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The Toy Industry Association singled out 11 toys as the most innovative of the past year at its seventh annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) awards ceremony, which preceded the American International Toy Fair in New York. "The TOTY Awards pay tribute to the top innovators and products," said Carter Keithley, president of TIA.

A gold TOTY seal appears on packaging of the winning toys, and a silver TOTY seal appears on the nominated toys. There were 55 nominees in all. The winners are:

• Toy of the Year, the top prize, went to TMX Elmo from Fisher-Price, and the same entry was awarded best Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year.
• Girl Toy of the Year, for toys developed specifically for girls of any age: FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony from Hasbro, Inc.
• Boy Toy of the Year, for toys developed for boys of any age: Spy Video Car from Wild Planet Entertainment, Inc. and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Ultimate Black Pearl Playset, from Zizzle LLC.
• Game of the Year, including board, CD-ROM, electronic and card game formats: Cranium's Zooreka from Cranium, Inc.
• Outdoor Toy of the Year, focused on toys designed for outdoor play: Fold 2 Go Trike from Radio Flyer Inc.
• Educational Toy of the Year, recognizing a toy that, through play, helps children develop special skills and/or knowledge: Smart Globe 2.0 from Oregon Scientific.
• Activity Toy of the Year, recognizing a toy that inspires creative play through various forms of activity: Moon Sand, from Spin Master Ltd.
• Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year, for toys that merge high technology with creativity and imagination: Kid Tough Digital Camera from Fisher-Price.
• Most Innovative Toy of the Year, for the most outstanding, unique and creative toy: FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony from Hasbro, Inc.
• Specialty Toy of the Year, for toys distributed primarily through specialty retailers: Webkinz from Ganz.
• Property of the Year, for the licensor that had the greatest success spreading its brand or property throughout the industry while generating interest and excitement: Disney Pixar's Cars, from Disney Consumer Products.

The evening's ceremonies also included entertainment industry icon, George Lucas's induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. The movie director was honored for his contribution to the North American Toy Industry.

Article ID: 133