Baby & Infant
PreSchool
SchoolKids
Teenager & Adult
Startup
Sustainability
Category Baby&Infant (0-3 years)
EverEarth 7 in 1 Space Activity Cube (EverEarth Europe)
Hours of fun for babies and toddlers promises the 7-in-1 Space Activity Cube from EverEarth. The varied activity cube has different phenomena to discover on each side. Turning and plug-in games train fine motor skills, concentration and thinking skills. A space station with rocket, planets and vehicles including alien figure invites creative play. In addition to the modern design, parents will be delighted with the practical storage option inside the cube. According to the jury, the cube is pleasing to the eye, requires no technology, but is still smart – and will enchant children and adults!
Category PreSchool (3-6 years)
Yummy Bear Scale (TOPBRIGHT GmbH)
On the Yummie Bear Scale from TOPBRIGHT preschoolers put any number of colorful cupcakes. They can then balance the scale only with the corresponding numbers. In this way, they learn about the relationship between weight and balance and solve their first math problems. Intuitive learning, child-friendly redesign of a familiar principle, and the fair price of the educationally valuable toy are just a few of the reasons the jury gave for naming Yummie Bear Scale the winner in the PreSchool category.
Category SchoolKids (6-10 years)
History of Life on Earth (Clementoni S.p.A.)
The History of Life on Earth experiment set from Clementoni reveals millions of years of human history to young scientists. Disciplines such as geology, paleontology, astronomy and botany are taught. The jury particularly emphasized the wealth of experiments and the entertaining nature of the set, which combines physical, augmented and virtual reality to create an exciting journey through the origins of the world.
Category Teenager & Adults (10 years+)
Miika K.I. (Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG)
Combines education and technical understanding with fun: Miika K.I. from Franckh-Kosmos is an adaptive robot that young hobby developers can train on speech, sounds and gestures. Detailed instructions provide background knowledge on artificial intelligence. Miika K.I. then learns to execute simple commands via an app. The jury was impressed by the holistic concept, the integration into a comic strip and the possibility to define own gestures.
Category StartUp
Paw Patrol AR Tattoos & Stickers (HoloToyz)
The Paw Patrol Augmented Reality Tattoos & Stickers from HoloToyz make dreams come true! Scanned with an app, the cute dog cops Chase, Zuma & Co come to life as 3D animations. Whether as stickers in the room or as tattoos on the skin: in no time at all, the lively characters are whizzing through the children’s room. The jury was impressed by the careful introduction to new technologies, the easy-to-use app and the fair price.
Category Sustainability
Creative Building Blocks (BAVVIC sp. z o.o.)
The wooden Creative Buildings Blocks from BAVVIC can be assembled into countless constructions with the help of easy-to-grip silicone connections. As a STEM learning toy with an integrative approach, they stimulate interest in technical contexts and are also particularly suitable for children with sensory integration disorders. The jury particularly praised the pleasant feel of the building blocks from the company, which strives for local and socially sustainable production.
Jury
Andreas Schäfer has been Managing Director of idee+spiel GmbH, one of the most successful specialised trade cooperations for leisure, hobbies and games, since October 2011. Mr. Schäfer entered the toy industry in 1990 after his training as a retail salesman and a 4-year engagement in the EDP accessories trade and has gathered 20 years of experience at home and abroad to date.
As founder of the British consulting company Gameplan Europe, Andrew Dobbie advises and publishes throughout the world on the consumer behaviour of children and products and markets for children and young people. As former European Marketing Director of Mattel Toys Inc, Andrew Dobbie has an extensive knowledge and many years of experience in the international toy industry.
Axel Dammler is Managing Director of iconkids & youth international research GmbH in Munich, Germany’s largest research institute specialised in kids and youth research. He has been working with young target groups since 1992 and has carried out numerous studies in national and international consumer and media markets.
Since 2016, Catherine is General Manager of Oxybul, the educational toy brand that brings out the best in every child. She is also President of the French chapter of the Women In Toys association. Passionate about brands and design, Catherine always thrives for the subtle balance between esthetics and functionality of the product.
