Bakugan takes TOTY awards
By Staff -- Playthings, 2/15/2009 11:42:00 PM
NEW YORK—The Toy Industry Association handed out its Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY) tonight and the big winner was Spin Master for its Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Packs, which took home two awards, plus Property of the Year honors for the Bakugan property overall.
Here were the rest of the winners:
* Activity Toy of the Year, recognizing a toy that inspires creative play through various forms of activity, went to Crayola’s Color Wonder Magic Light Brush.
* Boy Toy of the Year, for toys developed for boys of any age, went to Spin Master’s Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres.
* Educational Toy of the Year, recognizing a toy that, through play, helps children develop special skills and/or knowledge, went to LeapFrog’s LeapFrog TAG Reading System.
* Girl Toy of the Year, for toys developed specifically for girls of any age, went to Playmobil USA’s Playmobil Horse Farm.
* Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year, for toys that merge high-technology with creativity and imagination, went to Hasbro’s FurReal Friends Biscuit My Lovin' Pup.
* Game of the Year, including board, CD-ROM, electronic and card game formats, went to Banangrams’ flagship Bananagrams game.
* Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year, for toys designed for infant and/or preschool children, went to Fisher-Price’s Elmo Live.
* Most Innovative Toy of the Year, for the most outstanding, unique and creative toy, went to Spin Master’s Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro.
* Property of the Year, for the licensor that had the greatest success spreading its brand or property throughout the industry while generating interest and excitement, went to Bakugan Battle Brawlers (Cartoon Network).
* Outdoor Toy of the Year, focused on toys designed for outdoor play, went to Crayola’s Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk
* Specialty Toy of the Year, for toys distributed primarily through specialty retailers, went to Create Your Own Pop-Up Books from Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell USA.
Interspersed with presentations of the TOTY Awards were two inductions to the Toy Industry Hall of Fame: Joan Ganz Cooney, the co-founder of Sesame Street Workshop; and Jack Pressman (deceased), founder of Pressman Toy.
