Flashback to 15 Fun Finds from Toy Fair 2017 : Stay Tuned for This Year's Show Coverage!

Toy Fair New York 2017 was everything I dreamed of and more. I walked through oceans of adorable stuffed animals and hugged life-sized versions of my favorite characters. I saw stickers, toys, electronics, educational games, collectibles and prototypes. I learned so much about the world of toys! So what should I do with all of this new and wonderful information? Share it with you, of course!!  Here are 15 of the coolest, most awesome finds from Toy Fair 2017.

**Don't forget to stay tuned to The Jersey Momma and my social media channels for coverage of this year's Toy Fair New York, beginning on February 18, 2018!**

I'm flashing back to all of the fun things I saw at Toy Fair New York, 2017, the industry's premiere event for toy manufacturers, toy companies, and pretty much everything FUN that you can think of. I can't wait to tell you about what I find for 2018 (starting on February 18th!). In the meantime, check out last year's fun finds!

Just so you know, this is not a sponsored post. I chose these items from the Toy Fair because I totally loved them and I thought you would, too. This post does contain my Amazon Affiliate links, which you can read more about on my disclosure page.

Now, on to the cool stuff! There's a lot to see and read about here, but I always design my posts for easy reading, so you can scroll to find what you're looking for if you're pressed for time.

1. Sago Mini

Sago Mini was hands-down my favorite booth at Toy Fair. Their products are based on the popular Sago Mini app games (have you seen them? SO cute for preschoolers!!) and were innovative, high quality, original items. Their line ranges from portable playsets and playmats, to plush, quilts and books.

I was totally enamored with their portable playsets. They can fold up and all pieces are self-contained. I especially appreciated the detail and quality of each piece, as well as the bright, enticing designs. Although they are geared towards preschoolers, I can even see an appeal for older children because of the imaginative play possibilities.

Friends are always asking me for birthday gift ideas, so here you are! I think they're so ingenious. If playsets are not your thing, they also offer quilts with special pockets for stuffies!

Or puzzle mats with pop-up pieces. Play vehicles are coming soon that can be used interactively with the mat, too!

Their line of bath toys debuting in the Fall even features bath squirters that can come apart for washing!! You can find their current products through my Amazon Affiliate links below, or use Sago Mini's store locator to find them near you.

2.  Mrs. Grossman's

Mrs. Grossman's has been near and dear to my heart since the 1980's (you might recall reading about my love of stickers in my Pipsticks post). I was thrilled to see some of the innovative new products coming from Mrs. Grossman's, like these cute sticker friends. They actually make a great gift for teachers, too (I know I would've loved to have one of these on my desk when I was teaching).

Their new Puffies were perfect for decorating your phone or tech devices. They work best on smooth, hard, non-greasy surfaces like plastic, metal, paper, glass or composites. Their little gold edges make them highly decorative, and you can decorate planners and other items in fun patterns.

Speaking of patterns, my FAVORITE item at Mrs. Grossman's was their Sticker Kaleidoscope kit. Coloring books are all the rage these days, and this is almost like a sticker version of a coloring book. Or think of it as a sticker-by-numbers! Once your kaleidoscope design is made, you can frame it and hang it on  your wall. Makes a great gift, too!

3. Scentco, Inc.

I have always loved Scentco's line of delicious scented pencils (cleverly called Smencils) so you can imagine my excitement when I came across their booth, which was adorned with SCENTED PILLOWS!!! Squeal!!

There aren't even words to describe what they smelled like. And not in a gross, artificial way. These had a pleasant smell, much like the scented scratch and sniff stickers from the 1980's.

Mmmm, pineappley!

Scentco had other amazing products, too, like Smarkers and Smickers (scented stickers) and scented activity sets. But the pillows were just...ahhhhh.

4.  Klutz Activity Books

Klutz has a great reputation on the market. Their craft books for kids are always a hit with friends and the possibilities are endless. I loved seeing some of their latest designs (coming soon, so be on the lookout for them in stores near you). My favorites were the Make Your Own Pinata book...

...And the Circuit Clay book! Can you imagine making your clay creations light up?

There were some wonderful sketchbooks that were scented or you could decorate them yourself with this cool puffy paste (it was like cake decorating for books!).

And as if all of these aren't cool enough, throw this Make Your Own Lego movie book kit into the mix! It teaches you how to make your own stop-motion animation just like The Lego Movie, using an app on your phone. I was able to see a sample-made movie and it was hysterical. The book you see below is not available in stores yet and is an advanced copy, so the basic design of it may differ from what you eventually find in stores.

5. Play Dirt and Floof

Yes, I know there are lots of kinetic sand type products on the market and a lot of them are messy and after a while, a little boring. But hear me out on this one. Play Dirt and Floof were in a class by themselves. Play Dirt seriously looked like actual, real dirt at first glance. But the cool thing about it is that it's totally dry in consistency.

It's moldable but not grainy. If you dropped a clump of it on the floor, it doesn't splatter around in grains the way kinetic sand does. Kind of hard to explain- you'd have to feel it for yourself. Play Dirt comes in little kits with barn animals and bugs, and was a lot of fun to drive tractors through!

