The 75th edition of Spielwarenmesse unfolded as one of those rare industry moments where numbers, mood, and memory all aligned, helped along by the coldest winter setting in years and a steady fall of snow that turned ToyCity Nuremberg into something almost cinematic. From 27 to 31 January, 2,313 exhibitors from 68 countries filled the halls with an enormous range of products, ideas, and signals about where play is heading next, while around 58,900 trade visitors from 121 nations moved through the fair with visible energy, marking a 2.5 percent increase over last year. The anniversary atmosphere was everywhere, not staged or forced, but carried naturally by conversations, reunions, and the sense that this edition would be remembered long after the snow melted.
Despite a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, the industry mood was strikingly upbeat, almost defiant in its optimism. An impressive 93 percent of exhibitors rated their participation as successful, a clear jump from the previous year and a strong indicator of the fair’s continued relevance. Major global players leaned into the moment, with Mattel choosing the show as a platform for several international launches, while the Simba Dickie Group highlighted the consistently high quality of trade visitors. Florian Sieber’s comment that no other fair matches Spielwarenmesse’s international significance felt less like marketing and more like a shared consensus echoed across stands and meeting rooms. Visitor traffic from the United States remained robust, mainland China and Hong Kong returned in force thanks to a non-overlapping Chinese New Year, and notable growth came from Mexico, Turkey, the UK, and France, while Germany sustained its elevated attendance level. Media presence mirrored this momentum, with TV crews, national press, and content creators adding to the buzz, a dynamic Roger Kettler of Carrera Revell Europe described with obvious satisfaction.
Much of the fair’s creative pulse came from the ToyTrends, particularly “AI Loves (to) Play” and “Creative Mindfulness,” which moved beyond abstract concepts and into tangible products visitors could touch, test, and discuss. Alongside them, the “Toys for Kidults” segment continued its rapid rise, no longer a niche curiosity but a central growth driver. For companies like iDventure, the adult-play phenomenon proved transformative, culminating in a ToyAward win that brought both visibility and what Christoph Kossendey happily called positive stress. Longstanding exhibitors felt the shift too, with Leonard Mieg of Tipp-Kick noting a higher-than-usual frequency of specialist retailers from the DACH region, while voices from abroad, including Kathy Trivsonno of the US-based Astra association, reinforced the sense that this was a global must-see event rather than a regional gathering.
Licensing emerged once again as a structural backbone of the fair, visible not just in dedicated exhibition areas but in the License Lounge and the neighboring presence of Licensing International, which many now regard as the licensing industry’s natural home during Spielwarenmesse week. Petra Strobl of Licensing International Germany underlined how seamlessly licensing has integrated into the broader toy ecosystem here, a point reinforced by packed meetings and spontaneous encounters. Knowledge-sharing remained a defining strength as well, with the Toy Business Forum drawing strong attendance and the Value of Play Conference making a confident debut. Polish publisher Dorota Mazurek spoke of well-curated content and concrete market figures that carried directly into more meaningful trade conversations, while the Game Inventors Convention, now with international organizations participating for the first time, created a noticeable pull for the global game community, as Mary Couzin from the Chicago Toy and Game Group observed.
Networking, always central to Spielwarenmesse, reached another level this year, weaving formal meetings and informal encounters into a continuous flow. Many participants described it simply as the best networking opportunity in the toy industry, a sentiment captured by Lucca Liv of Denmark’s Unique Baby. Signature events like ToyNight, themed “Welcome to the Future,” and Thursday’s RedNight transformed the exhibition halls into social spaces where business, celebration, and curiosity blended naturally. René Bleckmann of Party Factory summed it up with refreshing directness, emphasizing how crucial these moments are for starting conversations, building partnerships, and celebrating shared success. Outside the halls, illuminated landmarks like the Kaiserburg and Frauentorturm added to the festive mood, and for some international visitors, the snowfall itself became an unexpected highlight, their first experience of winter in Nuremberg.
The strongest confirmation of the fair’s impact came not from quotes or atmosphere but from intent, with 90 percent of exhibitors already planning to return for the next edition in February 2027. Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG, captured the broader meaning neatly, framing the 75th edition as proof of the fair’s global leadership and its role as the central meeting point where inspiration, innovation, and networking converge. Walking away from this wintery anniversary edition, it was hard to disagree, and easy to feel that the milestone had quietly set a benchmark for what the industry now expects from its most important gathering.