What is the Mastermind Toys Play Preview?

To assemble our curated assortment, for years our buyers have relied on toy fairs around the world to touch and feel great product and hear the excitement from our vendors. For the foreseeable future, this simply won’t be possible, and so with an eye on our 2021 offering, we are excited to announce that we will be hosting our very own Mastermind Toys Play Preview, a virtual toy fair with vendors worldwide.

Mastermind Toys is the country’s largest specialty toy and children’s book retailer, with 68 stores coast-to-coast and a wonder-filled website. As Canada’s Authority on Play, we pride ourselves on our expert curation underpinned by our Why Kids Play model. Great products for every age and stage drive our brand, and we are very thoughtful in our selection.

Get to know Mastermind Toys

As Canada’s Authority on Play, Mastermind Toys works harder to be ahead of the trends and discover the very best in play—always with an eye on the end consumer.

We put play first

We start by thinking about the toy and the benefit it brings to the kids and kids-at-heart who use it.

We are storytellers

We amplify brands by telling their stories through strategic marketing, in-store experiences, and highly knowledgeable team members.

We are trendsetters

We are not afraid to experiment and try something new.

We sell toys kids play with after the birthday is over

Our customers are the taste makers in their communities, and every product featured on our shelf or wrapped in our signature gift wrapping has an inherent stamp of approval.

To make sure your submission is a good fit with Mastermind Toys, do your homework by…

Calling all inventors, manufacturers, and vendors – we want to see your very best products for 2021

Mastermind Toys is looking for the next best toys and games. Whether we’ve worked together in the past, you’ve pitched us in the past, or this is our first introduction – the Mastermind Toys Play Preview is your chance to capture our attention and become a part of our 2021 plans.

Please complete and submit the form below by December 31st for an opportunity to be part of the Mastermind Toys Play Preview. Select submissions will be paired with one or more of our Category Buyers and given the opportunity to showcase your product line to identify whether there is a fit at Mastermind Toys in 2021. We will reach out to those selected to meet in mid-January.

Submission requirements:

We are curators, not creators. We are only looking for toy submissions that are complete or near complete.

Our customers’ safety comes first. Submissions must meet Canadian toy safety testing standards.
We will not be taking submissions for books at this time.

How to make your application stand out:

Make sure we understand what makes your product special. We will be reviewing a lot of applications, so hit us with only your best products and make it impossible for us to say no.
If you have a product catalogue, please attach it. (Note: we will only review full catalogues in select circumstances, so prioritize the submission form as that will drive our selection process).
If you have a 60 second (max) video demonstrating the product, please include it.

Submit your form over email to playpreview@mastermindtoys.com

Submission Deadline: December 31, 2020.

Note: Do not reach out to a Category Buyer directly or send samples. If you are selected to meet, we will reach out to you and manage logistics from there. Any samples sent early will be refused.