SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Weather Proof
Chicago Toy Show Battles Elements, Toys Stand Tall
By Tom Bartsch

Never question the heart and desire of toy collectors and toy dealer.
Just like the postman, neither rain nor wind nor cool temperatures could stop thousands of toy lovers from converging on the Kane Co. Fairgrounds in St. Charles, Ill., for the Chicago Toy Show April 28.
Throw in the facts that the Chicago Toy Show has been around for nearly 30 years and the April show kicks off the first of the three shows held at the fairgrounds each year, and 		you have the perfect mix for a toy reunion. And what a reunion it was, according to show promoter Dale Kelley. Dealers and collectors gathered from around the world to renew acquaintances and talk toys. If they had to hop a few puddles along the way and zip up the coat, so be it. After all, another "find" could be in the next building.

William Adorjan showed off a fine collection of Tootsietoys. He said his Graham vehicles were quite popular with owners of the real automobiles.


Chicago Toy Show Upbeat Despite Unpleasant Weather

Classic Fisher-Price toys joined Marx tin vehicles at the booth of Yesterday Toys

picking up five or six pieces by mid-morning of the show.
John Eisner strolled the grounds, answering some questions on his Rocket USA products at Cory Glaberson’s Reel Art booth. Displayed at the
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"Considering the weather and current economy, I thought things went very well," said Dale Kelley. "Everyone was fairly upbeat."
He said that most dealers got in before the rain on Saturday, and attendees just had to contend with the wind on Sunday-- minor inconveniences to seek out desired toys.
"To have a show of this magnitude in one building would be unmanageable," Kelley said of the current spread of numerous buildings and pavilions across the fairgrounds
Kelly said while all three shows attract a goof number of dealers and collectors, the April and October shows generally draw larger crowds than the June show.

April Delights
Indeed , the April show provided many treats for attendees, and many of the big hitters in the collectibles world were also present.
Randy Inman and Bill Bertoia were on hand touting their upcoming June auctions. And plenty of dealers could be the stars of those auctions with their fine selections of vintage toys.
Cast-iron horse-drawn toys, pressed steel trucks, tin wind-ups and old advertising memorabilia starred in the main building, which housed many of the high-end vintage items.
JoDan’s Antiques of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, had an impressive display of sand toys by Ohio Art and Chein, Ho Allers said they do about 25 shows 		    Sand bags were overheard clamoring to get inon the fun of this sand toy found at JoDan'sAntiques booth at the Chicago Toy Show. booth were prototypes of a new Homer Simpson tin toy and a Krusty the Clown jack-in-the-box.
Pedal cars, Buddy L trucks and Tonkas filled the Toys for Boys booth, run by Jerry Holthe. He
a year, but not many toy shows. However, she said the antique toys she does offer sell well at the Chicago Toy Show.
Offering a wide variety of Tootsietoys, trucks and tin cars was William Adorjan. He said his Grahams were selling quite well with those who owned the real thing.
Robert Johnson of Comet Toys tried a new location at the show, and the move paid off in a big way. He said he sold half his robot inventory by early Sunday, making way for new offerings to be released in a month or so.
Joe Soucy of Seaside Toys was on a mission to buy quality lunch boxes. He said he succeeded, 		said he had a great dealer day on Saturday, with plenty of interest from collectors on Sunday who wanted some trucks to replace the ones they destroyed in the sandbox. The pedal cars were overheard aching to get their wheels wet in the puddles.
Thankfully some got their wish, as happy collectors rode off with new treasures.

See You Next Time
The Kane Co. Fairgrounds await two more Chicago Toy Shows this year, with the next show being held June 23. For information on the show, including hours and exhibitor information, visit www.chicagotoyshow.com
Jerry Holth of Toys for Boys said business was brisk at the show, with high interest in pressed steel trucks like this Buddy L sample.

