Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award

The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio is a nationally recognized independent[1] consumer review of children's media.[2][3][4] It was founded in 1989 by child development authors Joanne Oppenheim and her daughter Stephanie Oppenheim.[5] The newsletter is published quarterly and have held an annual series of awards that have gained attention in the industry. They have spoken on children psychology/behavior, toys, and child media on OPRAH, CNN, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, MSNBC, Lifetime, and both are Contributors to NBC's TODAY Show.[6][7]

Books

With the success of the original newsletter, the Oppenheims published their first book (The Best Toys, Books, Videos and Music for Kids) together with HarperCollins in 1994. They formed their own publishing company in 1998 and began publishing what would become their annual Oppenheim Toy Portfolio guide book. The company also publishes the Read It! Play It! series on childhood literacy.[8]

Award

The awards granted by The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio cover topics including Toys, Books, Video, Audio, Computers, and special categories like Special Needs, Green Products, and Multicultural Products. Topics are further divided into four age groups: Infants, Toddlers, Preschoolers, and Early School Years. There are four different types of awards:[8]

  • Platinum Award - Presented for the most innovative and engaging new products of the year. To receive this award, a product must have previously received a Gold Seal Award in the newsletter.
  • Gold Seal Award - Presented for outstanding new products. All Gold Seal Award recipients enter the finals and can be additionally awarded a Platinum Award at the end of the year.
  • Blue Chip Classic Award - Presented for outstanding products that were released in previous years.
  • Special Needs Adaptable Product (SNAP) Award - Presented for products that can be used or easily adapted for children with special needs.

The annual Oppenheim Toy Portfolio guide books collate reviews on all award winning products as well as those that had been listed in the magazine as "Mixed Emotions".[8]

References
  1. Carter, Reon. "Parents Can Consult Plenty Of 'Top Toys' Lists". The Cincinnati Enquirer via The Seattle Times. 2 December 1995.
  2. Kelati, Haben. "Top toys include Baby Yoda, unicorns, activity sets and puzzles". The Washington Post. 28 October 2020.
  3. Bonker, Dawn. "Travel Toys Smooth Way for Children". Sun-Sentinel. 28 July 1992.
  4. Rhoades, Heather. "Best Known Toy Awards". Streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 9 Jan 2021.
  5. Tousignant, Marylou. "Top new toys invite girls to build, boys to nurture and everyone to code". The Florida Times-Union. 3 November 2017.
  6. Staff. "Make Magic For The Kids With These Great Gifts". Today. 29 November 2004.
  7. Headapohl, Jackie. "Delicious Knishes In A New Children's Book". The Jewish News – Arts and Life. 7 December 2017.
  8. Oppenheim, Joanne and Stephanie. The Best Toys, Books & Videos for Kids - "Introduction". HarperCollins. Pg.ix. 1993. ISBN 0062731963


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