NEW YORK – February 9, 2017 – New York City-based toy startup IAmElemental, creator of the first female action figures designed specifically for children, returns to the North American International Toy Fair in New York from February 18-21, 2017 to exhibit its groundbreaking products, which were honored by the Toy Industry Association as 2017 Toy of the Year finalists in the Action Figure of the Year and Rookie of the Year categories.
IAmElemental, which was launched to worldwide acclaim via Kickstarter, envisions kids as the creators of a play experience in which they are the active agents in a story of their own design. The company’s female action figures boast a forward-thinking design and engineering unique among products designed for children. Its Series 1/Courage figures, modeled on Joan of Arc, represent character traits including Bravery, Honesty, Fear, Enthusiasm, Energy, Industry and Persistence. Series 2/Wisdom, with ancient Alexandrian STEM pioneer Hypatia as the muse, includes Creativity, Ingenuity, Curiosity, Logic, Exploration, Mastery and Oblivion.
At Toy Fair 2017, IAmElemental will offer Booth #5207 visitors the opportunity to pose with Exploration’s Wings, human-scale animatronic wings with a nine-foot wingspan. The wings are based on the Exploration action figure from Series 2/Wisdom and were fabricated exclusively for IAmElemental by Academy Award-winning Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
“With our Series 1/Courage and Series 2/Wisdom 4-inch articulated female action figures, IAmElemental kicked off the trend of female superheroes and captivated a broad audience including not only kids but also parents, grandparents, educators and collectors – together, they made 2016 our best sales year yet,” said Chief Elemental Officer Julie Kerwin. “We’re both thrilled and grateful that our female superheroes received industry recognition as Toy of the Year finalists, and after experiencing triple-digit growth in 2016, we look forward to continued forward momentum in 2017.”
Also in 2017, IAmElemental is continuing its “Buy One, Donate One” program of its 6.5-inch Courage Core Power figure. In memory of IAmElemental superfan Anna Bosma, the company distributes one figure to a child affected by cancer for each figure purchased. “Our generous fans have donated hundreds of Courage figures so far to organizations including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, where Anna was treated. We began the BODO program last year for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and we plan to keep it going through Valentine’s Day, to help put Courage into the hearts and hands of children with cancer,” said Kerwin.
For more information, visit http://www.IAmElemental.com/retailers, call (800) 274-8282, or visit Booth #5207 at the 2017 North American International Toy Fair.
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About IAmElemental: New York City-based IAmElemental is a privately held toy company creating the first-ever female action figures designed specifically for girls (and boys!). Founded in 2013, the company conducted a Kickstarter campaign in 2014 which was fully funded in two days, drawing backers from all 50 states and six continents, and was named by TIME Magazine as one of the “25 Best Inventions of 2014” and “Top 10 Toys of 2014.” “If you give a girl a different toy, she will tell a different story”; “Play with power”; “It’s character, not characters”; “Shared, everyone's powers grow stronger”; and “We have Superpowers. Want some?” are trademarks of IAmElemental. For more information, visit http://www.IAmElemental.com, Twitter: @IAmElementalToy, Facebook: IAmElementalToy, Instagram: IAmElementalToy.
Media Contact: Angelica Carey (917) 691-5334, ac@ac-ink.com