The innovative indoor ball company, founded by former actor and inventor Joe Burke, celebrates a series of global achievements, including major retail expansion, award wins, and live retail events.
EAGLE, Idaho – Ollyball, the creator of the #1 Indoor Play Ball in America, today announced a series of landmark achievements that underscore its rapid growth and significant impact on the family, sports, educational and sensory toy sectors.
First, the company’s Ollyball STEAM Master Artist Edition has been named a Finalist for the 2026 Toy of the Year Award (TOTY) in the Educational Toy category. Known as the “Oscars of the Toy Industry,” the TOTY Awards are presented by The Toy Association™ and represent the highest honor in toy innovation and design. This nomination recognizes the product’s fusion of physical activity and artistic, educational engagement. The winners will be announced at the prestigious TOTY Awards® ceremony on Friday, February 13, 2026. This news follows the recent Ollyball win of the 2025 Kids Choice Award at the Australian Toy Fair, where it was voted the top product by the most important critics: children themselves. In 2019, Ollyball was awarded its first TOTY Award for its flagship product, Ollyball Classic.
Second, Ollyball has secured a nationwide retail partnership, launching its five sport Ollyball Full-Force Indoor Sports Ball line in all DICK’S Sporting Goods stores across the United States and on their acclaimed e-commerce platform. This expansion makes Ollyball’s patented, durable, and indoor-safe balls more accessible than ever to families and emerging athletes looking for high-energy, damage-free play at home.
Adding to this retail momentum, Inventor and Founder Joe Burke will be making special live appearances to demo the Ollyball and lead Keepy Uppy® challenges at FAO Schwarz in New York City and CAMP Stores throughout December 2025. These events will offer fans a unique opportunity to meet the creator behind the product and experience the fun firsthand.
Finally, the company celebrates the registration of its Keepy Uppy® trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This trademark registration, together with the utility patented technology behind the ultra-lightweight Ollyball and Keepy Uppy® ball, solidifies the company’s fearless indoor play brand identity. The Keepy Uppy® Ball was also recently honored with the 2025 Influencers’ Choice Award (https://toyassociation.org/PressRoom2/News/2025_News/best-of-spring-summer-2025-influencer-choice-list-unveiled-by-the-toy-association-powered-by-clamour.aspx), presented by Clamour and The Toy Association™, which recognizes products beloved by top parenting and toy influencers. Each Keepy Uppy® Ball has a QR code printed on the ball that links to KeepyUppy.com (https://www.keepyuppy.com), where all kids ages 4-99+ can share their juggling, bouncing, kicking and all-sport videos to compete for votes and prizes.
The power of Keepy Uppy® extends beyond the living room. Through the Keepy Uppy® Challenge, Ollyball partnered with the Jake Plummer Foundation in the Summer of 2025 to promote physical fitness and social-emotional learning among children. This initiative benefits students at Title I schools, providing them with simple challenges and a free Ollyballs for every attendee to engage in healthy, joyful play.
“We started Ollyball with a simple mission: Bring joy to parents and kids. We make huggable, colorable, kickable, ‘sportable’ and educational playthings,” said Joe Burke, Inventor and Founder of Ollyball. “I’m honored to take this mojo directly to guests at FAO Schwarz and CAMP this December. Being a TOTY finalist, winning the hearts of kids globally, securing our trademark, and launching in DICK’S allows us to protect and expand Ollyball, a toy doing genuine good in communities through our educational and charitable partnerships. We’re proud to see this Idaho-based company making a national and international impact.”
About Ollyball: Based in Eagle, Idaho, Ollyball is an innovative toy company dedicated to promoting active, creative, colorable and safe indoor play. Founded by inventor Joe Burke, a former actor and Disney Executive—who sought a solution for his own kids to play ball in the house, The company is committed to giving back to the community through partnerships and initiatives that encourage children’s health and creativity. Learn more at www.ollyball.com and www.keepyuppy.com
About The Toy Association™: The Toy Association™ is the not-for-profit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and delivering toys and youth entertainment products for kids of all ages.
About the Jake Plummer Foundation: Founded by former NFL quarterback and Idaho legend Jake Plummer, the Foundation is dedicated to supporting causes that improve the lives of children and promote health and wellness.
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Note to Editor: High-resolution images and product samples are available upon request. A full schedule of Joe Burke’s live appearances at FAO Schwarz and CAMP stores is available upon request.
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