The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) unveiled its 2016 Best Toys for Kids award winners today. The list includes 24 winning toys in 17 categories.
“ASTRA’s Best Toys for Kids award program is different from other top toy lists because it reflects the collective expertise of hundreds of toy retailers who know toys inside out,” said Kimberly Mosley, President of ASTRA. “The list of winners is a well-balanced representation of the fun, top-quality, high play value products consumers can find in locally-owned neighborhood toy stores around the country.”
The Best Toys for Kids program was created by ASTRA to help its retailer members attract media coverage and customers to their stores during the all-important fourth quarter. “The Best Toys for Kids awards program is one more way to differentiate the outstanding value of specialty toys and to differentiate ASTRA stores,” said Mosley. “We encourage specialty retailers to use this program to educate their customers and sell more toys.”
The 2016 Best Toys for Kids award winners are:
ACTIVE PLAY
Kidoozie Counting Pogo Jumper
International Playthings
Slackers Ninjaline Intro Kit
b4Adventure – Brand 44 LLC
CHOOSE YOUR OWN CATEGORY
Rock and Roll It! – Piano
MukikiM Toys
Sneaky Cards
Gamewright, a div of Ceaco
CLASSIC PLAY 0-7 YEARS
Rat-A-Tat Cat
Gamewright, a div of Ceaco
WOW Flip ‘n’ Tip Fred
Reeves International, Inc.
CLASSIC PLAY 8+
Snap Circuits Jr.
Elenco Electronics
Rubik Cube 3×3
Winning Moves
CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY 0-7 YEARS
Robot Engineer
Thames & Kosmos
CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY 8+ YEARS
Geckobot
Thames & Kosmos
CREATIVE ARTS PLAY 3-7 YEARS
Craft-tastic Kindness Kit
Ann Williams
Fuzzeez™ Husky
The Orb Factory
CREATIVE ARTS PLAY 8+ YEARS
Peacock Silk Painting
Hotaling / Djeco
Sew Mini Treats
Klutz
EARLY PLAY
SpinAgain
Fat Brain Toy Co.
GAME PLAY 3-5 YEARS
Little Red Riding Hood
SmartGames
Balance Beans
ThinkFun
GAME PLAY 6+ YEARS
Happy Salmon
North Star Games
GAME PLAY 8 YEARS+
Dr. Eureka
Blue Orange Games
LEARNING PLAY
Code & Go™ Robot Mouse Activity Set
Learning Resources
PRETEND—DOLL PLAY
Folkmanis® French Bulldog Puppet
Folkmanis® Puppets
PRETEND—FANTASY PLAY
The Irish Fairy Door
The Irish Fairy Door Company | License-2-Play
PRETEND—ROLE PLAY
Calico Critters Seaside Ice Cream Shop
International Playthings
SCIENTIFIC PLAY
Hot Ice Crystals
Thames & Kosmos
About the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA)
Founded in 1992, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is an international not-for-profit trade organization that serves more than 1,800 independent retailers, manufacturers and sales representatives in the specialty toy industry. ASTRA is a community of dedicated professionals committed to providing children with healthy, quality play materials that have high play value and are designed with a focus on what the child can do, rather than what the toy can do. ASTRA members are leaders who, through their businesses, make a positive impact on the economy and culture of the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.astratoy.org/