Melissa & Doug Get Well Doctor Activity Center Honored With Good Housekeeping's 2019 Best Toy Award
Melissa & Doug, the global toy and children's product company known for its commitment to protecting childhood as a time for imagination and wonder, has earned the Good Housekeeping 2019 Best Toy Award for its Get Well Doctor Activity Center.
WILTON, Conn., Oct. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Melissa & Doug, the global toy and children's product company known for its commitment to protecting childhood as a time for imagination and wonder, has earned the Good Housekeeping 2019 Best Toy Award for its Get Well Doctor Activity Center.
"For more than 30 years, we've been on a mission to create the highest quality children's products that inspire imagination and encourage healthy and natural play patterns," says Melissa Bernstein, co-founder with husband, Doug, of their namesake company. "I'm so incredibly excited that our doctor activity center has been recognized with this honor from Good Housekeeping."
Over the past year, experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute screened hundreds of new toys and reviewed data to ensure that they met industry safety standards. "Then we went to work testing them in our Labs," says Laurie Jennings, deputy editor and director of Good Housekeeping and the GH Institute. "We brought in 100+ children ages 2 to 10 to spend hours playing with the toys that passed GH's Lab tests so we could hear (and see) which ones were the most fun. The result: a holiday shopping list of expert- and kid-tested toys bound to provide hours of pleasure for children of all ages."
In a feature segment on Good Morning America (GMA), Rachel Rothman, the Chief Technologist for Good Housekeeping, said this about the Melissa & Doug Get Well Doctor Activity Center: "It is so well constructed. Multiple kids can play together on it. It's great for teaching kids empathy and role play. If they're going to go to the doctor and they may be a little nervous, you can have them play with their friends, taking turns being the doctor or the nurse or the receptionist. And it includes so many intricate details!"
Here are some additional highlights of the award-winning product:
- Waiting/reception area includes a seat, clock with movable hands, and fun changeable artwork. Kids can sign in and check out with a credit card reader and card, fill out a reusable patient file, and take appointments with the wooden play phone.
- Exam area features blood pressure monitor with adjustable cuff, 2 X-rays to display, scale with movable weight, adjustable height bar, eye chart, movable tool hooks and holders, sink, and sanitizer pump.
- Plenty of storage space.
- Easy assembly with illustrated instructions designed for both visual and verbal learners.
The Get Well Activity Center is one of many themed wooden play spaces in the Melissa & Doug assortment. The Mine to Love Baby Care Activity Center, Fresh Mart Grocery Store, and Star Diner Restaurant are play spaces that inspire children's imaginations with their realistic features and details. Themed accessory play sets are available for each to provide additional sparks and round out the pretend play experience.
"With children spending so much more time passively consuming content on screens, the need for toys that actively engage kids' minds — and hands — is more important than ever," Melissa said. "These activity centers provide a backdrop for kids to build out their own rich worlds using their imagination. It's through this kind of open-ended play that kids learn to think creatively and also figure out who they are and what they love to do."
ABOUT MELISSA & DOUG
From toys and books to crafts and furniture, Melissa & Doug provides a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. For more than 30 years, Melissa & Doug has focused on making hands-on products that inspire creative thinking, encourage kids to see new possibilities, and offer Countless Ways to Play. It's part of a bigger vision to support parents in prioritizing child-led play over screen time and scheduled activities. Because by giving children a true childhood with the space and freedom to explore their world, we give them a path to realizing their full potential!
SOURCE Melissa & Doug
Share this article