Flashback to 10 Fun Finds from Toy Fair NY 2018

Flashing back to my favorite toys from Toy Fair New York, 2018! I'm already gearing up for this year's show, and I can't wait to tell you about all of the fun finds for 2019!!

The hottest toys from Toy Fair New York are all over the internet these days. Turn on any news station and you can see fun highlights from the show, along with the top toy picks for 2018. I had the great pleasure of visiting Toy Fair NY, and it was a blast!! I'm so excited to share my fun finds with you - toys and items that were unique, well-made, original, and fun. Oh, and feel free to revisit my picks from Toy Fair NY 2017, too! 

**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 16, 2019!**

I know the big name toy companies have some fantastic toys on the market this year. I've seen coverage of the newest toys by Hasbro, Mattel, LEGO and more. But this post contains my unique picks- the ones you might not see advertised on TV every day, but certainly deserve some recognition. Oh, and this is not a sponsored post, but it may include Amazon affiliate links to certain products. You can read more about my affiliate links on my disclosure page. 

1. Squishmallows by Kellytoy

I'll be honest. I loved Squishmallows long before visiting Toy Fair, and I scheduled the Kellytoy booth as one of my first stops because I was that excited to see what they had in store for 2018. What's so special about them? Well, they're not just stuffed animals. They're super soft and squishy, and something about that combination (along with MAJOR cuteness), sets them apart from other plushies. You can use them as pillows, couch pals, bedtime buddies, you name it! They come in a variety of sizes (clip-on 3.5", 8". 13", 16"), and two new sizes were introduced for 2018, including 5" and 20". Squishmallows come in a plethora of animals, as well as seasonal choices, too, and each one has a name and a distinct personality. Stay tuned to The Jersey Momma for more info about them, since I have some more Squishmallows blog posts planned for the upcoming months. 

2. Re-marks Harry Potter Collection

Every year at Toy Fair I find a new favorite vendor. Last year it was Sago Mini. This year it was the Re-marks booth with all of their super cute, super kawaii Harry Potter items. Mini puzzles, adorable bookmarks with awesome quotes, stickers, magnetic book clips and more, I just loved everything they had (and the people working at the booth were super friendly and nice, which is always appreciated- thanks, guys!). They also had other character creations, including Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and a Tokidoki line. The puzzles come in a little box that fits in the palm of your hand, and even better, they come with an adhesive backing so you can turn your finished mini puzzle into a work of art! Most of their products are available at Barnes and Noble, and I actually plan on heading there today to see what they have in stock. 

3. BigMouth Inc. - Inflatable Toys & More

Pretty much every pool owner I know has some kind of BigMouth Inc. product in their pool toy collection! Their adorable and creative pool floats are enough to make anyone squeal. From giant unicorns (that one pictured below actually has glittery confetti inside of it! You can find that on Amazon here), to fancy foods, you can't beat BigMouth Inc. for quality and style (there are a lot of knock-offs out there, and I can tell you from experience, don't bother! BigMouth makes 'em best). But this year BigMouth Inc. has introduced some fun new items, including a GIANT unicorn sprinkler (gasp!) and pool noodle floats designed to look like straws, markers and Smarties. SO fun!! BigMouth Inc. also has an entire line of mugs and crazy wine glasses, which I totally fell in love with. Umbrellas, inflatable drink holders, beach blankets, kiddie floats, inflatable coolers are just a few more of the fabulous items they offer. I could have played around in their booth all day!

4. Bonkers Toys - Slither.io and Maniapps

It's no secret that I'm a gamer, and I love apps like Slither.io and Cut the Rope (and The Jersey Momma's Boy loves Bowmasters). Bonkers Toys has created an entire line of awesome app toys, featuring some of your favorite app characters (Omnom, Slither, Talking Tom and more). I love their adorable Slither.io plushies, blind bags and squishies. Their new Maniapps line (due in stores this summer and fall), will feature blind boxes of your favorite apps (Fruit Ninja, Bowmasters, Cut the Rope, Temple Run, Goat Simulator and a ton more). The blind boxes will contain plushies and figurines, and they're super cute!! And if you're a fan of the You Tube channel Ryan's World, you'll be happy to know that Bonkers Toys has created an entire Ryan's World line of toys, coming to stores this fall. 

