While the big name usual suspects were strutting their upcoming stuff behind closed doors or in appointment-only booths or events, some of the most fun items I saw were actually scattered all around the show floor. A few of the best things at the show were found in smaller booths that were easy to miss unless you were paying attention or were strolling by as a sample was being handed out. Which is how I stumbled upon Floppets, a new impulse product that’s definitely going to get a lot of notice one word gets out on how cool they are. And once you see them, it’s all about how much you NEED to buy one, and another, and another (and so forth and so on)…

For me, these cute, tiny vinyl charms were one of the biggest sleepers at a pretty packed to the gills with greatness Toy Fair. At first glance, the colorful dimensionally molded animal figures attached to thin colored Velcro strips seem like something only geared for the pre-teen set, and in fact, that’s why they were created. Chicago mom and reading teacher Ilyse Brainin came up with the concept for wearable characters as a means of engaging her students’ imaginations and boosting their social skills.

Where things really get interesting is the Hollywood touch of the incredible (and award-winning jack of all trades) Greg Aronowitz. His awesome art and design skills will no doubt turn Floppets into what’s sure to become an all-ages, all-purpose item thanks to the addition of some key geek-friendly licenses, one of which I can’t talk about just yet (but it’s a biggie). I can mention The Guild, the award-winning web show phenomenon with a massive fan base thanks to its excellently hilarious writing that pokes all-knowing fun at geek culture. Oh yeah, and for a great deal of those fans, a little Felicia Day goes a long way, too. The Guild is represented in the form of six fun Floppet caricatures of the main players (I’m looking at the Clara figure I got and the detail is outstanding) as well as the signature Knights of Good shield. Fans will want to grab these as a set while wishing for an animated series

As for the other franchise, it’s Aronowitz’ 2009 indie family film, Labou which currently has three cute Floppets with your name on them. Both The Guild and Labou along with other Floppets are available now on Amazon, but as time rolls onward and new franchises (and at least one app, according to the Coming Soon box on the Floppets site) are added, you can expect to be seeing and hearing a ton of nice things abut these affordable collectibles. The quality is absolutely stellar, the amount of things you can use them for is only limited by your imagination and as I told the Floppets crew at the show, I’d bet that next year they have a nicer booth that gets noticed by way too many people who want to see where the line is headed next. I say keep an eye on Floppets – they’re about to become BIG.