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| Power Rangers work with Kapla blocks at last year's Chicago Toy & Game Fair. |
By Vickie Jurkowski
Want to play a
game? Or two? Or three? Or 150? Just get ready, set and go make a play date
with toy and board game manufacturers and inventors when the Chicago Toy &
Game Fair arrives at Navy Pier this Saturday, November 17, and Sunday, November 18.
The 10th annual fair
will feature more than 150 games and toys. And they're not just sitting on a
shelf. They're for playing.
“At every single
booth you can walk in and play with what's in that booth and at most of them
you can also purchase the toys and games," said Mary Couzin, founder of
the fair and president of Lincolnwood-based Chicago Toy & Game Group.
Held in conjunction
with the city's Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade to celebrate the start
of the holiday shopping season, the Chicago Toy & Game Fair highlights
what's hot this year, including Hasbro's new Furby, Pony Royale princess ponies
by Razor, a Stars Wars version of Settlers of Catan and the new Skylanders. Don't forget to stop by Family Time Magazine's booth at the Fair for cool giveaways.
Most fairs
showcasing products right off the line are open to only industry insiders. The
Chicago Toy & Game Fair is unique in that it is open to the public,
encouraging not only holiday shoppers, but the next generation of game
inventors.
Attractions of a
giant scale will celebrate the fair's 10th birthday. Settlers of Catan, a
multiplayer strategy game, will have a board game measuring 9 feet by 9 feet
with playing pieces that are even bigger, Couzin said. Another giant attraction
is a 4-foot version of the dachshund from the Doggie Doo game that makes
farting noises and poops green slime.
Other participating
manufacturers include Calico, Kunoichi, Spin Master, Upper Deck, Mayfair Games, Joyce Johnson Designs, Grasp
Concepts, Kubit2Me, the Playmakers.
The fair, which is
expected to draw 20,000 visitors, goes beyond toys and games. There will be
stage entertainment by Radio Disney Party Patrol, a Young Inventor Challenge,
Star Wars Breakfast and Yo-Yo, Top Trumps and Settlers of Catan tournaments.
The fair also will
have opportunities for young inventors and educators. Teachers are
invited to the Games in Education conference from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Participants will earn credit and walk away
with free games for their classrooms.
“Probably our most
fantastic event is the Young Inventor Challenge,” said Couzin, noting this year's challenge is at an all-time
high of more than 200 participants from coast to coast.
Sponsored by
PlaSmart, makers of the PlasmaCar, PlasmaBike and Perplexus maze game, the Young Inventor Challenge on Saturday is
open to boys and girls ages 6 to 18 with an original toy or game to present to
industry executives. Last year's winner in the senior division received a
license for their invention, Couzin said.
“I hear from
inventor relations experts that these kids present better than professional
inventors because they get right to the point,” she said. “There's definitely
an art to inventing games.”
Couzin, a former
board game designer herself, initially held the Chicago Toy & Game Fair
during Labor Day weekend. After three years, she decided to move it to the
weekend of the Magnificent Mile parade and fireworks to tap into the start of
the holiday shopping season.
“People want to
know what’s hot for the holidays,” she said.
The Details:
When: Saturday, November 17 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, November 18
from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, in Festival
Hall A
Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for children 3 to 13; free
for educators,
librarians, scouts in uniform, military and media; free
for grandparents
Sunday, November 18
Parking: $18 in Navy Pier East Parking Garage
Information: (847) 677-8277 or www.chitagfair.com
Etc.: The nation's largest evening holiday celebration,
the Magnificent Mile
Lights Festival Parade along Michigan Avenue and
fireworks, will be Sunday, November 17;
visit
http://www.themagnificentmile.com/events/lights-festival/ for more
details.
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