The American International Toy Fair 2008 was certainly an eyeful - colorful, crowded and full of new and exciting toys of course! I had a wonderful time walking through the aisles and absorbing it all. The mood at this year's Toy Fair was pretty optimistic, considering the toy-related adverse events of last year. However, there was a strong undercurrent of toy safety running throughout the fair. One thing that immediately struck out at me was the large number of "Made in USA" toys being promoted!

So, let's take a quick look at the trends of this year's Toy Fair:

• Eco-Friendly Toys (Green Toys): This was the biggest thing that popped out at me at this year's Toy Fair. There were lots of manufacturer's advertising green toys, earth friendly toys, toys with a "nature" related theme, toys based on wildlife etc. Surprisingly (or not so), I had predicted accurately that this was going to be a hot theme this year. Check out my previous articles on Eco-Friendly toys and Organic Toys written before Toy Fair.
• Made in USA Toys: This is another of my predictions which I saw run true at Toy Fair. I noticed several "Made in USA" toy manufacturers during my tour of the Toy Fair. Here's my previously written article on Made in USA toys. More toys to be added soon.
• Play 'n' Exercise Toys: Many toy companies are now promoting toys with "active" play, which are toys that make your youngster move. Most of these toys are electronic, either to be connected to your TV, DVD or just used with an electronic controller.
• Toys with a Virtual Component: More and more players are jumping on the "virtual world" bandwagon. I guess everything is becoming linked to the internet nowadays.
• Toys with Technology/Interactive Toys: This has become a pretty standard feature in most of the toys we see nowadays. The trend continues this year too. Lots of learning laptops, interactive books, interactive games, interactive toys... the list goes on.
• Educational Toys: I found that there were some really great educational toys for kids at this year's Toy Fair 2008, both with and without the technical component.
• Traditional/Classical Toys:Old classics still rock! There were lots of traditional toy manufacturers at this year's fair. Also, lots of brands including Lego, My Little Pony, Mary Meyer, etc were celebrating their anniversaries!