Ringing in the new (whew!)
Tough retail year behind us, it's full steam ahead
Maria Weiskott, Editor-in-Chief -- Playthings, 2/1/2003
Happy New Toy Year! Can't say that any of us mind seeing the old toy year out—except, of course, for at least one retailer whose moniker starts with the letter 'w,' but shall remain nameless, and which isn't really a toy store at all, and which enjoys revenues the size of a small-to-medium sized country, and on whose shelves manufacturers will do cartwheels to be…
But I digress.
Now, speaking of 'new,' there's lots of it going on here at PLAYTHINGS as we launch our centennial year.
The first is our Senior/Managing Editor Pamela Brill. No novice to the industry, many of you probably already know Pam and have enjoyed working with her in the past. A former editor-in-chief of Small World magazine, which is no longer a standalone publication, she is a career journalist with a wealth of experience both in and out of the toy biz.
After a recent editorial stint in the printing market, Pam says she's delighted to be back on the 'playing' field.
We also launch a new feature on the issue's last page: "Backward Glance." After all the positive feedback we received about our December Toy Stories issue—especially the "What were they thinking?" feature—we decided to return to our archives on a regular basis. We're sure you'll enjoy the memory lane voyage in every issue.
New this year, too, we will be presenting the full story behind a PLAYTHINGS Merchandising Achievement Award winner in every issue. While we announce the "Winners Circle" now on pages 28 and 29, we will report their individual stories throughout the year. The winners are being honored this month at the annual PLAYTHINGS awards dinner. This year's event is especially meaningful, as it is also our 100th birthday bash.
As for the rest of the industry, its new offerings are about to be unveiled at International Toy Fair, with a preview on the pages that follow here. Now while Toy Fair itself is just a few short days, it will last for an entire month on playthings.com. Between February 14 and March 14, just click on "Toy Fair A-Z" to find it all!
And to all, once again—happy new toy year. Let the fun begin!
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