Sisters Laureen and Maureen Trotto, owners of the design firm Thin Air LLC, were honored at the Women In Toys' 13th Annual Wonder Women Awards Gala in New York City with the Emeritus Award, on February 19. Both were recognized for being major pioneers for women in the toy industry.

Over the years, their company has collected an extensive list of clients, including notable toy companies like Mattel, Hasbro, Crayola, Fisher Price, and Scholastic; as well as brands like Lowe's, Home Depot, and Tractor Supply. The sisters and their team do everything from designing logos, graphics, and packaging to creating innovative concepts like steel products and toy inventions.

Thin Air has several patents and is responsible for creating many popular toys - Shoezies, Bead Blast Barbie, Sing Along with Mickey, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Beauty and the Beast-inspired doll, Tea With Me Belle, just to name a few. The organization also works with local residents and businesses, including creating the NYA Sports & Fitness Center logo.

Fittingly enough, the duo sat down to talk with The Newtown Bee on Wednesday, March 8 - better known as International Women's Day - to discuss their recent achievement and what led to it.

Their design firm, Thin Air LLC, owned with partner Duane Langenwalter, started 33 years ago after the sisters decided to make their lifelong dream of working together a reality.

"Maureen was always on the creative artsy side, and I was always on the business side," Laureen said. "Maureen would say, 'One day you're going to be my business manager.'"

From a young age, Maureen admired her sister's talents and was always amazed at what Laureen was able to accomplish.

In 1984, when Maureen sold a toy to the East Coast corporation Coleco, the brand responsible for mass producing the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, she immediately called on her sister to start working as a team.

The two were originally from the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area but when Laureen heard her sister needed her, she left her job and moved to Connecticut to work with Maureen.

Since then, Laureen has called Newtown home for 33 years and has become an active member of the community. Maureen, a former Main Street resident, now neighbors the town, living in Monroe.

Thin Air was originally established in Stamford, but has been located at 153 South Main Street in Newtown for the last ten years. Their dedicated staff has followed them along the way, a testament to the positive creative environment of the company and the high quality work the group is producing.

Laureen explained, "We have such creative talent [at Thin Air] that, any innovative idea in packaging or product, I feel we are top notch. We really cater to our customer's needs, and we know the trends."

"We are constantly putting on different hats," Maureen said. "Our group is very versatile."

Ultimately, if the sisters had to describe themselves in one word it would be that they are inventors.

The vast collection of skills they have acquired throughout the years and their desire to keep up with trends has propelled them to constantly work in new areas of design and innovation.

"You can call us creative problem solvers, because often times people will come to us and say, 'This is not in our wheelhouse, and I'm looking to do something completely different,'" said Maureen. "The challenge is to take all our knowledge from all the industries that we work with."

Award-Winning Sisters

All of Laureen and Maureen's hard work over the years was celebrated when they were chosen to receive the prestigious 2017 Women In Toys [WIT] Emeritus Award.

The ceremony's theme was titled "Changemakers: Playing it Forward." It exclusively showcased female executives who have been trailblazers in the toy industry and who have passed on their knowledge for the next generation of leaders.

The gala took place on a warm New York City night at Pier 60 during Toy Fair. There were more than 700 people in attendance - most were women, but there was also a strong male presence supporting the women in the business.

"It was fabulous!" Lauren said. "We felt so honored to be considered. This is the first emeritus awards [WIT] was giving out."

Maureen added, "We had wonderful women who were also inducted with us. One of them being Judy Shackelford [first female vice president at Mattel]."

Other fellow emeritus award recipients for 2017 included Claire Marschak, Shirley Henschel, Carol Spencer, and the posthumous honor to Toy Executive and Co-Founder of Mattel Toys Ruth Handler, who created toy icons Barbie and Ken.

"When we first started, there weren't too many women in toys," Laureen explained.

Women In Toys continues to stand as a platform to give credit to the women making a positive difference in the industry, as well as a network to help women achieve higher positions.

Archived For History

Part of receiving the WIT Emeritus Award means that the Trotto sisters' work will now be displayed at The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., for future generations to see.

"They have archives and a huge collection of toys from all over the world. We are now going to be featured in the Brian Sutton-Smith Collection," Maureen explained. "For us, it's a real honor."

The sisters donated a large amount of their original work ranging from prototypes and drawings to television commercials and comics books.

Laureen said, "It's going to be in history. We were proud to be able to donate that and preserve it for people for years to come to enjoy."

The exhibit is open to the public, so anyone looking to study the toy industry can see Laureen and Maureen Trotto's collected work on display.

To learn more about Thin Air, call 203-270-3900, or visit its official Facebook.