2020 Toy of the Year Award Finalists Unveiled #TOTY2020

These 114 Creative Toys & Games Will Top Kids’ Wish Lists this Holiday Season!

New York, NY | November 11, 2019 – The Toy Association today unveiled 114 toy and game finalists for the prestigious 2020 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. Known as the “Oscars” of the toy industry, the TOTY Awards program recognizes the top playthings on the market – from STEM/STEAM and innovative toys to dolls, action figures, creative toys, and more. The program is also a vital fundraiser for The Toy Foundation, which annually delivers toys to millions of children in need.

Finalists were announced this morning by a group of well-known online influencers who serve as TOTY ambassadors. Between now and January 5, 2020 play-lovers of all ages can visit www.ToyAwards.org to vote for their favorite playthings in each of the 16 categories, browse toys, download shopping lists for the holidays, and enter for a chance to win one of 16 toy prize packages.

“From an extraordinary field of nominees carefully reviewed by expert judges, this year’s TOTY finalists truly represent our members’ ability to bring fun, laughter, discovery, and learning to kids across America and around the world,” said Steve Pasierb, president & CEO of The Toy Association. “We are proud to unveil these playthings in advance of the holiday season and celebrate the toy community’s enduring ability to inspire generations of play. Everyone is encouraged to cast their votes at ToyAwards.org and help decide the winners!”

Winners in each category, as well as the coveted overall Toy of the Year winner and the People’s Choice winner (based solely on consumer votes), will be announced at the TOTY Awards gala on Friday, February 21, 2020 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. The celebration will kick off Toy Fair New York and include the induction of three trailblazers into the esteemed Toy Industry Hall of Fame.

2020 TOTY FINALISTS

More information about the TOTY voting and selection process can be found in the “About the Awards” section of www.ToyAwards.org.

ACTION FIGURE OF THE YEAR
Toys that represent a person or fictional character intended for active, imaginative and narrative-based play

Bakugan Dragonoid Maximus Transforming Figure by Spin Master
Disney Pixar Toy Story Basic Figures by Mattel, Inc.
Heroes of Goo Jit Zu by Moose Toys
Jurassic World Destroy ‘N Devour Indominus Rex by Mattel, Inc.
Marvel Legends Series by Hasbro, Inc.
My Hero Academia Katsuki Bakugo Action Figure by McFarlane Toys
Power Rangers Beast Morphers Beast-X Ultrazord Figure by Hasbro, Inc.

 

COLLECTIBLE OF THE YEAR
Toys that compose a set and can be collected in multiples; can include novelty playthings, miniature versions of existing lines, licensed collectibles, etc.

Blume by Skyrocket Toys
Hairdorables Dolls Series 3 by Just Play
L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Disco Series by MGA Entertainment
Lucky Fortune by WowWee
My Singing Monsters Collectible Musical Figures by PlayMonster
Pulp Heroes Snap Bots by Far Out Toys
Shopkins Real Littles Lil’ Shopper Pack by Moose Toys

CONSTRUCTION TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that include building as the primary play pattern

Erector by Meccano, Inventor Set, Intro to Robotics by Spin Master
Fisher-Price® Wonder Makers design system Build Around Town Starter Kit by Mattel, Inc.
LeapBuilders® ABC Smart House by LeapFrog
LEGO® CITY Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control by LEGO Systems, Inc.
LEGO® MARVEL Iron Man Hall of Armor by LEGO Systems, Inc.
My Robotic Pet – Tumbling Hedgehog by Thames & Kosmos
VEX Catapult 2.0 by HEXBUG

CREATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that allow kids to build and/or make items that are unique to them

Blinger by Wicked Cool Toys
Cool Maker GO GLAM Nail Stamper by Spin Master
Crayola Glitter Dots by Crayola
littleBits Electronic Music Inventor Kit by Sphero
smART Pixelator by Flycatcher Inc.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Droid Depot Custom Astromech Units by Disney Parks
Y’Art® Craft Kit by Kahootz

DOLL OF THE YEAR
Toys that include baby, toddler, and fashion dolls

Ballerina Dreamer Dancing Ballerina by Hunter Products USA LLC
Candylocks Basic Doll by Spin Master
Creatable World by Mattel, Inc.
Cry Babies – Kristal Gets Sick & Feels Better by IMC Toys
Disney Frozen 2: “Into the Unknown” Elsa Doll by JAKKS Pacific
Disney Princess Ralph Breaks the Internet – Comfy Princess Assortment by Hasbro, Inc.
L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Fashion Dolls by MGA Entertainment

GAME OF THE YEAR
For families and children’s (ages 0-14) games including board, card, electronic or other physical game formats and puzzles, exclusive of video or app games

Funkoverse Strategy Game by Funko Games
Heist by Megableu USA
MS. MONOPOLY Board Game by Hasbro, Inc.
Orangutwang by PlayMonster
Pictionary Air by Mattel, Inc.
Ravensburger’s Disney Villainous: Evil Comes Prepared by Ravensburger
Throw Throw Burrito by Exploding Kittens
UNO Braille by Mattel, Inc.

INFANT/TODDLER TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are developed for ages 0-3 (0-18 months infant/18 months-3 years toddler)

Fisher-Price® Linkimals by Mattel, Inc.
InnyBin by Fat Brain Toy Co.
KidKraft World of Eric Carle Shape Activity Cube by KidKraft
LeapBuilders® 123 Fix-It Truck by LeapFrog
Mix & Match-a-Saurus by VTech®
Musical Lili Llama by The Manhattan Toy Company
Tinker Truck by Radio Flyer

INNOVATIVE TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that utilize innovative design, technology, or manufacturing processes to enhance play value

comicam® the Instant Comic Camera by Hangzhou Rulei Technology Co., Ltd
Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak by Wow! Stuff
Hot Wheels id Smart Track Kit by Mattel, Inc.
Hot Wheels TechMods by Mattel, Inc.
RockIt Twist by LeapFrog
Shashibo (The Shape Shifting Box) by Fun In Motion Toys
tori Explorer Pack by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America

LICENSE OF THE YEAR
Character or property that has had success spreading its brand through the development and merchandising of products developed from the intellectual property

Baby Shark by Pinkfong
Barbie 60th Anniversary Program by Mattel, Inc.
JoJo Siwa by Nickelodeon
Marvel Avengers Endgame by Disney / Marvel Licensing
PAW Patrol Mighty Pups Super PAWs by Spin Master / Nickelodeon
Pokémon by The Pokémon Company International
Ryan’s World by pocket.watch
Toy Story 4 by The Walt Disney Company

OUTDOOR TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are designed for outdoor play, including ride-ons

Crazy Cart® Shift by Razor USA
Create A Castle by Create A Castle
EzyRoller Drifter X by EzyRoller LLC
Globber GoUp COMFORT by Incredible Novelties
My Buddy Wheels by Yvolution USA, Inc.
Toilet Paper Blasters Sheet Storm by JAKKS Pacific
ZURU X-Shot Fast-Fill by ZURU

PLAYSET OF THE YEAR
Toys that are designed to work together to enact some action or event, including characters and role play

Beyblade Burst Turbo Slingshock Cross Collision Battle Set by Hasbro, Inc.
Disney Frozen Ultimate Arendelle Castle Playset by Hasbro, Inc.
Hape Fire Station by Hape International Inc
Hot Wheels® Colossal Crash Track Set by Mattel, Inc.
L.O.L. Surprise! Winter Disco Chalet by MGA Entertainment
PLAYMOBIL Mars Space Station by PLAYMOBIL
Timber Tots by Fat Brain Toy Co.

PLUSH TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are made of fabric and stuffed with cotton or similar filling, including toys with interactive or electronic features

Cutetitos by Basic Fun!
Dolce Safari Adventure by Magformers/DOLCE
Little Live Scruff-A-Luvs Real Rescue Electronic Pet by Moose Toys
Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppets with Tempo Control by WowWee
Pomsies Lumies by Skyrocket Toys
Shimmer Stars by KD Group
ZURU Rainbocorns Ultimate Sequin Surprise Series 2 by ZURU

PRESCHOOL TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are developed for ages 3-5

