People of Play (formerly known as the Chicago Toy & Game Group) revealed the winners of the 13th annual Toy & Game International Excellence Awards (TAGIES) during a 90-minute virtual ceremony presented by Spin Master last Friday evening.
Spin Master Co-Founder Anton Rabie presented Erno Rubik, the inventor of Rubik’s Cube, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Spin Master recently acquired Rubik’s Brand in a $50 million deal. Additionally, inventors Norman and Arlene Fabricant received a Celebration of Life and Achievement Award, and game designer Alan Roach was honored with the Hassenfeld Humanitarian Award — accepted by his family — in honor of The Roachy Fund, a scholarship established to help others follow their dream of making art and playing games.
The 2020 TAGIE Award winners can be seen below.
Toy Inventor of the Year – sponsored by Radio Flyer
- David Yakos for Circuit Explorer Rocket, Circuit Explorer Rover, and Circuit Explorer Deluxe Base Station (Educational Insights)
Game Inventor of the Year – sponsored by Oxford Games
- Peggy Brown for My First Rush Hour (ThinkFun); and Bye, Felicia and Who’s the G.O.A.T. (Big G Creative)
Rising Star Inventor of the Year
- Aron Lazarus for The Genius Star and Bee Genius (The Happy Puzzle Co.)
Young Inventor of the Year (Under 18 years old)
- Maayan Segal for Queeng Playing Cards
Art and Design Visuals of the Year
- Marjorie Spitalnik for Marie Curie, Mary Jackson, Amelia Earhart and Malala Yousafzai Plushies by Little Rebels (Dac Toys)
Innovative PR and Marketing Team of the Year
- LEGO Star Wars Team for LEGO Star Wars Episode 9 Campaign
Most Innovative Retailer of the Year
- Mastermind Toys
Most Innovative Supplier of the Year
- Blue Orange Games
This year’s awards were sponsored by Hasbro, The Michael Kohner Corporation, PlayMonster, Cartamundi, and Nexttoy.
