Review of "Toys4BigBoys"

As a concept a programme like "Goals on Sunday" should be a winner. The bovine simplicity of  its mixture of goals from the previous day's football, gentle banter between besweatered former pros, and its well appointed set imitating someone's living room should work effectively as easygoing fodder for hangover sufferers. And yet for some reason it doesn't. The goals are never that good as most of the big matches are now played on Sunday, the imitated living room isn't one where I'd feel comfortable and, crucially, the pros are usually just that little bit too eager to be chummy, seemingly in the belief that hearty friendliness is what the viewing public craves.

The Toys4Big Boys exhibition at the RDS (opened yesterday) suffers from a similar gap between expectation and reality. Now in its ninth year, it bills itself as a broad based entertainment event primarily aimed at men seeking a good day out. As it happens this translates, predictably enough, into a curious mixture of gadgets, girls, motors, nostalgia and noise as the assembled exhibitors try and develop some hook with which to lure individuals from amongst the milling herds. Massage chairs, bean bags, yachts, helicopter rides, motor cycle apparel and accessories, paint treatments for cars, back treatments for backs, psychics, and genuine little kids' toys all vie for your attention. Sad to relate though: all these products were rather non-descript. I couldn't tell you what differentiated those on display from others available elsewhere and their pitches didn't particularly make me want to find ou

That's not to say that there weren't noteworthy displays though. The yachts for sale and helicopters and luxury cars on show were undoubtedly impressive, the Vader Maul stand selling Star Wars memorabilia had me coming over all Seymour Skinner on Diorama day  and the Greenaer.ie exhibit selling motorised pushbikes was interesting and unusually straightforward in comparison to many others. Another personal highlight was the magnetic jewelry stand whose promotional flyer unconvincingly explains: "your blood is magnetic, as 4% of it is iron...When you apply a magnet, it produces a whirlpool effect in your blood. This improves the circulation of highly oxygenated blood and helps dislodge toxins and clear out your arteries" and the exhibitor who cheerfully replied "knackers and gurriers" when asked who his target market was.

This points out the problem of the exhibition in general: these merchants all offered something slightly different from the competition regardless of whether it was a big shiny machine, some vague hint of the esoteric or just good old fashioned candor. Like those areas where "Goals on Sunday" fails the uninteresting exhibitors here all adhered to a rigid formula centred on the notion of the ideal male lifestyle: whereas the former revolves around well appointed, clean furnishings, goals and "banter" the latter were preoccupied by the familiar formula of gadgets, girls, motors, nostalgia and noise.This would be fine for someone with a particular interest in these things and who recognised Toys4BigBoys as the trade fair that it is rather than the broad based entertainment event it is advertised as being.

In short, if you've a bit of money to spend and are interested in lifestyle purchases then this is the hot ticket for you. Alas, as is the case with "Goals on Sunday", this isn't the demographic I fall into.