Inventing the Fun: Celebrating Toy of the Year Award-Winning Inventors

by TRINA MCFARLAND, Owner and General Manager, TinkerTini

Not so long ago, the concept of open innovation in the toy and game industries didn’t exist. The working relationships companies had with inventors weren’t something that was openly discussed or celebrated. But times change and so does the perception of how a company’s capabilities are measured, especially when it comes to innovation.

Partnerships with inventors are now a critical component for any company with an eye on a long-term plan for success. The toy business now openly welcomes, supports, and celebrates our inventors unlike any other industry — and we should! Inventors have always been a part of the toy business DNA. They’ve been faithful industry companions that ride with us on the collective — and sometimes volatile — waves of business, industry, economy, and most recently, a global pandemic and its unpredictable ripple effects.

Despite the highs and lows of the business and a varying appetite for new product ideas from major companies over the years, inventors consistently create and offer options that can become the next big brand. These ideas can bring characters and stories to life in new ways, and inventors can step in when great company-generated ideas need expert execution to get them to the finish line.

Given that The Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards are finally back home in New York City for the first time since 2020, now is the perfect time to celebrate our industry’s inventors and the award-winning concepts they have created or supported over the years. They may not have received an actual TOTY Award themselves as the inventor, but they sure do deserve one!

Please join me in honoring our courageous and resilient toy business friends. And, the next time you see them, give them a long overdue congratulations and “thank you” for being such an important part of our toy industry story.

by ADAM SKAATES, Partner & Managing Director, IDEO Play Lab

Pictionary Air had an interesting journey to becoming a product. The first sketch (back in 2011!) was for a device you’d plug into your TV and players would draw in the air and have it show up on screen. For this version, we had concerns about cost and complexity. At that time we were in the middle of designing several kids’ iPhone apps so we quickly evolved the concept to being “iPhone enabled” through an app. We had also just hired our first software engineer and on his first day of work we gave him this project to explore. When we played his first prototype we knew right away it had the right DNA to be successful — the technology was inexpensive but magical and it was super fun to play. It made drawing less threatening, more physical, and lots more fun. Plus it had a natural “sharable moment” that could help drive marketing and popularity.

Interestingly though, when we started showing clients in late 2011 they were scared off by using the phone at all. One client even said “This is a great idea but it’s before its time,” and it turned out he was right! We continued showing (13 different clients passed on it!) and improving the idea for the next seven years before Mattel eventually fell in love with the concept and decided to make it.

Once we knew they loved it we did lots of hardware and software design, experience design, usability testing, and gameplay work to help Mattel create a great product. We’re thrilled with the end result and the item continues to sell well into its fourth year on the shelf.

Thank you to The Toy Association for supporting inventors and for providing historical TOTY information to support this research and documentation effort. Please report any change requests to: info@tinkertini.net.

A version of this feature was originally published in the 2023 Toy Fair issue of The Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!