BRIO Classic Figure 8 Train Set Earns 2012 Best Toy for Kids Award

ROWLEY, Mass., Nov.23, 2012— The BRIO Classic Figure 8 Train Set has won Best Toy for Kids in the Classic Play category from the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, capping off a year that saw the classic toy brand return to the North American market. More than 550 independent toy retailers voted on the 2012 awards, which highlight toys that deliver a high level of creative play value.

"This award is a wonderful surprise at the end of a terrific year for BRIO in North America," said David Schylling, CEO of Schylling Toys, which began North American distribution of the brand's products in March 2012. "BRIO's classic toys have endured the test of time by providing hours of imaginative, creative play, and it's encouraging for us to see that recognized."

BRIO's iconic wooden trains became scarce in the North American marketplace in late 2008, after the company ended its previous distribution agreements.Toy retailers were forced to find BRIO products through international sellers, which increased prices for the toys.

Schylling Toys secured the North American distribution rights earlier this year, and found a receptive audience of neighborhood and independent toy sellers at New York City's Toy Fair in February. The new distribution arrangement has made BRIO toys more widely available throughout the United States, and it has helped reduce costs for retailers by providing an official wholesale channel domestically.

The BRIO Classic Figure 8 Train Set is part of an initial relaunch into the U.S. market that includes several train sets as well as the brand's wooden preschool toys. The award-winning set features a train with two cars, all connected by magnets, a wooden track, a station and three wooden trees, and it is recommended for children ages two and up.

Intended as a starter set for children and their parents new to the BRIO line, the Classic Figure 8 Train Set can be expanded with a wide range of compatible accessories, including small wooden figures, bridges, tunnels and freight trucks with magnetic cargo that can be moved around with BRIO cranes. As a comprehensive toy system, BRIO also provides a gift-giving solution for a child's relatives, who can help the train set grow by purchasing additional sets.

"Parents who had BRIO trains when they were kids will immediately recognize these toys, and they'll be pleased to know that the quality has not changed one bit," Schylling added."For a toy brand to survive for more than 50 years, especially given the changes in the industry, it needs to appeal to a timeless sense of imagination, and BRIO continues to do that with all of its products."

Schylling Toys plans to expand its BRIO offerings in 2013, with more products in both the wooden train and preschool toy lines.

About Schylling Toys:
Since its founding more than 30 years ago, Rowley, Mass.-based Schylling Toys has believed that toys should mean something special to people of all ages. Schylling searches the globe in search of toys powered by hand and imagination that will be shared and remembered, and never go out of style. Schylling Toys are available through specialty toy retailers throughout the United States, as well as online at schylling.com.The brand can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SchyllingToys.