Source: Schleich

To celebrate the end of its 85th anniversary year, Schleich USA debuted a Times Square billboard featuring stories from fans around the world, including new photos from famed toy photographer Mitchel Wu

The celebration began at Toy Fair New York, where the world’s leading manufacturer of animal figurines asked toy lovers all over the world to send in videos and photos of them enjoying playtime with Schleich for a chance to be featured in Times Square. 

Following a public vote and more than 5,000 entries, Paxton, age 7 from Missouri; Addison, age 13, from California; and JoJo, age 7, from Maryland were named the winners. 

“Schleich figurines and playsets inspire open-ended, imaginative play, but we know that what parents see is very different from what children see when engaged in this critical type of play,” says Annie Laurie Zomermaand, chief commercial officer, Schleich USA. “We’ve received thousands of stories from fans over the last 12 months, and are thrilled to celebrate their imaginations at the crossroads of the world.”

Schleich hosted a virtual viewing party to unveil the billboard and celebrate the winners for fans all over the world hosted by Patti Murin, who originated the role of Anna in Frozen on Broadway. 

An archived version of the event is available on Schleich’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

About the author

Julia Fields

Julia Fields

Julia is an Editorial Intern at the Toy Insider, the Toy Book and the Pop Insider and is excited to start immersing herself in the toy industry through a journalistic background. Familiar with fandoms since her Tumblr days, Julia can constantly be found wistfully thinking about celebrity gossip, the Chrises of the MCU, outlandish conspiracy theories, and really good coffee.

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