Costume company Rubie’s celebrated winning Innovative Toy Of The Year at the The Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards for its inflatable T-Rex costume with an attention-grabbing flash mob featuring the popular dinosaur dress-up.
Howie Beige took to the stage at the awards – known as the ‘Oscars’ of the toy industry and held on the evening of 16 February after the first day of New York Toy Fair – to accept the accolade in person, before the flash mob took place, cementing the costume’s place as a deserving winner.
“It’s the first time that a costume has ever been nominated let alone won the category,” said Chris Isitt, vice president, EMEA and Australia for Rubie’s Masquerade. “It’s fantastic that the costume has been recognized after launching just over two years ago. The costume itself even has its very own YouTube channel TREX Tuesdays, where the love of this costume is clear for all to see.”
“The 2018 collection of extraordinary TOTY finalists and winners have brought endless fun and learning to kids across the globe,” said Steve Pasierb, president and ceo of The Toy Association. “The annual TOTY awards process serves as a testament to the toy community’s deep talent, entrepreneurialism, and innovation!”
The Toy of the Year winners were determined by an expert panel that discussed all the finalists before coming to a decision based on TOTY votes, holiday sales and media buzz (both traditional, online and social).
The T-Rex flash mob took place during the New York Toy Fair itself, and it’s fair to say it attracted a great deal of attention!
