Vanpires.

The 1997 American International Toy Fair is where an estimated 20,000 toy manufacturers, licensers and buyers came to wheel, deal, and play with toys. Exhibitors set up showrooms in the New York Toy District (23rd Street and Fifth Avenue) and the Jacob Javits Convention Center. After seeing so many men in business suits, I had to keep reminding myself that we were here to see toys! But if there was any question that the toy industry is big business, figures from the Toy Manufacturers of America estimate $20 billion in retail sales in 1996 alone.

So what happens at Toy Fair anyway? Buyers come to check out what toys they want to buy, licensers come to find licensing partners for their properties, toy manufacturers come to attract both potential licensers and buyers. Fortunately, there were things to remind us that Toy Fair was indeed about the business of play. And play is a serious business. On the scene, scoping out the latest in animation-related toys for AWM, I saw The Mask keychains, plush Scooby and Scrappy dolls, and even a board game you play while watching cartoons . . . all while speaking to some of the biggest names in animation-related merchandising.

The Tail Wagging the Ghost
Harvey Entertainment Company and Trendmasters co-hosted an industry reception to celebrate the launch of Harvey's new toy line and pre-view the up-coming Casper direct-to-video release. (Trendmasters is the master toy licensor for Harvey character franchises including Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich, Baby Huey, Hot Stuff, Little Audrey and Wendy the Good Little Witch.) At a reception to celebrate the partnership, I decided to talk to the most approachable-looking guy in the room wearing a Harvey name tag. This approachable-looking guy turned out to be Harvey President and CEO Jeffrey Montgomery.

Montgomery (now 32) took over the then-dormant Harvey at the ripe age of 24. His goal for the company is to re-introduce the Harvey stable of classic characters to a new generation of fans, Casper being the first. Following on the heels of the successful Casper feature and # 1 rated Fox animated series (co-produced by Universal Cartoon Studio), Harvey will release Casper, The Beginning, in September '97. A co-production of Harvey and Saban, Casper's non-theatrical release will allow delivery of product to the fans within a year's time, instead of two. Casper was first produced by Famous Studios as theatrical shorts. Harvey Entertainment bought the rights in 1958.

Montgomery believes that a high-quality, animated show is humor based, not merchandise based and must operate on two different levels; "If it doesn't make me and my friends laugh; then it's not going to make children laugh either. Casper is not designed to be a half-hour commercial." With Casper scheduled for a fall 1997 release, Harvey Consumer Products Division is now gathering new licensees and preparing for heavy promotions with both major fast-food and beverage companies. Look for Casper on the most recent Cap'N Crunch Boxes featuring an offer for a Casper Squiggle Giggle Pen (a motorized pen that makes wiggly lines--one of which I am now proud owner.)