100 Years Of Fun

(NEW YORK, NY, February 16, 2003) And to think it all started with seven guys gathering in a small hotel lobby in lower Manhattan to capture toy buyers on their way to Europe. For 100 years, Toy Fair has been the showcase for American toy manufacturers to show off their wares for the coming year and saw the evolution of toys as we know them. With the toy industry encountering challenges such as the current state of the economy and Toy Fair being more of a media event than ever, many companies decided to skip the gala or downsize their presence this year. In Hasbro’s case, the 23^rd St. lower east side exhibit room was not as extravagant as in past shows, with the focus being more on their own branded lines rather than the licensed properties, such as Star Wars. The Star Wars line, which was a fairly small display in the showroom, was previewed earlier in the week via a general press release. Although the display was only a small portion of what's planned for 2003, it did include a nice sneak peek of their upcoming Clone Wars assortment, which  Hasbro decided not to tour for collector media due to the line still in the process of being finalized. Hasbro does plan to showcase Star Wars 2003, as well as their Wizards of the Coast offerings, in a much grander fashion in the very near future. Stay tuned for more details on this special event as well as a Hasbro supplement to our Toy Fair coverage.

In the meantime, Galactic Hunter gets the lowdown from your other favorite Star Wars licensees. LEGO thinks big and small in 2003 with the release of the much wished for AT-AT set and a second wave of mini-vehicles. Over at Master Replicas, we get the skinny on the new Darth Maul signature series lightsaber and the first non-weapon replica offered by the company: Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Training Remote. Dark Horse Comics and Gentle Giant Studios offer a preview of their sure to be hot Clone Trooper mini-busts, which feature interchangeable limbs and accessories as well as three rank variations. There's also the new kid on the block, Code 3 Collectibles, who have big plans in '03 to release a newly licensed line of Star Wars die-cast collectibles. We'll also be adding other items and news as we receive them, including miscellaneous shots from the Javits Convention floor, so keep checking back in our Toy Fair Image Bank for  newer updates. Without further delay, we present Galactic Hunter’s coverage of Toy Fair 2003!

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