People of Play™ Reveals 2026 Toy & Game International Excellence Award (TAGIE) Finalists

CHICAGO, IL | September 22, 2026 - People of Play™, a division of The Toy Association™, has announced the finalists for the 19th annual Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards, which recognize the inventors, designers, suppliers, retailers, marketers, and PR teams whose imaginations and ingenuity fuel the toy and game industry. Winners will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on Friday, November 6 at Joe's Live Concert Venue in Rosemont, IL.

This year's TAGIEs will also kick off People of Play's Star Wars 50th anniversary celebration with the theme "The Force of Play," which will honor five decades since Star Wars: A New Hope debuted on May 25, 1977. Adding to the celebration, Ashley Eckstein - actress, entrepreneur, and fashion designer best known for founding Her Universe and voicing and originating the role of Ahsoka Tano across several Star Wars animated series - will host the evening.

Public voting to determine the award winners in 10 categories opens today, September 22, and runs through Thursday, October 22. Industry professionals and consumers are encouraged to cast their votes online. The Game Changer and Lifetime Achievement Awards are selected exclusively by the TAGIE Awards Committee and the Lifetime Achievement Committee.

"Every year, we are inspired by the talent of the TAGIE finalists," said Mary Couzin, senior vice president and founder/leader of People of Play at The Toy Association. "These innovators are risk-takers and dreamers who have turned ideas into toys and games that bring joy to millions, and this year, we're adding a little extra 'force' to the celebration as we kick off 50 years of Star Wars. We can't wait to bring everyone together for an unforgettable night in November!"

The 2026 TAGIE finalists are listed by category below:

TOY INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR - AGES 0 - 13

• Hapiko's Product Team for Stickerbox
• ZipString for ZipString Aracna
• Robert Schwartzman, Peter Williams, & Mike Lynders for Team Barbie Roll and Reveal
• Fat Brain Toy Co. Product Development Team (Adam Carson, Kevin Mathis, Kyle Gutzmann, Jess Norman, Yuli Xu, Tijil Arora) for Air Toobz Evo
• Alex Wilde, Cody Hampton, & Jessica Kaups for Disney: Batuu Adventure Buddies, Ewok
• Matt Nuccio & Steven Rausch for Turbomax Lot-a-Loops: 30 Looper
• Brandon Sopinsky, the Moose Toys CrunchLabs by Mark Rober Team, & the CrunchLabs Team for The Crunchinator
• Zack Bailey & the ZB Designs Team for Wigglitz
• Tree Town Toys: Brent Oeschger, Laura Morrison, & Michelle Delacourt. Nextoy: Robert Fuhrer & Rufus Seder (inventor) for SpinAnimator Studio™
• South Beach Bubbles for Bubble Goalz
• Crazy Aaron's Team for Crazy Aaron's Better Butter Thinking Putty® by Goliath
• JMP Creative Team & Sky Castle Toys for Sticki Rolls Stickimates

TOY INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR - AGES 13+

• Inna Yankelovich from IDEO for Blooms by Play Doh
• Crazy Aaron's Design Team with David Yakos and Tim Walsh for Pinchies
• Mattel Building Sets Design Team for Mattel Brick Shop
• Mitch Silver for Pizza Flow
• Carl Kamph for National Geographic 4-Cylinder Engine Building Kit Working Model
• Clickeez Team for Clickeez Series 3: Bubble Pops
• The Play Initiative & Design Edge (Matt Nuccio) for U Build It!

GAME INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR - AGES 0 - 13

• Joe Barron, Sophia Ricciardi, David Yakos, Brady Peterson, Danielle Standring, & Grant Lyon for Cross the Line
• Brady Lang, the Moose Games Team, and CrunchLabs for CrunchLabs Squirrel Dash Game
• Peggy Brown for Down the Waterspout
• Jordan Goddard & Vango for Gummy Grab
• Raul Rios & Dominic Yard for Drop n Roll
• Seven Towns (Inventor Studio) for Pooch On The Loose
• David Yakos of Streamline Design for Queen Swarm from Mindware
• GAME INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR - AGES 13+
• The Spin Master Games Team with Inventors Don Ullman & Bob Driscoll for Murder Phone
• Catapult Concepts LLC for Swing Shot Tower
• Thijmen de Schipper (Team Lead) for Hitster Music Bingo
• Bob Driscoll & Don Ullman for Murder Phone, Rubik's Rush and Jumanji Ultimate Level Electronic Board Game
• Product Development and Design Team at Educational Insights for Kanoodle Party
• Jordan Goddard for Trash to Table (Hasbro), How Long Is (Relatable), Gummy Grab (Vango), & Smack & Cheese (Vango)
• Richard MacRae & Corey Myckan for Centrix, The 3D Tiered Pyramid Board Game with Rotatable Levels

LICENSED PRODUCT INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

• Sky Castle Product Development Team for Sticki Rolls Minecraft
• Agnes Lee for 'KPop Demon Hunters' Collectible Trading Cards
• Stephen Zelin & Paramount Team for Magic the Gathering x Paramount IP
• Chris Gollaher, Director of Product Design, Disney Consumer Products for LEGO Star Wars™ SMART Play Building Sets
• Jan-Maurits Duparc for The Floor Board Game
• Carl Kamph, Faya Higgs, & Chandra Brown for Barbie™ Chemistry Activity Lab
• Fraser Paterson, the Moose Toys Bluey Design Team, BBC Studios, & Ludo Studio for Bluey's Light & Surprise Heeler Home

