Nearly 350 toy industry members gathered in Rosemount, Illinois on Friday night to attend the 17th annual Toy & Game Innovation Excellence (TAGIE) Awards.
Organized by The Toy Association’s People of Play organization, this annual ceremony celebrated the achievements of the industry’s best and brightest innovators, and featured a new “Toys Through Time” nostalgic theme.
BBC Studios and Moose Toys took home a Most Innovative License of the Year award for their Bluey toy line, overcoming tough competition from the likes of Hasbro (Monopoly), Ravensburger (Disney Lorcana) and Mattel (Polly Pocket and UNO).
Despite leading the pack with 11 nominations, Hasbro only scored one win—the company’s associate game designer Ava Garfinkel was named Rising Star of the Year for turning Scopely’s Monopoly GO! mobile game into a new physical board game (pictured).
Here’s a complete list of this year’s TAGIE winners:
Toy Innovator of the Year—Yair Shilo and Nextoy
Game Innovator of the Year—April Mitchell
Rising Star of the Year—Hasbro’s Ava Garfinkel
Most Innovative PR & Marketing Team of the Year—LEGO and Disney
Most Innovative Art and Design Visuals of the Year—Brady Lang and Brittney Hassinger
Most Innovative Supplier of the Year—Product Counsel
Most Innovative Retailer of the Year—Hilary Key, The Toy Chest
Most Innovative License of the Year—BBC Studios and Moose Toys (Bluey)
Young Innovator of the Year—Evelyn Halbach