By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Friday the 13th turned out to be lucky for kids all over the world, as the Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year Awards raised more than $1 million at its February 13 award ceremony.
Organizers say the cool million dollars raised was a record-setting philanthropic achievement for the organization.
The TOTY Awards were held at Pier Sixty in New York City, drawing nearly 800 toy and play industry professionals.
Proceeds from ticket sales, a raffle, auction bids and direct donations will fund the foundation’s Toy Chest and Play Fund programs, which distribute toys to children worldwide and support play initiatives at children’s hospitals and in international disaster zones.
To date, the foundation says it has delivered play experiences to more than 38 million children.
The event featured a record seven presenting sponsors: Amazon, Hasbro, Jazwares, Mattel, MGA Entertainment, Ravensburger, and Spin Master and Melissa & Doug. More than 40 companies participated through sponsorships overall.
Vision sponsors included Bandai Namco Foundation of America, BBC Studios, Build-A-Bear Workshop, JAKKS Pacific, Just Play, The LEGO Group, Paramount, P.M.I. Trading and Enterprise, tonies, and VTech Electronics.
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“At the heart of the toy industry is a mission to place the joy of play into the hands of children everywhere, and The Toy Foundation is proud to channel the industry’s shared philanthropic purpose to give back in an extraordinary way,” said Pamela Mastrota, executive director of The Toy Foundation. “We are deeply grateful to the companies and individuals who supported the TOTY Awards.
“The more than $1 million raised will translate directly into comfort, healing, and joyful moments for children who need it most.”
The gala served as the kickoff to the 120th annual Toy Fair, the largest toy trade show in the Western Hemisphere. At the show’s close, more than 100 companies donated toys, games and other products to the foundation. That amounts to more than 100 pallets in total, an amount the organization says will directly benefit nearly 27,000 children.
World Vision coordinated distribution to nonprofit organizations, schools and children’s hospitals.
“We collected more than 100 pallets of the latest toys that are guaranteed to create ear-to-ear smiles,” Mastrota said. “The Toy Fair collection demonstrates the extraordinary generosity of our industry and the powerful difference we can make when we act together.”
The Toy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The Toy Association and operates year-round, partnering with companies on toy donation drives, corporate partnerships, cause marketing campaigns and employee engagement programs. More information is available at toyfoundation.org.