Voting is Open for the 2018 Inductees into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame

October 16, 2017 | Toy Association members are invited to cast their votes for the 2018 inductees of the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. Voting is now open through Wednesday, November 8, 2017.

Ballots have been emailed to all eligible voters; to request a link to the ballot please email Jackie Retzer.

This year’s candidates are:

• Andrea Barthello
  Chief Operating Officer, ThinkFun, Inc.
• Brian Goldner
  Chairman & CEO, Hasbro, Inc.

Candidates for posthumous induction:

• James Becker
  Founder, Past President, Anjar Co.
• Joe Mendelsohn
  President, Kenner Products
• Abraham Nathanson
  Top Banana/Founder, Bananagrams, Inc.
• Jacob Swedlin
  President, Gund

The Toy Industry Hall of Fame was established in 1984 to recognize people – from toy inventors to toy retailers – who made significant contributions to toys and play. The opportunity to honor these individuals is a special tradition for The Toy Association and its members. The candidates were chosen from a slate of highly qualified nominees submitted for consideration by members of the Association’s Hall of Fame Committee.

Designated points of contact at Toy Association member companies, former Hall of Fame inductees, and recent Toy Association Board Members are invited to rank their choices in the living and posthumous categories. In this defined pool of respondents, no single organization shall have more than one vote.

An announcement of the 2018 inductees will be made in early December. The Toy Industry Hall of Fame induction will take place during the Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards ceremony on Friday, February 16, 2018 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.

More information on the Hall of Fame candidates – including nomination criteria and bios for each nominee – is available online.