TOTY Award Winners Named

Playthings Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 2/12/2013 5:34:50 AM

NEW YORK - The 13th annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards and Toy Industry Hall of Fame induction kicked off the 110th American International Toy Fair this week; LEGO took top TOTY honors, while two  toy industry legends were honored.

Toy of the Year went to LEGO Friends (The Lego Group). Other winners included: Playmates Toys for its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shellraiser, e-Connected Toy of the Year, Skylanders Giants from Activision; PlaSmart's Perplexus Epic as Game of the Year; and the Tranquil Turtle by Cloud b as Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year. LeapFrog Enterprises' LeapPad2 also received the "People's Choice" award.The complete list of winners is on the Toy Industry Association site.

In addition, the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inducted several legends: Judith (Judy) Ellis, chair of the Toy Design Department at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the late Russell (Russ) Berrie, founder of Russ Berrie Inc. Both join 59 other toy pioneers inducted since 1985.

"The TOTY Awards are a joyous way to kick off Toy Fair week," said Carter Keithley, president, TIA, in a statement. "This event honors the creativity and innovation of the toy industry while supporting the philanthropic work of our very own Toy Industry Foundation (TIF), which brings the gift of play into the lives of needy children around the world."