Demo Duke by Spin Master
Coding Critters by Learning Resources®
Kid Trax Rideamals Unicorn by Pacific Cycle
Kindi Kids by Moose Toys
Myla the Magical Unicorn by VTech®
Peppa Pig’s Magical Parade Floats by Jazwares
Wild Ones by Razor USA

SPECIALTY TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that are distributed through independent retailers, i.e. neighborhood toy stores, and not sold at mass brick and mortar stores.  Toys that are sold only online do not qualify

AirFort by AirFort
Hape Emergency Services Headquarters by Hape International Inc
LEGO® Ideas Central Perk by LEGO Systems, Inc.
LEGO® Stranger Things The Upside Down by LEGO Systems, Inc.
littleBits Space Rover Inventor Kit by Sphero
OombeeBall by Fat Brain Toy Co.
ThinkFun’s Thinking Putty Puzzle by ThinkFun, Inc.

STEM/STEAM TOY OF THE YEAR
Toys that encourage kids to develop skills (foundational or curricular) in the core disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

Amazing Rescue 50Pc Set by Magformers
Artie 3000 by Educational Insights®
Beaker Creatures Alien Experiment Lab by Learning Resources®
Crayola Color Chemistry Arctic Lab by Crayola
Gumball Machine Maker by Thames & Kosmos
LEGO® BOOST Star Wars Droid Commander by LEGO Systems, Inc.
Mech-5 Mechanical Coding Robot by Elenco

VEHICLE OF THE YEAR
Toy cars, trucks, trains and other vehicles in all scales, including R/C vehicles but exclusive of ride-ons

Grrrumball by Alpha Group US
Hot Wheels Mario Kart Die-Cast Vehicle Assortment by Mattel, Inc.
L.O.L. Surprise! 2-in-1 Glamper by MGA Entertainment
Monster Jam Mega Grave Digger Remote Control Vehicle by Spin Master
PJ Masks PJ Seeker by Just Play
STAR WARS D-O Interactive Droid by Hasbro, Inc.
X-Power Dozer by JAKKS Pacific

 

The finalists were selected from 633 nominees submitted by 236 companies. Eighteen judges, including toy and play experts, retailers, academics, and journalists, reviewed and ranked the products in categories relevant to their areas of expertise. The judges then participated in a discussion to determine the finalists in each category. They considered each product’s creativity, design, play value, and marketing.

The TOTY Awards gala is open only to toy industry professionals. Tickets for the event will be available for purchase on December 2; all TOTY proceeds are donated to The Toy Foundation, which partners with generous toy companies throughout the year to bring brand-new toys to children who are sick, at-risk, in foster care, impoverished, or otherwise in need.

About The Toy Association  www.toyassociation.org / www.thegeniusofplay.org / www.playsafe.org
Founded in 1916, The Toy Association, Inc. is the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The Toy Association leads the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual U.S. economic impact of $107.5 billion, and its 950+ members drive the annual $26.5 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Toy Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play, and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and media. The organization has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.

As a global leader, The Toy Association produces the world-renowned North American International Toy Fair and Fall Toy Preview; advocates on behalf of members around the world; sustains the Canadian Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.

via http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/2020-toy-of-the-year-award-finalists-unveiled-toty2020/
Daniel Pickett

Deku Is Ready to Prove Himself with New Funko Pop Figures [Review]

My Hero Academia Season 4 is in full blast and it is just kicking down the doors with this season. A world full of heroes defending the world from villains is nothing but the norm in this modern era. The stories coming from Marvel and DC have been around for generations and it’s no surprise that the Japanese have captured it perfectly in there manga and anime. Nothing says My Hero Academia like the main character Izuku Midoriya / Deku. Funko Pop has released another amazing wave of My Hero Academia Funko Pop vinyl figures, covering villains, heroes and, students. In the newest wave, we get Izuku Midoriya in his full-fledged hero outfit and before him, we got an Entertainment Earth Exclusive Deku. This review will be covering both of those figures and why you should pick them up.

