Jazwares win License of the Year Award
Jazwares, recently announced that the wildly successful Squishmallows® plush brand secured the coveted License of the Year Award and the 16-inch Squishmallows nabbed Plush Toy of the Year at The Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards ceremony, held on September 20, 2022.
Since Squishmallows debuted in 2017, the brand’s vast global audience and multi-generational appeal has led the popular plush to squishthrough the roof, hitting the 125 million plush sold milestone. With more than 1,500 unique Squishmallows to collect, ranging from two- to 24-inches in size, the brand has captivated fans of all ages, and won the hearts of Squishmallows fans in more than 55 countries. Such strong brand recognition has resulted in multiple line extensions, including HugMees™ by Original Squishmallows, , Squish-Doos™, Stackables™ and Squishville™, and robust consumer products ranging from apparel and accessories, to home decor and pool floats, and more. On social media, Squishmallows content continues to skyrocket, generating nearly 8.5 billion video views on TikTok, and @squishmallows (and related hashtags) has been tagged in more than one million Instagram posts. Additionally, the Squishmallows social media channels have ballooned to more than one million followers, and nearly 100 global and local Facebook groups have been created by fans.
“There was significant competition in these categories from an incredible roster of world-renowned brands, which makes our recognition for license of the year and plush toy of the year that much more significant for Jazwares,” said Jeremy Padawer, Chief Brand Officer, Jazwares. “As Squishmallows continues to thrive around the globe, we are so honored to be recognized in these categories by our peers and The Toy Foundation.”
The TOTY Awards recognize the top toys, games, and licenses from the past two years across 17 categories of play in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season. The finalists were selected by a panel of judges comprised of play experts, journalists, academics, retailers, and other toy experts, who then selected the winners. The TOTY Awards are a key fundraiser for The Toy Foundation to support its year-round philanthropic work to deliver the comfort, joy, and extraordinary physical, emotional, and educational benefits of play to children in need. All event proceeds (including TOTY nomination fees) benefit its initiatives, including the Children’s Hospital Play Grants program to bring the healing power of play to children in hospital settings; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program to reach all communities with play; and The Toy Bank program to deliver the comfort and security of a toy to children in need around the world. The TOTY celebration will spotlight each of these program areas and the impact of bringing the benefits of play to children in need, as well as serve as an opportunity to donate and further its mission.
