Voting Opens for 2022 Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductees

The 2022 Toy Industry Hall of Fame Nominees | Source: The Toy Association/The Toy Book

The Toy Association is gearing up to welcome a new class of inductees into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame.

Since 1984, the Toy Industry Hall of Fame has honored outstanding individuals who have made impactful contributions to the toy industry and The Toy Association. Last year, Philip Bloom, founder and former publisher, The Bloom Report; William C. Killgallon, chairman of the board, The Ohio Art Company; and Pleasant T. Rowland: founder, American Girl, a division of Mattel, were inducted alongside posthumous inductee Margarete Steiff (1847-1909), founder of Steiff Toys. Now, voting is open to decide the next group to join the ranks of Milton Bradley, Joan Ganz Cooney, Walt Disney, Ruth Handler, Jim Henson, George Lucas, and Stan Lee in the Hall of Fame.

2022 TOY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME NOMINEES

Maxine Clark: Founder, CEO, Build-A-Bear Workshop
Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie, and Ben Varadi: Co-Founders, Spin Master
Patricia Kislevitz: Founder, Colorforms Corporation
Jim Pressman: Past President, Pressman Toy Corp.
Bob Wann: CEO/Chief Play Monster, PlayMonster

Click here to learn more about each nominee and their contributions to the industry. Designated points of contact at the Toy Association member companies, former Hall of Fame inductees, and Toy Association Board members are invited to rank their choices for induction into the 2022 Hall of Fame through Aug. 20, 2021.

A maximum of three nominees will be selected for induction during the 2022 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards on Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at the New York Marriott Marquis.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.