The Toy Foundation: Purpose Powers a New Era of Retail

by MADDIE MICHALIK, Manager, Communications, The Toy Association

When families walked into a Chuck E. Cheese or Build-A-Bear Workshop this past June, many expected to leave with lasting memories, prizes, or a new furry friend. What they may not have expected was the opportunity to turn a moment at checkout into something much bigger.

Through customized fundraising campaigns celebrating the United Nations’ International Day of Play (June 11), Chuck E. Cheese and Build-A-Bear Foundation invited customers to make giving back part of their shopping experience. Together, the initiatives raised more than $100,000 for The Toy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Toy Association, helping bring toys and the power of play to children facing critical illness, natural disasters, and other hardships.

The success of these campaigns also validated a partnership model that The Toy Foundation has spent the past several months refining: helping companies build purpose-driven initiatives that offer a natural way for consumers to participate.

Chuck E. Cheese made giving back part of the guest experience. Throughout June, families at 400 locations could donate $5 at checkout in exchange for 500 prize tickets, contribute funds through a pin-pad giving campaign, or purchase a limited-edition Chuck E. Cheese x Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty at select locations, with every purchase benefiting The Toy Foundation. The campaign was supported by in-store signage, emails, text messages, social media, and influencer content, creating a consistent message wherever guests interacted with the brand.

“Our guests come to us to celebrate, connect, and play together,” says Scott Drake, CEO of CEC Entertainment, parent company of Chuck E. Cheese. “Partnering our global brand with The Toy Foundation allowed us to extend those moments beyond our entertainment centers and invite families to help create joyful experiences for children in need. That’s a powerful message for our brand, and the enthusiastic response showed just how much consumers want opportunities to support causes that align with the experiences they already love.”

Build-A-Bear Foundation created a campaign that reflected its own mission to add a little more heart to life by sharing hugs, inspiring creativity, and supporting those in need. During a dedicated week in June, guests at approximately 375 Build-A-Bear Workshop locations across the U.S. and the U.K., as well as online, could make donations of varying amounts at checkout. Supported through customer emails, in-store messaging, and employee communications, the campaign offered another way for guests to participate in the company’s longstanding commitment to bringing joy to children.

“At Build-A-Bear, we believe a hug is understood in any language. One of the most rewarding parts of this campaign was seeing how eager our guests were to participate,” says David Henderson, who served as President of Build-A-Bear Foundation at the time. “When people are given a simple opportunity to make a difference, they respond. Together with The Toy Foundation, we were able to turn those everyday moments of generosity into meaningful support for children around the world, continuing our mission to add a little more heart to life.”

While the campaigns looked different, both succeeded for the same reason: they met customers where they already were. That’s the philosophy behind the Foundation’s growing cause marketing program.

Rather than asking companies to fit into a predefined fundraising model, the Foundation builds each partnership around a company’s existing customer experience. For one retailer, that may be a point-of-sale campaign. For another, it could be an exclusive product, a seasonal promotion, a round-up initiative, or a completely customized activation. The goal isn’t to replicate one successful campaign — it’s to create the right campaign for each partner.

That flexibility matters because today’s consumers increasingly expect brands to demonstrate purpose in ways that feel genuine. Research shows that 81% of consumers say brand trust influences their purchasing decisions, while 71% of Generation Z consumers report having a more positive impression of brands associated with a social cause, according to Edelman’s Trust Barometer survey. In addition to being simply good for communities, purchasing with a purpose is becoming an important part of how consumers decide where to shop and which brands to support.

For The Toy Foundation, every successful partnership also expands the toy industry’s collective impact.

The International Day of Play fundraising campaigns complemented the Foundation’s larger global initiative, which inspired nearly 20 toy companies to donate $5.7 million in toys. Together, those donations will reach more than 450,000 children in hospitals, schools, underserved communities, and areas recovering from disasters, bringing comfort, joy, and the developmental benefits of play when they’re needed most.

“The success of these partnerships reinforced something we’ve always believed: there’s no limit to what’s possible when companies unite around the power of play,” Mastrota adds. “Whether it’s a retailer looking to engage customers at checkout or a manufacturer interested in creating an exclusive product, we’re ready to build something together. Every new partnership helps us support more children, and that’s the opportunity we’re most excited about.”

The Toy Foundation works with partners to develop programs that align with their brands. Every campaign is developed collaboratively to align with a company’s business objectives, customer experience, and philanthropic goals.

Examples include:

Contact The Toy Foundation team to learn more. Email us today: [email protected]

A version of this feature appears in The Toy Book‘s 2026 Fall Toy & Licensing Preview Issue. Read the full issue here!

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