Innovative New Companies at the 2025 Nuremberg International Toy Fair

Updated Oct. 29, 2026: We replaced broken images with official product photos, corrected several details, and added what each company has done since the 2025 shows, plus where to find them now.

The 2025 Nuremberg International Toy Fair (Spielwarenmesse) ran Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, 2025, in Nuremberg, Germany, with 2,362 companies from 71 countries showing their products, according to the organizer. Two of the young companies below took home a Spielwarenmesse ToyAward there. The other two, both from the Chicago area, made their mark a month later in the Petite Pavilion of Toy Fair New York (March 1–4, 2025), a pilot program that gave small and emerging companies smaller, lower-cost spaces. Of the four, only Qubs is based outside the U.S. (in Oslo, Norway); its Qubitunes went on sale to U.S. shoppers in July 2025, and the company made its first Toy Fair New York appearance in February 2026. Baby Paper and ChattySnaps are established Chicago-area brands, and Spielwarenmesse identifies ABFUN as a company from the USA.

1. Baby Paper

• What They Offer: Soft, washable crinkle squares that babies can grab, squeeze, chew and explore. The original Baby Paper is about 6" x 6", with a polyester fabric outside (some styles use organic cotton) and crinkle material inside. There are no loose parts, batteries or electronics.
• Age Range: From birth up. The company says many toddlers and older kids keep it as a comfort item.
• Background: Founder Sari Wiaz got the idea when her two kids were captivated by crinkling paper napkins at a restaurant. Products are CPSIA tested and made without BPA, PVC or phthalates, according to the company.
• The Line Today: Besides the original square, there are Crinkle Cuddlers (crinkle plus a plush friend), Sensory Plush, Fidgety Paper for older kids, and Rally Paper.
• Where to Find Them: Independent toy and gift stores across the U.S. (Alphabet Soup in Ithaca, N.Y., and Topsy Turvy Toys are quoted on its site), plus wholesale for retailers. Website: babypaper.com

2. ChattySnaps

• What They Offer: ChattySnaps buttons, with a patented snap-back design instead of a pin, that click onto lanyards, key rings, zipper pulls and other gear. Kids swap and collect them to show what they’re into.
• Why It’s Unique: The buttons are meant as conversation starters that get kids looking up from screens. They are made in the USA by a women-owned company, and custom snaps are offered for events and organizations.
• Price: Individual snaps are $2.99 on the company’s site; lanyards are $7.99, zipper pulls $6.99 and key rings $9.99.
• Background: Started in Chicago in 2014 by friends and neighbors Alicia Schwartz and Annalee Oakley, who first assembled the buttons at home.
• Since the Show: Baby Paper and ChattySnaps were both on the 2025 Chicago Toy & Game Fair (CHITAG) exhibitor list, sharing booth 923.
• Where to Find Them: Toy stores and gift shops, and online at chattysnaps.com

3. Qubitunes by Qubs

• Award Recognition: Won the 2025 ToyAward in the Startup category.
• Flagship Product: Qubitunes is a screen-free, wooden audio play stage for ages 3–8. Kids slot in a game cartridge and place wooden figures on four zones to make music, play games and steer stories. It uses RFID, charges by USB-C, has a headphone jack and gets content updates over Wi-Fi.
• Price: $129.99 for the play stage with the “Hello” starter game. Add-on games are $14.99–$29.99 and expansion sets are $9.99–$12.99 on the Qubs U.S. site.
• Since the Show: Qubitunes went on sale in the U.S. in July 2025 and reached Germany in November 2025. Qubs made its first Toy Fair New York appearance in February 2026, showing 20 new games such as Soundscapes (3+), Jurassic Sounds (4+) and Lost Birds (8+). It also gave a first U.S. preview of RasKars (4+), wooden animal-driven cars that drive themselves along routes kids build. RasKars cars (Gus, Dash and Nova) are now listed at $79.99 each.
• Company: Qubs, headquartered in Oslo, Norway, which also makes the Cody Block coding toy.
• Where to Find Them: Amazon, Target.com, select independent toy stores and qubs.toys. Some items show as out of stock on the Qubs U.S. site.

4. ABFUN

• Award Recognition: Won the 2025 ToyAward in the Teenager & Adults (10+) category. It was a first-time exhibitor from the USA.
• Highlight Product: The Moon Acrylic Jigsaw Puzzle builds a picture of the moon from 50 clear acrylic pieces. A few pieces are cut as a star, a telescope and Saturn with its moons. The jury called it “unique, creative” and noted it can be displayed as decoration once it’s solved.
• The Line Today: ABFUN makes acrylic and classic jigsaw puzzles under the TOI name, including licensed designs for SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom & Jerry, Harry Potter, One Piece, The Powerpuff Girls, Rick and Morty and DC. Its acrylic puzzles are listed for ages 14 and up.
• Since the Show: Founder Peter Cheng told Spielwarenmesse the award came at the ideal time to expand into Europe, and that ABFUN plans to keep using the fair to meet buyers.
• Website: toiworld.com

The Other 2025 ToyAward Winners

A 14-member international jury picked six winners from 629 entries. Besides Qubitunes and ABFUN, the winners were:

• Baby & Infant: Geomag Magicube Blocks Stacking Safari (Geomagworld)
• PreSchool: 3 Shape Memo (Buitenspeel/BS Toys)
• SchoolKids: RC Football Set – Bundesliga (Carrera Toys)
• Sustainability: Wave Stacker (Plan Creations/PlanToys)

See all finalists and winners on the ToyAward site.

Additional Notes and Industry Buzz

• Rlaarlo: The RC vehicle brand made its Spielwarenmesse debut in 2025 (Hall 7, stand E-42) with the large-scale JK-07 and TK-07 rock crawlers.
• Spielwarenmesse 2026: The 75th edition (Jan. 27–31, 2026) brought together 2,313 companies from 68 countries.
• Spielwarenmesse 2027: Feb. 2–6, 2027, at the Nuremberg Exhibition Center. Admission is for trade visitors only.
• Toy Fair New York 2027: Feb. 20–23, 2027, at the Javits Center, with dates set through 2032.

Sources: Spielwarenmesse 2025 closing report; Spielwarenmesse ToyAward 2025 announcement; Spielwarenmesse on ToyAward winners; Baby Paper FAQ; ChattySnaps; DNAinfo (2015); CHITAG 2025 exhibitor list; Qubs (July 2025) and Qubs (Feb. 2026) via PR Newswire; Rlaarlo; Spielwarenmesse fair profile.