Recently, my mom and I attended the Chicago Toy and Game Fair. Celebrating toys and games of all shapes and sizes, the game fair is unique among other toy shows. It is aimed at families and inventors, as opposed to industry buyers. Held at Navy Pier, ChiTAG has been going strong for over 10 years. It’s not a great place to see what’s new in the doll world, but it is a fun event to attend if you’re in the Chicagoland area, especially if you have young kids.
Welcome to the Chicago Toy and Game Fair at Navy Pier!
The best thing about ChiTAG this year for us was that our friend Frances brought her A Girl for All Time dolls to the show. As far as industry friends go, Frances is the best! Plus, it’s always fun seeing A Girl for All Time dolls and their accessories in person! (You can see plenty of reviews on this doll line on my YouTube channel or here on the blog!) Live video from their booth found here.
There was only one other doll company at the show and that was Instant Glam Dolls. Instant Glam Dolls is a line of styling heads with a unique twist! Instead of just being able to style their hair, Instant Glam Dolls use innovative fastening technology that allow you to switch out hair extensions or change the hair texture and color whenever you’d like. This line was invented by a grandmother who thought it would be a fun thing for her granddaughters. A few years ago, she brought it to market. There are three styling heads available and accessory packs with more hair extensions to expand your play options! You’ll be seeing them on my YouTube channel and here on the blog soon!
Besides these two doll lines, the other things I found cool were mostly game related. Golden Bell Studios brought some of their games. They’re working on two Once Upon a Time games (a card game and a board game) and a heart like the ones used on the show (which I assume is a plushie, but am not sure). They also had the adorable Marshfellows.
I-Top by Goliath was pretty neat, too. It’s a play on an old classic- spinning tops. These spinning tops are decked out with a counting system to tell you how many turns your top has spun. It also keeps the ‘high score’ so you know what you need to beat for a new personal best or to play alongside your friends!
Here’s a few more photos from the show!
ChiTAG, while it isn’t attended by many large toy companies and usually has very few dolls on display, is a fun event for those in the area. Visit the website to learn more about The Chicago Toy and Game Fair. Share your comments about the toys in this post below. Do you have a show like the Chicago Toy and Game Fair in your area? Share it in the comment area!