The nominees for the Toy Industry Association's 2018 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards have been revealed, with Mattel, Hasbro and Spin Master leading the pack.
The Toy Industry Association has named 122 finalists for the 2018 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards.
The finalists were selected from more than 600 nominees submitted by more than 150 companies. Twenty judges—including toy experts, retailers, academics and journalists—made the picks from 17 categories, three of which (Creative Toy of the Year, Playset of the Year and Plush of the Year) were new this year.
Mattel leads the nominations with 10 nods, while Spin Master and Hasbro are tied with nine apiece. Mattel is a finalist in the Action Figure of the Year, Collectible of the Year, Doll of the Year, Infant/Toddler Toy of the Year, Innovative Toy of the Year, Playset Toy of the Year, Preschool Toy of the Year and Specialty Toy of the Year categories.
Hasbro, meanwhile, was acknowledged for its entries in the Action Figure, Doll, Game, Innovative Toy, Outdoor Toy, Preschool Toy and Vehicle categories.
As for Spin Master, its Hatchimals IP, which won the TOTY Award last year in the Innovative Toy category, made the Collectibles finalists this year for its Colleggtibles 4 Pack line.
Just Play (six nods), LEGO (five nods) and Moose Toys (five nods) also saw success in multiple categories.
Consumers can vote for the winners in all 17 categories—and the coveted Toy of the Year and People's Choice awards—at www.ToyAwards.org. Voting will be open until January 5 and the winners will be announced at the TOTY Awards ceremony on February 16 in New York. The ceremony will kick off the 115th North American International Toy Fair.
Here's a list of nominees in a few of the key entertainment-focused categories. The complete list of nominees can be found here.