The Government of India is conducting country’s first Toy Fair that will be hosted virtually over a period of four days between February 27 and March 2, 2021.
Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated India’s first toy fair and talked to many toy makers. He said:
“In the field of toys, India has tradition and technology, India has concepts and capabilities. We can take the world back to eco-friendly toys, bring our stories of India to the world through the computer games of our software engineers.”
PM Modi again shared his vision of building a new Atmanirbhar Bharat by the year 2022 to mark 75 glorious years of India’s Independence. He said:
“A new India that will merge the best of tradition with a modern, global outlook.”
India’s local toy & games industry is set to play a crucial role in realising these aspirations.
PM Modi appealed to local toy makers to use their skills in creating sustainable toys for the whole world:
“Today I want to appeal to the toy makers of the country to make toys that are good for both ecology and psychology! Can we try to use plastic at least in toys? Use recyclable materials.”
Speaking about their participation in the event, Vivek Goyal, Co-Founder and CEO, PlayShifu, said told media:
“The Indian toy market, estimated at approximately $1 billion, is growing by 10-15% every year. Educational/STEM toys account for over 30% of all toys. More parents are investing in smart toys that are both fun and educational. We are thrilled to have opportunities like the Toy Fair 2021 that help Indian companies ride these trends.”
The website for the India Toy Fair 2021 was launched on February 11 and will enable children, parents, teachers, exhibitors, etc. to register themselves to participate in the virtual toy fair which will showcase various facets of the Indian toy ecosphere.
In addition, the Government of India has also launched ‘Toycathon’, an online toy hackathon for innovative toys/games concepts.
“Toycathon-2021 is conceived to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualize novel Toy and Games based on Bharatiya civilization, history, culture, mythology and ethos.It has seen a great response from toy loving students, teachers, start-ups and toy experts/professionals.”
Currently, India’s toy market stands at around 1.5 Billion USD, which primarily is dominated by imported toys.
