In less than a week, I will be leavin’ on a jet plane with RoboKillah to take the Big Apple by storm for the 2019 New York Toy Fair. While my travel history to the show over the years has been sketchy (what dingus decided that February would be a good time for a show in New York?), I still look forward to the trip every year because it is one of largest platforms for new toy reveals for the year. So, what am I really looking forward (and hoping) to see the most? Let’s see.
Like SDCC, Toy Fair is always a whirlwind, and if I did not take pictures of all of the things that I see, I would not be able to keep it all straight. I admit that I am like a big kid seeing all of the new hotness, and invariably, I am completely taken by things that I wanted to see, and wonderfully surprised by things I would never expect. Plus, I usually go in to the show thinking I know what will be the highlight for me personally, and every year it seems like something comes out of nowhere to surprise me with a “best in show” crown. That said, I am excited, hopeful, and anxious to see a variety of things. However, for the sake of a nominal sense of brevity, I am going to keep my most anticipated list to a solid five choices, knowing full well that I will likely have an overall different experience at the show. So, I will be back afterwards to talk about the experience and how it stacked up to this list.
So, here are the top five things I am looking forward to a Toy Fair, in absolutely no particular order.
NECA: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
You can feel it, can’t you? While I have had my amazing 1990 movie TMNT figures since last summer, they are just now shipping to GameStop stores so a lot more collectors are getting a chance to own them, and it is an absolute frenzy right now. That is pretty much the perfect hype train for NECA to ride into this show, and I cannot wait to see what they will be unveiling. Now, there are some very strong rumors about the cartoon versions of the Turtles and their foes (from the 2017 SDCC box set) coming to retail, and to be honest, that is where my real interest lies. Getting those as a lead-in to a cartoon line would be INSANE because the cast of characters is infinitely bigger than that of the first movie, and seeing the likes of Bebop, Rocksteady, Baxter Stockman, April, Splinter, and all the rest, along with the Dimension X figures already shown (Traag, Granitor, Slash, and Leatherhead) could easily make this potential line the hit of Toy Fair
Mezco Toyz: One:12 Collective (everything other than super heroes)
I have an admission to make, despite admiring them from afar, and constantly being intrigued, aside from a couple of exceptions, I don’t collect the superheroes from the One:12 Collective line. I know. I am bad and I should feel bad, but aside from that slick as hell Blackbolt and Lockjaw set I hope to learn more about, what gets me pumped for One:12, and what I collect the most, are the properties NOT affiliated with superheroes. Yep, Popeye is my runaway favorite One:12 figure, so I would LOVE to see more characters from that property get shown, but also the Pennywise (from IT), and some new potential licenses like Dick Tracy, or other surprises would really make me smile. Their showing is first thing on Saturday, so we don’t have to wait long, but that showcase could have the largest potential for awesome surprises.
Mattel: ThunderCats (Something? Anything?)
Yeah, this is the largest source of anxiety for me heading into the show. Back a PowerCon last summer, Mattel coyly teased that more ThunderCats Classics releases COULD be coming, but nothing firm was revealed. Since then, there has been radio silence, and Brandon Sopinsky, the Mattel designer and source fo the news at PC, recently announced on InstaGram that he is taking a new gig with Moose Toys. So, where does that leave this line and license that seem to be cursed? In an uneasy place, that is for sure. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want more TC Classics figures, but I am just going to stay steady and not get my hopes up, but be ready to be wonderfully surprised if something is announced. At any rate, I hope we get a yes or no at the show so we can either look forward to the future, or take the road to move on.
Jakks Pacific: Mega Man and World of Nintendo
I am not joking when I say that our Jakks appointment might be my most anticipated of the show. For real, it is right there at the top because I have been with the World of Nintendo line since the start, and Mega Man is my favorite video game, and an expansive classic line is my most wanted to anything right now. I am excited to see WoN because while it has taken on a definite Super Mario Bros. slant, I am perfectly good with that because there is a LOT left to do in terms of characters. The rest of the Koopa Kids (Iggy is so lonely) are my priority, but characters like Birdo and Daisy, and many more are still sorely needed. The recent figures have been really good, so I am ready to continue to roll with the hits, and I hope there are big plans.
Mega Man, on the other hand, has me all kinds of anxious. Jakks has given us some cool “8-Bit” figures of some of the classic characters, and they are rolling out figures based on the designs of the Powered Up show, but I want a classic action figure line so bad I can hardly see straight. It is simple: give us an expansive classic Mega Man line, complete with Robot Masters and supporting characters in the same spirit of the World of Nintendo line, and I will drive a dump truck of money up to your HQ, Jakks. PLEASE make this happen. The Jakks team posted on InstaGram that big Mega Man news was coming at Toy Fair, and holy moly this better be it!
Hasbro: Marvel and Star Wars
Yes, it is getting cliche to say that the Hasbro Collector presentation on Saturday is the highlight of Toy Fair, but damn it, it is always so amazing. While they pull out the big guns for a lot of properties, Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series is all I need to be completely dazzled, and like past years, I am ready to be blown away again. The Star Wars front has been a bit more quite as of late, so I am ready for some real surprises, but for Marvel, if even half of those retailer leaks are true (the 80th Anniversary figures, etc.) I am going to lose my brain. I mean, possible classic Colossus, and iconic versions of Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk? TAKE MY MONEY NOW. I love collecting ML and SWB so much, and every year seems to be better than the last, so my hype level for this presentation is already off the charts.
That is my list, but do not mistake me, I am still really looking forward to other things, too, like Super 7 MOTU, and whatnot. I hope this will be one heck of a show, and I cannot wait to brave the cold to see it all live and in-person. We have less than a week to go, and my body is ready!
