut of a new brand of craft kits for aspirational tweens and teens – CRAFTIVIY™.

Watch this video of the new line and products: