Toy Report 2/27: The Toy Association Awards 2020 TOTY Winners; WIT 2020 Wonder Women Revealed

February 27, 2020

Sweet Suite Early Bird Rates Expire This Week

Sweet Suite, hosted by the Toy Book and the Toy Insider, is the biggest press event of the year for the toy industry. The event, which will be held on July 9 at Pier Sixty in New York City, puts toy manufacturers face-to-face with 400 members of the press, top-tier influencers, and key content creators to demonstrate and share the best toys of the year. Limited space is still available, and Early Bird rates expire this week! Email jackie@toybook.com for details.

The Toy Book’s Biggest Issue of the Year Is Here!

As the dust settles from Toy Fair New York, it's time to dig into the Toy Book 's biggest issue of the year — an epic, 300-page guide to the year ahead! Our team packed as many new products and trends, as well as industry analysis, into this issue as possible to give you the tools you need to be prepared for what lies ahead. Read the new issue...

The Toy Association Awards 2020 TOTY Winners

For the third year in a row, there was no surprise at The Toy Association’s 20th annual Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY). The Association named the winners for the coveted awards and inducted three industry veterans into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame at its event at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, with proceeds from the awards program and event supporting The Toy Foundation. The big winners of the night were MGA Entertainment, which won the distinguished TOTY for L.O.L. Surprise! for a third time, and Rainbocorns Ultimate Sequin Surprise Series 2 from ZURU, raking in the most votes for the People’s Choice Award. Read more…

Women in Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment 2020 Wonder Women Revealed

Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) pulled back the curtain on the 2020 Wonder Women Award winners at the sold-out 16th Annual Wonder Women Awards. The vibrant celebration dinner honors the best and brightest women that are making waves across the toys, licensing, and entertainment industries. Read more…

Additionally, Janice Ross of Brand Fresh Management has been appointed president of WIT . She will succeed Basic Fun’s Ashley Mady.

'Power Kid Podcast’: Flexport's Phil Levy Discusses Coronavirus Impact on the Toy Industry

In this week’s episode of the “Power Kid Podcast,” host Phil Albritton of Power Kid Design speaks with Flexport‘s Chief Economist Phil Levy to discuss the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the toy industry. Listen here...

The Adventure Media and Events Podcast Network is now available through all of your favorite streaming services, including Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.

Registration Is Open for The Toy Association’s Annual Business Conference

Are you a toy professional looking to gain crucial insight into the most pressing issues facing the toy industry? Save the date for The Toy Association’s Annual Business Conference (ABC), taking place from July 14-15 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Read more…

MGA Entertainment Plots New Content Initiatives for L.O.L. Surprise! Brand

At Toy Fair New York, MGA Entertainment Inc. (MGAE) revealed plans to expand its transmedia content offerings for its massively successful L.O.L. Surprise! Brand. The plan includes theatrical presentations in cinemas around the globe. Read more…

Additionally, MGAE revealed an L.O.L. Surprise! Fashion collaboration with Uniqlo.

ZURU, Brand Fresh Management Extend Rainbocorns Brand into Licensing

At Toy Fair New York, ZURU revealed plans to build out its Rainbocorns brand through a number of strategic licensing deals coordinated by Brand Fresh Management. Under the newly inked deals, Rainbocorns will make their way into apparel, sleepwear, stationery, accessories, and more. Read more…

Osmo Reveals New Data on Modern Parenting and Quality Concerns Toward Digital Content

By examining the responses of 2,000 U.S. parents with kids in school, the study conducted by OnePoll reveals new statistics regarding how parents view the quality of content that their kids are consuming using mobile devices, and how modern parents stack up against previous generations. A surprising 78% of participants (61% male and 37% female) with kids ages 5-14 believe that they are better at parenting than their own parents or caregivers were. Read more…

Slicensing the Toy Aisles: Have We Reached the Age of Oversharing Licenses?

Years ago, if a company had a hot license, they’d make a few solid deals in all of the major categories and call it a day. At some point, however, the pieces of the pie started getting smaller as licensors started slicing and dicing to cut as many players in on the action as they could. Walk around the show floor at Toy Fair New York, and you’ll see it: the same brands in every aisle — some innovative, many not. Read more…

Packaging for the Planet

There’s no question about it: Sustainability has become one of the most prevalent topics in today’s marketplace. Eco-friendly initiatives and actions are up for discussion on social media, at protests, and on the political debate stage and toymakers are reacting. Read more…

Mergers and Acquisitions are Reshaping Toys and Kids’ Entertainment

Over the past year, at least two dozen notable company consolidations have taken place, and that’s not including the other companies on the fringes of the toy industry. If all of the game makers, tech outfits, and others tethered to the play space were factored in, the list would be far greater. Aside from the financial benefits of combining forces, the overwhelming sentiment is that combined talent has a better chance of creating new toys that kids will love and surviving new challenges. Read more…

Specialty Shops Cater to Adult Shoppers with More than Just Toys

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket when it comes to merchandising in a specialty toy store. While many toy shop owners specialize in toys and games for little kids, more and more retailers are branching out and marketing themselves toward adults, too. After all, most of the actual paying customers are full-grown adults, so why not capitalize on that? Read more…

Implementing YouTube’s FTC-Required Changes

On Jan. 1, YouTube became a very different platform than the one that helped to launch dozens of toy lines over the past decade. Due to the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), changes had to be made to ensure that kids’ data is safe. Essentially, there are now only two types of content on YouTube: “made for kids” and “not made for kids.” Read more…

Looking at the Factors Behind Last Year’s Toy Sales Decline

Sean McGowan, managing director of Gateway Investor Relations, takes a look at some of the factors that caused the toy industry to suffer a 4% decline last year. Read more…

Bob Iger Steps Down as Disney CEO

Bob Iger stepped down as CEO of The Walt Disney Co. Bob Chapek, a 27-year Disney veteran, will take Iger’s place effective immediately. Chapek will be the seventh CEO in Disney’s almost 100-year history and will be tasked with leading the way into a new century for the iconic company. In Iger’s 15 years as CEO, Disney acquired Pixar, Marvel, LucasFilm, and 20th Century Fox. It also launched the streaming service Disney+. Read more…

Rachel Griffin, Sheena Stephens Launch PlayWise Partners

PlayWise Partners LLC formally launched as an integrated communications agency at Toy Fair New York. The agency’s mission is to help build great brands and inspire playful lifestyles for all ages, with core agency capabilities including media relations, experiential marketing, product launches, influencer activation, event and trade show management, social media, corporate social responsibility, corporate communications, and investor relations. The company is serving as the agency of record for YULU. Read more...

American Plastic Toys Appoints Ryan Rzeznik Director of Sales and Marketing

The Michigan-based maker of toy play kitchens, sand pails, vehicles, and more looks to grow and expand its marketing initiatives through the promotion of Rzeznik, who previously served as national sales manager for the company. Read more…