Toys Take Over The Javits Center For 117th Toy Fair New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Toys are taking over the city.
The largest toy fair in the western hemisphere is happening this weekend at the Javits Center in Manhattan.
CBS2's Nick Caloway took a look at the latest and greatest toys of the year.
The sprawling 117th Toy Fair New York has filled the Javits Center with fun and games for all ages. It features hundreds of thousands of toys and hosts more than 25,000 attendees.
At this year's Toy Fair, tech is big, reported CBS2's Nick Caloway. And not just tech that helps kids have fun, but also lets them learn.
That includes a virtual reality science lab from Abacus Brands.
"It's 'edutainment,' they call it. We're mixing tangible play with immersive technology to kind of create that second layer of learning," said Steve Rad of Abacus.
There's also the latest from Crayola's line of games for kids, which combines art and science.
"What we do is we infuse arts and creativity into all these products. Giving kids the ability to understand the what, the why, and the what-if," said Scott Zelachowski of Crayola.
There's also functional, with a side of fun. Like a BriteBrush interactive toothbrush that lets kids play games and makes sure they actually brush their teeth.
"So you can't fool it. I have to brush correctly," said Davin Sufer of Wowwee.
Then there's a new take on the classic bubbles that are kid powered, and battery powered.
"We have all these new toys, too, like these ones in my hands. The Magic 3-in-1. Lights, sound, and bubbles," said Maggie Hood of Little Kids.
For bigger kids, there's ax throwing -- without the axes. They use plastic and velcro instead of actual ax blades.
There's even robot birds that can fly.
The fair offers a sneak peak at the hottest toys of next year. Some of them are not even on store shelves yet.
"So everything being shown at Toy Fair is going to be coming out throughout the rest of this year, into the holiday season. Some of the toys won't be on store shelves until the fall," said Kristin Morency Goldman of the Toy Association.
So keep an eye out for those toys in stores near you soon. You never know which will be the hot item of 2020.
The Toy Fair is attended mostly by those in the toy trade, not the general public. It runs through Tuesday.
For more information on the Toy Fair, visit toyfairny.com.
