Melissa & Doug, a preschool brand for wooden and sustainable toys, has won the Preschool Toy of the Year (TOTY) Award for its Sort, Stock, Select Wooden Vending Machine Play Set, presented at the 2025 Toy Foundation’s TOTY Awards Gala in New York City.
Kids can load the Sort, Stock, Select Wooden Vending Machine Play Set with double-sided play candy, snacks, and drinks then drop a color-matching play coin into a slot or insert the play credit card, press the corresponding button, and watch the snack drop into the collection drawer, no batteries required!
The play set helps teach kids about cause-and-effect and encourages letter, number, and color recognition as well as sorting, matching, and fine motor skills.
The fully functioning wooden vending machine has become a viral hit during the past year. On social media, parents, caregivers, and teachers have posted about filling the vending machine with real snacks and small toys to use as a rewards system.
The award was accepted by Sofia Dumery, senior vice president of Design, and Brett Almstead, senior product designer and lead designer for the vending machine.
“It’s an honor to be recognised for our commitment to creating innovative toys that inspire the kind of kid-powered, wholesome play that will help children develop the confidence to take on the world,” said Dumery.
