Child's Play is a charity organization that organizes donations of toys (primarily video games) for children's hospitals across the United States. It was created by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, the authors of the popular web comic Penny Arcade as a demonstration of the potential benefit of the combined donations of their readers (estimated at about 3.5 million worldwide).

Logistics

Child's Play arranges Amazon.com wishlists in coordination with the administrators of the hospitals and also accepts cash donations via PayPal.

Child's Play 2003

Child's Play was announced by the authors of Penny Arcade as a challenge to their readership, and as a response to the often negative portrayal of video gamers in the media. It received positive press on many popular weblogs, including Slashdot and received direct endorsement from WIL WHEATON dot NET. In less than one month of publicity and operation, the charity raised over $250,000 in cash and toys for the Seattle Children's Hospital .

Child's Play 2004

In 2004, the charity was expanded and partnered with children's hospitals in Seattle, Oakland, San Diego, Houston and Washington DC.

By January 05 , 2005 when the final numbers where tabulated, the charity had raised over $310,000 ($60,000 more than the previous year), and gained forty corporate sponsors in the process. Among these sponsors were Nintendo, Midway, Cerulean Studios, and THQ.

External links

• Official site
• 2003 announcement from Penny Arcade on November 24, 2003
• 2004 announcement from Penny Arcade on October 18, 2004