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12th Annual Wonder Women Awards Gala to Honor Innovators in , Licensing and Industries

Game Changer Stylist Micaela Erlanger and Positive Body Image Advocate and Supermodel EMME to Present WIT’s Game Changer Award to ; WIT Announces 2016 Nominees

New York City, February 9, 2016 – Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment (WIT) will honor a dozen impactful women business leaders, its founders, and more than 50 remarkable Finalists at the 12th Annual Wonder Women Awards Gala, Celebrating 25 Years of Women in Toys. From the largest global companies such as Mattel, , Walmart, Disney, and more, to hot start-ups like EQtainment and Ozobot, more than 500 industry leaders will gather Sunday for the event. WIT will honor its founders, Anne Pitrone and Susan Matsumoto with a Founders Award, and present Mattel with its 2016 Game Changer Award for the evolution of its brand. The award will be presented by fashion and celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger, and globally recognized advocate for positive body image and self-esteem supermodel EMME. With the recent expansion of the Barbie Fashionistas, the new dolls reflect a broader view of beauty, giving girls infinitely more ways to tell their stories and spark their imaginations. Today’s Barbie is truly more reflective of the world girls see around them. “Celebrating 25 years of WIT and seeing the growth of this organization globally makes this year’s Gala incredibly special,” said Genna Rosenberg, Vice-Chair, WIT Executive Committee and Chair of the Wonder Women Gala. “We are very proud to be able to honor an amazing, creative and extraordinary group of women, and are thrilled to welcome Micaela Erlanger and EMME to join us in presenting Mattel’s Game Changer Award.”

2016 Wonder Women Awards Finalists Are: Designer/Innovator Amie Zukowski, Product Designer at GoldieBlox Gretchen Forrest, Vice President of Girls Design & Development at Hasbro Beth Hageman, Staff Designer, Fisher-Price at Mattel Jacqui Tobias, Director and Head of Girls Product Development at Golbarg Bashi, President at Golbarg Bashi LLC Jill Wilfert, Vice President of Inbound Licensing & Entertainment at The Group Grace Hawthorne, Founder and CEO at Paper Punk Nomi Vela, Director of Product Development, Hardlines at Disney Samantha Martin, CEO at Props in a Box Licensing/Entertainment Dianne Bellchambers, Business Manager at Moose Toys Marissa Mansolillo, Senior Manager of Global Publishing at Hasbro Divya Dalal, Director of Licensing, , Hardlines at Disney Pamela Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Consumer Products at Nickelodeon Joan Grasso, Vice President of Licensing North America at Manufacturer Anita Choy, General Manager at Moose Toys Laura Zebersky, Co-Owner and Chief Commercial Officer at Jazwares Catherine Demas, Global Business Lead and Vice President of Preschool & Girls Design at Martha Sneider, Founder at Logo Loops LLC Erica Zubriski, Vice President of Sales of Mattel Reisa Schwartzman, Founder and President at Griddly Games Iris Solomon, National Sales Manager at SMART Toys & Games Stephanie Hunts, Co-Owner and Inventor at Magformers LLC Jenny Stern, Co-Founder at Diggin Marketing Anouk Zisa, Vice President of Marketing at Ozobot (Evollve, Inc.) Kristina Duncan, Vice President of Global Marketing Communications at Mattel Donna Moore, Advertising Director at aNb Media & TTPM.com Lisa Whitaker, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Kimberly Willis Boyd, Vice President of U.S. Marketing, Gaming & Partner Brands at Hasbro Public Relations Michelle Chidoni, Senior Director of Global Brand Communications at Mattel Tara Tucker, Vice President of Global Marketing Communications at Spin Master Sheena Stephens, Vice President at MWW Rising Star Cassie Slane, Co-Founder and CEO at Dreamland Fairy Laurie Peterson, Founder and CEO at Build & Imagine Toys Cristina Liquori, Senior Manager of Customer Development for Amazon at Molly Cox, Vice President of Retail Development & Hardlines at Nickelodeon Jaime Wolanski, Account Manager at The Wilko Group Nyssa Harris, Inventor and Designer at Naryssa’s Dolls Katie Jarvis, Owner and Creative Director at Boy Story LLC Sara Sakowitz, Founder and CEO at Blue Moon Box Krissa Watry, Co-Founder and CEO at Dynepic, Inc. Sofia Dickens, Founder and CEO at EQtainment Krista Berger, Director of Global Brand Marketing, MEGA Kids & Preschool at Mattel Tami Murphy, Marketing Manager at Haywire Group Laura Guilbault, Director of Global Brand Strategy and Marketing, and at Hasbro Yelitsa Jean-Charles, Founder and Creative Director at Healthy Roots Social Influencer Heather Lopez, Owner at Bloggin’ Mamas Melissa & Gracie Hunter, Mommy & Gracie Show, Founder of Family Video Network Melanie Notkin, Founder at Savvy Auntie Natalie Diaz, Founder and CEO at Twiniversity Social Responsibility Joan Lawrence, Senior Vice President of Standards & Regulatory Affairs at TIA Sylvia Medina, Founder and Creator at Green Kids Club Retailer Lynsey Clark, Associate Buyer at Zulily Gena Lavallee, Senior Buyer at Toys R Us Anne Marie Kehoe, Vice President of Toys at Walmart WIT will also present a Wonder Girl Award to Syndey and Toni Lowe, two young toymaking entrepreneurs and the creators of Poketti pocket plush. The WIT Foundation grants scholarships to students enrolled in undergraduate programs in toy design, engineering, entrepreneurial studies and other industry-related programs. This year’s recipients are currently enrolled in programs at Stanford d.school, FIT, OTIS, OCAD University and Wharton. Sponsors for the event include Mattel, , Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Moose Toys, Foundation, Wicked Cool Toys, Skyrocket, Funrise, Lego, The Bridge, Universal, Waba Fun, Pamson, Entertainment One, UBM, The Licensing Expo, Brandberry, GennComm, NPD, The Toy Industry Association, TTPM, Toy News, Toy Book, The Product Greenhouse and Fiction LA.

While the awards dinner is WIT’s annual signature event, the organization provides professional women in the industry year-round opportunities to connect, collaborate and build relationships with one another, plus unique opportunities and powerful leadership tools to grow their businesses and careers. Learn more about the 2016 Wonder Women nominees on WIT’s Page or online at WomenInToys.com. # # # About Women in Toys Founded in 1991, WIT is the leading global trade organization for professional women committed to providing its members with a collaborative, supportive environment, resources, and connections to help them advance and succeed. With a global network of dynamic, talented women, WIT provides strategic business alliances in the toy, licensing and entertainment industries and empowers women through education, mentorship, networking and information sharing. WIT encourages, inspires and empowers young women through The WIT Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, by granting scholarships to students enrolled in undergraduate programs in toy design, engineering, entrepreneurial studies, and other industry-related programs. WIT has active chapters throughout the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, and the U.K., plus official liaisons and members in territories from to Lebanon to the Netherlands. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Lori Harrison – GennComm for WIT T: 818-839-1461 E: [email protected]