New York Toy Fair is the time of year when toy companies big and small reveal what kids (and kids at heart) can expect to see on store shelves for the rest of the year. It’s a time of fun. A time of joy. And, in 2018’s case, a time of poop.
That’s right, poop. Caca. Doo doo. Whatever you want to call it, Toy Fair was covered in it. This includes major companies like Hasbro’s Don’t Step In It and Mattel’s Flushing Frenzy. While poop isn’t the core idea, it’s still prominently featured as part of gameplay.
Then there are toy companies like Basic Fun and Hog Wild. Basic Fun is going all-in on the poop craze, even creating a YouTube series to showcase all its different Poopeez characters. Hog Wild, on the other hand, had a golden toilet outside the company’s booth to attract guests over to another set of poop toys.
While these specific examples stand out, there were a number of other poop-themed toys from smaller companies that I saw at Javits Center. Like myself, I’m sure you’re reading this and wondering why companies are looking to the toilet for children’s toy ideas. The best answer seems to point to our cell phones.
According to this study by emojipedia.org, the ninth most popular emoji used during last year’s World Emoji Day (held on July 17, 2017) was the poop emoji. The poop emoji was also a featured character in The Emoji Movie , including being voiced by Captain Picard himself, Sir Patrick Stewart. That said, the emoji’s popularity may be decreasing, as the poop emoji currently stands at #116 on the popularity charts according to the real-time tracking website emojitracker.com.
Of course, another great reason for the popularity of these toilet toys can be summed up best in a line said by Frank Reynolds on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: “poop is funny.” Toys have been using gross-out humor for decades, as I’m sure many of our readers will look back fondly on things like the Garbage Pail Kids and Creepy Crawlers. Growing up, I played a game (and even developed a nickname I still use to this day as an online handle) from the game Big John. While weird, all of these poop toys are carrying on a legacy of bringing gross things into the house for kids to laugh over.
So what do you think? Are you on board with all the poop, or would you rather see it flushed away? What else would you like to see from this year’s Toy Fair? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
