What a week for awards! First we had three classics joining the Toy Hall of Fame, plus the Toy of the Year Award nominees, the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees, and the TAGIE Award winners. Then the BAFTAs handed out a special award (more on that below). And finally, yours truly released the shortlist for the Kidscreen Awards, with winners to be announced and celebrated at Kidscreen Summit. 

If you’re not too awarded-out, spare a minute to vote for our humble Gold Star, where you decide which one of the following fine folks had the best week in the kids biz!

Blue Zoo Animation Studio: The Mojo Swoptops producer hasn’t lost any of its mojo, and just got a pretty special gift for its 25th birthday—a BAFTA Special Award! The British Academy Film & Television Awards gives out a small number of prizes each year to studios or individuals who have, in its words, “made a significant cultural and social impact.” B Corp-certified Blue Zoo, which has released a transparent AI policy this year and supported DEI initiatives and culture this year while others have scaled back, is well-deserving of this recognition. But it’s up to you to decide if the company also deserves this week’s Gold Star. 

Jazwares: The Florida-based toyco has landed a whale of a master toy deal for the très populaire Miraculous franchise. Ladybug and Cat Noir toys had been locked down since 2019 by Playmates Toys, which will now have one final year to wow consumers before Jazwares takes over the license in 2027. Miraculous Corp’s decade-old Parisian superhero brand has evolved from humble beginnings into a multigenerational franchise with plenty of staying power—here’s to Jazwares helping usher the expanding IP into its next 10-year chapter.

Jennifer Dodge: The driving force behind Spin Master’s PAW Patrol powerhouse is packing her bags and heading to Paramount. She won’t be leaving Chase and the gang behind completely (since the show airs on Nickelodeon), but soon Dodge will take on a lofty new job as Paramount Animation’s president—and apply her vast industry experience to even more iconic kids IPs, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Sky New Zealand: This Kiwi broadcaster was about to get left in the lurch, thanks to Paramount Skydance and WBD pulling their kids channels off air in New Zealand to focus on streaming. But instead of losing valuable children’s programming, Sky launched its own Sky Kids channel (no relation to the other Sky Kids in the UK) and stocked it with shows licensed from Nick, as well as local originals. In a nutshell, Sky can now deliver a lot of the same content but call the shots, and highlight New Zealand shows in the process. Way to go for Sky for making the best out of what could have been a sky-is-falling situation. 

WEBTOON: If you didn’t already think webtoons were taking off, maybe the major new deal between WEBTOON and Warner Bros. Animation will change your mind. WBA is adapting 10 of this vertical digital comics into animated content aimed at tweens and teens. If you’re not familiar with the WEBTOON platform, get this: Some of the titles being tapped in WBA’s initial slate have hundreds of millions of views. This deal signals that Warner Bros. Discovery sees some serious potential in webtoon adaptations, and maybe it’ll spur even more companies to get in on the red-hot format.

Don’t forget to vote for which one should get a Gold Star!