And the T.O.T.Y. Award Goes to ... ! Toy Industry Association Announces 14 Industry and One People's Choice Winner at the Second Annual Awards Ceremony

NEW YORK -- Feb. 11, 2002 -- What a way to kick off TOY FAIR!

The second annual T.O.T.Y.(TM) (Toy Of The Year) Awards were held last night at The Regent Wall Street in New York City, to pay tribute to the year's greatest and most creative achievements in toys and play at its gala awards celebration, organized by Toy Industry Association, Inc. (TIA(TM)). The February 9th ceremony was emceed by Hollywood Square's host Tom Bergeron as a festive launch of the 99th annual American International TOY FAIR(TM), now underway.

The T.O.T.Y. Awards (pronounced Toh-Tee) were conceived to honor the best toys developed by the international toy industry for U.S. consumers. "America's toy industry is renowned for producing the world's most imaginative, creative -- and fun -- playthings for children," said Tom Conley, president of TIA. "Through the T.O.T.Y. Awards program, the industry comes together in the spirit of celebration and pride to honor the year's most outstanding achievements in the world of toys."

The 2001 T.O.T.Y. Awards recognized the industry's innovation during the year 2001. Walking away with top honors in 15 industry categories -- plus one People's Choice award -- were the following winners:

• People's Choice Toy of the Year, representing the best toy of the year as voted by thousands of consumers across the country -- BRATZ, MGA Entertainment
• Most Innovative Toy of the Year, for the most outstanding, unique and creative toy -- Bionicle, LEGO Systems, Inc.
• Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year, for toys designed for infant and/or preschool children -- Rescue Heroes(TM), Fisher-Price®
• Educational Toy of the Year, recognizing a toy that, through play, helps children develop special skills and/or knowledge -- My First LeapPad(TM), LeapFrog
• Best Activity Toy of the Year, recognizing a toy that inspires creative play through various forms of activity -- LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, LEGO Systems, Inc.
• Game of the Year, including board, CD-ROM, electronic and card game formats -- Cranium®, Cranium, Inc.
• Specialty Toy of the Year, for toys distributed primarily through specialty retailers -- Spy Line, Wild Planet Toys
• Spring/Summer Toy of the Year, focused on toys designed for outdoor play during the summer months -- Street Flyers Retractable In-Line Skates, Street Flyers, LLC
• Girl Toy of the Year, for toys developed specifically for girls of any age -- e-kara, Hasbro, Inc.
• Boy Toy of the Year, for toys developed for boys of any age -- Bionicle, LEGO Systems, Inc.
• Best Licensed Toy of the Year, for the most successful marriage between a property and a toy -- Bob The Builder Electronic Talking Scoop, Hasbro, Inc.
• Specialty Retailer of the Year, for the most innovative retailer, offering diverse merchandise presentation that give specialty brands and product categories clear focus and value-added appeal -- FAO Schwarz
• Mass Retailer of the Year, for the most innovative retailer with extensive locations offering a wide variety of popular merchandise with creative in-store marketing and merchandising -- Target
• Best Marketing 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 -- Toys "R" Us
• Caring For Children, 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 -- Hasbro's Corporate Philanthropy Program, Hasbro, Inc.
• Inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame, David Miller, former President of TIA and International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI)

The T.O.T.Y. Awards program was overseen by a special task force assembled by TIA, co-chaired by Alan Hassenfeld, Hasbro, Inc., and Tom Kalinske, Knowledge Universe, LLC. The committee includes Andrew Black, LEGO Systems, Inc.; George Ditomassi, Hasbro, Inc.; John Eyler, Toys "R" Us; Pat Feely, Radica Games Ltd.; Neil Friedman, Mattel's Fisher-Price Brands; Bob Fuhrer, Nextoy; Steven Greenfield, Salo Enterprises; Danny Grossman, Wild Planet Toys; Harriet Mouchly-Weiss, Strategy XXI Group; George Oess, Cadaco, Inc.; Janice Polizzotto, The Polizzotto Group; Jim Pressman, Pressman Toy Corporation; Arnie Rubin, Funrise Toys, Inc.; Jim Silver, The Toy Book/Adventure Publishing Group; and Ben Varadi, Spin Master Toys.

Further information on the T.O.T.Y. Awards program, finalists and awards ceremony can be found at the TIA®web site, www.toy-tia.org -- click on the T.O.T.Y. box.

TIA is the national trade association for producers and importers of toys, games and entertainment products for children and families, and the owner and manager of the American International TOY FAIR(TM), held February 10 to 14. TOY FAIR pressroom dates are February 7 to 14 at two locations, including the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and 200 Fifth Avenue. For more information about TOY FAIR and the toy industry, please refer to the TIA web site: www.toy-tia.org.

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