TORONTO, Aug. 22, 2013 /CNW/ - For one lucky Canadian kid, playing with toys is all in a day's work. Eleven-year-old Alex Thorne, from Pickering, Ontario has been hired by Toys"R"Us, Canada as the newest Chief Play Officer (CPO) - a position created to promote play and provide the inside scoop on the hottest trends in the toy and gaming industry.
It will be a busy year for Alex; his duties will include testing out the newest and hottest toys, blogging, participating in charitable events, appearing in television segments across the country and even riding on the Toys"R"Us float at the Toronto Santa Claus Parade.
"This is the coolest job in the world. The top new toys will be sent to my house every month for me to play with and review," says Alex Thorne, CPO, Toys"R"Us, Canada. "The best part of my job so far is that I got to spend an entire day at the Toys"R"Us head office playing and learning about toys during toy training!"
Canadian children, with the help and consent of their parents, applied to be the CPO by submitting a video online showing their originality, creativity and enthusiasm for toys. From these entrants, six finalists were brought to Toronto for auditions with a panel of judges, where Alex proved he is the right kid for the job.
"We had hundreds of applicants this year and we interviewed incredibly talented kids from across the country," says Liz MacDonald, vice-president of marketing and store planning, Toys"R"Us, Canada. "Alex is a true Toys"R"Us kid. His submission video was very creative, and during the audition process, he blew us away with his playfulness and confidence. He is incredibly passionate about toys and as Canada's Greatest Toy Store, his perspective speaks to our position as THE toy authority in Canada."
Alex is the third CPO for Toys"R"Us, Canada. Julianne Bisnaire of Aurora, Ontario, who served as the previous CPO and retired from the job at the age of 14, helped Toys"R"Us with the interview process for the newest recruit and is excited to start grade ten in September.
About Toys"R"Us, Canada:
Toys"R"Us (Canada) Ltd. is part of Toys"R"Us, Inc., the world's leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer. Toys"R"Us, Canada operates 80 stores across the country. For store locations and convenient online shopping visit www.toysrus.ca.
Image with caption: "Eleven-year-old Alex Thorne has been hired by Toys"R"Us, Canada as the newest Chief Play Officer (CPO) - a position created to promote play and provide the inside scoop on the hottest trends in the toy and gaming industry (CNW Group/Toys "R" Us (Canada) Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130822_C7516_PHOTO_EN_30047.jpg
SOURCE: Toys "R" Us (Canada) Ltd.
Laura Arlabosse-Stewart / Andrea Hanft
Paradigm Public Relations
[email protected] / [email protected]
416-413-5185 / 416-413-5196
Also from this source
Share this article