Ashley Eckstein to Host "The Force of Play," a TAGIE Celebration
Kicking off the 50^th Anniversary of Star Wars

CHICAGO, IL | October 6, 2026 – People of Play™, a division of The Toy Association™, will celebrate some of the most influential innovators in play — and kick off the 50th anniversary of Star Wars — at the 19th annual Toy & Game Innovation Excellence (TAGIE) Awards on Friday, November 6 at Joe’s Live Concert Venue in Rosemont, IL.

Themed “The Force of Play,” this year’s TAGIEs will honor American Girl Founder Pleasant Rowland with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Exploding Kittens Co-Founders Elan Lee and Matthew Inman as Industry Game Changers. The evening will be hosted by Ashley Eckstein, actress, entrepreneur, founder of Her Universe, and the original voice of Star Wars character Ahsoka Tano. In celebration of five decades since the original Star Wars movie debuted in 1977, every guest will receive a specially created commemorative coin featuring the Star Wars 50^th anniversary emblem on one side and the TAGIE Awards logo on the other.

"For nearly 50 years, Star Wars has inspired fans to believe that even the unlikeliest hero can change the galaxy — and this year's honorees embody that spirit. From Pleasant Rowland shaping how generations of kids connect with history and storytelling, to Elan Lee and Matthew Inman turning a bold idea into one of the world's most successful tabletop game brands, these creators are pushing play forward," said Robb LaFlamme, Director of Hardlines at Disney Parks Retail and Development and Chairman of the TAGIE Awards Committee. “As we kick off the Star Wars 50^th anniversary celebration at the TAGIE Awards, ‘The Force of Play’ reminds us that creativity, risk-taking, and innovation move our industry — and Disney is proud to celebrate the people leading the way."

Pleasant Rowland is an educator, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of American Girl. She established the company in 1986, combining historically based characters, dolls, and books to introduce children to American history through storytelling and play. Before founding American Girl, Rowland worked as an educator, writer, and publisher. In 1998, she opened the first American Girl Place in Chicago, expanding the brand into experiential retail. Rowland has also supported education, literacy, historic preservation, and community initiatives through her philanthropic work. She was inducted into The Toy Association’s Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2021.

Elan Lee and Matthew Inman are the co-founders of Exploding Kittens, the tabletop game company that has sold more than 80 million games in 30 languages across 50 countries since 2015. The company has produced more than 100 titles and holds the record for the most backers on a Kickstarter campaign. Adding another fitting connection to the evening, Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor will present the Game Changer Award to Lee and Inman. Exploding Kittens began as a Kickstarter phenomenon in 2015 and remains the platform’s most-backed campaign.

Before co-founding Exploding Kittens, Lee served as chief design officer at Xbox Entertainment Studios, co-founded 42 Entertainment, and worked as a lead designer on the original Xbox at Microsoft. His honors include a Primetime Emmy Award, Peabody Award, Game Innovator of the Year Award, and IndieCade Trailblazer Award.

In addition to co-founding Exploding Kittens, Inman is the cartoonist behind the webcomic The Oatmeal, which he launched in 2009 and grew to millions of monthly readers. Inman has also served as showrunner of the animated Exploding Kittens series for Netflix.

Throughout the evening, TAGIE awards will also be presented to winners in 10 categories. Public voting for each category is open through October 21.

JoAnn McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Licensed Product Design & Development at Disney Consumer Products, and Brad Schoeneberg, Vice President of Vertical Product Design and Development at Disney Parks Retail and Development, will deliver welcome remarks. Together with host Ashley Eckstein, the evening will bring “The Force of Play” theme to life as the TAGIEs celebrate innovation, creativity, and the upcoming 50^th anniversary of Star Wars.

This year’s awards are sponsored by Disney (Presenting Sponsor), Duracell, Kickstarter, Hasbro, Mattel, University Games, Longshore Ltd., Super Impulse, KenKen, Nextoy, The Play Makers, Backdrop.com, Brown Creative, Baby Paper, and Design Edge.

Founded in 2008, the TAGIEs celebrate the outstanding achievements of toy and game industry leaders from around the world. The awards ceremony takes place annually in the fall in conjunction with People of Play’s annual POP Week (November 5 to 8 in Rosemont, IL), including the Global Inventor Pitch & Innovation Conference, Young Inventor Challenge, and Chicago Toy & Game Fair.

Click here to vote for the TAGIE finalists. Click here to purchase tickets for the 2026 TAGIE Awards.

About People of Play™  peopleofplay.com  chitag.com  
People of Play (POP), a division of The Toy Association™, leads the global toy and game industry in promoting innovation, creativity, and connectivity. A one-stop source of community for industry professionals, aspiring inventors, and people of all ages who love to play, People of Play hosts a play platform packed with resources and connection points as well as a wide range of events including the Chicago Toy & Game (CHITAG) Fair, the Toy & Game International Excellence (TAGIEs) Awards, the Young Inventor Challenge, the Toy & Game Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference, Thought Leaders Summit, Toy Takedown and more.

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 $155.7 billion, and its roughly 900 members drive the annual $42 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 at The Toy Building 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.