Three Pokémon products nominated for Toy of the Year Awards, The Pokémon Company International signs on as major charity sponsor of The Toy Foundation

The Pokémon Company International has announced their position as a Vision Sponsor for the 2023 Toy of the Year® Awards, contributing $90,000 USD and more than $3.7 million dollars worth of cards and other merchandise to charitable organization The Toy Foundation. These donations are a part of The Pokémon Company International’s five-year plan to donate at least $25 million to long-term partner organizations that are “dedicated to improving the lives of children and supporting social equity.” Other charitable organizations listed as part of this five-year commitment include major national groups like the American Library Association and the Trevor Project, as well as smaller groups such as the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue, Washington, which is local to The Pokémon Company International’s US headquarters.

Pokémon as a brand is no stranger to The Toy Foundation, winning their License of the Year award in 2022 and their Game of the Year award in 2021 for the Pokémon Trading Card Game Battle Academy. This is The Pokémon Company International's third annual donation to the Toy Foundation. In 2022, toy companies donated over 750,000 toys to the Toy Foundation, valued at $9.1 million. The charity redistributes toys and monetary support to children in underserved communities, children’s hospitals, and emergency relief efforts as part of their mission "to provide philanthropic support and the vital commodity of play to children and families under stress and in dire situations."

“The Pokémon Company International has a deep appreciation for the admirable work conducted by The Toy Foundation… A primary goal at TPCi is to make a positive impact in the lives of children and support social equity, and the strong partnership we’ve developed with The Toy Foundation is helping us all achieve those goals.” - Shasha Richardson, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Corporate Social Responsibility at The Pokémon Company International.

The 2023 Toy of the Year® Awards will take place on September 29th in New York City, where winners for each category will be announced. Category voting is open to the public until September 8th. The overall Toy of the Year and People's Choice winners will be announced on November 20th, for which voting will remain open until November 10th. Pokémon products nominated for individual categories are:

Squishmallows Pokémon Collection by Jazwares	MEGA Forest Pokémon Center by Mattel, Inc.	Train & Play Deluxe Pikachu by Jazwares
Nominated for Collectable Toy of the Year​	Nominated for Construction Toy of the Year​	Nominated for Action Figure Toy of the Year​