This page contains affiliate links. If you take action based on any of them, I’ll receive a referral fee, at no mark up to you. Here’s why – and what my “kite kid” thinks about it.
Each fall, Fat Brain Toys holds a toy inventor competition for kids ages 6-13, and the grand prize is pretty darn cool. Here are the highlights:
- $2,500 scholarship
- $500 in toys
- Trip for two to the New York Toy Fair
- License agreement through Fat Brain Toy Co. (in other words, a chance to have the invention become a toy that they manufacture and sell around the world!)

The submission deadline is Sept. 29, 2019, so don’t procrastinate!
After the contest closes, a panel of toy experts will review all the entries and pick the top ideas. Then, they’ll let the public vote to determine the top five inventions.
Once public voting ends, the judges will deliberate and choose a winner. Fat Brains Toy Co. will announce the winning submission Oct. 15, 2019.
What a Fat Brain toy is (and isn’t)
At their most basic level, Fat Brain toys are high-quality, never-seen-before products that encourage open-ended play.
Keeping that in mind, here’s what Fat Brain contest judges don’t want to see in the contest entries:
- Press-a-button-and-watch-it-go kind of play.
- Ideas that chase the latest trends.
- Products that try to capitalize on licensed characters.
Toy inventions that will get them smiling – and even cheering:
- It’s fun for more than five minutes.
- It encourages kids to experiment and follow their curiosity.
- It’s safe.
- It’s easy to understand.
- The inventor has tested with others and it’s kid-approved.
- It’s an idea they haven’t seen anywhere else (a.k.a. it’s innovative).

Learn more
For more details, visit the Fat Brain Toy Co. website.
You can see: past winners, the judges, a timeline (from the submission deadline through the New York Toy Fair), and more tips and tricks for a winning idea.
Know a kid who would be up for the challenge? Encourage him or her to get started so there’s enough time to brainstorm, build, test and tweak!
Best of luck!
Free shipping on orders of $59 or more with code ZC-4935
at Fat Brain Toys (offer valid through Labor Day 2019)
