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The Toy Foundation announced 122 finalists for the 2027 Toy of the Year Awards at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. Winners are scheduled to be announced at a February 19 gala in New York City, where the event will also include Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductions.
The Toy Foundation has announced 122 finalists for the 2027 Toy of the Year Awards, selecting products across 17 categories ranging from action figures and games to educational, infant and toddler, and technology toys. The finalists were revealed Saturday at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair in Rosemont, Illinois; winners are scheduled to be announced at a February 19, 2027, gala in New York City.
The nominees include products from major toy companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master, and The LEGO Group, as well as offerings from Just Play, Moose Toys, MGA Entertainment, Thames & Kosmos and other makers. The award categories include Action Figure, Collectible, Construction, Creative, Doll, Educational, Game, Infant/Toddler, Kidult, License, Outdoor, Playset, Plush, Preschool, Specialty, Tech and Vehicle of the Year.
Among the named finalists are Mattel’s Disney and Pixar Toy Story 5 Ultimate Action Figures in the action-figure category; The LEGO Group’s LEGO One Piece The Going Merry Pirate Ship in construction; and Asmodee’s CATAN — On the Road in games. The infant and toddler category includes Mattel’s Fisher-Price Moves with You Turtle Walker and Tonies’ Toniebox Lite. These are examples from a much longer list; the source report does not include the complete set of entries in the supplied material.
The foundation says the awards recognize toys and games across the industry and connect the event with fundraising for children who need access to play. The gala is scheduled for February 19 in New York City and is open exclusively to toy industry professionals. It will kick off Toy Fair 2027, set to run February 20–23, and include inductions into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. The foundation directs the public to toyawards.org to vote for the People’s Choice Award and view finalists.
Awards Link Products With Play Giving
The finalist list offers consumers and the toy trade a snapshot of products being put forward for recognition across 17 different types of play. The categories span familiar retail segments, including dolls, vehicles and games, alongside educational, tech and kidult toys. The breadth matters because the awards do not single out one kind of product or audience; they compare entries within separate categories.
The Foundation also presents the awards as a fundraising event. Executive director Pamela Mastrota said the awards raise funds to bring play to children who need it. That makes the gala more than an industry recognition event, although the supplied report does not give a fundraising target or disclose how much the awards have raised. For shoppers, the nominees can serve as a guide to products receiving industry attention, but finalist status does not establish a product’s safety, suitability for a particular child, or retail availability.
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From Chicago Announcement to New York Gala
The finalists were announced at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair, held in Rosemont, Illinois. The awards ceremony is planned for New York in February 2027, immediately before Toy Fair 2027, which the source says runs from February 20 through 23. The gala will also include Hall of Fame inductions, linking product awards with recognition of people who have shaped the toy industry.
The source identifies 122 finalists and 17 categories but does not describe the judging process, the number of finalists in each category, or the criteria used to select nominees. It also points readers to the awards website for the full finalist list and People’s Choice voting. The supplied report’s list is incomplete, ending partway through the Playset of the Year entries, so it cannot be treated as a complete catalogue of all nominated products.
““Behind every great toy is the opportunity to spark joy, inspire imagination, and make a child’s day brighter.””
— Pamela Mastrota, executive director of The Toy Foundation
Judging and Full Nominee List
The announcement confirms the number of finalists and categories, but the supplied source does not say how winners will be chosen, who serves as judges, or whether public voting affects awards beyond the People’s Choice Award. It also does not identify the exact number of finalists in each category. The complete list is not present in the supplied report, which cuts off during the Playset category, so additional nominated products cannot be verified from this material.
The source gives a February 19, 2027, date for the gala but provides no detailed schedule, fundraising figure or information about how the foundation allocates funds raised. It is also not clear from the report when the People’s Choice voting period opens or closes. Those details may be available through the awards website, but they are not confirmed in the material provided.
Voting and February Awards Gala
The next announced steps are People’s Choice voting and the February 19, 2027, awards gala in New York. The Toy Foundation directs voters to toyawards.org to explore nominees and cast a vote; the source does not give voting dates or rules. The gala is scheduled to announce the category winners and include Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductions.
Toy Fair 2027 is then scheduled to run from February 20–23. The foundation or event organizers may provide further details about voting, the gala and the full nominee roster before those events, but the supplied announcement does not set out a timeline for additional updates.
Key Questions
How many finalists were announced for the 2027 Toy of the Year Awards?
The Toy Foundation announced 122 finalists across 17 categories.
When and where will the winners be announced?
The winners are scheduled to be announced at a gala on February 19, 2027, in New York City. The event is open exclusively to toy industry professionals, according to the source report.
What kinds of products are included?
The categories cover products including action figures, collectibles, construction toys, dolls, games, educational toys, infant and toddler toys, outdoor toys, plush, tech toys and vehicles. The finalists include products from companies such as Mattel, Hasbro, Spin Master and The LEGO Group.
Can the public vote for a finalist?
The source directs the public to toyawards.org to vote for the People’s Choice Award and explore finalists. It does not provide voting dates, rules or details about whether public voting affects any other award.
Does finalist status mean a toy is suitable for every child?
No. A nomination recognizes a product in an awards category; it does not establish suitability for a particular child or age group. Caregivers should check each product’s age guidance and, before buying, check applicable CPSC recall information.
Source: toybook.com