Dean Smith is the co-owner of jaZams toy & book stores. jaZams has been in business for 22 years and has been rated as one of the 25 best toy stores in America. Before becoming part of the jaZamily Dean was an organic farmer.
Disappointed not to find a gift she could feel good about for her daughter on the toystore shelf, Sharon Keilthy quit her consulting job at McKinsey & Company and founded the world’s first eco toystore in 2018 – www.Jiminy.ie, named after Pinocchio’s conscience in the Disney movie. Her vision is that soon, every toy in every store will be sustainable – and to that end, she speaks and organises on sustainability in the global toy industry, including contributing to Spielwarenmesse Toy Business Forum, Spirit of Play Magazine and Toys Go Green, co-hosting bio!TOY Conference, co-founding WiT Sustainability Community, and sitting on the Toy Association Sustainability Committee.
In the past three years, Dae-jin Youn(Jean) has been working at one of South Korea’s most widespread and established conglomerates: Kakao. He has been working for Kakao’s educational platform for kids, also known as Kakaokids, and is a developer for toys made for a diverse range of ages. Jean is an avid member of the National Competency Standard Commissioners (NCS) in the toy industry, and gained working experience in the toy and hobby industry for over ten years. Additionally, he is a columnist for Toy Magazine in South Korea.
Jörg Meister studied product design at the FH Coburg. In 2010, after working for five years as an industrial designer for a globally operating company for baby hardware and toys, he joined forces with Eva Stemmer to set up the service agency for product design, consulting and PR with a focus on children’s products.
Keri Wilmot is a pediatric occupational therapist currently living in the Dallas, Texas. With 22 years of experience helping kids of all ages develop motor skills through play. In 2009, Keri began interacting on social media sharing toy recommendations and tips to promote play and development on YouTube, and on her website. In 2020, Keri authored her first book, Wired Differently: A Teacher’s Guide to Sensory Processing Challenges, which was written to give teachers practical strategies and play tips to help children. Keri’s expertise has been frequently featured on television segments and she serves as a contributor, consultant and speaker to companies worldwide.
Since 1993, Rainer Weiskirchen works as a spokesperson for TÜV Rheinland, a state-approved independent trade agency that also checks the quality and safety standards of toys. The TÜV Rheinland tests and certifies products according to the German and/or European Consumer Product Safety Act. Their “tested safety” certification mark (GS) guarantees a high quality of products.
Sue Warfield has been in the both the Retail and Toy Business for over 30 years. She had been an American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) Member since 2001 having had her own sales representative group as well as a retail store. She served for 7 years on the ASTRA Board of Directors including as chair of the board. In 2014 she joined the ASTRA staff as Membership Director. In 2020, she took on the position of President.
Thomas Wodzicki is an educationalist specialized in games. He also works as a teacher of adult education and project developer for the German Federal Association Spielmobile e.V. Spielmobile is a Germany-wide network of working groups and the proper authority for the gap year, usually taken to do voluntary work in the social sector in Bavaria. n mark (GS) guarantees a high quality of products.
Thorsten Paedelt works for duo schreib & spiel since 2001 and became Managing Director for Marketing and Sales in 2002. The retail trade co-operation from Berlin covers 460 toy shops in Germany and Austria. The range extends from stationery and toys to products from the creative and lifestyle segments.
The ToyAward
Criteria
Play fun.
Potential for success in retail
Comprehensibility of product concept.
Originality.
Safety.
Workmanship & quality.
Advantages
Customer voices
„The Toy Award is the most beautiful confirmation for our small foot design team and impressively shows that quality wooden toys with good design, thoughtful details and surprising functions fit perfectly into our time!“
Legler OHG small foot company, winner category PreSchool
„We are very pleased about winning the Toy Award in the sustainability category. It encourages us to continue to actively shape the consistent path towards a sustainable future and to set a good example in the toy industry.“
fischertechnik GmbH, winner category Sustainability
