The Toy Industry Association (TIA) has opened its annual ballot to determine the next inductees into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. The voting period will extend to September 13. This year’s candidates were chosen from a slate of 24 highly-qualified nominees submitted for consideration by members of the Hall of Fame (HOF) Committee. All of the nominees left notable marks on the North American toy industry.
Living candidates for induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame included:
- Jill Barad, former CEO, Mattel
- Horst Brandstätter, president and sole owner, PLAYMOBIL/geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG
- Thomas Chan, chairman and CEO, Playmates Toys Inc.
- Joel Glickman, founder, K’NEX Brands
- Bruce Raiffe, president, Gund, division of Enesco, LLC
Candidates for posthumous induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame included:
- Jack Friedman, former chairman, CEO, and co-founder, Jakks Pacific
- Harvey Greenfield, chairman of the board, Commonwealth Toy & Novelty Co. Inc.
- Arthur “Spud” Melin and Richard Knerr, co-founders of Wham-O Toy
Responses are due by September 13. Designated points of contact at TIA member companies, former Hall of Fame inductees, and recent TIA Board members are invited to rank their choices in the living and posthumous categories.
The inductees will be honored during the Toy of the Year (TOTY) awards ceremony on February 15 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which officially launches Toy Fair Week in New York City.