Best Swag Yet

So, most of the major showrooms have lots of giveaways, things that are supposed to make you remember the product, or inspire all kinds of excitement about a given product. Most of it's so-so. We have no need, for instance, for another miniature Tangle puzzle, a stress ball in the shape of Heaven knows what and so forth.

It's rare that anyone gives away anything really cool.

So, generally, when we're being chased around by people who are pressing keychains of characters we've never heard of, we try to escape, but Hasbro and Mattel (natch, they're the hotshots at this stuff) have definitely come up with the coolest giveaway stuff.

...If you're lucky enough to get into the showroom.

Note to potential crashers: Don't even try to show up at these showrooms without an appointment. You are so wasting your time. And while many people try to come up with fake media credentials, many of these are by invitation only.

Okay--So over at Mattel, the super hot gimme is the bag of Mac Cosmetics that go along with Mac Barbie. Probably one of the coolest collectibles they have ever done. (That is to those of us who appreciate the dolls and do not devote our hobby lives to collecting.) It's an amazing marriage of all-things Barbie: fashion, aspirational, amazing design and style galore. The giveaway bag has full-size samples of the Barbie line of cosmetics. You can see them at any Mac stores right now. Click the title of this column to go directly to the M.A.C. site and find out more.

Hasbro has the hot boy swag locked up with a 30th Anniversary Star Wars Coin. (Lousy picture attached.) Hasbro says they had their best third quarter ever with the Star Wars line in 2006, and the line looks completely great. The collectible coin book celebrates all the moments in the movie, and we got our collection started Friday afternoon, with the exclusive Toy Fair coin. How cool is that? We wouldn't dream of putting this on eBay (Not that we'd ever put any of the rare collectibles we get up there.), but we're betting you'll be able to find a few up there.

What we can't understand is where are our Toy Fair Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars????? Free gold eyeshadow and Malibu Barbie lipstick will only get us so far!