Continuing a tradition of success in the toy industry, LEGO and Hasbro earned the Star Wars franchise multiple nominations for the 2019 Toy of the Year Awards.
This week, Star Wars received three nominations from the “Oscars” of the toy industry, the Toy of the Year Awards. The nominations went to two companies that continually put out quality Stars Wars merchandise—LEGO and Hasbro.
LEGO received two nominations for their Star Wars-related products. Its Kessel Run Millenium Falcon from Solo: A Star Wars Story was nominated for Construction Toy of the Year, while its “Betrayal at Cloud City” set was nominated for Specialty Toy of the Year. The Cloud City set is a nearly 3,000-piece model split into four sections from The Empire Strikes Back, which is priced at $349.99
Photo Credit: LEGO
Hasbro earned a nomination in the Plush Toy of the Year category for its Ultimate Co-Pilot Chewie figure. According to its website, “This amazing interactive plush friend features 100+ sound-and-motion combinations, responds in the Wookiee language, and reacts whenever he’s in motion – sometimes in surprising ways!” This is a clear must-have for any young—or maybe even old—Star Wars fans.
These nominations come after the 2018 awards that saw Star Wars win in four categories, including License of the Year, an award that goes to the character or property that has successfully spread their brand throughout the industry.
LEGO won Construction Toy of the Year for their BB-8 Building Kit and Specialty Toy of the Year for their 7,500 piece Millenium Falcon model that comes in with a hefty price tag of $799.99. As the LEGO website says, this was “the largest, most detailed LEGO® Star Wars Millennium Falcon model we’ve ever created.” It was so detailed in fact that it included, “interchangeable sensor dishes and crew, so you decide whether to play out classic LEGO Star Wars adventures with Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO, or enter the world of Episode VII and VIII with older Han, Rey, Finn and BB-8!” No wonder it won.
Photo Credit: LEGO
LittleBits also took home a win last year for their Droid Inventor Kit that helps kids to control their own droid while also teaching them how to code.
A fifth award that Star Wars should be credited for was the People’s Choice Award which was given to Funko’s Mystery Minis line which has utilized their Star Wars license many times.
Voting for this year’s awards is open to the public and continues until January 6, 2019, with the awards to be announced at the opening night of the 2019 Toy Fair in New York on Friday, February 15.