2021 TOY & GAME INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS ANNOUNCE COMMITTEE SELECTED AWARD RECIPIENTS

Lifetime Achievement, Game Changers of the Year, and Hassenfeld Family Initiatives Humanitarian Award to be Honored at Virtual TAGIE Ceremony on November 19, 2021

CHICAGO, IL (November 9, 2021) - People of Play (POP) is announcing the recipients of this year’s Lifetime Achievement, Hasssenfeld Initiatives Humanitarian and  Game Changer Awards.  The Toy & Game International Innovation Conference held on November 15-19, will honor these recipients, as well as announce this year’s TAGIE winners across 9 categories at a virtual ceremony on November 19.  The TAGIE’s honor the best and brightest innovators, designers, retailers and marketers in the toy and game industry. 

This year’s recipients include:

Lifetime Achievement:

• Tom Kalinske,  Executive Chairman at Mixed Dimensions and former CEO of Sega America, Leapfrog and Mattel
• Michele Litzky, Founder of Litzky Public Relations (LPR) 
• The Pressman Family, Accepted by Jim Pressman, Past President of The Pressman Toy Company

Hassenfeld Family Initiatives Humanitarian Award:

• Jan-Maurits Duparc, Chief Creation at Identity Games

Game changers of the year:

• Megan Kanous, Director of Business Development, PSI
• Azhelle Wade, The Toy Coach Podcast Season II
• Josslynne Welch and Litzky PR, President of Litzky PR

In addition to honoring the above, special celebration of life tributes will be given in  memoriam of Brian Golder, Chairman and CEO, Hasbro and Ora Coster, Co-Founder, Theora Designs. There will also be a look back at those who we lost this year in the toy industry this year, including:

• Kim Merrill  
• Robby Kanoff
• Reuben Klamer
• Adele Alessi
• Don Poynter
• Bill Burke
• Jack Hirsch
• John P. McMeel
• Willi Zapf
• M. Richard Robinson, JR.  
• George R. Ditomassi
• Eric Carle
• Peter Woods
• Gerry Crown
• Loretta Whitfield
• Kelly Flock
• Francis Spear
• Simon Holdsworth

The 2021 TAGIE Awards are presented by Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products with sponsors Mattel, Oxford Games, Hasbro, The Michael Kohner Corporation,  Goliath, MEGO, Radio Flyer, Longshore, Exploding Kittens, Foxmind, PlayMonster, Nextoy, and Kite and Rocket.  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE FREE VIRTUAL 2021 TOY & GAME INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION SUMMIT 

and 

HERE FOR THE FREE TOY AND GAME iNTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS (the TAGIEs)

About People of Play 

People of Play (POP) celebrates and empowers toy and game innovation worldwide by providing educational opportunities, recognition and community for industry professionals, amateur inventors and people of all ages who love to play. People of Play oversees a number of events including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIE) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge, the New Inventor Conference, the Professional Inventors Conference, Play in Education Conference, the Bloom Report and the People of Play Foundation. Press contact: POP@BrilliantPRM.com

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