TOTY Award voting open
By Staff -- Playthings, 12/1/2008 12:32:00 PM
NEW YORK—The Toy Industry Association today released a list of 74 nominees for the 9th annual Toy Of The Year (TOTY) Awards, due to be bestowed during the 2009 American International Toy Fair.
Nominated products cover the major sectors of the toy business in a dozen categories, ranging from product category specific awards, like “Game of the Year,” to more general nods for “Most Innovative Product” and the overall “Toy of the Year.”
The TOTY ballot was overseen by a nominations committee comprised of major retailers, TIA board members, toy trade journalists (including a representative from Playthings) and academics that whittled down each category’s prospects from the dozens of toys nominated for each category. Any product on the market during 2008 was eligible for nomination.
Voting is open through Jan. 16, 2009, for full and associate TIA members. For more information, visit TIA’s site at www.toyawards.org.
The nominees are:
INFANT/PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR
Kota The Triceratops – Hasbro (pictured)
Tink's Talking Café – Jakks Pacific
Giddyip 'N Go Pony – Little Tikes
50's Diner – The Step2 Company
Sit to Stand Alphabet Train – Vtech
Elmo Live – Fisher-Price
GIRL TOY OF THE YEAR
Pretty Pedicure Salon – Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell USA
Barbie iDesign Ultimate Stylist Cards and CD-ROM – Mattel
Mrs. Goodbee Talking Dollhouse – Learning Curve Brands
Disney Hannah Montana's Malibu Beach House – Play Along
Playmobil Horse Farm – Playmobil USA
Clickables Fairy Charms Starter Set – Techno Source
BOY TOY OF THE YEAR
Handy Manny 2-in-1 Transforming Tool Truck – Fisher-Price
Neft N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 – Hasbro
EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles – Jakks Pacific
Legends: King Arthur Battle Action Castle – Mega Brands
Sprig Adventure Series Discover Rig – Sprig Toys
Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro – Spin Master
Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres – Spin Master
GAME OF THE YEAR
Bananagrams – Bananagrams
Haunted Ruins 3-D Adventures Pop-Up Board Game – Basic Concepts
The Cat in the Hat, I Can Do That! – I Can Do That! Games
Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition – Hasbro Games
Pictureka! – Hasbro Games
Rush Hour – ThinkFun
Zingo! –ThinkFun
OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR
Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk – Crayola
Power Wheels A.T. Rex – Fisher-Price
Cosmic Keep Away – Hasbro
Fropper – International Playthings
Junk Ball – Little Kids
Backyard Safari Bug Vacuum – Summit Products
Banzai Skim Board Surfer – Toy Quest
EDUCATIONAL TOY OF THE YEAR
Computer Cool School – Fisher-Price
Idbids Eco-friendly Starter Kit – Idbids
LeapFrog TAG Reading System – LeapFrog
Zillions Touch Screen ATM – Summit Products
V-Motion Active Learning System – VTech
Discovery Kids Smart Animals Scanopedia – Jakks Pacific
EyeClops BioniCam – Jakks Pacific
ACTIVITY TOY OF THE YEAR
Crayola Color Wonder Magic Brush – Crayola
Clipo Creativity Table – Hasbro
Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker – Jakks Pacific
StarWars AT-TE Walker – Lego Systems
Circus Ring – Playmobil USA
PixOs Super Studio – Spin Master
KidiArt Studio – VTech
ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT TOY OF THE YEAR
Ultimate Wall-E Programmable Remote Control Robot – Disney
Fisher Price Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur – Fisher-Price
Fur Real Friends Biscuit My Lovin Pup – Hasbro
U-Dance – Tiger Electronics
VTech KidiJamz Studio – VTech
RS Tri-bot – WowWee
MOST INNOVATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR
The Pieceless Puzzle- Ceaco
Fisher Price Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur – Fisher-Price
Kota The Triceratops – Hasbro
EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles – Jakks Pacific
Sprig Adventure Series Discover Rig – Sprig Toys
Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro – Spin Master
Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres – Spin Master
SPECIALTY TOY OF THE YEAR
Deglingos – All New Materials
Create Your Own Pop-Up Books – Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell USA
18" Fancy Nancy Cloth Doll – Alexander Doll
Totem Boys/Girls from Kids on Roof – Kids on Roof
Circus Ring– Playmobil USA
Sprig Adventure Series Discover Rig – Sprig Toys
Wind Power – Thames & Kosmos
PROPERTY OF THE YEAR
Barbie – Mattel
Fancy Nancy – Harper Collins
Star Wars: The Clone Wars – LucasArts Entertainment
Disney Fairies – Disney
Disney's Handy Manny – Disney
Bakugan – Cartoon Network
Yo Gabba Gabba! – Wild Brain
TOY OF THE YEAR
The "Toy of the Year" is an overall award for the entire program. Voting members may vote for any of the toys nominated in the program’s other categories, or fill in the name of another product on the ballot.
The TOTY Awards will be held at Manhattan’s Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers on Sunday, February 15, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. and will officially kick-off Toy Fair Week.
As part of the program, Jack Pressman, founder of Pressman Toys, and Joan Ganz Cooney, the creator of Sesame Street, will be inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame.
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