By Karina Masolova
The 113th North American International Toy Fair once again played host to the The Toy Industry Association’s annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. Three of the top toys are licensed—sweeping the boy’s, girl’s and preschool categories—with Doc McStuffins in the top stop for the preschool and overall toy of the year. Unsurprisingly, the top brand was Disney’s Star Wars, which dominated 2015 holiday sales and is expected to remain strong this year, with hundreds of new SKUs on view at Toy Fair.
The most popular offerings at Toy Fair fell along two lines: tech-enabled (electronics, toys with tech elements like flashing lights or voice control or connected to mobile apps) or strictly old-school (construction sets, wood or paper toys with a twist). While STEM-engaging robotics proved popular, Hasbro and Learning Resources proved that classic toys are still strong with a nod to more traditional play patterns. And some bridged the gap, as classic toy brands underwent a modern make-over.
Here’s the full list of this year’s TOTY Winners:
- Activity Toy of the Year: Bunchems (Spin Master)
- Boy Toy of the Year: Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Millennium Falcon (LEGO)
- e-Connected Toy of the Year: Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition (Disney)
- Educational Toy of the Year: Vex Robotics Robotic Arm (Hexbug)
- Game of the Year: Pie Face Game (Hasbro)
- Girl Toy of the Year: Shopkins Scoops Ice Cream Truck (Moose Toys)
- Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year: Bright Beats Dance & Move BeatBo (Fisher-Price)
- Innovative Toy of the Year: Meccanoid G15 (Spin Master)
- Outdoor Toy of the Year: Razor GFD Fury (Razor USA)
- Preschool Toy of the Year: Doc McStuffins Pet Vet Checkup Center (Just Play)
- Property of the Year: Star Wars (Disney)
- Specialty Toy of the Year: Tumble Trax Magnetic Marble Run (Learning Resources)
- Toy of the Year: Doc McStuffins Pet Vet Checkup Center (Just Play)
- People’s Choice Award: The Uptown Espresso Kitchen (KidKraft)