In 1947, Toys for Tots was conceived in Los Angeles by Major Bill Hendricks of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.
The Advertising Club of Los Angeles, now known as ThinkLA, was the first organization to adopt it on a large scale.
This year thinkLA and its Toys for Tots Event committee put a competition together where member companies competed to collect the most toys. The Phelps Group and Fraser Communications won the competition, and ThinkLA rewarded the agencies with a free lunch from Fatburger’s Fatmobile for all their employees.
Each year 15-20 member agencies and companies sign up for Toys for Tots program and collect as many as 3,000 toys for the foundation. Along with the toy bins, thinkLA also hosts an annual cocktail party which collects about 1,200 toys from party goers.
