Close to the hearts. More than 4,300 applications have been received for category "Game and Toy Ideas"

The submission period for the "Game and Toy Ideas" category of the second
season of the All-Russian "Rodnaya Igrushka" (Native Toy) competition has
concluded. A total of 4,330 applications were received for this category from all 89
regions of Russia. The competition is organized by the Russian Society "Znanie"
(Knowledge) together with the "Movement of the First" and is supported by the
Ministry of Education of Russia as part of the national project "Youth and
Children."
The "Game and Toy Ideas" category featured creators of concepts for future games
and toys who do not yet have a finished product sample. Nearly one in six
participants were teenagers aged 14-18.
Most often, the young participants proposed ideas for story-based and character
toys, board games, and building sets. The main themes they chose included
spiritual and moral values, Russian history and culture, and the unity of the peoples
of the country. Instead of digital gadgets and complex technologies, teenagers
more frequently used characters and narratives in their projects. Their submissions
featured heroes from Russian fairy tales and images inspired by their native
regions - ranging from Shurale (a forest spirit), based on the works of Gabdulla
Tukay, to the "Russian Robot," who tells fairy tales of the peoples of our country.
In 2026, which has been declared the Year of Preschool Education by the Russian
Ministry of Education, kindergarten staff are also taking part in the competition:
more than 150 educators, as well as methodologists, group leaders, and teachers,
submitted their ideas.
The most active proposals for toy ideas came from residents of the Moscow
Region (396 applications), Samara Region (267), Moscow (266), and the Donetsk
People's Republic (202).
About 30% of all applications were dedicated to the unity of peoples, making thisone of the most popular themes. Another 30% of projects were related to family
and spiritual-moral values, followed by history and culture (20%), Heroes of the
21st Century (15%), and technological breakthrough (5%).
Nearly one-third of the applications aimed to create tactile and sensory toys, while
about one-quarter of the projects were designed as family-oriented formats
intended for joint play between children and adults. At the same time, modern
technologies do not replace traditional game formats but rather complement them:
authors proposed using QR codes, interactive elements, and AI to tell fairy tales,
introduce children to the country's history, and engage them in exploring a variety
of topics.
The winners of the "Game and Toy Ideas" category will have the opportunity,
together with mentors, to refine their concepts and create prototypes of future
games and toys. In autumn 2026, their developments will be presented at a large-
scale exhibition that will bring together industry representatives, as well as
children and their parents.
In addition to game and toy ideas, applications for the competition in the
"Prototypes of Games and Toys" and "Finished Products" categories can be
submitted until August 14