The Chicago Toy & Game Group named the nominees for the 10th Annual Toy & Games Innovation (TAGIE) Awards. Nominees for each category were selected by industry peers, and voting is now open for members of the media, industry, and public until Oct. 31. The 2017 TAGIE winners will be announced on Nov. 17 as part of the 15th Annual Chicago Toy & Game Week.
The 2017 Toy & Game Innovation (TAGIE) Award nominees are:
GAME INVENTOR OF THE YEAR
- Don Ullman and Steve Calhoun, Soggy Doggy
- Fuse – Oliver Morris, Roller Coaster Challenge
- Jim McCafferty and JMP Creative team, Catch the Fox
- KID Group, Ultra Dash
- Seven Towns, Ltd., Who’s the Dude?
- Top Notch Toys, Fantastic Gymnastics
TOY INVENTOR OF THE YEAR
- Bang Zoom Design, Barbie on the Go
- David Small and Paul Rago, BB8
- Desinbytouch, Nerf Nitro
- Ronen Horovitz, Play Doh Touch
- Ruth Green-Synowic, Paint Sation
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
- Brady Peterson, Groovy Blocks
- Brian Gomez (Egils Grasmanis, Edgars Zakis, Janis Grunte, Reinis Butans), Ice Cool
- Dominic Yard, Thomas Adventures Sea Monster Pirate Set and Shark Escape Play Set
- Joyce Sprau, Flower Fairies Secret Garden
- Thijmen de Schipper, Spy Code Break Free
INNOVATIVE ARTS & VISUALS OF THE YEAR
- Funnybone Toys, Whim, Akin, Spirot, Spectracube, Anaxi, and others
- Harmonix, DropMix
- Mattel, Enchantimals
- MGA Entertainment, Inc., L.O.L. Surprise! Collectible Dolls
- Rory O’Connor and Anita Murphy, The Extraordinaires Design Studio
INNOVATIVE MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR
- Mattel, Dads Who Play Barbie
- Spin Master, Hatchimals
- Hasbro, Nerf’s Dude Perfect
- Marektoy, Klask and Bonk
- PlayMonster, Ultra Dash
YOUNG INVENTOR OF THE YEAR
- Olivia Wasilewski and Brynna Siewers, Ship of Treasures
- Samaira Mehta, CoderBunnyz
- Shay Bhattessa Sharma, Football Billionaire Limited
- Sydney and Toni Loew, Poketti Plushies with Pocket Powers
In addition to the winners determined through nominations and public voting, a panel of industry experts will also determine honorees in the following closed categories:
- Inventor Advocate – Lisa Guili, General Manager of Educational Insights
- In Memoriam – Montage of those we have lost
- Hassenfeld Humanitarian Award – Lurie Children’s Hospital
- Lifetime Achievement – Judy Blau of J. Hope Designs
- Lifetime Achievement – Adi Golad, Founder and Managing Director of Goliath
