The Tucson Toy Show has the distinction of being one of the last major entertainment events to happen in the city before the world shut down in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We held it the first weekend in March,” said Phoenix-based show promoter Neil Kotler, who, with his business partners, took over the toy show from the Tucson Miniature Auto Club in 2019. “A week later, things started to hit.”
Now, two years later, as COVID numbers drop across the country, the Tucson Toy Show is set to make its return to the Tucson Expo Center, Sunday, March 6.
Kotler, who runs several shows in Arizona, including Arizona Toy Con in Glendale, said organizing the event has been a rollercoaster.
“We usually start planning the show over the summer,” Kotler said. “But who the heck knew what would happen back then? Two months ago, people were wondering if omicron would be bad or not. Now, everybody and their sister has had it. We had many meetings where we would ask, ‘Should we commit?’ “
Kotler and his team are cautiously optimistic about the Tucson Toy Show as the omicron wave has subsided and numbers remain, for the time being, relatively low. He said plans for this show have been coming along better than expected. Around 430 tables have been reserved. In 2019, they had more than 500, but Kotler expects there to be a last minute surge in sign-ups.
“The majority of vendors are back, plus new people,” he said. “We have some Canadian vendors who aren’t coming and snowbirds who won’t be here. Otherwise, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference from last time.”
For toy collectors, or just family’s looking for a fun way to spend a Sunday, that means row after row of toys ranging from modern Pokemon figures, comic books and Funko Pop characters to vintage and antique toys from the 1980s, the Atomic Age and going as far back as the early 20th century.
“There is something for everyone,” Kotler said. “You can buy really high-end collector toys, or, if you have $5 in your pocket, you can still go home with a little bag of stuff.”
The Tucson Toy Show will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tucson Expo Center, 3750 E. Irvington Road. Admission is $10 for adults and free for children 10 and younger (limit two kids per general admission). Visit facebook.com/arizonatoyshows for more information.
