Page 25 - Toy & Hobby Retailer Magazine May-July 2019
P. 25

2019 TOY OF THE
YEAR AWARDS
MGA Entertainment, Lego and Mattel proved to be big winners at the 19th annual Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY) in New York. The winners for 2019 were:
• Action Figure of the Year: Mattel Jurassic World Dinosaur Action Figures by Mattel
• Collectible of the Year: Lego Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Minifigure Series by Lego Systems
• Construction Toy of the Year: Lego Harry Potter Great Hall by Lego Systems
• Creative Toy of the Year: Cool Maker KumiKreator by Spin Master
• Doll of the Year: Lol Surprise! Eye Spy Under Wraps by MGA Entertainment
• GameoftheYear:DisneyVillainous
Game by Wonder Forge by Ravensburger
• Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year:
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart
Learning Home by Mattel
• Innovative Toy of the Year: Botley the
Coding Robot Activity Set by Learning
Resources
• License of the Year: Lol Surprise! by
MGA Entertainment
• Outdoor Toy of the Year:
Glove-A-Bubbles by Zing
• Playset Toy of the Year (tie):
Lego Creator Expert Roller Coaster by Lego Systems, and Lol Surprise! House by MGA Entertainment
• Plush of the Year (tie): Scruff-A-Luvs by Moose Toys and Star Wars Ultimate Co-Pilot Chewie by Hasbro
• Preschool Toy of the Year: Fisher-Price Think & Learn Rocktopus by Mattel
• People's Choice:
Unstable Unicorns by TeeTurtle
• Rookie of the Year: Ollyball - The
Ultimate Indoor Play Ball! by
Victury Sports
• Specialty Toy of the Year: Lego Harry
Potter Hogwarts Castle by Lego Systems
• Tech Toy of the Year:
Arcade1Up by Tastemakers
• Vehicle of the Year: PAW Patrol
Ultimate Rescue Fire Truck by Spin Master & Nickelodeon
“We are extremely proud of the platform we have built for buyers, sellers, and in fact, the entire toy industry ecosystem.”
The dual-propeller scooter pulls swimmers along at up to 5.4kmh and can dive up to
40 metres. If fitted with the floater, the WhiteShark Mix helps swimmers remain buoyant, while the GoPro mount allows for underwater recording of adventures. The brand also has a motorised kick board – Swii – coming soon, which maximises the fun of any water play.
Also in the motorised water play category, was the PoolCandy SplashRunner motorised pool lounger. Fitted with two Atari-like controls, the lounger allows users to steer their pool float around the pool, rather than floating aimlessly in the water. The motors are independently controlled, meaning the lounger can move in any direction, including reverse. Pool bumper cars anyone?
Sensory play was on show at NYTF, with
slime, putty, kinetic sand and other touchy- feely compounds on display. One that took a slightly different tack to the others, was Speks. The fidgeting magnetic toy is made up of
512 – to be exact – small magnetic balls that occupy restless hands.
In terms of displays, there were two that really caught my eye. The giant K'Nex ferris wheel and roller coasters were fun to watch, while the Klutz rainbow display couldn't be walked past. The gorgeous display – which took hours to design and build – was accompanied by a rainbow collection of lollies, of which I had a few. A perfect combination of eye-catching and sugar-boosting.
Not only were there thousands of products
to scope out at NYTF, there were over 30 educational sessions for visitors to attend. Covering all things from global safety standards
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