It has been customary for the Toy Industry Association Inc. to recognize certain toy manufacturers for their outstanding contribution to the toy industry, and LEGO is one of the industry leaders that have a legacy of being recognized time and again as a Toy of the Year (TOTY) awardee. Last year, we saw LEGO bagging not just one, but two awards with the beautiful and mechanically impressive LEGO Friends and Amusement Park Roller Coaster (41130) earning the title of Construction Toy of the Year Award, while the grand LEGO Disney Castle (71040) received the Specialty Toy of the Year.
As it seems, it looks like LEGO has earned a greater chance of bagging the same title again. Earlier this week, online voting for this year’s TOTY has officially begun, and LEGO once more dominated the nominees’ list with five sets under various categories. Nominated for Collectible of the Year, we have the LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures (71017). For Construction Toy of the Year it is everybody’s favorite droid in brick form, LEGO Star Wars BB-8 (75187) and Captain Salazar’s dreaded ghost ship, the LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary (71042) that has made it to the cut of being qualified as nominees. The still elusive, and hard-to-find, LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192) also made it as a nominee for Specialty Toy of the Year, and the LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (17101) was named as a candidate for Tech Toy of the Year.
2018 TOTY Finalist: Collectible of the Year
LEGO Batman Movie Collectible Minifigures (71017)
2018 TOTY Finalists: Construction Toy of the Year
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean Silent Mary (71042)
2018 TOTY Finalists: Specialty Toy of the Year
LEGO Star Wars UCS Millennium Falcon (75192)
2018 TOTY Finalists: Tech Toy of the Year
LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox (17101)
It should be noted that a LEGO-compatible product also made it to the roster of TOTY finalists with the Mayka Toy Block Tape by Zulu. The concept behind a LEGO-tape is relatively new and has recently caught the fancy of builders both young and old.
The voting process officially began last November 3, and will end on January 5, 2018. The voting will include not just Association members, retailers, and journalists, but also the consumers. The winners will be announced in a formal presentation ceremony on February 16, 2018. You may refer to this link for the complete set of guidelines on how the Toy of the Year finalists were selected. Consumer voting is on-going, and if you wish to show your support for these LEGO sets, then head over to the voting page for the Toy of the Year Awards.
Do you agree with this year’s selection of nominees? Do you have another LEGO set that you wish were included in the nominees list? Drop us a comment below and tell us what you think.
I think the Apollo 11 Saturn 5 Rocket should also be nominated for Collectable of the Year.
Yeah, the LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V will be a great candidate. I’m not really that familiar with the TOTY selection process, since there are so many likely LEGO candidates. If ever the Saturn V made it to the cut, I’m pretty sure it will be a landslide vote.