10th Annual Chicago Toy and Game Fair

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Children running and playing around, parents going along from booth to booth at Navy Pier. That was the scene at the 10th annual Chicago Toy & Game Fair, ChiTag on Nov. 17 and 18.

Media and bloggers got an early peek at things at 9 a.m.

“They have been looking forward to it for the past week,” said Kari Bruce.

Bruce came from Wisconsin to bring her two children to the fair; it was also the first time the children came to Chicago. She said she found out about it through a friend who is a blogger.

Saturday the Media & Bloggers event was attended by many mom bloggers as well as other people from the media. Several speakers stood on the podium to talk about the importance of being bloggers.

There was a variety of toys and games, from the famous Cranium and Razor to newly launched games like the Presidential Game or Frenzy Games. Also, children were given the opportunity to participate in the Young Inventor Challenge, YIC.

Fredric Fosco and Jackson Dirnberger, a pair of 12-year-old boys, were participating at YIC. For Fredric this was hist first time at the fair, while Jackson had attended four times.

They said they came up with the idea of the game Sacred for a school project, both of them are home-schooled, and they started building it about two months ago.

The boys also mentioned that there were five groups from their home school that were also participating.

At the Exhibitors Hall, they were divided, and the new exhibitors were put together.

Regina Glocker, maker of the Presidential Game, said the organizers were very friendly, when it came to setting up.

For Glocker, this was her first time at the Chicago Toy and Games Fair, but she said the had attended others around the country.

Another new exhibitor was Kevin Pike with the game Frenzy . He came to the fair along with his father, who was the creator, to promote the newly launched version of the game his father invented in the 1990s.

Bruce mentioned she always tries to give educational toys and games to her children for Christmas.

Many of the exhibitors had different views in which their toys and games were beneficial for children’s education.

Glocker mentioned that with her game, children between the ages of 10 and 11, are able to have a better understanding of how the eEectoral college works during the elections.

While for Pike, he said that children are able to learn the primary colors and numbers from one to ten.

With Christmas time around, this was a opportunity for parents to get their gifts for the upcoming holiday.