Toy of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Toy Retailer of the Year all named, while Gary Grant is honoured with a TRA Outstanding Contribution Award.
The winners of the 2021 Toy Industry Awards have been revealed this afternoon (25 January), with a special video created featuring all of the finalists and winners.
The Industry Awards – which are presented by the British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) and the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) – were announced on the first day of London Toy Fair 2022, which is currently taking place at Olympia London (25-27 January).
Flying the preschool flag, Bandai picked up Preschool Toy of the Year for its CoComelon Bedtime JJ Doll, while Spin Master’s PAW Patrol was named Preschool Licence of the Year.
On the retail front, Smyths was named Overall Toy Retailer of the Year.
Meanwhile, a TRA Outstanding Contribution Award was presented to Gary Grant in honour of his individual contribution to the DreamToys event over many years.
As part of this year’s Industry Awards preparations, it had been hoped that a physical presentation of Industry Award winners could take place. However, due to the continuing effects of Covid, a special video has been produced to feature all finalists and winners for 2021.
The video can be viewed below or by clicking here.
The full list of winners is as follows:
TOY RETAILER OF THE YEAR WINNERS
Independent Toy Retailer of the Year (single store) – Toys & Games of Worcester
Independent Multi-Store Toy Retailer of the Year (up to 10 stores) – MIDCO Toymaster
Omnichannel Toy Retailer of the Year – Smyths Toys
Multiple Toy Retailer of the Year – B&M Stores
Online Excellence Award – The Very Group
Overall Toy Retailer of the Year – Smyths Toys
TOY AND SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Action Toy of the Year – Heroes of Goo Jit Zu Figures, Character Options
Construction Toy of the Year – Harry Potter Hogwarts Express, The LEGO Group
Kidult Toy of the Year – LEGO Technic Lamborghini, The LEGO Group
Interactive Toy of the Year – Magic Mixies, Moose Toys
Vehicle Brand of the Year – Hot Wheels, Mattel
Outdoor Sports Toy of the Year – Moon Shoes, Character Options
Craze of the Year – Fidget Box, H Grossman
Fashion Doll of The Year – L.O.L. Surprise Movie Doll, MGA
Plush Toy of The Year – Squish-a-boos, TY Toys
Trading Game of the Year – Pokémon Trading Cards, Asmodee
Preschool Toy of The Year – CoComelon Bedtime JJ Doll, Bandai
Collectable Toy of The Year – Mini Brands, Zuru
Preschool Licence of the Year – PAW Patrol, Spin Master
TRA Special Recognition Award – Gary Grant, DreamToys
Toy of the Year – Barbie Day to Night Dreamhouse, Mattel
Toy Supplier of the Year – Mattel
“On behalf of the BTHA, I would like to congratulate all the winners of this year’s Toy Retailer Awards,” commented Graham Canning, chairman of the BTHA. “In what was another challenging year, all our judges were impressed with the high standard of entries received and the achievements made in 2021 by all the retailer finalists – who should be highly commended.
“Congratulations must also go to our worthy runners-up who, it should be remembered, were the best in their categories, and my sincere thanks goes to everyone for their participation.”
Alan Simpson, chairman of the TRA, added: “The Toy Retailers Association and our panel of retail judges were impressed with the choice of toys on sale throughout 2021 that brought education, entertainment and joy to children during the year. Congratulations to all the shortlisted toys, and especially the winners, that the retailers deemed to be the best of the year.
“I would also like to thank Gary Grant on behalf of the entire industry for his many years of running Dream Toys – bringing toys to the attention of the media and families in the run up to Christmas for so many years.”
