The sound of screaming was the first thing we heard at the entrance to Play Fair, the new consumer event tied to Toy Fair (see "New Consumer Show Tied to Toy Fair") February 13-14 in the North Annex of the Javits Center in New York.  The screaming was the sound of hundreds of young kids having fun, what looked like the most successful aspect of the show.  While there were attempts to target a wider range of ages and interests, the turnout and enthusiasm was definitely at the low end of the attendee ages.

"Presented by" LEGO and Nickelodeon, the event included a wide range of sponsors and exhibitors, although the skew was definitely toward large companies, including Hasbro, Mattel, Marvel, Cartoon Network, Crayola, Bandai, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Warner Bros.  Activities included lightsaber training and Nerf fun from Hasbro, building a LEGO car and racing down a ramp, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle tunnels, Razor rides, the PAW Patrol slide, and lots of photo ops.

On the geek end of the spectrum were Midtown Comics, Toy Tokyo, and a small Artists Alley with Art Baltazar, Franco Aureliani, Abby Denson, Dave Roman, Matt Loux, and Misako Rocks!

Studio Catan was running game demos, although there was concern that the four-hour tickets (two sessions per day) kept attendees moving too fast and suppressed participation.

It was clear that some aspects of the event worked better than others; we suspect that by next year organizers, LeftField Media, will have figured out how to optimize the event for the largest possible audience.

For a quick virtual walk around the floor, click on the gallery below.