The creative community closely tied to the toy industry has gathered on the first Sunday night of Toy Fair since the 1970s — a tradition that began informally at the bar of the Gramercy Park Hotel and was later brought to prominence by Mark Setteducati.

In 2003, Inventor Night NY moved to the Cottage Chinese Restaurant, where Mark hosted the first of what would become many magical evenings. The gathering quickly expanded beyond inventors to include magicians, artists, puzzlers, and creative minds from around the world. Over time, Mark Mitton, Robert Fuhrer, and Alex Fuhrer joined as co-hosts, helping the tradition grow and flourish.

In 2026, Inventor Night NY evolved once again, teaming up with Mary Couzin’s legendary People of Play (POP) Pub Party for one epic evening celebrating inventors, magicians, and creative chaos.

Below are photos by year that Mark generously shared. If you’ve attended one of these magical evenings, please consider sharing your photos with us. Identifying the year and the people pictured would be especially helpful — we’ll post them with full credit to you.

Inventor Night Photo Gallery Over the Decades