the australian toy association (ata) has honoured the best toys of the year at the industry awards at melbourne’s crown casino during the australian toy, hobby and nursery fair.
lego friends city park café took out the top gong and is now expected to attract strong sales for the brand after a reported 17 per cent increase in sales in europe when the product was introduced overseas.
ata general manager paul hodgson says this year’s entries were of a high calibre.
“the fact that we received such strong submissions for the awards speaks wonders for the innovative spirit of international and domestic toy makers and for the future of the australian toy industry,” he says.
“the toy industry in australia is a multi-billion dollar industry and its growth is in part due to companies such as lego which continually bring new and exciting products to the market.”
other award winners include doggie doo from moose as game of the year; rory’s story cubes from ventura games as educational toy of the year; and little tikes pillow racers from headstart international as outdoor product of the year.
the australian toy, hobby and nursery fair was held march 6 to 9 at the melbourne convention and exhibition centre and attracted more than 6,000 buyers and over 200 exhibitors. the local toy market is worth more than $2.6 billion to the australian economy.