Thank You
Toy Shop would like to thank all those who stopped by our booth at the Chicago Toy Show. We received some useful feedback through our surveys and conversation..
Unfortunately, due to great demand, we ran put of T-shirts, but Toy Shop raincoats and calendars helped fill the bill. Hope to see you all again at the June 23 show.


Editor Searches for 'Perfect Man' at Chicago Toy Show
In search of the perfect man. That’s what part of my trip entailed as I ventured to the Chicago Toy Show recently.
Before you get the wrong idea, let me tell you that "the perfect man" was either going to be Mr Patato Head, Changeable Charlie or a flocked-hair Ken doll.
These toys were on my "want" list as I combed the dank aisles of the swine building, among others, at the Kane Co. Fairgrounds. But not even a muddy, damp
Toy Shop Editorial Director with
her Chicago Toy Show finds.		 I allowed myself a modest budget of $50, although I was certain I could find something I wanted. I already own a slim collection of Mr. Potato Head toys, but the few boxes I spotted were incomplete or damaged. Strike one.
I became enamored of another wacky "face" toy called Changeable Charlie when columnist Mark Rich recently wrote about the toy. I did find a striking Mint in box example for a mere $20, but once I strayed from that booth, I never returned. Strike two.
Tables of Barbie and Ken dolls pulled me in, as well. I’ve always quietly coveted the first Kens,
    up a rainbow of residence on my kitchen wall. I found two playful additions at the show -- a Wolverine board depicting a goofy monkey game and a Marx Midway Shooting Gallery, Exact price $50 for both. I was pleased... damp, hungry and headachy, but pleased.
Moral of my story? Well, there are several.
1. Eat breakfast. Having a substantial breakfast would have given me more power to push an Oldsmobile out of 6 inches of mud. Plus, I wouldn’t have had to eat a substandard hot dog to ward off a low blood sugar attack.
2. Be prepared to alter your focus. While I was focused on finding several specific toys, I didn’t lose sight of other toys I might want. Don’t fixate so much on one item that you overlook other unique or cool deals.
3. Negotiate. I’m not great on this, but I did effectively negotiate on one of my purchases.
Sunday (and a sinus headache) would quell my enthusiasm.
After trudging ankle deep in mud (I had to push my friend’s car into a parking space ), Sharon the collector ( not Sharon the editor ) began her quest. I was there purely as a toy buyer, free from the constraints of having to take notes, shoot photos and schmooze with dealers...although I did some of the latter anyway. Just habit, I guess.
     with their fuzzy flocked hair and aloff stare. Still slightly outside my budget, I passed on one or two less than Near Mint examples. Strike three.
Dedicated as I was, I was unable to make a connection with that "perfect man" at the Chicago Toy Show. I guess I was going to have to find another way to spend the $50 that was burning a hole in my pocket.
While some of my other collections have grown appreciably in recent months, my focus of late has been tin gameboards. Brightly-lithographed examples by Pressman, Wolverine and Marx have taken 		      I felt the other board was fairly priced already, so I didn’t even bother to barter.
All in all, amid weather woes and mucky Doc Martens, I had a great antiquing weekend at the show. Now I just have to find a little more space on my kitchen wall for my finds...





ANYONE WHO HAS EVER attended the Chicago Toy Show and witnessed its numbers has some
idea of the impact this event has on the peaceful, semi-agrarian suburb in which it is held.
The airlines and rental car companies unquestionably profit, and on a more regional level,
hotels fill to bursting and restaurants and pizza deliveries call in personnel reinforcements to
cope with the demand. Everyone in St. Charles, Illinois knows and appreciates the Chicago Toy Show, as it translates to one whopping payday for locals. But what the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Have you ever stopped to think how the exodus of so many high profile dealers affects the toy business in Small Town, USA? I hadn’t given it much thought until Dan Davis of Reno, Nevada, who had set up his incredible display of cast iron vehicles at the April 30 show, made a humorous remark as I was


snapping a shot of his booth. I had rounded a corner in the Main Building just before the gates were opened to the public at 8 a.m. and there, before me, was a cast iron toy collector’s paradise, with a sign that said ‘Dan Davis--Reno, Nevada."
"I don’t believe it--you found all these great toys out in the middle of the desert?" I asked.
Dan grinned and retorted, "Who says there are no toys in Nevada? There are plenty of toys in Reno--except when I’ve left town.
It made me stop to ponder the toy drought that must befall, in particular, the ‘provinces’ across our land when the Chicago show takes over the business, three times a year. But the flip side of the coin is that the sum of the parts is greater than the total. You take the best toy dealers from 40+ states and more than a dozen foreign countries, deposit them in the middle of a rural patch of turf usually relegated to a county fair, stir in a few thousand toy-hungry customers to get the cash flow going, and you have the recipe for one phenomenal day of trading whose trickle-down effect ultimately benefits the collectors back home. That’s how it went down this time around, and even the weather cooperated, with blue skies and moderate temperatures combining to produce an idyllic backdrop.
I usually start my rounds of the show in the Main Building, where you’ll find the highest concentration of antique items. Having just seen the 1988 Jeff Bridges movie Tucker: The Man and his Dream ( most writers are awake at three in the morning ), I knew exactly what I was looking at when I encountered the unmistakable tin shape on Ed Snowden’s booth. It was a red toy Tucker...but how could that be? They never made the car. "Its one of a kind--a Marx prototype," the Niles, Ohio dealer
informed me. Then he flipped the car over to show me the designer’s paint strokes underneath indicating it was made in 1947 at the second Marx plant in Glen Dale, West Virginia. "I got it from the man who bought out the plant. The toy was never put into production because the Tucker car was never produced. If this toy doesn’t sell today, its next stop is the All-Marx Show ( n.b.---appropriately held in Glen Dale,
FAR RIGHT, top: One of the busiest corners in the Main Building was Richard Olszewski’s booth, where Star Trek AMOK time figures ruled the roost to $190 for the set consisting of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spook, shown here, RIGHT , bottom: David Boston flew all the way from New Zealand to set up with his friend Bill Rensbaw. David holds a Hungarian Return of the Jedi Princess Leia figure belonging to Bill and offered for $525. FAR RIGHT: Chicago Toy Show first-timer Jo Allers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa had a beautiful display of tinplate children’s watering cans, spinning tops and sand toys.


near Wheeling, WV ).
Not far from Ed’s booth, I met a Chicago Toy Show first-timer, Jo Allers, who had come from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to test the waters. "My husband Dan and I do 25 shows a year," she said, "but this is the only toy show we’ve done. So far we’ve sold quite a bit of children’s china and Halloween, so we’re pleased." Hopefully we’ll see Jo and Dan at the show again, as their vintage tin watering cans, spinning tops and sandpails, all in super condition, fit right into the scheme of the Main Building .
Boxes were still being shuffled about at Ted Lane’s booth when we passed it, but one item quickly grabbed our attention: a really nice-looking Black Beauty wooden treadle horse. "I had a nine-room house, but I’m moving to a five-room house, so it was time to get rid of some neat stuff." the Ocanomowoc, Wisconsin dealer told us. It had to be one of the greatest bargains of the day at $125, and I reluctantly walked away from it, wondering how I could ever get it boxed up so it would survive the flight home.
Jerry and Paulana Turner, the Hot Springs, Arkansas couple who never seem to run out of wonderful comic character toys and
advertising, had a rare store display for Bonzo pen nibs, dating back to the 1920s of 30s. It was priced at $575, which made me lift my eyebrows a bit, but admittedly, I had never seen another. "I know ," Jerry said, reading my expression, "and the price I paid for it
seemed high, too, but if I see something really unusual like this, I tend to buy it even if it seems expensive. I’ve found over the years that there’s always someone who will happily pay the price to get something really rare or different for their collection."
Next door to the Turners, Dave Harris of Kokomo, Indiana showed us a very uncommon articulated celluloid toy of silent movie comedian Ben Turpin dressed as Hitler. The 7in Japanese toy, with an eye that rolled around under its clear plastic eye cover, consistent with Turpin’s crosseyed schtick, was priced at $350. ( Memo to Modern Dave---congratulations on getting a computer. Next mission for the 21st Century: a car that doesn’t have a crank on the front of it.)
British dealer Tom Practchett gave us some insights on the toy market across ‘the Pond.’ "Right now, Bonzo sells, but Mickey Mouse has dried up, except for the high dollar items. Also, plastic cars seem to be selling. I don’t know if that’s because they’re cheaper or because the next generation is buying and that’s what they relate to."
On his table, Tom had a scarce French-made
set of celluloid Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs skittles on original cardboard packaging. Price$400. Each character had the French equivalent of its name next to it, e.g., Blanche Neige ( Snow White ), Darmeur ( Sleepy ), Timide ( Bashful ), Simplet (Dopey ),
Always knowledgeable, Budley Maddox of Chicago told us the story behind his rarely-seen


