Search Results for: toy foundation

Toy Fair Will Kick Off with the TOTY Awards, a Night of Philanthropy & Entertainment Featuring Artist Wyclef Jean

Hips – and toys – don’t lie, the excitement is growing for the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards, hosted by The Toy Foundation (TTF). Taking place Friday, September 29 at Cipriani’s 42nd Street to kickoff Toy Fair, the TOTY Awards will roll out the best of the best as it’s a night to celebrate the very best in the toy industry. Featuring an exclusive performance by three-time Grammy Award winner and “Hips Don’t Lie” songwriter, Wyclef Jean, the TOTY celebration will also name the top toys, people, and campaigns in the toy industry, pay tribute to industry icons, and feature a one-of-a-kind auction. The best part, the night is the ultimate fundraiser that supports TTF’s work to deliver the extraordinary benefits of play to children in need. 

Hearthsong Celebrates 40 Years of Play with Re-imagined Branding and More Brands In Its Online Toy Store

Hearthsong, the toy brand dedicated to colossal imagination, is celebrating 40 years of playtime with re-imagined branding and an expanding assortment of new brands in its e-commerce toy store at hearthsong.com. For four decades, the company has built its reputation with high-quality toys that unlock imagination. With this magical 40 year milestone comes Hearthsong’s announcement that “the fun has just begun,” reflecting the company’s breakout transformation from mail order catalog retailer to omni-channel imaginative play brand. The new “warm, wondrous, colossal” branding approach honors that deep legacy and provides a foundation for a host of exciting changes in product, packaging, and communications.

Nominations Now Open for the 2023 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards

The Toy Foundation (TTF) has opened the call for nominations for the 24th edition of the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. The toy industry is now invited to submit their top products and properties, exceptional team members, and outstanding campaigns across 23 categories for the chance to be named best of the best. Additionally, every submission is a display of the industry’s commitment to TTF’s work delivering the benefits of play to children in need.

PlanToys and Beeja May Joined Forces to Help Families Shift from Linear to Circular Economies

PlanToys, the global leader in sustainable toy manufacturing, announced a partnership with Toronto based startup Beeja May to have them as the preferred partner of the manufacturer to buy and sell second-hand toys throughout Canada. With this partnership, Beeja May will ensure continued life for PlayToys’ items that children no longer play with. Beeja May and PlanToys will be creating a network of parents and retailers across the country to get pre-loved and outgrown toys on the Beeja May marketplace so that families can shop quality second-hand to not only save money during this economic recession but also help save the planet of unnecessary waste. This initiative is part of PlanToys’ greater mission of creating a global circular economy of toys that was kicked off in 2022 with the PlayCycle initiative.

Toys for Tots Announces Expansion of Year-Round Efforts to Support Children in Foster Care

May is National Foster Care Month, and the Marine Toys for Tots Program is expanding its support beyond the holiday season to deliver emotional comfort and gifts to children living in Foster Care. The Program’s initiative, Champions for Those in Foster Care, will provide toys, books, and other gifts to be distributed to foster care children through local organizations across the country. “These children leave their homes with only a small plastic bag of their belongings. Marine Toys for Tots wants to give foster care children not only something tangible to take with them as they move, but also some tools and hope for a brighter tomorrow,” said LtGen Jim Laster, CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

Toys for Tots Literacy Program Celebrates National Reading Month in 2023

March is National Reading Month, and the Toys for Tots Literacy Program continues its commitment to helping children “Unplug and March into Reading” by placing books into the hands of less fortunate children and encouraging families to unplug from their screens and electronic devices and enjoy a book together! The Toys for Tots Literacy Program was established in 2008 as a year-round effort to offer our Nation’s most economically disadvantaged children the ability to compete academically and to succeed in life by providing them direct access to books and educational resources that enhance their ability to read and communicate effectively.

Toys for Tots Reaches Tremendous Milestones in 75th Year

Toys for Tots, the U.S. Marine Corps’ premiere Community Action Program, distributed 24.4 million toys, books, and games to a record 9.9 million children in need in 2022. “We were astounded by the support provided by the American Public and our Corporate Sponsors. They helped us not only accomplish the mission, but greatly exceed ALL expectations,” said Lieutenant General Laster, President & CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. He continued, “these unprecedented numbers were an incredible milestone to celebrate the Program’s 75th year of supporting underprivileged children in 833 communities across the Nation.”

Marine Toys for Tots Celebrates its 75th Year as it Kicks Off the 2022 Holiday Campaign

Marine Toys for Tots, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s premiere Community Action Program, announces its 75th Anniversary of supporting children in need across the Nation and the kick-off of the Program’s 2022 holiday campaign. The idea of the Marine Toys for Tots Program began in 1947 at the helm of Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks. Major Hendricks’ wife, Diane, was the inspiration behind the Program after she asked Major Hendricks to deliver some handcrafted dolls to an agency that supported children in need. When Major Hendricks reported back to his wife that he could not find an agency for the handcrafted dolls, Diane encouraged her husband to “start one”!