European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 13, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Worlds fair faces new Competition has Nurnberg toy fair folks worried by Ron Jensen Nairn Borg Bureau he world s largest toy fair might have to share its playthings. The Nurnberg toy fair opened feb. 4. For the 44th time but a chronic Lack of space at the a Nurnberg Messe is causing officials to take seriously talk of a proposed competing european toy fair in Amsterdam. The fair ended wednesday. Dieter Hahne chairman of the. Nurnberg fair s supervisory Board said in opening remarks last week Quot i am somewhat worried about the Way things Are  the Challenge threatens what for years has been some exhibitors said the most important toy fair in the world. Quot it is a must Quot said Bert Pell manager of peso a manufacturer in Schwarze Bruck Germany. The company produces stationary items such As pens Combs notebooks Yoyos and the like each with a decorative Mark designed by the company. The fair which is not open to Public attracts buyers and exhibitors from around the world. Retail sales Are not the object Here. Instead exhibitors Hope to make wholesale sales that can be measured in hundreds of thousands to buyers such As toys Quot a Quot us and other retailers. Nurnberg is a natural for such a fair. Since the Middle Ages its craftsmen have been fashioning toys. A toy museum is one of the historic City s most popular tourist attractions. Rubble from world War ii still filled Many streets when the fair began in a modest wooden Structure near the City Center in 1948. Despite the history the threat of another fair stealing some of the Nurnberg Thunder is real. In his opening address Benno Korbmacher executive member of the fair s Board detailed some of the competitor s plans. He said the fair would be held at the Royal dutch fair ground near Amsterdam which can offer exhibitors 180,000 Square meters 540,000 Square fee compared to the 108,000 Square meters. 325,000 Square feet in Nurnberg. A Date which he said immediately precedes the Nurnberg fair has been set for 1994, with tentative dates for the following two years. Quot it is clearly our fair that they have set their sights on a he said. He said 740 firms Are on the Nurnberg waiting list hoping to join the 2,409 who Are at this year s fair. Pell whose Grandfather began the company and attended the first fair in 1948, said firms waiting for space Are candidates to sign on with a new fair. In order to accommodate them the Nurnberg exhibition Center must be enlarged he said. In fact there Are tentative plans to build an additional Hall Halle of at the Messe which will add 20,000 Square meters. Quot any time companies go to a new fair it is bad for a Nurnberg Quot he said. Quot so i think Nurnberg must build the new  Gunthier Sperber of Elaston form a manufacturer of Small gift items in Hubbach Rosenberg said if two or three major companies move to the new fair it could spell trouble for Nurnberg. About 300,000 toys gadgets and gizmos were on display. A amps Ron Jenson displays came in All sizes from tiny dolls above to towering inflatable dinosaurs. 0 in a the stars and stripes Stu Tec bears were in demand especially those of the Tiff company which is replicating traditional lines. Exhibitors expect Model train sales to soar again this year. A amps Ron Jonson amp trains environmental toys Are big this year by Ron Jensen Nurnberg Bureau he purpose of the Nurnberg toy fair of course is toys. Each year new toys Are introduced old ones improved and others enjoy or endure swings in popularity. A Standard is the Model train an Industry which according to fair officials enjoyed More than a 10 percent increase in business last year and should continue to grow. One German company Marklin is introducing a Model of an East German train which received interest from enthusiasts after the unification of Germany in 1990. The German High Speed ice train will be available this year in More sizes. America s Revell Long a name in Model kits combines computers with modelling. The Power Modeller compact disc allows a user to design build and even race cars assembled Only on the computer screen. It is compatible with All ism computers. The emphasis on environment is illustrated at the fair by an experimental kit called test ecology. With this product from Franck Kosmos in Stuttgart Germany children and adults will have the equipment to Analyse pollutants in the air phosphate and nitrates in sausages and aluminium in soil. Wooden toys Are More popular this year also As part of the environmental trend. Wood is More Friendly to the environment and manufacturers Are using care in painting and coating the toys with environmentally sound materials. For Teddy Bear collectors the popular Steiff line has produced a series of replicas of Teddy bears of the past. Lego fans have 14 new buildings to add to their landscape. Doll lovers May want to look for eco Spiel Waren s fully movable doll series being sold Only in Germany. Using a patented joint system the dolls can simulate most of the movements of a real baby. In All the Nurnberg toy fair exhibits 300,000 items. A amps Ron Jensen the Zeppelin is a German icon and so is the Nurnberg toy fair which just completed its 44th year. Saturday,01- 13, 1993 the stars and stripes 19