YOUNG INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

• Garrett Weaver for Baseball Card GM
• Bryce Mikolajczak for Cell Quest

MOST INNOVATIVE DESIGNER OF THE YEAR - ART & VISUALS

• Play Doh Brand Creative Team (Nikki Luther & Vanessa Milo) for Blooms by Play Doh
• Paulo Kang for Disney Animal Kingdom Tree of Life Playset
• Matthew Inman and the Exploding Kittens Team for Dead Therapist
• Wheels & Action Brand Design Team for Hatching Yoshi, Tech Deck: Free Riders, Monster Jam: Chomping Megalodon, HEX: Explodeapede, & How to Train Your Dragon: Trial of Flames line
• Zack Bailey & the ZB Designs Design Team for Wigglitz
• Mattel Action Figures Team (Tyler Russell, Brian Ostroff, Stacey Lloyd, Chloe Mun, Elizabeth Sweeney, Jam Jiang, Stephen Lo, Ray Chen, Joseph Zacate) for Jurassic World Hammond Collection 25th Anniversary Comic-Style Velociraptor
• Amanda Jensen for Seeker of Spells
• Amanda Norman for Mahjong Playing Cards Artwork

MOST INNOVATIVE PR & MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR

• Molly Hampton, Katie Buford, Christopher Nadeau, Nick Hayes, & Sarah Larkin for Uno Social Club
• The Op Games for The Op Games Marketing Team
• Sara Rosales & Michelle Wong for Squishmallows on Campus: Squish My School Campaign at Vanderbilt University
• Gamegenic Marketing Team for Magic: The Gathering x Marvel Super Heroes Accessories Marketing Campaign
• Amanda Rubinos Luna & Ali Way for Disney Lorcana: Curator's Collection, Heroines Edition - A Disney Park & Disney Store Exclusive
• Hasbro Brand Publicity Team for Blooms by Play Doh Launch
• Stephanie Haggerty, Mallory Van Laeken, Logan Stone, Claudia Vine, Marcus Taylor, Justin Escalante, Victoria Hagan, Jack Warnecke, & NVE Experience Agency for Gui Gui PR & Marketing Team - Gui Gui Glow Up Tour at VidCon

SALES INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

• Tyler Williams & the ZB Designs Sales Team for Wigglitz
• Amy Sullivan, VP Retail Licensing and Entertainment at Authentic Brands Group, for Care Bears Collaborations with Universal, Warner Brothers, Zuru, MGA Entertainment, and Just Play (Happy Haul)
• Eric Brendel
• Claudia Bettson-Burdett & the Lucky Egg Sales Team

MOST INNOVATIVE PARTNER OF THE YEAR

• Jordan Goddard for Flat Earth (Exploding Kittens), Cat Condo Cornhole (Exploding Kittens), Sam and Colby Spirit Box, Just a Theory (Walmart only), & Veritasium The Game
• Salient Technologies Inc.
• Creativity, Inc. for Product Development
• Bang Zoom Design for Pikimo, Bitzee Interactive Aquarium, & PAW Patrol Megasaurus Dino Vehicle
• Edoardo Kulp for Product Development
• Steve Rad & Abacus Brands Team
• Amanda F. Turner for Toy-mation Stop-motion Shorts

Founded in 2008, the TAGIEs celebrate the outstanding achievements of toy and game industry leaders from around the world. The awards ceremony takes place annually in the fall in conjunction with People of Play's annual POP Week (November 5 to 8 in Rosemont, IL), including the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, Young Inventor Challenge, and Chicago Toy & Game Fair.

People of Play recognizes the generous support of this year's event sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Disney and Supporting Sponsors Hasbro, Mattel, Duracell, University Games, Longshore Ltd., Super Impulse, KenKen, Nextoy, The Play Makers, Backdrop.com, Brown Creative, Baby Paper, and Design Edge.

Click here to purchase tickets for the 2026 TAGIE Awards. Click here for more information about the awards program and follow for updates on social media using #chitag2026, #tagie, & #peopleofplay.

About the TAGIE Awards chitag.com/2026-tagie-awards
Founded in 2008, the Toy & Game International Excellence Awards (TAGIEs) celebrate the outstanding achievements of toy and game industry leaders from around the world, by honoring masters of innovation. The annual event also pays homage to industry professionals who differentiate themselves with their spirit for fun, philanthropy, inventor advocacy, creativity, and humanitarianism. Inventors, designers, manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, media, public relations and marketing professionals, and the general public come together for this prestigious annual gala event. The TAGIEs are hosted annually in the fall in conjunction with the Toy & Game Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference, Chicago Toy & Game Fair, and the Young Inventor Challenge.

About People of Play™ peopleofplay.com
People of Play (POP), a division of The Toy Association™, leads the global toy and game industry in promoting innovation, creativity, and connectivity. A one-stop source of community for industry professionals, aspiring inventors, and people of all ages who love to play, People of Play hosts a play platform packed with resources, the largest toy and game directory in the industry, and a wide range of events, including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIEs) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge®, the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, and more.

###