First up is the Entertainment Earth exclusive Deku Funko Pop! He is more detailed than ever and even shows off his newly updated costume. We could see this in Season 3 when he focused more on his legs as units of All for One. This Deku is unique from more than just a costume he does glow in the dark!. The giant red X on his face does show the power surrounding along with full-body electricity around his body. We have seen this before in a lot of the Dragon Ball Z Funko Pop’s and I enjoy it on this figure. Deku glow features aren’t represented here in these photos but I can assure you it is awesome. The detail on this character is definitely given off amazing energy and is perfect for any My Hero Academia.

The last part of this review is the fully superhero costumed version of Izuku Midoriya. Unlike the other ones, this one is finally titled as Izuku Midori you which is kind of odd because when he’s in costume he should be referred to his superhero name. This is a new and interesting outfit and I love the detail on it. With the teal colors and the face mask, it brings Izuku full circle. We were able to capture half of this style in the Hot Topic exclusive Battle Damaged Deku. Which was hard to find at one point but it definitely has dropped off in value and fallen off the eyes of collectors since. 

I am sure we will see a lot more My Hero Academia Funko Pops in the future. With a long cast of characters from pro heroes, teachers and students there is a nice variety Funko can pick from to be in their next wave. I am sure this is not the last time we will see Deku as a Funko Pop either, and you can bet we will see another All Might. Only time will tell what the future holds but for now, we have these and you can add them to your collections today and now are. You can find the Entertainment Earth exclusive glow-in-the-dark Deku here and you can find the new superhero costumed Izuku/Deku located here.

Plus Ultra! 

The post Deku Is Ready to Prove Himself with New Funko Pop Figures [Review] appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

via https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11/17/deku-is-ready-to-prove-himself-with-new-funko-pop-figures-review/
Tyler Roberts

All Might Funko Pops Tell Us That They Are Here! [Review]

My Hero Academia Season 4 is a back in it is bigger and better than ever. Could All Might die? What will our heroes do next? What is the League of Villains up to? Only these questions can be answered by My Hero Academia Season 4. The questions that you have that I can answer are what are the newest All Might Funko Pop figures. In the most recent wave of Funko Pop and we have got a massive selection from the League of Villains as well as some unsung heroes from Class 1A. This time we’re looking at the main man himself All Might. All Might has gotten three Funko Pop final characters, one of them is an exclusive.

First off, we’re going to look at the All Might teacher, which is based off the original mode with just a new outfit. All Might teacher is posing his original mold with posed with his thumbs up. The newest addition is the fact that he’s in his yellow teaching suit. I do like this Funko Pop figure it is quite different then you would usually expect. The only issue I did have was his feet were not properly flat so he was having issues standing up as he did not come with a display stand. Besides that the character design is beautifully crafted and definitely recommend it for any My Hero Academia Funko collection

Next up we have a new mold for All Might in the newest wave of My Hero Academia Funko Pop’s. This new Funko is based off his Silver Age outfits as he has posed in a heroic stance. I feel like this pose is when he is popping his head through the door way to meet class 1A in the first season. This Funko Pop can be split into two separate ones actually, as it is the same but Barnes & Noble is getting an exclusive metallic version. This new mold for All Might is pretty cool I really love the silver each outfit and I hope we can see more outfits come out from past characters like Gran Torino. I do like how he is posed very heroic styled with the cape blowing in the wind. The colors for this character are quite bright and they really gave the character of dynamic feel.

As for the Barnes and Noble Metallic version exclusive it honestly is a lot better than the common version. I don’t know why but for some reason the metallic paint really defines the characters muscle mass and it makes it quite dynamic. I don’t know whether it’s a metallic paint or the fact that the paint can bring shadows to the body itself but it looks a lot better in certain aspects than others. The golden style hair is kind of weird but this is an exclusive so you can’t complain too much.

All Might is an amazing character from My Hero Academia and I am sure we will see a lot more Funko Pops. I hope we can see more All Mights in different outfits in the future and I sure we will as more exclusives or in another wave. All of these are still available at most retailers or you can find them here. Locate your own Metallic Barnes & Noble exclusive All Might at your local B&N or you can find them online and located here and the other All Might Funko Pops here. Don’t forget to check out all the other amazing My Hero Academia Funko Pops already released for this wave in the near future.

The post All Might Funko Pops Tell Us That They Are Here! [Review] appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

via https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/11/17/all-might-funko-pops-review/
Tyler Roberts