New York, NY | September 29, 2023 – The Toy of the Year® (TOTY®) Awards celebration welcomed nearly 800 members of the toy community for a night of industry awards, philanthropy, and entertainment on the eve of Toy Fair® in New York City. Barbie, LEGO®, Squishmallows, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were among the top winners of the evening, along with standout wins for Blue Marble, Thames & Kosmos, WowWee, and others that were honored with a prestigious award before Grammy Award winner Wyclef Jean took the stage.
Hosted by and in support of The Toy Foundation™ (TTF), the TOTY Awards are an opportunity for the toy industry to unite behind their Foundation’s work delivering the extraordinary benefits of play to children in need. Collectively, approximately $800,000 was raised to support TTF’s programs benefitting the mission partners that participated in the celebration — Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Metro World Child, and University of Maryland — as well as hundreds of additional national and international nonprofits. The TOTY Awards’ Presenting Sponsors — Amazon, Mattel, Inc., and Spin Master — all joined TTF on stage to highlight the importance and impact of the mission partners’ work.
“Our collective love of play — and the fun it creates — made the TOTY Awards an unforgettable night. Congratulations to our award winners and luminaries who are moving the industry forward and thank you to all who attended. Together we are making a difference through play in the lives of children in need,” said Pamela Mastrota, executive director of The Toy Foundation.
Twenty-five winners received a coveted TOTY Awards crystal trophy for their outstanding creativity and imagination across 17 product categories and six new people- and campaign-focused categories. Two ties for Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year and Playset of the Year were announced. See the full list of winners below.
Consumers are invited to continue voting at ToyAwards.org through November 10 to determine which TOTY Awards finalists will win the People’s Choice award. The overall Toy of the Year winner will be determined by a panel of expert judges. Both award winners will be announced on November 20.
Toy industry trailblazers Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie, and Ben Varadi, co-founders of Spin Master, and Mary Couzin, founder & president of ChiTAG & People of Play, were also inducted into the esteemed Toy Industry Hall of Fame and individually spoke about their passion and drive to continue innovating and delivering the joy of play to children around the world. Posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame with a special video tribute included the late John McLoughlin, founder of board game company McLoughlin Brothers; the late Rose O'Neill, creator of Kewpie dolls; the late David Ring, founder of Larami Corporation; and the late John Lloyd Wright, inventor of Lincoln Logs.
TTF aims to be the uniting force for the collective philanthropy of the toy industry for the benefit of all children in need. There are immediate opportunities to join TTF and the toy industry’s collective impact, including participating in the TOTY Awards online auction of stand-out products, collectibles, and experiences open through October 3, or making a cash donation online in support of TTF’s Toy Bank as the holiday gifting and giving season approaches.
Follow The Toy Foundation on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook for programmatic updates and to learn more about the toy industry’s impact delivering play to children in need.
For more information about the TOTY Awards voting and selection process, visit ToyAwards.org.
About The Toy Foundation™ www.toyfoundation.org
The Toy Foundation™ (TTF) is a 501 (c)(3) children's charity and philanthropic arm of The Toy Association™. Our mission is to be the uniting force for the collective philanthropy of the toy industry for the benefit of all children in need. In collaboration with the toy industry, TTF aims to create a world where every child experiences the comfort, joy, and extraordinary physical, emotional, and educational benefits of play through three program areas – The Toy BankSM; Play Grants; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Pipeline Program. TTF’s signature program, The Toy Bank, has delivered more than $284 million in toys to 31 million children around the world. In 2022, TTF provided $1.9 million in Play Grants to children’s hospitals nationwide and global partner organizations actively assisting thousands of Ukrainian refugees. TTF launched its DEI program in 2022 working with a network of colleges and universities to attract diverse talent to career pathways in the toy industry.
2023 Toy of the Year Award Winners
PRODUCT CATEGORY WINNERS:
Images available at ToyAwards.org/Press
PEOPLE-FOCUSED CATEGORY WINNERS:
Headshots and bios available here
CAMPAIGN-FOCUSED CATEGORY WINNERS: