Most Innovative & Creative Booths Shine at Toy Fair®
Sixteen Exhibitors Receive Inaugural Reimagination Award for Outstanding Exhibit Design
New York, NY | October 2, 2023 – Innovation is taking center stage at this year’s Toy Fair®, not only with the hundreds of thousands of playthings on the show floor, but also with imaginative designs in more than 1,000 booths throughout the Javits Center. A total of 16 exhibitors over four award categories (Connection, Out-of-the-Box, Powerfully Playful, and Warm Welcome) were honored with an inaugural Reimagination Award for their exceptionally inviting, inventive, and creative exhibit spaces.
The Reimagination Awards were introduced this year by The Toy Association™, producer of Toy Fair, to celebrate and recognize booth spaces that embrace the show’s new visual merchandising initiative. To engage the buying community, captivate attending media, and elevate the Toy Fair experience for all attendees, exhibitors were challenged to make at least 20 percent of their aisle-facing exhibit space an immersive showcase for their products.
“The winners of the Reimagination Awards have set a new benchmark for booth design, proving that innovation and creativity know no bounds in the toy industry,” said Kimberly Carcone, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. “We congratulate all the inaugural winners and extend our gratitude to the exhibitors who stepped up to the challenge and raised the bar for future showcases.”
The 2023 Toy Fair Reimagination Awards winners are:
Linear Booth Category
- Connection Award: Purple Cow - Booth #6611
- Out-of-the-Box Award: Fungisaurs Inc. - Booth #5554
- Powerfully Playful Award: Kala Ukulele - Booth #6114
- Warm Welcome Award: Cuddle Barn - Booth #6568
400-999 Square Feet Category
- Connection Award: Adventure Parks - Booth #1829
- Out-of-the-Box Award: Kawaii Slime Company - Booth #5883
- Powerfully Playful Award: Folkmanis Inc. - Booth #2427
- Warm Welcome Award: Kawaii Slime Company - Booth #5883
1,000-1,999 Square Feet Category
- Connection Award: Douglas Cuddle Toys - Booth #1565
- Out-of-the-Box Award: BIGMOUTH - Booth #6147
- Powerfully Playful Award: Asmodee North America, Inc. - Booth #1815
- Warm Welcome Award: Fat Brain Toy Co. - Booth #6435
2,000+ Square Feet Category
- Connection Award: LEGO Systems, Inc. - Booth #1335
- Out-of-the-Box Award: LEGO Systems, Inc. - Booth #1335
- Powerfully Playful Award: Just Play, LLC - Booth #2265
- Warm Welcome Award: Jazwares - Booth #2403
Launch Pad Tabletops
- Powerfully Playful Award: CircuitMess - Booth #6091
- Warm Welcome Award: Clever Noodle – Booth #4917J
The exhibit booths were evaluated by a panel of distinguished judges, including retail buyers, seasoned media professionals, trade show experts, and toy industry veterans who walked the show floor through the lens of an attendee. The judging took place Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1 and was based on creativity, effectiveness, presentation, and overall exhibit design.
The awards descriptions are as follows:
- Connection Award: An exhibit space whose entire atmosphere is united in design with the core product(s).
- Out-of-the-Box Award: A creative, imaginative exhibit space that is innovative and outside the limits of conventional thinking.
- Powerfully Playful Award: An exhibit space that conveys fun and liveliness to the attendee with interactive elements.
- Warm Welcome Award: A visually hospitable exhibit that invites the attendee in.
For more information on the Reimagination Awards, visit ToyFairNY.com.
About Toy Fair® www.ToyFairNY.com
Toy Fair® is the largest and most comprehensive play-focused experience unifying the toy industry’s entire ecosystem with key players to help with business development and sourcing the latest products from across all forms and stages of play. Featuring thousands of new and unique toys, games, edutainment, entertainment-driven experiences, and more from around the world, Toy Fair offers attendees a competitive edge no other trade event can match.
About The Toy Association™ www.toyassociation.org / www.thegeniusofplay.org / www.playsafe.org
Founded in 1916, The Toy Association™, Inc. is the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The Toy Association leads the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual U.S. economic impact of $98.6 billion, and represents hundreds of companies including manufacturers, retailers, licensors, and others who are involved in the youth entertainment industry. Its manufacturing members account for 93% of U.S. toy and game sales driving the annual $38.2 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Toy Association serves as the industry’s voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play’s positive impact on childhood development to consumers and media. The organization has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, government, consumers, and industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play. As a global leader, The Toy Association produces the world-renowned Toy Fair New York; advocates on behalf of members around the world; sustains the Canadian Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America’s widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard.
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