The film industry has the Oscars... Broadway has the Tony's... and the music industry has the Grammys. As of February, 2001, the toy industry will have its turn to pay tribute to the year's greatest, most creative achievements in toys and play with the presentation of the first annual T.O.T.Y. (Toy of the Year) Awards. The gala awards celebration, organized by Toy Manufacturers of America, Inc. (TMA�), will be held at New York City's Cipriani 42nd Street on February 10, 2001 as a festive kick-off for the 98th annual American International TOY FAIR�.

Conceived to honor the best toys developed by the international toy industry for U.S. consumers, the T.O.T.Y. Awards (pronounced Toh-Tee) program significantly expands the vision of the long-standing Hall of Fame program to recognize toys, as well as individuals.

"TMA is proud to create an exciting new annual program and forum to salute the tremendous work of toy manufacturers and marketers," said David A. Miller, president of TMA. "We're confident that the spirit of the awards will heighten the sense of pride and excitement within the industry, and generate greater public awareness of the contributions our industry makes to children and their families."

Categories and Voting Will Span the Industry

The first annual T.O.T.Y. Awards will recognize the industry's creativity and innovation during the year 2000 in the following categories:

• Most Innovative Toy of the Year for the most outstanding, unique and creative toy
• Retailer of the Year for the most innovative toy retailer during calendar year 2000, including mass, specialty and online
• Friend of Children Award for the company with a public service program that makes the most profound impact on the lives of children in its community or beyond, bringing credit to the toy industry
• Best Licensed Toy of the Year for the most successful marriage between a property and a toy
• Specialty Toy of the Year for toys distributed primarily through specialty retailers
• Educational Toy of the Year recognizing a toy that, through play, helps children develop special skills and/or knowledge
• Best Marketing/Advertising/Promotion Campaign of the Year � recognizing the highest level of creativity and implementation in developing a unified marketing, advertising, public relations or promotional campaign for a toy or children's entertainment product
• Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year for toys designed for infant and/or preschool children
• Girl Toy of the Year for toys developed specifically for girls of any age
• Boy Toy of the Year for toys developed for boys of any age
• Game of the Year including board, CD-ROM, electronic and card game formats
• Spring/Summer Toy of the Year focused on toys designed for outdoor play during the summer months

The T.O.T.Y. Awards program is being overseen by a special task force assembled by TMA. Co-chaired by Alan Hassenfeld, Hasbro, Inc., and Tom Kalinske, Knowledge Universe, LLC, the committee includes John Barbour, toysrus.com; George Ditomassi, Milton Bradley Company/Hasbro, Inc.; Peter Eio, LEGO Systems, Inc.; Ted Eischeid, Educational Insights, Inc.; Neil Friedman, Mattel, Inc.; Steven Greenfield, Fun 4 All, Inc.; Danny Grossman, Wild Planet Toys, Inc.; Andrea Morris, Playthings Magazine/Cahners; Arnie Rubin, Funrise, Inc.; and Jim Silver, The Toy Book/Adventure Publishing Group.

TMA's objective is to create the most inclusive toy event of the year, with representatives from the entire industry participating to salute the success, creativity and playful spirit of the toy business. Any company within the toy industry is eligible to nominate products and/or companies for the above award categories, with a designated representative from each firm submitting no more than three nominations per category. A typed statement of 50 words or less on why the nominee qualifies to win in its category must accompany each nomination. Statements may cover such factors as objective, creative execution, product development, fun and play value, traffic building and/or results.

Nominations will be tabulated, and a ballot listing up to five nominees per category will be distributed for a vote by TMA member companies during December. Ballots from TMA members must be received by December 31 for tabulation. All winners will be kept confidential until the presentation on February 10th.

TMA members will also nominate and select the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductee, who will be announced during the T.O.T.Y. Awards event. Established in 1984, this honor salutes an individual who has made a profound contribution to the growth and development of the toy industry. Previous honorees have included manufacturers, retailers, inventors, wholesalers and others.

America's Consumers Can Cast Their Vote, Too

TMA's new awards initiative will reach outside the industry, as well. The People's Choice Toy of the Year Award will give consumers young and old the opportunity to choose their own candidate for the best toy of the year. TMA will conduct an advertising and public relations campaign to generate participation, with voting to begin on November 24th through December 31st, 2000. Consumers can obtain a ballot from TMA by mail or online at www.totyawards.org. A ballot of the year's top 100 toys, determined by the market research firm, The NPD Group and a T.O.T.Y. Awards committee will be provided. As with the T.O.T.Y.s, the winning toy will be held secret until the February 10th Awards ceremony.

Raising Funds for Kids

Expanding its efforts to raise funds for children's charities is very much a part of TMA's new focus. Under the aegis of the American Toy Institute (ATI), TMA's charitable and educational affiliate, a partnering charity will be announced soon. ATI's fundraising efforts will include three methods: an online auction conducted during the heightened holiday season prior to the February 10th awards event, tribute sponsorships in ATI's tribute book, and a silent auction held for guests during the event's Saturday evening festivities.

Further information and updates on the T.O.T.Y. Awards program and February 10th event can be found at the TMA� web site, www.toy-tma.org. TMA is the national trade association for producers and importers of toys, games and entertainment products for children and families. TMA is headquartered at 1115 Broadway, NY, NY 10010.

[Posted 10/13/2000]