wooden Buddy ‘L’ aerial hook & ladder truck. "Most wooden ones were made during World War II, but after the war was over, Buddy ‘L’ continued to make a few of them, like this one which was made in 1948. They didn’t do well, so they were discontinued." Dudley’s example was in fabulous condition, and considering three others had sold recently at auction for $1600 each, his asking price of $1200 seemed very appealing.
Noah Rickun of Milwaukee had bought a large cardboard ‘Battle of the Knights’ store display from the late ‘50s early ‘60s, complete with all its plastic figures. As I was admiring the set, Noah and his friend got into a discussion about its manufacturer, Multiple Toys. Did they or did they not become MPC Toys? The friendly disagreement continued as I exited their booth.
As anyone who has read my past reviews of the Chicago show may recall, I love eavesdropping in the crowd. That’s how you find out what people are thinking, what they’re buying, etc. Lingering in various places, I heard, "Look! There’s an old Texaco Fire Chief hat--see that? I had one
o’ them." And ( at Joe Preeman’s Tin Toy Works booth" Would you possibly have a bumper to fit this? (major excitement ) You do?? Then there was the comment, "Did you hear about the still bank that broke the $10,000 mark?" It sounded like a Groucho Marx one-liner, and I was waiting for the punchline, but there wasn’t one. And finally, "Auctions and reality are not the same." Aristotle might well have said that, had he been around today.
Moving on to the Doll Building, I was thoroughly impressed by the display of fine merchandise offered by William Zito, who co-owns the Heirloom Doll Shoppe Hospital and Museum in Madison, Wisconsin. William has set up at the Chicago show for 20 years and knows precisely what to bring for his repeat customers. He’s quite well-versed in his field and serves as chairman of judges in the antique division of a major international doll show.
It’s not just high-priced Jumeaus that you’ll find in the Doll Building, though. Alongside the seriously priced 19th Century beauties, there are plenty of Barbies and other contemporary dolls to please the specialist collector of more modest means. Also a big drawcard in the Doll


Building is the wide array of clothing, wigs patterns and other accessories that might not otherwise be available to collectors. To be honest , I’m not a big doll fan, but I like to think I can spot quality when I see it, and there’s a lot of quality, as well as knowledge, under that one roof.
After a hot coffee, I peeked out the door to see how it was looking outside. The early morning chill was gone, and the sun was warming things up nicely. Time to roll up the old reliable LL Bean coat, throw it into the trunk of the rental car and have a look through the outdoor pavilions--postwar toy territory.
There was a colorful gauntlet to run--Nightmare Before Christmas, GI Joes, Pokemon, ‘60s TV show memorabilia, games, Beanies, action figures, space toys and lunchboxes before finally landing at the booth of Ron Ginkowski of Kenosha, Wisconsin. It had been mentioned to me earlier that he had some interesting things for sale.
Ron didn’t seem to concentrate on any one category; there was ca compatible mix of old and new on his tables. He told us he finds
the Chicago Toy Show to be an excellent counterpoint to his online selling. "Some stuff sells on eBay that doesn’t sell here, and vice versa. Some buyers want human contact." I was shown a terrific magic-related item, a 1963 calendar made in Spain that was shaped like playing cards flying out of a top hat. What graphics! At the other end of his range of merchandise, he had a Satellite Explorer space helmet, boxed and from the 1950s, available for $385. "I bought it fifteen years ago at the Kansas City show and figured it was time, now, to put it out for sale."
David Boston won the prize for dealer who had traveled the longest distance to come to the show. The Auckland, New Zealand Star Wars specialist was set up with fellow dealer Bill Renshaw of Union City, Michigan. The two


