The Toy Association™ Inducts Industry Icons into 2026 Toy Industry Hall of Fame
Melissa and Doug Bernstein, Founders of Melissa & Doug, and Isaac Larian, Founder & CEO of MGA Entertainment, to be Honored at Toy of the Year® Awards February 13
NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toy Association™ today announced the three visionaries who will join the esteemed Toy Industry Hall of Fame: Melissa and Doug Bernstein, founders of Melissa & Doug; Isaac Larian, founder & CEO of MGA Entertainment; and the posthumous honoree, Stanley Weston, inventor of the G.I. Joe action figure and founder of Leisure Concepts.
The 2026 Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductees will join an impressive roster of 98 industry leaders who each have had a significant impact on the lives of children through toys and play. Since its inception in 1984, the Toy Industry Hall of Fame has recognized top leaders from manufacturing, retail, entertainment, licensing, and other sectors, including gamechangers such as Walt Disney (Disney), Ruth and Elliott Handler (Mattel/Barbie), Charles Lazerus (Toys "R" Us), Milton Bradley (Milton Bradley Company), Joan Ganz Cooney (Sesame Street), Alan Hassenfeld (Hasbro), and many more.
"Melissa and Doug Bernstein and Isaac Larian have earned their place among the very best of our industry by redefining play for generations," said Greg Ahearn, president & CEO of The Toy Association. "Melissa and Doug built a legacy of timeless, beautifully crafted wooden toys that have sparked imagination and discovery for decades, and Isaac's entrepreneurial spirit and passion for innovation have given rise to global brands that took retail and children's imaginations by storm. Their induction into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame honors their extraordinary legacies."
Continued Ahearn: "The Toy Association is equally proud to posthumously induct Stanley Weston, who changed toy history by introducing a new genre of play known by many today as 'action figures.' His creation of G.I. Joe gave children the power to imagine themselves as heroes, while his work in licensing built a foundation for modern entertainment. We look forward to celebrating all the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees at the Toy of the Year® Awards ceremony in February!"
The Bernsteins and Larian were nominated and voted on by members of The Toy Association in recognition of their significant contributions to the industry and the impact they have had on the lives of children through a lifelong commitment to toys and play. Weston, the 2026 posthumous inductee, was recommended by the Hall of Fame Subcommittee on Posthumous Selection and voted on by the Hall of Fame Committee. The process for selecting posthumous inductees helps to ensure the recognition of any deserving person who has contributed to the U.S. toy industry since 1800 who might have been overlooked in previous years.
The 2026 Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees will be honored during The Toy Foundation's Toy of the Year® (TOTY®) Awards on Friday, February 13, 2026. The Toy Industry Hall of Fame lives alongside the National Toy Hall of Fame in a special exhibit at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY.
Visit toyassociation.org/HOF for more information about the 2026 Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductees.
About the Toy Industry Hall of Fame toyassociation.org/HOF
In 1984, the Toy Industry Hall of Fame was established to recognize the people who have brought the value of play to the lives of children and adults. Every year for nearly four decades, members of the industry have proudly nominated hundreds of men and women — from toy inventors to toy retailers — who have made their mark on the industry and created a love of play in the hearts of children of all ages.
About The Toy Association™toyassociation.org / toyfoundation.org / peopleofplay.com / thegeniusofplay.org / playsafe.org
Founded in 1916, The Toy Association™, Inc. is the business trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages. The Toy Association leads the health and growth of the U.S. toy industry, which has an annual U.S. economic impact of $157.5 billion, and its roughly 900 members drive the annual $41 billion U.S. domestic toy market. The Toy Association serves as the industry's voice on the developmental benefits of play and promotes play's positive impact on childhood development. The organization has a long history of leadership in toy safety, having helped develop the first comprehensive toy safety standard more than 40 years ago, and remains committed to working with medical experts, governments, consumers, and the industry on ongoing programs to ensure safe and fun play.
As a global leader, The Toy Association produces the world-renowned Toy Fair™ in New York City; hosts marketplace activities in Los Angeles; engages in state, federal, and international advocacy on behalf of its members; supports the inventor and design community through People of Play™ and its numerous assets and events, including the consumer-facing Chicago Toy & Game Fair; sustains the Canadian Toy Association; acts as secretariat for the International Council of Toy Industries and International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable; and chairs the committee that reviews and revises America's widely emulated ASTM F963 toy safety standard. The Toy Association's philanthropic arm is The Toy Foundation™, a 501 (c)(3) children's charity that acts as the uniting force for the collective philanthropy of the toy industry. To date, The Toy Foundation has delivered the joy of play to 33 million children in need worldwide.
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SOURCE The Toy Association