Recently I was invited by The Toy Industry Association to a holiday press event to unveil the finalists in the 2013 Toy of the Year Awards! The TOTY Awards is a TIA-sponsored event in support of the Toy Industry Foundation - an organization that dedicates itself to bring smiles to kids through the joy of toys and play.
During the event, The Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced the 84 finalists for the prestigious 2013 Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY). Between now and January 13, 2013, toy lovers of all ages can vote for their favorites in 12 categories – from e-Connected and Innovative to Educational and Outdoor toys – and sign up to win exclusive prize packages at www.ToyAwards.org
This year’s finalists – representing 69 unique products or properties from 46 companies – were selected from nearly 650 nominees submitted for consideration. Nomination committees comprised of academics, journalists, toy trend experts, play therapists, toy inventors and designers, and toy retailers narrowed the field to the slate of finalists including:
ACTIVITY TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys that inspire creative play through various forms of activity
? Blingles™ Bling Studio by Moose Toys
? Cake Pops By Bakerella Ultimate Cake Pops Set by SRM Entertainment LTD.
? Digital Light Designer by Crayola
? LEGO® Friends by The LEGO Group
? LiteBrix™ by Cra-z-Art®
? Monster High® Create-A-Monster Design Lab by Mattel, Inc.
? Symphony in B.™ by B. toys by Battat
BOY TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys developed for boys of any age
? Air Hogs Battle Tracker™ by Spin Master Ltd.
? HEXBUG® Warriors Battling Robots Battle Stadium by Innovation First International
? Hot Wheels® Ballistiks™ by Mattel, Inc.
? LEGO® Ninjago by The LEGO Group
? Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire blaster by Hasbro, Inc.
? Skylanders Giants™ by Activision Publishing, Inc.
? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shellraiser by Playmates Toys
E-CONNECTED TOY OF THE YEAR: An app-cessory or other physical toy that interacts with a smartphone, tablet or gaming device
? Animal Planet Wildlands by Nukotoys
? Furby by Hasbro, Inc.
? Kurio7 by Techno Source, a division of LF Products (a Li & Fung Company)
? Life of George by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
? Skylanders Giants™ by Activision Publishing, Inc.
? Sphero® by Orbotix
? StoryBots™ Starring You® StoryBooks by JibJab Media Inc.
EDUCATIONAL TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys that help children to develop special skills and knowledge through play
? InnoTab® 2 by VTech Electronics North America, LLC
? LeapPad2™ by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
? Leapster GS Explorer by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
? LEGO® Architecture by The LEGO Group
? Roll & Play™ by ThinkFun Inc.
? Spectacular Science by Thames & Kosmos
? Zingo!® Sight Words by ThinkFun Inc.
GAME OF THE YEAR: Children’s board, card, CD-ROM or electronic game formats. (NOTE: All electronic games must have an ESRB “Early Childhood” rating)
? Disney Jake and the Never Land Pirates Never Land Challenge Game by Wonder Forge, Inc
? Don’t Rock the Boat™ by Patch Products
? Fibber™ by Spin Master Ltd
? Perplexus Epic™ by PlaSmart Inc.
? Skylanders Giants™ by Activision Publishing, Inc.
? Spot It Jr. Animals by Blue Orange Games
? The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game™ by Educational Insights
GIRL TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys developed for girls of any age
? Disney Princess Cinderella Magic Lights Dress by Creative Designs International (CDI), a division of JAKKS Pacific
? Doc McStuffins “Time For Your Check-Up” Doll by Just Play
? Furby by Hasbro, Inc.
? Furreal Friends Baby Butterscotch, My Magical Show Pony by Hasbro, Inc.
? La Dee Da™ by Spin Master Ltd
? LEGO® Friends by The LEGO Group
? Monster High® High School by Mattel, Inc.
INFANT/TODDLER TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys developed for infant children and toddlers (ages up to 36 months)
? Alphabet Activity Cube™ by VTech Electronics North America, LLC
? Cruise & Groove Ballapalooza™ by Fisher-Price, Inc.
? LEGO® Duplo Creative Sorter by The LEGO Group
? Rock*tivity walk ‘n roll rider by PLAYSKOOL
? Roll & Play™ by ThinkFun Inc.
? Tranquil Turtle™ by Cloud b
? Woofer™ by B. toys by Battat
INNOVATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys that utilize innovative design, technology, or manufacturing processes to enhance play value
? 4D Cityscape Time Puzzles by 4D Cityscape Puzzles Inc.
? Digital Light Designer by Crayola
? Furby by Hasbro, Inc.
? Illumivor Mecha-Shark by Skyrocket Toys
? LeapPad2™ by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
? Nerf Firevision Sports Football set by Hasbro, Inc.
? Swish™ by ThinkFun Inc
OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys designed for outdoor play
? Fuze Wheel Writer by Skyrocket Toys
? Little Tikes® Cozy Couple Go Bubbles by Imperial Toy
? Nat Geo WILD™ Anteater Bug Vac™ by Uncle Milton Industries
? Nerf Firevision Sports Football set by Hasbro, Inc.
? Razor® FlashRider™ 360 by Razor USA LLC
? The Original Big Wheel by JAKKS Pacific
? YBIKE Explorer by National Sporting Goods
PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys developed for preschool-aged children (aged 3-5)
? Chuggington Die-Cast Railway by Wilson and TOMY
? Disney Princess Songs Palace by Little People® by Fisher-Price, Inc.
? Doc McStuffins “Time For Your Check-Up” Doll by Just Play
? LeapPad2™ by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
? Servin’ Surprises™ Kitchen & Table by Fisher-Price, Inc.
? Switch & Go Dinos™ by VTech Electronics North America, LLC
? Symphony in B.™ by B. toys by Battat
PROPERTY OF THE YEAR: Property that had the greatest success spreading its brand throughout the industry
? Barbie® (Mattel, Inc.)
? Disney Princess-Cinderella (Disney Consumer Products )
? LEGO® Ninjago (The LEGO Group / Ninjago)
? Marvel’s The Avengers ™ (Disney Consumer Products)
? Monster High™ (Mattel, Inc.)
? Skylanders Giants™ (Activision Publishing, Inc.)
? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon)
SPECIALTY TOY OF THE YEAR: Toys primarily distributed through specialty retailers
? 4D Cityscape Time Puzzles by 4D Cityscape Puzzles Inc.
? All Duct Out by ALEX Toys
? Fashion Angels Color Rox Hair Chox™ by Fashion Angels Enterprises™
? Fastrack by Blue Orange Games
? LEGO® Architecture by The LEGO Group
? Loopdedoo® Kit by Ann Williams
? Playmobil E-Rangers Headquarters by Playmobil
During the event TIA experts offered toy industry predictions and talked about shopping tips and the outlook on holiday toys performance metrics. While lots of it was technical industry information, as a parent and consumer I was impressed with the research that goes into figuring out toy trends.
Make sure you vote for your favorite toy in each category for a chance to win ALL the toys from that category!
Please Note: I was invited as media to cover the event. No other compensation was received. Views expressed are always 100% my own.
Posted in: Event, Toys
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