Trends Column – the US Toy Association on what’s hot…

US unveils its Toy of the Year nominations

US trade body the Toy

Association has unveiled its 122 nominations across the 17 categories in its prestigious charity fundraiser Toy of the

Year (TOTY) awards. The announcement of the nominations kicks off the countdown to the September gongs and, because of the awards’ new calendar, reflects the best toys over the past few years in the different categories as selected by the panel of judges including play experts, journalists, academics, retailers, and other toy experts. The public will now vote for the winners at www.toyawards. org, with the winners unveiled at an awards event in Dallas on

September 20 just before the Association’s 2023 Preview and 2022 Holiday Market. The overall The overall winner and the People’s Choice will be unveiled in November, winner and the to further boost toy PR just before the People’s Choice crucial present season. “The finalists are marvellous examples will be unveiled of innovation and imagination to deliver in November the power of play to children and adults alike,” said Pamela Mastrota, executive to further director of The Toy Foundation. “While boost toy PR just before the the TOTY Awards spotlight the best of the best in toys, it’s heartening that our toy family chooses this platform to crucial present season unite behind the TTF’s core program areas. Thanks to your collective support, we’re able to deliver millions of toys to disadvantaged youth, improve pediatric care in under-resourced communities, and help attract diverse talent to the industry.” The full list of nominations can be seen at https://toyawards.org. Nominations include familiar faces such as Batman, Gigabots,

Heroes Of Goo Jit Zu, Jurassic World, Star Wars and Transformers in Action Figure of the Year; Crayola, Disney, LEGO Minifigures and Harry Potter in Collectible of the Year; LEGO going up against

Thames & Kosmos and more in the Construction Toy of The Year category; everything from Black Panther to Miniland Baby Dolls in

Doll of the Year; Pokémon and Connect 4 Spin Game in Game of the Year, and Barbie Signature Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Doll taking on Fisher-Price’s Ted Lasso Little People Collector in Grownup Toy of the Year. Other categories include Creative Toy of the Year; Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year; Licence of the Year, for which cover star Gabby’s Dollhouse is nominated; Outdoor Toy; Playset; Plush Toy; Preschool Toy; Ride-on Toy; Speciality Toy; Steam Toy and Vehicle of the Year.

TOYS FOR THE KIDULT IN US ALL

For manufacturers and retailers dealing with the disruption of lockdowns and shipping delays, catering to older consumers in the toy aisles has offered an area of growth and opportunity. In fact, many toymakers have expressed optimism that the ‘kidult’ consumer base will hold even as toy sales begin to dip from peak pandemic-level growth

The U.S. Toy Association first identified this trend catering to ‘kidult’ consumers in its Not Just for Kids trend at the start of 2021, and the results of a recent Association’s survey of more than 2,000 parents across the US found 58% reported buying toys and games for themselves and not just their kids.

Here is just a small sampling of the kidult toys and games to look out for in 2022:

Expanding the Steiff Rocks! series, which celebrates the icons of British rock music; the limited-edition Elton John Teddy Bear is made of pink and cream mohair fashioned to look like the musician’s personalised bomber jacket worn on the album cover of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The Sonic Speed R/C (Jakks Pacific) lets fans recreate the action from the latest Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie. The controller is shaped like a Sonic ring and the figure is detachable with 13 points of articulation for posing and display.

The Pop! Album of The Jimi Hendrix Experience Are You Experienced (Funko) is an exclusive collectable figure featuring the musician’s look from his Are You Experienced album. It also includes cover art that can be hung on the wall for display.

Take on the role of detective in University Games’ newest whodunit game, Murder Mystery Party Case File: Death by Chef’s Knife. Players must work together to find the motive and uncover who murdered a fictional New York City chef.

Exploding Kittens has added a new not-safe-forwork (NSFW) edition of its card game Poetry for Neanderthals. Gameplay remains the same; players can only give single-syllable clues to help teammates guess a secret phrase, remains the same. In this version, the secret phrases have been updated for more adult audiences.

Star Wars The Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi Force FX Elite Lightsaber is a collectable version of the Star Wars jedi’s lightsaber, as seen in the latest Disney+ series, equipped with advanced LED and sound effects. It also includes a stand for display, with or without the removable blade.

Want to know what will be trending in toys and play in 2023 and beyond? Be sure to mark your calendars for two can’t-miss, in-person marketplace events.

The Toy Association’s 2023 Preview & 2022 Holiday Market, taking place September 20-22 in Dallas, Texas, invites play professionals to take advantage of the show’s unique position as both a long-lead and Q4-focused event and will also host the prestigious Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards.

Then, 2023 marks the return of the biggest North American toy show! Toy Fair returns to New York City next fall to showcase hundreds of thousands of innovative and neverbefore-seen toys and games and bring thousands in the global play community back together for business.