Thread:WaltWiz1901/@comment-10370-20190930214412/@comment-31103158-20191002200459

Toughpigs wrote:
I think we ought to use the copyright/production dates, which are the clearest and easiest to validate.

...

I don't know offhand when the Toy Fair catalogs are produced -- is the "1997 catalog" prepared and sent out in 1996 for sales in 1997?

I've used the production and release years on a few articles before. For example, generally...

• most items produced in 1995 were made for and released in 1996 (the packaging of the original Tickle Me Elmo is dated 1996, but the plush itself (both the version made completely by Tyco themselves (model number #62715) and the version produced after Tyco was acquired by Mattel (model number #32715), which is additionally dated 1997) is dated 1995)

• most items produced in 1996 were made for and released in 1997 (the first six die-cast vehicles were among these items)

• most items produced in 1997 were made for and released in 1998

• most items produced in 1998 were made for and released in 1999 (notable exceptions: the Magic Talking Kermit the Frog plush and items themed to The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland were released in and are dated 1999. Items produced/released during this production/release *season* now bear the Fisher-Price logo on their packaging)

• most items produced in 1999 were made for and released in 2000 (during this production year, Tyco Preschool's New York office is repurposed into that of Fisher-Price Brands/Friends. Some items with a *thicker* Fisher-Price logo and "©1999 TYCO PRESCHOOL TOYS, INC." on the bottom or back of the box may have been released in early 2000 while items with a *thinner* logo and "Fisher-Price, Inc." on the bottom/back of the box were released in mid/late 2000)

As for "was the catalog prepared and sent out in 1996 for sales in 1997?", I'm pretty sure catalogs made for the Toy Fair proper were prepared for and sent out to retailers/sales(wo)men in February of the latter year, when the convention began or was already underway. Catalogs like this one and this one may have been prepared and sent out in 1997 and 2001, respectively, for sales in 1998 or 2002, before the Toy Fair rolled around (hence why the latter one is labeled "Pre-Toy Fair 2002").