Khilona Fair 2023 concludes; Craft & Heritage Toys inspire, spread awareness

Greater Noida/ Delhi NCR – 20th August 2023 – The 2nd edition of Khilona-India Toys & Games Fair held from 18th to 20th August 2023 at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida Expressway concluded after witnessing business connections and networking between exhibitors and visitors from India and overseas. This edition of Khilona fair’23 was visited by over 200 overseas buyers and their representatives, around 500 Domestic volume buyers and over 3000 general visitors. The Toy makers generated business enquiries worth Rs. 14 crores and got a boost to scale up manufacturing, feedback to enthuse more innovations. Buyers from Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, USA, Netherlands, UAE, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and many more visited the fair. Delegation of domestic volume buyers from Hamleys (buying and sourcing team), Amazon, Lulu International Mall, Reliance Retail, IKEA, Skechers and ITC group visited Khilona-India Toys & Games Fair informed R. K. Verma, Executive Director, EPCH.

“Buyers have responded well to educational toys and board games. Outdoor play products have been sought after, especially as a means to encourage time away from electronic gadgets. At the same time we have noted many takers for app. based, robotics and phygital (a combination of physical and digital) products,” informed Dileep Baid, Chairman, EPCH.”

Right on the other side of this spectrum, the good old popular Montessori toys, puppetry and pretend-play lines have gathered their share of patronage. Regional toy craft makers have shared their stories to a receptive audience, spread awareness about lesser known toy making practices and done their share of business with original as well as modern interpretations of their craft,” added Dr. Neeraj Khanna, Vice Chairman II, EPCH.

Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Chairman, IEML shared, “the toy market is seeing a surge in demand for new products just as for classic and heritage toys. There is a renewed demand for new kinds of toys & games; exciting, interactive, or just calming; all those that quell the urge for young ones to be online – on screen.”

Among exhibitors is a toy collector with a display that transcends time and gives an opportunity to see the rich heritage and culture of Indian toys right from the Harrapan era. He has an 8500 years old toy amongst his oldest, a doll that has medicinal properties to toys made from wood acquired from the salt plains of Kutch. These toys are anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. The exhibitor, Chandrasekhar Patil owns a collection of about 400 toys from all over the country including from Rajasthan, Bengal, Kashmir, etc. made from different raw-materials like terracotta, wood, papier machie, etc. There are toys made from semiprecious stones, gold, silver, ivory, etc. He calls himself an artist conservator who also runs a Museum in Baroda, Gujarat. “I have historical pieces like toys from World War I and the East India company which I have personally restored and put on display,” he said.

Another Hyderabad based company, M/s Next Skills 360 Edtech, offers braille games toys, coding toys, learning & edu.games, robotic toys, science kits and STEMtoys. Their patented and award winning coding game is app based and engages people from 7-99 years old. This has received accolades for being a fun and engaging board game to learn coding using an Android phone.

R K Verma, Executive Director, EPCH, further informed, “The Felicitation & Award Ceremony at Khilona-India Toys & Games Fair included awards in categories of Best Display – Gold, Silver & Bronze, Most Innovative Product, Youngest Entrepreneur, Sustainable Product and Most Innovative Products among start-ups were given below:

Best Display
Gold – Asian Handicrafts Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon
Silver – Prera Textiles International Pvt. Ltd., Panipat
Bronze – Butterfly Edufields Pvt., Ltd., Hyderabad

Most Innovative Product
Electrobotic Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd., Bhiwandi

Youngest Entrepreneur
Yuka Games, Hyderabad

Sustainable Product
Vijay Design Inspirations Pvt. Ltd., Greater Noida

Most Innovative Products among start-ups.
Indu Toys, Ahmedabad

The Indian toy industry is among the fastest-growing globally, projected to reach $ 3 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 12% between 2022-28. Domestic market size currently stands at an estimated value of $ 1.5 billion. India’s Toy Exports witnessed an increase from US$ 203.42 million in 2018-19 to US$ 325.72 million in 2022-23.