People of Play™, a division of The Toy Association™, will honor Mike Moody and Phil Orbanes with Lifetime Achievement Awards and Judy Ellis as the Industry Game Changer at the 18th annual Toy & Game Innovation Excellence (TAGIE) Awards on Saturday, November 8. This year’s ceremony, themed “Friendship,” will celebrate the extraordinary creativity and innovation that drive the toy and game community, but also the enduring bonds that bring inventors, designers, and industry leaders together. The event will take place at Joe’s Live Concert Venue in Rosemont, IL.
“The theme of ‘Friendship’ feels especially fitting for the TAGIE Awards this year because so much of what drives our industry comes from collaboration,” said Mary Couzin, senior vice president and founder/leader of People of Play at The Toy Association. “The toy and game community thrives on shared creativity — inventors, designers, marketers, and educators coming together to bring ideas to life. Mike, Phil, and Judy each embody that collaborative spirit. Their work has not only inspired countless products and careers but has also built lasting connections that remind us why this industry feels more like a family than a business.”
Mike Moody has more than 30 years of experience working in the toy and game industry, from serving as a buyer for John Menzies PLC to becoming a marketing leader at Tyco Matchbox Toys. Moody is currently the CEO of Seven Towns Ltd., one of the world’s leading toy and game invention studios, where he has guided the company’s creative vision for developing, designing, and licensing toys and games for major global manufacturers for more than two decades. His work has contributed to beloved brands including Boglins, Weebles, Rubik’s, Junior Monopoly, Pig Goes Pop, Silly Sausage, Greedy Granny, Who’s the Dude, and many more.
Phil Orbanes is a celebrated game designer, author, and founding partner of Winning Moves Games. With a distinguished career that includes serving as senior vice president of research and development at Parker Brothers, Orbanes has played a pivotal role in the evolution of modern board games. He is the author of several books on Monopoly and game history, including “The Monopoly Companion” and “Monopoly: The World’s Most Famous Game and How It Got That Way,” and has served as the chief judge of the U.S. and World Monopoly Championships for more than 30 years.
Judy Ellis is a designer, educator, and visionary whose educational work continues to shape the global toy industry. In 1989, she founded the world’s first baccalaureate program in Toy Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where she served as chair and was ranked as distinguished professor. Her career has focused on advancing creative, ethical, and inclusive toy design while mentoring generations of industry leaders. A 2013 Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductee, Ellis has received numerous awards for teaching and service.
Throughout the evening, TAGIE awards will also be presented to winners in 13 categories. Public voting for each category is open through October 24.
The TAGIE Awards will be hosted by Karri Bean, senior licensing manager of Disney Consumer Products, and JoAnn McLaughlin, senior vice president of licensed product, design, & development at Disney Consumer Products, will deliver welcome remarks. Jeremy Padawer, chief brand officer at Jazwares, will present a keynote. This year’s awards are sponsored by Disney (Presenting Sponsor), Mattel, The Michael Kohner Corporation, Hasbro, Longshore, Nextoy, Super Impulse, The Playmakers, Baby Paper, Backdrop.com, Peggy Brown Creative, and Design Edge.
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 the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, Chicago Toy & Game Fair, and the Young Inventor Challenge.
Click here to purchase tickets for the 2025 TAGIE Awards.
About The Toy Association™ toyassociation.org / toyfoundation.org / peopleofplay.com / thegeniusofplay.org / playsafe.org
Founded in 1916, The Toy Association™, Inc. is the business 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 $157.5 billion, and its roughly 900 members drive the annual $41 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. 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, governments, consumers, and the industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.
As a global leader, The Toy Association produces the world-renowned Toy Fair™ in New York City; hosts marketplace activities in Los Angeles; engages in state, federal, and international advocacy on behalf of its members; supports the inventor and design community through People of Play™ and its numerous assets and events, including the consumer-facing Chicago Toy & Game Fair; 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. The Toy Association's philanthropic arm is The Toy Foundation™, a 501 (c)(3) children's charity that acts as the uniting force for the collective philanthropy of the toy industry. To date, The Toy Foundation has delivered the joy of play to 33 million children in need worldwide.
About People of Play™ peopleofplay.com
People of Play (POP), a division of The Toy Association™, supports 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 and connection points as well as a wide range of events including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge, the Toy & Game Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference, and more.
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