TL;DR
Turn the school run and nap time into listening time
- Thousands of audiobooks, podcasts and originals
- Listen on your phone, tablet or Echo — also offline
- Cancel anytime
People of Play announced winners of the 19th annual TAGIE Awards at a Nov. 6 ceremony in Rosemont, Illinois. The awards recognized achievements across 10 categories, with winners selected by public voting from consumers and industry members.
People of Play, a division of The Toy Association, announced the winners of the 19th annual TAGIE Awards at a Nov. 6 ceremony in Rosemont, Illinois, recognizing toy and game innovators across 10 award categories. The awards cover work by inventors, designers, suppliers, retailers, marketers and public relations teams in the global toy and game industry.
The ceremony took place at Joe’s Live Concert Venue and carried the theme “The Force of Play.” It also began celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars in 2027. Ashley Eckstein, the original voice of Ahsoka Tano, hosted, and Lucasfilm President and Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni sent a special video message. Attendees received commemorative coins bearing the Star Wars anniversary emblem and TAGIE Awards logo, according to The Toy Book’s report.
Among the individual honors, Pleasant Rowland, founder of American Girl, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Elan Lee and Matthew Inman, co-founders of Exploding Kittens, received the Industry Game Changer Award. Inman and the Exploding Kittens team also won Most Innovative Designer of the Year in Art & Visuals for Dead Therapist.
Other winners included Alex Wilde, Cody Hampton and Jessica Kaups for the Disney Batuu Adventure Buddies, Ewok in the ages 0–13 toy category; Goliath’s Clickeez team for Clickeez Series 3: Bubble Pops in the ages 13-and-up toy category; and Joe Barron, Sophia Ricciardi, David Yakos, Brady Peterson, Danielle Standring and Grant Lyon for Cross the Line in the ages 0–13 game category. The Spin Master Games team, with inventors Don Ullman and Bob Driscoll, won the older-age game category for Murder Phone, Rubik’s Rush and Jumanji Ultimate Level Electronic Board Game.
Recognition Across the Toy Industry
The awards offer a snapshot of the range of work recognized in the toy and game business, from product invention and visual design to sales, marketing and industry partnerships. The 10 categories include both products and the teams behind them, giving recognition to contributors whose work may take place outside the public-facing role of an inventor or designer.
Because winners were determined through public voting by consumers and industry members, the results reflect votes from both audiences, rather than a judging panel alone. The source report does not provide vote totals or explain how votes were weighted, so the results cannot be used to compare the level of support between categories or measure broader market performance. The honors establish who won the awards, not how products have sold or performed commercially.
The timing also ties this year’s ceremony to a major anniversary for Star Wars. The event’s theme and commemorative items connected the awards to the franchise’s planned 50th-anniversary celebrations in 2027; that programming was part of the ceremony, while the TAGIE honors themselves covered a wider range of toy and game work.
Products Worth Considering
Chicco SmartSupport Lightweight Frame Baby Backpack Carrier
LEGO Art The Milky Way Galaxy Building Set (31212)
Graco EasyTurn 360 2-in-1 Rotating Convertible Car Seat, Cyran
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
The TAGIE Awards at POP Week
Founded in 2008, the Toy & Game Innovation Excellence Awards recognize achievements across the toy and game industry. The 2026 ceremony was the awards’ 19th annual event, according to People of Play’s announcement as reported by The Toy Book.
The ceremony takes place during People of Play’s POP Week, which also includes the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, the Young Inventor Challenge and the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. That broader schedule places the award presentation alongside events focused on pitching ideas, young creators and the toy and game community. The 2026 awards were sponsored by companies and organizations including Disney, Duracell, Kickstarter, Hasbro, Mattel and University Games, along with other listed sponsors.
““The TAGIE Awards are a celebration of the creativity, passion, and collaboration that make the toy and game industry so extraordinary.””
— Robb LaFlamme, TAGIE Awards Committee chairman and director of hardlines at Disney Parks Retail and Development
Voting Details Not Reported
The report says winners were chosen through public voting by consumers and industry members, but it does not give vote totals, the length of the voting period, eligibility rules or any breakdown of how consumer and industry votes were counted. It also does not list finalist totals or explain whether each award category used the same voting process.
The announcement identifies award recipients and their winning products or teams, but supplies no further information about product availability, sales results or what the recognition may mean for future releases. Those matters are outside the confirmed results described in the report.
POP Week and Anniversary Plans
The TAGIE ceremony is part of People of Play’s annual POP Week, which includes the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, Young Inventor Challenge and Chicago Toy & Game Fair. The source report does not specify a next TAGIE milestone or give dates for the next awards ceremony.
The ceremony also marked the start of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Star Wars in 2027. Further anniversary events were not detailed in the report. People of Play directs readers to chitag.com for information about its programs and events.
Key Questions
Who announced the 2026 TAGIE Award winners?
People of Play, a division of The Toy Association, announced the winners at the 19th annual ceremony on Nov. 6 in Rosemont, Illinois.
How many award categories were there?
The ceremony recognized winners across 10 award categories, covering areas including toy and game innovation, design, marketing, sales and industry partnership.
Who received the major individual honors?
Pleasant Rowland, founder of American Girl, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Elan Lee and Matthew Inman, co-founders of Exploding Kittens, received the Industry Game Changer Award.
How were the winners selected?
The Toy Book’s report says winners were determined through public voting by consumers and industry members. It does not provide vote counts or details on how votes were combined.
What was the connection to Star Wars?
The ceremony used the theme “The Force of Play” and began celebrations for the franchise’s 50th anniversary in 2027. Host Ashley Eckstein voiced Ahsoka Tano, and Lucasfilm executive Dave Filoni sent a video message.
Source: toybook.com
