People of Play details TAGIE Awards 2020 finalists

Posted on 20th September 2020 By Billy Langsworthy

People of Play had detailed the finalists for the 2020 Toy & Game International Excellence Awards (TAGIES).

The 13th annual TAGIE Awards honours the best innovators, designers, marketers, retailers and suppliers in the toy and game industry.

This year’s finalists are:

Toy Inventor of the Year
– Bang Zoom Design for Rollin’ Rovee with Fisher-Price, Squeakee with Moose Toys and Play-Doh Animal Crew and – Cluck-A-Dee with Hasbro
– Caleb Chung for Luvabella’s Mealtime Magic Mia with Spin Master
– David Yakos for Circuit Explorer Rocket, Circuit Explorer Rover and Circuit Explorer Deluxe Base Station with Educational Insights
– Doreen Dotto & Melissa Cohen for Plush Pods by GUND (Unicorn, Shark, Dragon)
– FunFare Team for Playful Pandas with Far Out Toys
– Gil Zalayet and Ryan Kratz for Disney Pixar Toy Story Galaxy Explorer Spacecraft with Mattel & DC Batman Rapid Change Utility Belt 12 Inch Action Figure with Spin Master
– Jason Loik for Play-Doh Builder with Hasbro
– Jim McCafferty and the JMP Creative Team for Power Treads with WowWee
– Liu Yingjian & Zing for Go Go Bird with Zing Toys
– SG Labs and Bang Zoom Design for Rollin’ Rovee with Fisher Price

Game Inventor of the Year
– Alex Tongue for The #UpsideDownChallenge Game by Vango Toys
– Big Monster Toys for Burping Bobby and Rattlesnake by Goliath and Sky Score by Hasbro
– Don Ullman, Jose and Hans Leal for Drone Home with PlayMonster
– Gary Pyper for Windy Knickers with John Adams
– Identity Games Product Development Team for Nightmare Horror Adventures; Welcome to Crafton Mansion
– KID Group for Break The Board with YULU and Rubiks Perplexus with Spin Master
– Nobuaki Ogihara, Robert Fuhrer and Alex Fuhrer for PUGLICIOUS with Mattel
– Peggy Brown for My First Rush Hour with ThinkFun and Bye, Felicia and Who’s the G.O.A.T. with Big G Creative
– Tim Walsh for Mega Mouth with Big G Creative
– Wai Or, Michael Kohner and Robert Fuhrer for for TRex Rocks with Hasbro

Rising Star Inventor of the Year
– Andreas Hoenigschmid for Shashibo with Fun In Motion Toys
– Aron Lazarus for The Genius Star and Bee Genius with The Happy Puzzle Company
– Chris Leder for Back to the Future: Dice Through Time with Ravensburger
– Chris Haas and Scott Day for Paw Patrol Dino Patroller with Spin Master
– Daniela and Christian Stöhr for Pictures with PD-Verlag
– Ken Gruhl for Quarrel Reef with Mattel and for Mystic Market with ThinkFun
– Mike Bender for Cringeworthy with Hasbro
– Nathan Pyle for Sweet Existence with Hasbro
– Scott Brady for Hues and Cues with The Op
– Scott Pease and Jeff Swenty for Snap Ships with PlayMonster

Young Inventor of the Year (Under 18 years old)
– Alex Butler for Bold Made Game made by Hot Taco
– Charlie Lowrey for Freckleball
– Harrison Brooks for ElevatorUp
– Kyle Levy and Bobby Becker for Barrier Battles
– Lily Brown & Tait Hansen for Betcha Can’t! by Pressman
– Maayan for Queeng Playing Cards

Art and Design Visuals of the Year
– David Yakos, Nicholas Cravotta, Rebecca Bleau and Steve Downer for Break In Alcatraz with PlayMonster
– Design Edge and Fisher-Price Design Team for The Imaginext DC Super Friends Gotham City Pop-Up Playset
– Fisher-Price Little People Brand Development Team for Little People Collector Series
– Joey Lopez and Liesl Kadile for Circuit Explorer Rocket, Circuit Explorer Rover and Circuit Explorer Deluxe Base Station with Educational Insights
– Marjorie Spitalnik for Marie Curie, Mary Jackson, Amelia Earhart and Malala Yousafzai Plushies by Little Rebels. Manufactured by Dac Toys
– Nate Duval for Bye, Felicia! With Big G Creative
– Richard North of WowStuff for Home Printable Face Masks
– Ryan Noonan for Who’s the G.O.A.T.? With Big G Creative
– Sahad Rivera for Design & Drill Bolt Buddies with Educational Insights
– Steve Rad for Professor Maxwell’s VR Science Lab with Abacus Brands

Innovative PR and Marketing Team of the Year
– Fisher-Price and Mattel PR & Marketing Teams for Thank You Heroes Campaign
– Goliath Marketing Team for Shit Happens 2020 Edition by Games Adults Play Campaign
– Hasbro for their Bring Home the Fun Campaign
– Hog Wild Toys Marketing Team and Freeman PR for Birdie Golf, Pop and Pass
– LEGO Star Wars Team for LEGO Star Wars Episode 9 Campaign
– The Joester Loria Group with Brilliant PR & Marketing for the World of Eric Carle Magna-Tiles
– LEGO Disney Girls Team for LEGO Disney Frozen II Sets
– Mattel Games Team for UNO MINIMALISTA
– Rubix Marketing, Sabrina Cohen, Jill Selick for Rubik Marketing and Dave Malacrida of WowWee PR for BriteBrush GameBrush with WowWee
– Yulu Marketing Team and PlayWise Partners for Swirl & Style Tie Dye Studio Maker

Most Innovative Retailer of the Year
– Amy Saldanha for Kiddywampus
– Betty Skoke Burns for Angelina’s Toy Boutique
– Elizabeth Milford from Toys and Tales Australia
– Kate Tanner for Kidstop Toys & Books
– Matthew Poulson and Sarah Fowles for Ruckus & Glee
– Rick Derr for Learning Express, Lake Zurich
– Smyths Toys
– Mastermind Toys
– The Entertainer
– Traci Lyden & Alana Turner for Poopsie’s

Most Innovative Supplier of the Year
– Ad Magic
– Blue Orange Games
– Cartamundi
– Design Edge Global
– Howard Fine, Attorney
– JDH Sourcing Management Limited
– Longshore Limited
– The Creative Fold
– Wild Republic Product Development
– York Jersey Underwriters

People of Play will also honour Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube, with a Lifetime Achievement Award, while inventors Norman and Arlene Fabricant will be honoured for Celebration of Life and Lifetime Achievement respectively.

The Roachy Fund, a scholarship fund founded in honor of Alan Roach, an acclaimed and loved game designer, will be the recipient of the Hassenfeld Humanitarian Award.

Voting is open here and winners will be revealed during a virtual awards show on Friday, November 20th at 7pm CT.

Following the TAGIE Awards will be the TAGIE After Party, POP’s Got Talent featuring magic by JMP Creative’s Jim McCafferty and inventor Mark Setteducati. peanut art by Bang Zoom’s Steve Casino and Creata’s Randy Klimpert will be performing and sharing his ukulele and guitar collection.

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