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And the Winners Are…
Toy Awards
By Amy Carney Bevins
You’ve seen them announced on TV, read about them in
magazines, and looked for their “Seal of Approval”
on boxes. But what does it mean to say that a toy or
game is an award winner? When buying an
award-winning toy, you know it has passed some form
of testing or review, but who evaluates these
products and what criteria do they use? Below is a
brief description of several preeminent toy award
organizations and a peek at how they make their
selections for best toys and games. Be sure to visit
their websites for more information and to view
their award lists.
The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio (www.toyportfolio.com)
Founded in 1989, the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio is an
independent consumer review of children’s media and
does not charge entry fees or accept advertisements
for products they review. Year-round, toys are
tested, played with and evaluated by child
development and education experts, as well as a
national cross-section of parent and kid testers who
take the toy home for an extended testing period.
The reviewers consider “educational and play value,
safety, age appropriateness, and other factors.” The
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio is headed by Joanne
Oppenheim, a foremost authority on child development
and education and author of over 40 books, and by
Stephanie Oppenheim, a former corporate attorney and
publisher and co-founder of the Oppenheim Toy
Portfolio. They publish a quarterly newsletter and
contribute monthly to NBC’s Today show.
Dr. Toy (www.drtoy.com)
Stevanne Auerbach, PhD, better known as Dr. Toy, is
a leading expert on toys and children’s products.
With extensive training in child psychology,
education, special education, and child development
and over 30 years experience as a speaker,
consultant, and author, Dr. Auerbauch has had a
major impact on childhood in this country. Four
times a year, she publishes her list of award
winning toys in categories such as 100 Best
Children’s Products, 10 Best Creative Products and
Best Vacation Products. Among her criteria for
selecting winners are “safety, age-appropriateness,
design, durability, lasting play value, cultural and
ethnic diversity, educational value, learning
skills, creativity, good value for price, and,
naturally, fun.”
Parents’ Choice (www.parents-choice.org)
Parents’ Choice Foundation, established in 1978, is
the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality
children’s toys and media. Parents’ Choice Awards
committees, comprised of educators, scientists,
performing artists, librarians, parents and kids,
review children’s books, toys, music, television,
software, videogames, websites and magazines. To be
a Parents’ Choice Award winner, a product must
“entertain and teach with flair, stimulate
imagination and inspire creativity. Judges are
interested in how a product helps a child grow in
many ways: socially, intellectually, emotionally,
ethically, and physically. Products must be free of
racial or gender bias. Above all, products must not
extol violence.”
The National Parenting Center (www.tnpc.com)
Since 1989, The National Parenting Center has been
advising, supporting and guiding parents with the
assistance of worldwide authorities in child
development. The Seal of Approval Program, created
in 1990 seeks to identify quality child-focused
products and services. During an eight-week period,
volunteer testers (educators, parents and children)
play with and evaluate products using criteria
including “level of desirability, sturdiness,
interactive stimulation and other ingredients
essential in the make-up of a quality product.”
Testers fill out questionnaires and provide
comments, which are then analyzed to select the
winning products.
Major FUN (www.majorfun.com)
Major FUN awards go to toys and games that are just
that – FUN. While the products are not put through a
rigorous, scientific screening, Major FUN Awards
offer a reliable list of family favorites. Toys are
reviewed at “Tastings”, where game-players get
together and try them out. The ones that are the
most “fun” are then considered for an award. “Major
FUN especially likes games that make people laugh,
are original, flexible, easy to adapt, are
well-made, durable, easily stored and are easy to
understand and teach.”
Other organizations that evaluate and review toys
include:
iParenting Media (www.iparentingmediaawards.com)
NAPPA – The National Parenting Publications Awards (www.nappa.parenthood.com)
AblePlay – Products for children with special needs
(http://www.AblePlay.org)
The Lion & the Lamb Project – Non-violent toys (www.lionlamb.org)
Canadian Toy Testing Council (www.toy-testing.org)
TOTY – Toy Industry Association (www.toy-tia.org/toty)
Amy Carney Bevins is a freelance writer, assistant
magazine editor, educator and mom. You can reach her
at
amycarneybevins@yahoo.com
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