The Toy Industry Association kicked off the 103rd American International Toy Fair with the sixth annual T.O.T.Y. (Toy Of The Year) Awards. The Feb. 11, 2006, ceremony was attended by almost 700 industry leaders and innovators. The T.O.T.Y. Awards (pronounced Toh-Tee) are designed to salute the creativity, success and playful spirit of the toy industry by honoring the best toys developed by the international toy industry for North American consumers.
"The North American toy industry continues to set the trends for the rest of the world," said Tom Conley, president of TIA. "TOY FAIR is a time when the industry at large and the TOTY awards honor the best companies, products and individuals in the industry."
Below is a complete list of winners.
Toy of the YearFLY Pentop Computer from LeapFrog Enterprises
Most Innovative Toy of the YearFLY Pentop Computer from LeapFrog Enterprises
Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year Weebles Weebly Wobbly Tree House from Playskool
Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year20Q from Radica
Educational Toy of the YearFLY Pentop Computer from LeapFrog Enterprises
Activity Toy of the YearLEGO Star Wars from LEGO Systems Inc.
Game of the YearApples to Apples from Out of the Box Publishing and Hullabaloo from Cranium
Specialty Toy of the Year3-D Pool Table from Zocker Toys and UGLYDOLL from Prettyugly Llc.
Outdoor Toy of the YearAir Hogs R/C Dominator from Spin Master Ltd.
Girl Toy of the Year, Dora's Talking Kitchen from Fisher-Price
Boy Toy of the YearTyco R/C Shell Shocker from Mattel
Property of the YearDORA THE EXPLORER from Nickelodeon
Retailer of the YearTarget
Commenting on LeapFrogs multiple wins, ceo Tom Kalinske said, "We are gratified that the toy industry shares our passion to infuse learning and fun into today's toy offerings. We take pride for having set the standard for what it takes to be a true learning product educational, effective and engaging and hope that we have helped to raise the level of excellence for learning toys within the industry. The possibilities are wide open in 2006 for LeapFrog and our world class third party developer partners to create entirely new ways for tweens to learn, game and communicate with the FLY Pentop Computer platform. We thank the toy industry for recognizing our continued innovations in learning."
The evening's festivities also included the 2006 Toy Industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony, recognizing two individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and success of the toy industry. Inducted last night into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame were Harold Binney and C. Edwin Smith creators of the iconic Crayola crayon.
Further information on the T.O.T.Y. Awards program, finalists and awards ceremony can be found at www.toy-tia.org/toty.
TIA is the national trade association for producers and importers of toys, games and entertainment products for children and families, and the owner and manager of the American International TOY FAIR held Feb. 12-15. For more information, visit www.toy-tia.org.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
