You’ll Never Guess the Toy of the Year!

In this video, you’ll get the scoop on the top toys of the year! For the complete 2014 Toy Awards list, go to Good Housekeeping.com http://goo.gl/3udqNu

The toy testing review at the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) starts nearly a full calendar year ahead of our December issue which features our Best Toy Awards. The Consumer Electronics’ Lab engineers start the hunt when they attend Toy Fair in February. For the next few months, they continue to survey the market and hold meetings with individual toy manufacturers. Based upon this and industry research, a group of approximately 150 new toys are selected for further editorial selection. From there, roughly 130 toys are called into the lab to vet for safety, durability, and enjoyabilty!

All toys called in are verified for compliance to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which includes compliance to the ASTM-F963 Toy Safety standard. In addition, further lab safety checks are performed. Any toys rated for under 8 years of age are dropped multiple time using our Drop Tester and inspected for small parts prior to kid testing. We also confirm there are no pinch points, sharp edges, or other hazards, and ensure proper functionality and usability before our kids testers are brought in.

What we were left with was 100 or so toys to put through the true test – a room full of children to test for that “fun factor.” Over the course of 7 in-lab testing days, several dozen children, ranging in age from 3 to 12, are brought into the lab and allowed to play with whichever age-appropriate toys pique their interest. Based upon their survey reviews and observational notes, our top toys are sure to please – and still deliver education, foster imagination, promote analytical skills, and cultivate other child developmental abilities.

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