NEW YORK, Oct. 8 -- More than 30 leading toy and game companies will unveil their holiday lines and retailers will predict this season's best-sellers at the upcoming PlayDate 2001 media showcase in New York on October 16 at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The annual event is sponsored by PlayDate Inc., a privately owned independent marketing services company that tracks the toy and game industries in the U.S.
PlayDate 2001 will feature the newest toys and games from a variety of companies including Acclaim, amazon.com/toysrus.com, Bandai, Cranium, DSI Toys, Fisher-Price, Hasbro, Huffy Bikes, Imagiix, Irwin Toy, K-B Toys, K'NEX, Leapfrog, LEGO, Mattel, MGA Entertainment, Nintendo, Playskool, Radica, Rockstar Games, Scholastic, Spin Master Toys, Take-Two Interactive, THQ, Tiger, Toy Biz, Toymax, Toys 'R' Us, Trendmasters, Uncle Milton, VTech, Warner Bros., Wizards of the Coast. Exhibitors are also joining together to donate thousands of toys to Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.), a non-profit organization that is currently facilitating holiday gift donations to New York area children impacted by the World Trade Center tragedy.
"PlayDate 2001's 'sneak peek' at the hottest toys, games and licensed properties for the holiday season promises to be fun-filled and informative," said Sean McGowan, co-founder of PlayDate. "For the third year in a row, PlayDate will be early to market with the hot trends in toys and games and predictions for the holiday season's 'Hot Sellers'. Last year it was scooters, electronic dogs and extreme sports and we'll find out what it will be this year at PlayDate 2001."
PlayDate 2001 will feature retailers' predictions of:
- Overall Best-Selling Toys
- Best-Selling Toys Sold in Specialty Stores
- Best-Selling PC Games
- Best-Selling Video Games
- Best-Selling Video Game Hardware
- Best-Selling Brand Family
Plus:
- Celebrities and their favorite toys
- Toy and video game demonstrations
- Expert perspectives on industry trends
- Harry Potter's World of Toys -- featuring brand new products from this top license
About PlayDate
PlayDate 2001(SM) is an exclusive media showcase highlighting the best selling toys and games for the coming holiday season, as predicted by the nation's top retailers. Retailers are surveyed by PlayDate Inc., a privately owned, independent marketing services company tracking the toy and game software industries in the U.S. PlayDate Inc. compiles the survey results at the end of the third quarter, identifying those toys and games expected to be the best selling products during the holiday season.
Its principals include toy and game industry veterans Sean McGowan and Jon Salisbury. McGowan's knowledge of the toy industry has been gained from his 15-plus years as an award-winning research analyst covering the toy and video game software industries with the New York investment bank Gerard Klauer Mattison (GKM). Because of his stature as a research analyst and his role in creating PlayDate's annual events, McGowan is nationally recognized as an industry expert and is frequently quoted by print and broadcast media. Salisbury is the long-time publisher of toy industry periodicals such as World Toy News, and a host of numerous toy industry events in Europe and the U.S.
