Mary Couzin

“By joining The Toy Association with their additional resources and new vision, we can strengthen our brands for generations to come,” said Mary Couzin, founder of People of Play.

The award, first launched in 1988, stands for International Designer and Inventor of Toys and is given as a tribute to luminaries who have made outstanding contributions to the toy industry.

Ahead of this month’s event (taking place from November 16th to 19th at Chicago’s Navy Pier), we caught up with Couzin to talk about where the inspiration for ChiTAG came from, what to expect from this year’s event and how she stays creative (spoiler: it involved cocktails).

Nominations are now open for the 2017 Toy & Game Innovation Awards (TAGIEs).