5. Calico Critters - Town Series and Blind Bags

How can you not love Calico Critters? Not only are they ADORABLE, but they're so well made with great attention to detail. Calico Critters is launching a new Town Series, as well as a blind bag series. The Town Series (pictured below) is really stunning. I could've stayed there all day photographing all of the little details in their display! From department stores to transportation trams, it looks like so much fun for Critters fans!

6. Gund - Pusheen and Our Name is Mud 

I love everything from Gund, and I know I featured them in my fun finds last year, but this year I was really excited to see that they had partnered with another New Jersey company called Our Name is Mud. The collaboration with Our Name is Mud resulted in some awesome ceramic creations and travel mugs, too. I singled out the Pusheen line because it was my favorite, but they have pieces featuring Gudetama and some other characters, too. 

I also loved the other Gund Pusheen items, including their adorable plush line and their blind boxes. The Halloween figurines also caught my eye because they were so super cute.

I also can't leave out Boo, the world's cutest dog (who has nothing to do with Pusheen). Look at that face! You can even buy him in different outfits!!

7. Playmobil - Ghostbusters Sets & More

Truth be told, I was not a huge fan of Playmobil in the past, as I always thought their kits were too similar to one another. But after touring the Playmobil booth I was totally blown away! They had character lines featuring Ghostbusters, Spirit, and How to Train Your Dragon. Some kits and items lit up or featured moving parts. Some were geared towards sports lovers (like their NHL sets). I was really impressed. You can even download their app and make the Playmobil catalog totally come alive (literally, the sets will look like they are coming off the page when you look at them through your phone. It's totally amazing).  

The Playmobil modern house was beautiful. Look at it below, and the attention to detail! So pretty. 

8. Insectlore - Eric Carle Line & Ladybug Land

I've been using Insectlore products for years now (you can see some of them in my How to Raise Monarch Butterflies post). They are most well known for their painted lady butterfly kits (which I've used and love), but did you know they sell other kits, too, like Ladybug Land and Praying Mantis Case holders? Also new this year is their collaboration with Eric Carle. They'll be selling an entire line of Eric Carle themed kits (so you can actually raise your own "very hungry caterpillar!"). So cute, right? I'm hoping to feature some Insectlore kits in a separate review post, so stay tuned for that!

And just so you understand how easy these kits are and how much I love them, here's a shot I took last year of one of the painted ladies I raised through an Insectlore kit:

9. Loungefly Bags

Loungefly was recently acquired by Funko, so their incredible bags were displayed side by side with some of my favorite POP! Vinyls at Toy Fair. Disney characters (like Stitch, Ariel, Monsters, Inc and more) as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars. There was also a Sanrio line that made me feel like a little girl again! They were just SO cute and so funky. Check my social media channels for a video of the Star Wars collection, or scroll below for some photos from the show.

10. Chalk of the Town 

And, of course, I have to give a shout out to Chalk of the Town, which I featured here at The Jersey Momma a few months ago (I even held a giveaway- you can read my review here!). Chalk of the Town sells high-quality t-shirt kits (and I know because I tried them out myself) that you can write on and wipe off with a flourescent chalk marker. The possibilities for designing your shirt are endless! 

Also Noteworthy

I could go on and on about the cool products I found at Toy Fair New York but we'd be here all day, right? So here are just a few more to highlight (some of which were featured in my fun finds from last year, too).

Plus Plus 

Check out the mini maker tubes from Plus Plus and their new sets in various sizes. Love them!

Scentco - Backpacks and Crayola Line

Everything Scentco makes is scented! Do I need to say more? Even the pillows! Even the backpacks! It's like taking a heavenly sniff back to the sticker collecting days of the 80's!! 

Klutz - Maker Lab Kits

Klutz always makes fantastic kits, but their new line of STEM inspired Maker Lab kits really hit it out of the park! Kids can make their own gumball machines, circuit robots and so much more. 

B Buddieez - Playhouse & Storage Kits

I featured B Buddieez in fun finds from 2017, but now they've joined forces with some of your favorite characters and you'll be able to find Scooby Doo and Teen Titans B Buddieez just to name a few. But I really loved their little storage kits and Playhouse Kits where you could store the little B Buddieez that you collected. There are also options to put them on bracelets or even wear them on your shoes!

So that's my round-up of fun finds from Toy Fair New York (TFNY) 2018! I also included some Amazon links below, in case you wanted to check out any of the items on your own. Stay tuned for more posts about the Toy Fair, and special features about some of the brands you see mentioned here!