Floof was similar, but white and looked like snow.

There was even a color changing version that changed color right in your hands! The best part- it NEVER dries out. Never. Wowee!

6.  Educational Insights

When I was a teacher, I loved Educational Insights products and all of their educational play toys. They were particularly well known for having awesome multiplication practice toys (which they still do- check out Math Trekker). I loved their selection of board games, which promote higher level thinking and problem solving.

Wiggle, Waggle Whiskers was like a physical version of dots and boxes (which never gets old, really). It's great for a variety of ages, too.

And this Crazy Cereal had light up spoons to tell you what color to find in the cereal bowl!

Robot Face Race would be great for classroom centers - in fact, any of these games would!

And Educational Insights also has an entire GeoSafari Jr. line, with bug vacuums and talking microscopes that are perfect for budding young scientists.

Their 'My First Talking Microscope' features the voice of Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin.

7. Plus Plus

I loooooove Plus Plus. Seriously, it's one of the best building toys out there because you can do so much with them. I love how they fit little fingers and that you can build three dimensional images and flat, mosaic pictures, as well. They come in a myriad of colors in these cool tubes and packages, and now they're going to be sold with base plates, too!

Plus Plus makes a larger size for preschool hands, too. Since I am on the Chick-fil-A Moms Panel this year, I think they are the perfect choice for a Chick-fil-A Kids Meal prize. Look how you can shape them into a little cow! Wouldn't that be a great idea, Chick-fil-A?

8. Tutti Frutti Modeling Dough

Tutti Frutti is an award winning company from Canada with scented modeling dough. They come in a variety of scents with adorable packaging, and they almost look like yogurt containers!

We tried out the bubble gum scented one and it was SO COOL! The smell was definitely strong, so I highly recommend it for sensory play.

9. Buddieez

There isn't much I can say about these little Buddieez guys except how cute they are. You can wear them on little bracelets or clip them to necklaces and shoelaces. You can even purchase little playhouses for them and playsets, too. I like that you can trade them with friends or make matching bracelets.

10. Fluffables

Fluffables are a new line from the Orb Factory. Craft kits will allow kids to create their own little fluffy character, which they can 'fluff and trim' to their liking. Some packs will come with a 'mystery accessory' like eyeglasses or a mustache!

It was pretty simple to make, although when I tried it at their Toy Fair booth I accidentally stuck the fur in the tail hole. Oops! It was easily to fix, and quite typical of me. Hee hee.

11.  Magformers House Pack

Magformers have been a favorite in our house for years, so I was super excited to see the house accessories added to their line of toys. Now young builders will be able to add doors, windows, and other house accessories to their creations!

I tried to flirt with Mr. Magformer to see if I could find out what else they have in store for 2017, but he remained pretty tight lipped.

12. Gotta Getta Gund

I don't even know where to start when it comes to the amazing plush being offered by Gund. Along with their adorable Pusheen line of plush, there's also the new We Bare Bears line...

And the new outfits for Prissy and Pop pig!

They have an entire new line for babies called Little Me...

As well as soft, plushie tummy time playmats for babies!

And don't miss their animated plush, which is surely the biggest hit at every baby shower. This elephant not only played peekaboo with his ears, but also sang, 'Do Your Ears Hang Low' while wiggling his ears around!

13. Funko Pint-Sized Heroes

I am addicted to collecting Funko, that's no secret. I love their Pop Vinyl line (check out the new Dr. Seuss Pops and Kingdom Hearts below).

But I think kids will especially love collecting their Pint-Sized Heroes, which feature many of their Disney favorites.

14. RAK Rabbit

RAK Rabbit is an awesome concept, plain and simple. If you were at the Toy Fair, you might have run into RAK Rabbit, walking through the crowds to meet people and spread Random Acts of Kindness (get it, R.A.K.?). RAK Rabbit is a family tradition that helps empower and inspire children while teaching them about kindness all year through, not just at Easter. Stay tuned for an in depth post about RAK Rabbit, and a giveaway, too!!

15. Automoblox

I hesitated to write about Automoblox by Play Monster in this post because they didn't seem very eager to talk to me at the Toy Fair. In fact, it was pretty hard to get into their booth without an appointment. But The Jersey Momma's Boy is such a huge fan of the Automoblox line and they are really cool cars, so I figured I'd mention them. Each car is made of wood, plastic and rubber tires, and they can be taken apart and reconfigured. They're interchangeable with other models of Automoblox, which leads to endless possibilities. I loved the sleek design of the emergency playset.

Noteworthy for the Holidays: Noel Shuffle

Although the holidays are months away, keep this little set in the back of your mind! It's called Noel Shuffle, and it's a fun new family tradition for any age! The set comes with these cute plush gingerbread kids that spell out NOEL. There's also a book inside, and an explanation of how you play the game. There's a sweet family story behind it, and you'll have fun switching the letters around each holiday season for sure!

Look for more of my posts coming soon about the ToyFair, including articles highlighting certain brands and products. It was so much fun to visit and there were so many things to see, I can't possibly contain it all in one post!

And here are some more of my Amazon Affiliate picks from the Toy Fair!