Fans queue overnight for Hong Kong's toy festival, hoping to find the perfect plaything

More than 1,000 visitors poured into the Hong Kong Toy Festival in Kowloon Bay when it opened yesterday to take in a vast collection of Japanese anime products, plastic models, toy cars, action figures, stuffed toys and miniature games.

About 120 enthusiastic visitors, mostly young teenagers and children, queued up overnight to make their purchases at the three-day toy fair at the Kowloon Bay International Trade and Exhibition Centre.

Wincent Chiu Yu-tat, 25, took yesterday off to buy a limited edition of a plastic model set called the Unicorn Gundam. Chiu said: "Buying tickets to the event was difficult. I waited for an hour just to get in. But I didn't mind as the Gundam set was slightly cheaper here."

Chris Yu, 34, brought along his six-year-old son to the fair to buy a model train set for HK$400. "He likes model trains very much," Yu said.

But it wasn't only the stalls selling anime-themed toys that attracted curious parents and children. Describing the turnout as much better than he expected, John Fung of Yat Sing Toys said: "We have sold over 30 per cent of our 3D puzzles already. There has been a good flow of people and I think parents like to buy their kids puzzles because they want them to keep away from video games. I think business is good today because the children are on summer vacation."

"Japanese anime products are popular among Hong Kong consumers because many children grow up watching Japanese cartoons," said Debbie Yip, senior marketing manager of Hong Kong Expo, which organised the fair. "Even grown-ups are here as they have been playing with them since they were small."