West Midlands based toy manufacturer Wow! Stuff, the creators behind the world’s first ‘Invisibility Cloak’, have been awarded the Innovative Toy of the Year Award at the 20th annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) awards in New York City.
Often referred to as the ‘Oscars of the toy industry’, a total of 114 toy and game finalists were in the running for one of 16 prestigious TOTY awards. Voted for by consumers, retailers, journalists, bloggers and industry experts, the awards celebrate the very best in the world of toys, whilst highlighting their ability to bring fun, laughter, discovery, and learning to children through the medium of play.
The West Midlands based toy firm faced competition from industry giants such as Mattel, Inc. the developers behind Hot Wheels, as well as LeapFrog and other international names, but ultimately took the title for their Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak
The Innovative Toy of the Year award is for toys that utilise innovative design, technology, or manufacturing processes to enhance the play value. The Invisibility Cloak developed by Wow! Stuff in collaboration with Warner Bros. allows user to recreate iconic scenes from the Harry Potter films. The magical illusion costume comes with a free downloadable Wow! Stuff app which shows the wearer disappear before your eyes.
Richard North, CEO of Wow! Stuff comments: “We were absolutely delighted to be awarded the Innovative Toy of the Year award, particularly given the competition we faced within our category. The toy community is a special one – built upon a passion to capture the hearts of children and inspire play that is both fun and innovative, and I’m really proud that our contribution has been recognised on the world stage.”
Stephen Newman, Partner at Smith Cooper and Head of Audit and Accounts in Birmingham comments “It’s fantastic to see one of our clients achieve international recognition for what is a truly unique creation. The team behind the brand at Wow! Stuff have worked tirelessly over the years to remain at the forefront of toy innovation, and we’re proud to have been able to support them as they grow.”
Wow! Stuff have a number of new ground-breaking toys in the area of sustainability combined with their signature innovation, which they will be launching in the coming months.
Aside from recognising the best toy companies in the world, the TOTY awards is also a vital fund-raising opportunity for the Toy Foundation – a not-for-profit trade association committed to supporting children in need through the magic of play by providing children’s charities around with world with toys.