friends do a lot of business back and forth, keeping in touch by E-mail.
Have Star Wars toys maintained their allure with collectors? "Absolutely," David affirmed. "I ship Star Wars toys everywhere you can think of. Name someplace weird? Okay, Libya. Ane yes, the toys arrived without incident."
One of the busiest booths I saw was that of Mark Huckabone of Grayslake, Illinois. He had a huge inventory of Star Wars, Superheroes, Megos--all these sorts of things I wish I knew more about. As we observed one transaction, a customer was very keen to buy a Toy Biz ‘Green Lizard’ figure from Mark, but Mark wasn’t ready to sell it quite yet. He had bought it for his own collection but the sharp-eyed customer had spotted it in a box of items put
away to take home. Especially with the type of merchandise Mark sells, the early bird and the observant oir are the ones who catch the worms.
Even Mister Magoo could have identified the toy eleven-year-old Ken Battersby was clutching as he and his mother ( also a toy collector ) made their way through the Sheep Building. It was a 4ft tall Jolly Green Giant made of felt, and young Ken was taking it home to put in his bedroom. The toy his mother described as "a good conversation piece" turned out to be more than just a visual item; if its palm was pressed it could talk. Ken showed us how to unzip the top of the giant’s shoulder to access the voicebox. "We like wierd things," his mother explained.
The most expensive item at the show was the sensational 1/4 scale Pontiac Club de Mer dream car that had been bought by Joe Bortz, a prominent collector of exotic automobiles. A functional vehicle with motor, starter lights and horn, it was displayed at the Gernerl Motors Motorama show in 1956 and was supposed to have been destroyed afterwards for insurance reasons. "It could actually be driven on the road, but shouldn’t be, " Joe explained. The car was passed down by GM’s head of design to his grandson, and it eventually became the property of the Bortz Collection, which is in constatn demand at automotive events. The Club de Mer wore a ‘sticker price’ of $100,000 .
An end-of-show survey with dealer friends indicated it was one of the best buying days they had enjoyed in quite some time. One friend told me he had no idea how he 		       ABOVE, left; Hopeful collectors approached Joe Freeman’s booth in hopes of finding the right replacement part to complete their toys. As we were taking this picture, a successful match was made between toy and part, to the great delight of the toy vehicle’s owner. ABOVE, right: Affordable Breyer horses at Mark Blackwood’s booth ranged fro $13-$65. BELOW, left: Dealer Buddy George travels three times a year form Massachusetts to the Chicago Toy Show in his nifty 1937 REQ Speedwagon. Its the largest pressed steel ‘toy’ he owns. BELOW, right: Mike Henry of Chicago unloads his sizable cargo of toys to wheel into the Main Building.
would possibly be able to get all of his purchases home without professional help. Luckily, the postal and packaging center down the road had anticipated the need and had opened up for Sunday business, with a sign in the window that said, ‘We ship toys anywhere.’
So while the Chicago Toy Show might have lured the dealers away from their various bases of operation during the last week of April, leaving you ‘toyless is Seattle’ or wherever you happen to live, the good news is many dealers returned home triumphantly, with plenty of fresh merchandise-- maybe even the toy you’ve spent the last ten years looking for.

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