Spielwarenmesse Reveals 2020 ToyAwards Nominees

After evaluating 772 toys from 442 exhibitors, Spielwarenmesse eG has revealed the nominees for the 2020 ToyAwards.

The annual ToyAwards will take place at the 71st Spielwarenmesse international toy fair, which will be held from Jan. 29-Feb. 2 at Germany’s Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. A celebration of outstanding innovation in toys, the ToyAwards is viewed as a benchmark for both buyers and retailers across four age-specific groups and the new startup category. Categories include baby and infant (ages 0-3), preschool (3-6), school kids (6-10), and teenagers and adults (10 and up). The startup category honors products from companies that are less than five years old.

This year’s nominees are:

Baby & Infant (0-3 years)

Baby Walker Whale (Legler)
Play & Crawl Hedgehog Mirror (Mattel)
Playmobil 1.2.3 Aqua (Playmobil)

Preschool (3-6 years)

Knight’s Castle Ball Track (Gollnest & Kiesel)
MAN TGS Street Sweeper (Bruder Spielwaren)
Mini Chef Bird’s Nest Café (Jet Young International)

School Kids (6-10 years)

Balloon Puncher (Silverlit Toys)
Green Science (Science4U)
Octopus Party (Trefl)

Teenagers & Adults (10 years and older)

Mystery House: Adventures in a Box (Cranio Creations)
Proxi – Your micro:bit Coding-Robot (Franckh-Kosmos)
UNO Braille (Mattel)

Startup

Calculix Number Bricks (ESM Visions)
Pigcasso (Kade)
PIXIO (Trendformer)

Winners of the ToyAwards will be revealed at a special presentation on Jan. 28, the night before Spielwarenmesse opens its doors. All nominees will be on display at the PressPreview in the morning and at the TrendGallery in Hall 3A for the entire fair.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.