The Press Release:
The Toy Book, the leading trade publication serving the North American toy industry since 1984, has officially revealed the winners of its inaugural Pulse of Play Awards.
Timed with The Toy Book’s 40th-anniversary celebration, the Pulse of Play Awards celebrates the individuals, companies, and activations that shape the toy industry’s heartbeat and drive its pulse across toys, licensing, entertainment, and the overall business of play.
“The toy industry is a vibrant place powered by some of the most creative people on the planet, and that creativity transcends the toy department as it shapes experiences and other consumer products while intersecting with adjacent industries. Our inaugural Pulse of Play Awards recognizes hard work and the constant pursuit of excellence. We congratulate all of this year’s winners and look forward to honoring them in The BIG Toy Book, debuting March 1 at Toy Fair New York.”
James Zahn
— James Zahn, Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book and Director of The Pulse of Play Awards
The 2025 Pulse of Play Awards Winners
PURVEYORS OF PLAY
Display of the Year: Moose Toys x MINISO: XOX Kweenie
Rep Group of the Year: Toy’n Around
Distributor of the Year: ACD Distribution
Retailer of the Year (Mass, Mass Specialty): Amazon
Retailer of the Year (Independent, Specialty, & Hobby): FAO Schwarz
MARKETING MAESTROS
Product Launch of the Year: Disney Stitch Puppetronic by RealFX (WOW! Stuff)
Cultural Moment of the Year: Fisher-Price x John Legend: The Music Starts Here (Mattel)
Viral Hit of the Year: MGA’s Miniverse (MGA Entertainment)
Influencer Activation of the Year: Hatchimals Alive Mystery Hatch x Jason Kelce (Spin Master)
The Cinematic Art of Selling Fun: Commercial of the Year: MAGNA-TILES “Build On” (MAGNA-TILES)
Crossover Collaboration of the Year: Squishmallows x Harry Potter (Jazwares x Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products)
Outbound Licensing Program of the Year: Transformers (Hasbro)
Entertainment-Driven Property/Project of the Year: Despicable Me Franchise (Universal Products & Experiences)
CREATORS & INNOVATORS
Toy Inventor of the Year: Soppycid for Soppycid Reusable Water Balloons (Dongguan Saienchuangke Technology Co., Ltd)
Game Inventor of the Year: The Op Games Team + Eric Olsen for Flip 7 (The Op Games)
Digital Studio/Team of the Year: 10:10 Games x Funko for Funko Fusion
TOY BOOK INTERNATIONAL
Retailer of the Year: Smyths Toys Superstores
Location-Based Experience (LBE) of the Year: Bluey x CAMP (CAMP, BBC Studios, Ludo Studio)
Manufacturer of the Year: Playmates Toys
THE OVERALL PULSE OF PLAY AWARD
This award honors outstanding achievements in all categories of the business of play, including retail, manufacturing, design, sales, and beyond.
The LEGO Group
Nominees were submitted by authorized representatives and members of an independent industry panel last fall. 101 finalists were revealed on Dec. 18, 2024, and voted on by the industry panel and Adventure Media & Events team members to determine this year’s winners.
The Toy Book’s 41st volume begins on March 1, 2025, with this year’s edition of The BIG Toy Book debuting at Toy Fair New York. The Toy Book and its sister publications, The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, can be found in Booth No. 3327 at The Javits Center from March 1-4.
Plans are already underway for the second annual Pulse of Play Awards. The nomination period for the 2026 program will open this summer. Visit pulseofplayawards.com for more information.
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Ken Pierce Media Thoughts: Once again I’ve culled the necessary intel from the Toy Book over the PR Newswire but let’s be straight that I love that resource for numerous agenda items. These are some awesome winners and I’m happy to help share along the news on one of our more “business” posts here on the KPM site. Now if happened to miss the full run of finalists from when I first posted this back in December, you can click HERE to peruse that post. I think that this awards idea has some legs and I look forward to presenting the next one when it comes to pass. As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been one of the media allies for The Toy Book and The Toy Insider for many years now from attending a number of Toy Insider Events. Pssst. You can see those also by clicking the hyperlinked text ;p
Official: https://www.toybook.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetoybook
