Australian toy company Moose Toys scooped a major win at the 15th annual Toy Industry Association’s Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards ceremony held in New York City early February.
Moose Toys’ Shopkins Small Mart was awarded the ‘2015 Girl Toy of the Year’, beating out the likes of LEGO, Barbie and Disney Princess.
“We are honoured to be awarded US Girl’s Toy of the Year for the Shopkins Small Mart,” says Paul Solomon, co-CEO of Moose Toys. “This award speaks to the loyal fans behind Shopkins who continuously inspire our team to create toys that encourage imaginative play.”
Designed and developed at the Cheltenham head office, Shopkins have taken the world by storm in the seven months since their launch, with more than 65 million Shopkins sold worldwide. The brand has also attracted a strong online fan base, garnering 13 million views of Shopkins webisodes and over 400 million views on Shopkins fan videos.
“… Moose has been in the toy business for 20 years and this is only our second US nomination and first win, so it’s definitely a dream come true. This award is considered to be amongst the most prestigious in the world so it’s an enormous feat for an Australian company to take this home.”
The TOTY Award winners are chosen out of hundreds of submissions by a panel of toy experts, including members of the Toy Industry Association (TIA), retailers and media, as well as families.
“The toys selected are judged to be the most creative, unique, innovative, special toys of the year,” explains Ken Seiter, American TIA vice president of marketing communications. “We’re thrilled to recognise the Shopkins Small Mart as this year’s Girl’s Toy of the Year as it inspires creativity and encourages imaginative play, which plays a crucial role in the development of children.”
Moose Toys has also cracked the top 10 toy manufacturers in the US, moving from 44th position in the previous year to number 8, with a sales increase of +350.5 per cent, the largest percentage dollar gain of the top 10, according to NPD data for January 2015.
