Before founding The TAGS Group, Stacy served in-house with the trade association representing the North American toy industry, where he helped shape and produce the annual Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY), a 600-person celebration honoring the year’s most innovative toys, industry leaders, and philanthropic impact.

Held at the iconic Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the 2012 edition of TOTY transformed one of New York City’s most celebrated performance venues into a glowing celebration of imagination, music, and play.

As guests arrived, enormous TOTY projections stretched across the building’s dramatic exterior architecture while illuminated performers welcomed attendees through the venue’s soaring glass entrance. Visible from the street below, the celebration itself became part of the city’s nighttime landscape.

Inside the theatre, dual grand pianos anchored two of the evening’s signature moments. First, the Show Choir from the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts returned to the TOTY stage for a performance of Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind, adding some youthful energy, breakdancing, and another unmistakably New York moment to the celebration.

Later, the stage was cleared for a live dance performance inspired by the iconic FAO Schwarz piano scene from Big. Performed beneath towering projections from the film itself, the choreography reimagined the beloved Tom Hanks moment through music, movement, and theatrical staging.

Throughout the evening, interactive performers, atmospheric lighting, and live musicians transformed the venue into a continuous performance environment rather than a traditional awards ceremony.

The result balanced the grandeur of Lincoln Center with the playful energy of the industry being honored — elegant, immersive, and unmistakably New York.

We loved watching a room full of industry leaders, executives, and longtime toy professionals reconnect with the sense of wonder that brought them into the “business of play” in the first place.