Richard, as a new game inventor, it was an honour to be a part of the awards ceremony on Friday night. It is apparent that the toy and game industry is not about competition of who will make the next ‘best selling’ toy or game but is one large, supportive network. Helping each other and supporting each other is what makes this industry so special. Being part of the ‘soul’ of the wide group of inventors that were at the event was a privilege. Congratulations to all of the award winners and sincere thanks to Mary for inviting me into her ‘world’.

What a delightful forum. The industry experts were incredibly generous with both their time and expertise. I benefited tremendously from their insight. Getting to meet other and talk shop was a lot of fun, too. Mary deserves an award herself for bringing this community together!

Thank you, Richard, Kay and Cheryl, for your kind remarks. There were so many people that helped to make this event possible and they need to be mentioned.

First, the evening could not have been without the support of Hasbro as our lead sponsor and Mattel as our supporting sponsor. Other contributing sponsors included BoardgamePR, the Toy Industry Association, Playthings and Strong Museum of Play. Thank you for making it happen!

Many of the wonderful touches that made the event shine were from my dear friends Darlene Calhoun, Tim Walsh and Mike Hirtle. The support of more close friends Aaron and Pat Gessner and Anita Daniel over the years led up to the event... including you, Richard.

The event brought out every emotion – laughter from the clips, tears of joy and awe of the creative talent in the room. When Colleen and Joyce gave their speech and Joyce had her husband on the cell phone so he could hear what was happening, I saw grown men shedding tears. All the winners mentioned other inventors that helped them become successful. You could feel the industry's heartbeat.

I was humbled by the billions of dollars these inventors represented in sales, yet amazed of what wonderful, collaborative, interesting and caring people they are -- the soul of our industry.

I am proud and blessed to have the honor to play my role in the effort to give them recognition.

Mary Couzin

It's Thanksgiving - and so how appropriate to take this opportunity to give some much deserved thanks to those who made the events of last week possible. As one of the nominees, I can only try to convey the feelings of that night. What was so clear to us and to all who attended was how much these simple, brilliant playthings have touched the lives of so many. To think of our childhoods is to honor the contributions of the companies and inventors who founded so many wonderful memories for us all. And to think, until just this past week, the names and faces behind so many of those treasured toys and games were unknown but to a few - and unsung even in our own circle.
For reasons still unclear to me, Mary has dedicated herself to supporting and championing inventors in so many ways. First with Discover Games, then CHITAG, TAGIE and it's ultimate expression the TAGIE awards. To have been among the first recognized for our modest achievements, especially in light of those who have come before, was a tremendous honor that we can only hope to live up to. Mary, we can't thank you enough nor be happier for the success of the events you've created on our behalf.
But I would be remiss if I did not also extend our heartfelt thanks to the other visionaries involved. Hasbro, Mattel, Playthings, Strong Museum, TIA and Boardgame PR, without your strong support and sponsorship, this 'first' in our industry would still only be a dream. I don't imagine for a moment that, in these trying times, it was easy to dedicate the time, energy and funds needed to pull this off. Showing the benefit to one's bottom line is tougher when the industry has operated so long without. But each of the sponsors found reason enough. To you and the speakers at TAGIE who shared so much of their time and insights with the inventors, we thank you and hope you will continue to see the benefits of supporting these events in years to come.
I know of a good 400 people who had not given inventors or toys and games a second thought since they were 'young enough' to play with them - until they were asked to vote. And thousands did. And this holiday, when they are looking for gifts, I know many of them will head to the aisles inspired by the inventors they saw. And that can only be good news for us all.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Dear Richard,
I am happy to hear that you, and many others, were "blown away" at the TAGIE Awards! I too felt the excitement, energy and heartbeat of these creative souls of the industry in the room that night. Tears welled up in many eyes when Toying With Games, Colleen and Joyce was giving their acceptance speech as Joyce's husband listened from her cell phone. As REHCO, Steve and Jeff Rehkemper emotionally thanked their mom and dad, we watched their parents beam with pride. TAGIE winners Garry Donner and Michael Steer of Random Games speech was inspiring. When we heard the drum roll as the envelopes were opened to announce "And, the winner is..." you could actually feel the moment. All of the winner’s speeches were gracious and articulate and there were no losers.

Mary Couzin is an amazing woman and close friend. For longer than I have known her she has been a champion for inventors and this was highlighted that evening. Tim Walsh, TAGIE Host, and the awards presenters who are also deserving of a TAGIE Award, Reyn Guyer, Richard Gill and Betty Morris gave of their time and did an awesome job. True, without the Lead Sponsor, Hasbro, Mike Hirtle, and Supporting Sponsor, Mattel, and, of course, the creative talents of the inventing community, namely the Lifetime Achievement Award, Jeffrey Breslow and Big Monster Toys, this event could not have happened. But, one thing for sure, the event would NEVER have happened without Mary Couzin. Curt, you said it beautifully. Thank you, Mary, for the kind words and my hat's off to you. I am happy to have been a part of it.

The Toy and Game Inventor Awards was truly magical. I'm new to the game industry and to be in the presence of a collaborative of brilliant minds behind most of the toys and games I grew up with as a child was very inspiring.

One big theme that emerged from the special ceremony and the TAGIE conference was ‘support’. I would like to give thanks to all who supported and sponsored this incredible event, such as Hasbro, Mattel, Playthings, The Toy Industry Association, BoardgamePR Strong Museum of Play. Delano Services, Revenew, Sierra Packaging Company , Out Of The Box, and the rest of the talented professionals who participated in sharing Mary Couzin’s dream. Above all, I thank you Mary for believing this dream could come true.

I would imagine that this historic Toy and Inventor’s award ceremony will revolutionize the heart of the industry. Perhaps it won’t get the worldwide audience of the Academy awards but it will get the respect and recognition our gifted inventors deserve.

I am as speechless reading these thoughtful comments above as I was at the event itself. It was an honor and humbling to be a part of it, and we will do whatever we can to help promote and support next year's event, and the next and the next and the next.

I was truly humbled and amazed to be in the presence of "the Rock Stars" of the Toy and Game industry that night. I'm a newcomer to the industry, but it was impossible to be in that room and not feel the emotion. Such a wealth of knowledge, innovation and passion all gathered under one roof. I am looking forward to next year already.

My long overdue response:
Applause to Mary for getting an awards dinner arranged, with so many "rock stars"of toy/game innovation the event seems long overdue. Our industry is filled with inventors who have been in the business long enough to impact generations of kids -- but there are also plenty of emerging inventors who will shape the industry for years to come. Thank you Mary for stepping up and developing such an AMAZING event. And thank you to everyone who attended for making it a success. Bravo! And I'm already looking for my fabulous cocktail dress for next year.

And note to Richard: I was allowed to say "Cocktail" this time!

This year the TAGIE Awards will be held at the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum on Nov 20th and we are honoring Reuben Klamer for Lifetime Achievement along with the Inventors of the Year. Reuben is credited with designing over 200 toys and games marketed in 60 countries on 6 continents, including the enormously popular The Game of Life®. Some of his other hits include Fisher-Price 1-2-3 Roller Skates, Moon Rocks, Busy Blocks, Gaylord the Walking Dog and many more.
We hope the industry comes out to honor the Soul of our Industry. TagieAwards.com