The 2018 TOTY Awards: Here’s What You Need to Know

December 19, 2017 | Excitement is mounting for the Toy Industry Foundation’s (TIF) 18th Annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards ceremony, taking place on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. There is still time for toy professionals to purchase their tickets. Below is everything you need to know about the upcoming event, including gala details, ticketing, the awards program, and more:

What Happens at the Event

  • The TOTY gala will begin at 6 p.m. with a cocktail networking reception including hors d’oeuvres, followed by a plated dinner and dessert.
  • During dinner, TOTY Awards will be presented in 17 categories. The coveted awards for People’s Choice and Toy of the Year will also be announced.
  • The evening will celebrate the 2018 inductees into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame and include important announcements from The Toy Industry Foundation.
  • Following the awards presentation, guests are invited to attend a celebratory networking afterparty from 9:30 to 11 p.m.!

Tickets

  • Tickets for the entire evening cost $395 per person ($3,950 per 10-person table) giving access to the cocktail reception, awards ceremony, and afterparty. 
  • Guests who are not attending the awards presentation may also purchase tickets for the afterparty only for $95.
  • To reserve tickets or tables, interested parties may register online. For parties of 20 or more, or for additional information, please contact the TOTY reservationist.

TOTY Award Categories

  • This year’s awards include brand-new and renamed categories including Playset Toy of the Year, Creative Toy of the Year, and Plush Toy of the Year.
  • One lucky winner will also receive the People’s Choice Award, based solely on consumer votes, and another will win the coveted overall Toy of the Year Award, determined by a panel that will review all finalists and decide based on Toy of the Year voting results, sales data, and media buzz.
  • Kids and toy lovers of all ages are being encouraged to vote for their TOTY favorites at ToyAwards.org through January 5. To date, more than 100,000 votes have been cast, the highest number of votes on record and surpassing last year’s total of 85,000 votes.

Honoring the Foundation

  • The TOTY Awards program and event serve as a critical fundraiser for the Toy Industry Foundation, which, since 2003, has provided $200 million in toys to 24 million children in need around the globe through generous donors to its signature program, The Toy Bank. 
  • Companies looking for a valuable way to promote their brands – and contribute to a good cause – can reserve ad space in the Foundation’s 2018 Tribute Book, the official event program for the TOTY Awards ceremony and a fundraising vehicle for the Foundation. Ads can be reserved through January 26, 2018. Contact TIF’s Elizabeth Max for more information.

“The TOTY Award gala is our industry’s chance to celebrate the wonderful innovation and creativity that goes into making the toys and games that inspire children of all ages to play and to support the great efforts of the Toy Industry Foundation,” says Ken Seiter, The Toy Association’s executive vice president of marketing communications. “Join us as we kick off Toy Fair week with an enjoyable night of good food, networking, and honoring the great accomplishments of our peers.”

More information about the TOTY Awards is available at TOTYAwards.org. The TOTY gala kicks off the 115th Annual North American International Toy Fair taking place February 17 to 20, 2018 in New York City.