Five Pokémon products are finalists for the Toy of the Year 2027, the toy industry awards handed out every year in New York: the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box, the Pikachu plush, the Pikachu Puppetronic, the LEGO Training House and the Pokémon brand itself. The public votes on toyawards.org until January 6, 2027, and the winners will be revealed on February 19.
The 2027 finalists announcement, unveiled on November 7 at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. © The Toy Foundation / The Toy Book
Which Pokémon products are Toy of the Year 2027 finalists?
Five nominations across four categories. The Pokémon Company International lands three directly: the Pokémon brand for License of the Year, the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box for Collectible of the Year and the Pikachu 30th Celebration Plush for Plush Toy of the Year. The last two come from partners, Jazwares and LEGO, who face each other in the same Tech Toy category.
| Product | Category | Maker | Retail price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pokémon brand | License of the Year | The Pokémon Company International | not applicable |
| Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box | Collectible of the Year | The Pokémon Company International | $49.99, sold for 55.99 to 59.99 euros in France |
| Pikachu 30th Celebration Plush | Plush Toy of the Year | The Pokémon Company International | $29.99 |
| Pokémon Pikachu Puppetronic | Tech Toy of the Year | RealFX by Jazwares, created by Wow! Stuff | $79.99 |
| LEGO Pokémon SMART Play: Training House with Pikachu | Tech Toy of the Year | LEGO Systems | $69.99, £59.99 |
The announcement comes from The Toy Foundation, which revealed the list of 122 finalists across 17 categories on November 7 during the Chicago Toy & Game Fair. "Behind every great toy is the opportunity to spark joy," sums up Pamela Mastrota, its executive director. To put the performance in perspective: Disney racks up 15 spots across all its franchises according to the tally by the Pirates and Princesses site, and Toy Story ties with Pokémon at five nominations each. Not bad for a brand that turned 30 this year.
How does the Elite Trainer Box stack up against the other Collectible finalists?
The 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box, released on September 16, 2026 at $49.99 and sold for 55.99 to 59.99 euros in France, faces six rivals: Clickeez Series 3 Bubble Pops, Happy Haul, the LEGO Minifigures Shrek Series, Magic Jellykins, the Mini Brands Fill The Fridge Playset and NeeDoh. It is the only trading card product in the category.
The 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box, the only card product in the final. © 2026 Pokémon / The Pokémon Company International
Its case is a strong one: 9 booster packs from the anniversary expansion, a full-art Nidorina promo card, 65 card sleeves, 16 shiny energy cards, dice, a coin and a guide, all in a box with six dividers. Every booster contains a Pikachu card, and the set features 30 different Pikachu artworks. We covered all of it in our guide to the 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box, prices and contents included.
The Nidorina promo, exclusive to the box. © 2026 Pokémon / The Pokémon Company International
Pikachu plush, Puppetronic, LEGO: how good are the other three finalists?
Three products, three registers. The Pikachu 30th Celebration Plush goes for the Plush Toy of the Year title at $29.99, while the Jazwares Pikachu Puppetronic and the LEGO Training House fight over Tech Toy of the Year at $79.99 and $69.99. One amusing detail: in that last category, Pokémon cannot lose to anyone but Pokémon.
The Pikachu 30th Celebration Plush, sold online only. © Pokémon / The Pokémon Company International
The plush plays the anniversary keepsake card: sparkly velour, a party ribbon around the neck and a golden Poké Ball embroidered with "30th" on the belly. It sells for $29.99 at the US Pokémon Center, online only, and 3,300 yen in Japan. Pikachu remains the safe bet of this anniversary, in our shop too: the Pikachu light-up Pokéball, 3D laser engraved inside a K9 crystal block, is the most requested model in the store.
The golden Poké Ball embroidered with "30th", signature of the anniversary version. © Pokémon / The Pokémon Company International
The Pikachu Puppetronic, for its part, bets on technology. Created by Wow! Stuff with its RealFX technology and distributed by Jazwares, it is an animatronic puppet with touch sensors that strings together more than 100 combinations of actions and sounds. MSRP $79.99, ages 8 and up. In the UK, the £89.99 First Edition sold out in minutes last spring, according to Siliconera.
The Pikachu Puppetronic and its RealFX technology by Wow! Stuff. © The Toy Book / Jazwares
Across the aisle, LEGO fields set 72164 Training House with Pikachu, released on August 1, 2026: 400 pieces, ages 6 and up, $69.99 or £59.99. It is the all-in-one set of the SMART Play line, twelve boxes where an electronic brick, the SMART Brick, makes Pikachu talk and react depending on the pieces you attach. This one packs the brick, its charger and four SMART Tags.
Set 72164, flagship of the LEGO Pokémon SMART Play line. © 2026 The LEGO Group
The SMART Brick makes Pikachu react to the attached pieces. © 2026 The LEGO Group
How do you vote in the Toy of the Year 2027?
The public vote is open on toyawards.org until midnight on Wednesday, January 6, 2027, with a single vote per category. No account needed, you browse the finalists gallery and click. The one exception is Specialty Toy of the Year, reserved for specialty retailers.
The winners will be announced on February 19, 2027 at the TOTY gala in New York, an industry-only evening that opens Toy Fair, the big American toy show, running February 20 to 23. The same evening hosts the Toy Industry Hall of Fame inductions. In other words, if you want to weigh in on the result, the time is now, not February.
Has Pokémon ever won a Toy of the Year?
Yes, three times in two years. The Pokémon TCG Battle Academy box took Game of the Year in February 2021, the brand was crowned License of the Year in February 2022, and the Pokémon GO Elite Trainer Box claimed Game of the Year again in September 2022. In the UK, Pokémon cards were also named Toy of the Year 2025, but that is a separate award, handed out by the British toy makers association.
A win in Collectible of the Year would therefore be a first for a 30th anniversary box, and would crown an already packed anniversary year: we listed every release in our list of Pokémon 30th anniversary products. While waiting for February's verdict, the anniversary can also be celebrated in light: our collection of light-up Pokéballs covers the current favourites, from Pikachu to the Mewtwo crystal Pokéball, also laser engraved inside the glass.
