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On Tuesday 26th January 2010 I visited The Toy Fair for my first time. Aside from the ridiculous amount of Ben 10 and Toy Story 3 toys on view, the lack of seating and the humongous queue for food at lunch, the day proved to be fascinating – giving me a real glimpse into what toys we will see over the next year.
Perhaps Who fans should be worried about the fact that only about 3 stands in the whole place had any Doctor Who products on them?... Actually I think not. The one thing I really picked up was the real emphasis on quality that the BBC is pushing, and the real belief the BBC has that Doctor Who will return bigger and better than ever.
For the BBC this isn’t Series 5. For simplicity it’s not even Series 1. It’s Series 11.1 – the first series with the Eleventh Doctor. It’s a new start for the brand just like in 2005, but this time they can have even more confidence that it will work and that there will be viewers out there.
So then – what were these three stands? Well Character Options was the first, and the one most of you will be interested in, but I’m afraid it’s all so hush-hush I can reveal nothing (sorry!). However there is still exciting news from the two other stands...
Imagination Games
Doctor Who + Boardgames = A bit boring to be honest. That’s been the general equation since 2005 I think we can all agree.
However I have hope that Imagination Games will change this. I can’t tell you much because frankly there’s not much to tell, the front of the boxes is about all that’s been developed so far I think, but I can tell you that I spoke to the Managing Director of the company about them and what he said gave me a lot of confidence.
He himself said that most board games so far have been disappointing for fans, and haven’t gripped the general gamers market either. They are developing two games, one designed for the whole family and one for younger people to play with friends, with fans in mind in the hope that they can produce something very special but also very fun. I know most game companies would have this aim, but he said it straight off and with conviction – so there’s some real hope there.
Watch this space...
 
Wow! Stuff
I know ‘Wow! Stuff’ for their Wallace and Gromit products and, without a doubt, their strongest asset is the time and imagination they put into developing products.
So imagine my surprise when I saw a whole load of Doctor Who stuff from them as well! No pictures are allowed I’m afraid, but they had a whole range of pieces – some more impressive than others.
Some of the interesting-but-not-essential items included a hologram machine that creates an image of the Dalek Supreme you can see but not touch (very cool effect – though perhaps not essential!), a Cyberman head that uses the well-known optical effect of eyes that follow you around the room, a TARDIS money holder (roll up a £5 in a plastic TARDIS keyring), and a sounds keyring.
Some of their more impressive items include a Davros Plasma Ball (!) an Adipose stress ball, a Sonic Screwdriver pen, a Sonic Screwdriver lifesize model which includes screwdriver attachments and K9 and Dalek desk patrollers - they glide around but won’t fall off a surface or hit any items. The Dalek one was not on display however... I wonder why not...
Just one note about these however – they’re very early prototypes and I would not be at all surprised if we don’t see them all go into shops.
Conclusion
Doctor Who will return bigger and better than ever – and secrets are everywhere – but if there’s one thing I took from the day it was immense hope. Don’t be worried – the quality all round is looking excellent – so just get excited and start saving up madly!!!
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