Designer Toys and Smart Baby Gear Take the Spotlight at Shanghai Fairs

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: A visitor holds up her phone beside a looping toy racetrack at the China Toy Expo in Shanghai.

A collectible figure with a removable alien hood, wooden blocks inspired by Suzhou gardens and a voice-controlled baby cot are among the products on display at four linked trade fairs that opened in Shanghai on Wednesday.

Running through Friday at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Pudong, the event combines China Toy Expo, China Licensing Expo, China Kids Fair and China Preschool Expo. Together, they cover toys, character and brand licensing, baby products and early childhood education.

Organized by the China Toy & Juvenile Products Association, the four fairs bring together more than 2,600 exhibitors from 42 countries and regions, according to the organizer.

For those interested in designer toys, the displays range from character collaborations to collectibles with everyday uses.

Pop Mart pairs its Dimoo character with the three-eyed aliens from "Toy Story," adding a detachable plush hood secured by magnets. Another display features "Valorant"-themed collectible keycaps that can decorate a desk or be fitted to a keyboard.

Credit: Ti Gong

Caption: Visitors examine craft kits at the Mideer booth at the China Toy Expo in Shanghai.

Chinese cultural references also appear in the designs. Wooden building blocks borrow the framed views and layered perspectives of classical Suzhou gardens, while model-car brand Almost Real's ARbox collaborates with White Rabbit, the Shanghai time-honored candy brand, on a racing-themed design.

Interactive toys offer another focus. One sensor-equipped plant-pot toy responds when its plant is touched and includes voice-recording and tone-switching functions.

The licensing exhibition looks at how familiar characters and cultural collections become products, clothing and other merchandise. Its lineup includes "Zootopia," "Toy Story," Marvel and "League of Legends," alongside the Palace Museum, Dunhuang Academy and Sanxingdui Museum.

Baby products shift the emphasis from collecting to daily routines. Displays include a Mybaby cot combining a sleeping space, changing table and playpen, with electric height adjustment and voice controls. Nuna is showing a travel stroller that folds with one hand and stands upright when folded.

The preschool exhibition focuses on learning through play, including digital and game-based teaching tools and equipment designed for different stages of early childhood.