After a one year hiatus, the 2010 Doll & Teddy Bear EXPO is making its return Oct. 1-3, 2010, in Winston-Salem, NC. After being held for many years in Washington, DC, the event was in need of a makeover to reflect the contemporary doll and teddy bear collector.

And so Just Play! was born.

A community with such an exuberant and diverse art scene, historical sites, shopping centers, museums and more, Winston-Salem was deemed the ideal location for the new EXPO. “The area around the M.C. Benton Convention Center and Marriott hotel has many galleries, and arts and crafts shops. The town is home of the respected Piedmont Craftsmen, a guild of fine artists known all over the world for its quality contemporary and traditional craft,” says EXPO coordinator Don Johnson.

“Taking a year off from EXPO has created a renewed interest in the event. Collectors seem almost ‘starved’ for a major show that brings a large cross-section of manufacturers, retailers and artists together – probably because there really wasn’t a keynote consumer event last year,” says Johnson.

Also integral to the EXPO revamp is changing what was formerly both a trade- and consumer-oriented focus to one that is entirely consumer-oriented. “To attract this larger consumer base, we aim to market the show as more than just another doll and teddy bear show: we’re creating an event, complete with attractions and activities for young and old alike to share,” Johnson says.

Included on the show floor will be a magnificent menagerie of studio-sized plush sculptures from Steiff Germany depicting Noah’s animals departing the ark – and used in the film Fantasia 2000. At the show will also be an extensive collection of rare and collectible black dolls from the late 1800’s through 1950. Vintage teddy bears, including brands like Bing, Chad Valley, and Farnell will be on display along with the rare 125 Karat bear produced in a very limited edition to celebrate the 125^th anniversary of the German teddy bear maker, Steiff.

Videos, puppet shows, and a cadre of performance artists will round out what’s sure to be a fun show – friendly to the family as well as adults.

This fall, EXPO attendees will get to know the manufacturers and artists behind the magic of the doll and teddy bear worlds. Attendees will have the pleasure of seeing the best the collectible doll and teddy bear industry has to offer. From the finest classic teddy bears to the cutting-edge ball-jointed dolls of today, EXPO presents the perfect place for first-time conventioneers to get a real-world education about these special collectibles and discover that they are not merely playthings but works of art created by multi-talented artists, many of whom will be available to meet at the show.

Children age 12 and under will be admitted free each day with a paid adult.