Disney Ultimate Toy Drive 2023 Sets New Holiday Records!

For over 75 years, Disney has supported the Marine Toys for Tots Program to help deliver millions of toys to children and families in need during the holiday season. In 2023, we continued the tradition with the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive, including toy collections at Disney stores, Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort®, Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort®, an online toy drive at shopDisney.com, and events across the company.

The 2023 campaign broke its previous toy collection and Disney VoluntEARS participation records! With the help of families and fans, as well as collaborations from every part of the company, over 392,000 toys were donated globally to organizations serving children in need, with more than 293,000 of those toys going to Toys for Tots. Disney VoluntEARS spent nearly 11,000 hours supporting Toys for Tots and the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive.

Lisa Haines, Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at The Walt Disney Company noted, “We love how this campaign brings together so many aspects of the Walt Disney Company to provide some joy and fun, particularly during the holidays, for children and families who are facing hardship. Our employees and Cast Members are thrilled that we get to carry on a tradition that dates back to Walt Disney and his studio artists who created the original Toys for Tots logo – and we are already making plans for the next Ultimate Toy Drive with the amazing team at Toys for Tots.”

“For over 75 years, Disney has been with Toys for Tots every step of the way helping the program expand and serve an ever-increasing number of children in need”, said retired Marine Colonel Ted Silvester, Vice President of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “In 2023, Toys for Tots distributed the magic of the holidays to over 10 million children of which Disney played a major role in collecting a record number of toys, providing thousands of VoluntEARS, and broadcasting a message of hope through their numerous channels heard by the millions!”

ABC’s Good Morning America helped to kick off the campaign on November 7th, 2023 with a segment sharing the incredible story and efforts of Toys for Tots coordinator Taylor Price, who joined the nonprofit this year after receiving toys from the organization as a child. On November 28th, 2023, Good Morning America’s Giving “TOYS” Day segment announced Disney’s grant to Toys for Tots that delivered an additional 75,000 toys, and the nation’s most-watched morning show further supported with key anchor Robin Roberts lending her voice to the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive campaign spot which ran on Disney owned channels throughout the holidays.

Viewers could also spot Disney Ultimate Toy Drive integrations on Wheel of Fortune, The Tamron Hall Show, The View, and General Hospital, in addition to on their local news where all of the Disney owned television stations supported the campaign. And for those who preferred radio and podcasts, the campaign radio spot ran across Disney and ESPN channels throughout the holidays.

The company hosted numerous events supporting Toys for Tots, including:

• November 28th: ESPN joined the South Street Pier community in New York City with a Tree-lighting Ceremony and toy collection including ESPN talent.
• December 2nd: Disney Junior and Just Play hosted an afternoon of screenings of Disney Junior holiday episodes for military families accompanied by holiday-themed crafts, activities, a special appearance from Santa, and a donation of toys from Just Play in celebration of the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive.
• December 5th: Disney VoluntEARS joined Toys for Tots at a special toy collection event for lawmakers in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill.

• December 9th and 10th: Disney’s annual Light Up the Season holiday event for cast members continued for a second day for D23 fans to enjoy the fun. Both days included toy collections with U.S. Marines who were on hand to accept donations as well as cards that guests of the event made to wish the recipients happy holidays.

• December 9th and 10th: In Anaheim, Downtown Disney brought the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive to life with toy collections and performances from the local Marines band!

• December 11th: Marvel Studios hosted a press event for the second season of What If… at The Walt Disney Studios lot and included a toy collection for attendees.
• December 16th – 18th: Walt Disney World Resort VoluntEARS accompanied Santa Mickey to the Toys for Tots Orange County distribution event, where toys were delivered to children and families in need from across the region

Thank you to all those who participated, helping make the annual Disney Ultimate Toy Drive the most successful one yet!