The Toy Industry Association has named its 100 finalists for the 2017 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards.
The finalists were selected from 700 nominees submitted by more than 250 companies. Twenty-five judges—including toy experts, retailers, academics and journalists—made the selections across 14 categories. (New genres this year include Action Figure of the Year, Doll of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Vehicle of the Year.)
Mattel and Spin Master lead the nominations with eight and seven nods, respectively. Mattel is a finalist in the Action Figure of the Year, Active/Outdoor Toy of the Year, Game of the Year, Innovative Toy of the Year, Specialty of the Year and Vehicle of the Year categories. Mattel also received two nominations in the Doll of the Year category for its Barbie Fashionista Doll (pictured) and the American Girl WellieWishers line.
Spin Master, meanwhile, was recognized for its entries in the Active/Outdoor, Construction, Game, Infant/Preschool, Innovative and Tech categories. Spin Master’s Hatchimals, nominated for Innovative Toy of the Year, has recently garnered a significant amount of buzz.
Hasbro (five nominations), Lego Systems (four nominations) and Thames & Kosmos (three nominations) also saw success in multiple categories.
Consumers can vote for the winners in all 14 categories—and the coveted Toy of the Year award—at www.ToyAwards.org. Voting will be open until January 15, and the winners will be announced at the TOTY Awards ceremony on February 17 in New York. The ceremony will kick off the 114th North American International Toy Fair.
A list of nominees in some of the key entertainment-driven categories are listed below. The complete list of nominees can be found here.
License of the Year
DC Super Hero Girls (DC/WBCP)
Elena of Avalor (Disney)
Paw Patrol (Spin Master/Nickeldeon)
Pokémon (The Pokémon Company)
Shopkins (Moose Toys)
Star Wars (Lucasfilm/Disney)
Trolls (DreamWorks Animation)
Collectible of the Year
Dorbz (Funko)
Gift ’ems (JAKKS Pacific)
Num Noms (MGA Entertainment)
Pop! (Funko)
Shopkins Season 6: Chef Club (Moose Toys)
Tonka Tinys (Funrise)
Action Figure of the Year
DC Super Hero Girls Action Figure Assortment (Mattel)
Fossil Hunter Lottie (Arklu)
IAmElemental Series 1/Courage Lunch Box Carrying Case with Complete Set of Action Figures (IAmElemental)
PJ Masks Headquarters Playset (Just Play)
Pokémon Throw ‘n’ Pop Poké Ball Duel Set (TOMY)
Stikbot (Zing)
Transformers Generations Titans Return Fortress Maximus Action Figure (Hasbro)
Doll of the Year
Barbie Fashionista Doll (Mattel)
Disney Frozen Northern Lights Elsa (JAKKS Pacific)
Elena of Avalor Adventure Dress Doll (Hasbro)
Project Mc2 Experiments with Doll Sets (MGA Entertainment)
Shopkins Core Shoppies (Moose Toys)
Stargazer Lottie Doll (Arklu)
American Girl WellieWishers (Mattel)
Game of the Year
Bloxels (Mattel)
Circuit Maze (ThinkFun)
Escape Room the Game (Spin Master)
Imhotep (Thames & Kosmos)
Maze Racers (FoxMind Games)
Simon Air Game (Hasbro)
Innovative Toy of the Year
CHiP (WowWee USA)
Cozmo (Anki)
Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar (Mattel)
Hatchminals (Spin Master)
Mebo (SkyRocket Roys)
Project Mc2 H2O Car (MGA Entertainment)
Special Edition Battle-Worn BB-8 with Force Band (Sphero)