New York Toy Fair and New York Fashion Week always seem to overlap. And while the devil-wears-Prada fashionistas strutting through Bryant Park may seem worlds away from the purple plush munchkins and caped super heroes prancing down the aisles of Javits, it’s interesting how many similarities there are in the two industries.

1.    Everyone knows everyone. Seventh Avenue has its Donna and Marc and Anna; we have Neil, Bryan, and Elmo.

2.    Cabs are nowhere in sight, especially at 5 p.m. Fashionistas solve the problem by hiring private cars. We squeeze onto shuttle buses.

3.    Trends emerge. Everyone’s wearing low booties. Everyone’s making app toys.

4.    Colors make news. Yellow is the new black. Pink LEGO gets a black eye.

5.    Music rules. Runway rhythms become tomorrow’s playlists. Musical toys breed tomorrow’s maestros.

6.    There’s always a great new idea. Patent leather pea coats. Uncle Milton’s anteater bug vac.

7.    Environmentalists go mainstream. More “fur” is faux. More “wood” is bamboo.

8.    Less is more. Day-into-date dresses still work. Grow-with-me toys never stop working.

9.    People line up to get inside. In the fashion business that means getting escorted to a seat in the front row next to Renee Zellweger. At Javits that means standing at the starting gate at 8:59 until the guards let down their guard.

10. Everyone roots for underdog. Whether it’s an indie designer in a Chelsea loft or an inventor in the far corner of the downstairs hallways, we all want to see good ideas come to life.

Send me your good ideas (toys, media, or even fashion) at wendy@sandboxsummit.org