Preview of the International Toy Fair 2020

Märklin, Schuco, Fulgurex and a few accessory manufacturers: The heyday of the International Toy Fair has been over for about ten years. And yet you have to visit it because this is where Märklin, as the biggest exhibitor, welcomes its international dealers and the media and Schuco is showing its 2020 novelties for the first time.

At Märklin the V 320 in "Wiebe" livery will be moving back and forth on the diorama. Except for small details, the model already corresponds to the series production version and was produced with parts from the finished moulds. I will publish photos tomorrow, Wednesday, already during the day.

Also on display will be the steam locomotive 241-A-65 from France in its final version.

A sample of the passenger train of the Gotthard Railway might be on display at Fulgurex. So far, only dummies in form of tin-plate models have been shown.

Protection against the Virus

Now that the coronavirus has already been identified in Bavaria and other parts of Germany, it can hardly be ruled out that the numerous Chinese at the trade fair or recent visitors to China may also be bringing the virus with them. Ernst Kick, Chairman of the Board of Management of Spielwarenmesse eG, said on request:

"We expect 360 Chinese exhibitors. One of them comes from Wuhan, for whom participation at the International Toy Fair is very unlikely. As a fair organization, we cannot control entry to our country and in this case we rely on the control systems at the major airports of entry and exit that have been tried and tested for years. The top priority for us as organizers is hygiene measures on site. To this end, we have increased the number of disinfectant dispensers on the exhibition grounds. All hygiene rules and precautions that apply anyway during the flu season will also apply in this case. We are in contact with the public health department, monitor the constant development and will take the WHO decision into account in our organisation".

According to the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute, most important is to disinfect the hands.

2843 companies will exhibit at the 71st Spielwarenmesse, 43 fewer than last year. 78 per cent of the companies come from abroad. Germany is still the largest contingent with 640 companies, followed by China and – believe it or not – Great Britain. Some 70,000 trade visitors came to Nuremberg in 2019.