Spin Master
Canadian toy and entertainment company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canadian toy and entertainment company From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spin Master Corp., formerly known as Spin Master Toys, is a Canadian multinational toy and entertainment company. Spin Master employs over 1,600 people globally with offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.[9]
 | This article contains text that is written in a promotional tone. (June 2024) |
Logo used since 2012 | |
| Formerly | Spin Master Toys (1994–2001) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Public |
| TSX: TOY | |
| Industry | Toys and entertainment |
| Founded | March 26, 1994 |
| Founders | Ronnen Harary Anton Rabie Ben Varadi |
| Headquarters | 225 King Street W., Suite 200 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Max Rangel (CEO, 2021–present) |
| Brands | |
| Revenue | $2.042 billion (2021)[1] |
| Owners | Ronnen Harary Anton Rabie (98% voting power) |
Number of employees | 2,000+ (December 2021)[2] |
| Divisions | Spin Master Games Spin Master Entertainment Spin Master Digital Games Spin Master Studios (USA) Spin Master Inc. (USA) |
| Subsidiaries | Swimways Corporation[3] Marbles[4] Cardinal Industries Editrice Giochi Toca Boca[5] Perplexus[6] Gund[7] Nördlight[8] Melissa & Doug |
| Website | Spinmaster.com |
Since 2002, Spin Master has received 92 "Toy of The Year" (TOTY) nominations with 28 wins across a variety of product categories, including 13 TOTY nominations for "Innovative Toy of the Year", more than any other toy company. In 2022, Spin Master won The Golden Screen Award for Feature Film, presented by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, for Paw Patrol: The Movie.[10] Since 2021, Chase the police pup and Marshall the firefighting pup, two characters from Paw Patrol, are the company's mascots.
Three university friends from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario - Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie and Ben Varadi - founded Spin Master Toys with $10,000 in Toronto in early 1994.[11] The company's first product, Earth Buddies, were small heads made out of Kmart pantyhose and grass seeds, which grew "hair" when watered.[12] The Earth Buddy went on to sell over 26,000 units.
Spin Master Toys' first major success came in 1998 with the launch of the Air Hogs brand and its first item, the Sky Shark. Developed from the prototype provided by inventors John Dixon and Peter Manning, the Sky Shark was a foam plane that used compressed air to enable outdoor flight. Product development took over two years and more than $500,000,[13] but ended up generating $103 million in revenue over the next few years. The Sky Shark put Spin Master Toys on the map, becoming one of the most popular toys in the world and earning them a slot on daytime television Regis and Kathie Lee alongside other international press.[14]
The company, which had grown to 28 employees by 1999, told the LA Times they were already “assessing 1,000 inventions a year.”[citation needed] They’d moved their manufacturing supply chain to Hong Kong in 1998.[citation needed]
The company scored another success in 1999, with Flix Trix Finger Bikes, a string of 1/2 inch replicas of BMX bikes. In 2003, the company made its first corporate acquisition buying Bounce ‘Round, a company that created scaled down versions of the inflatable bouncy castles. Over the next handful of years, Spin Master opened offices in the United States, Japan and Western Europe.[citation needed]
In 2003, Spin Master began marketing and distributing Pilot's Aquadoodle drawing toy for children with disappearing hydrochromic ink, which later won the American Toy of the Year award.[15][16]
In 2008, Spin Master launched the Bakugan Battle Brawlers franchise, a card game developed in conjunction with Sega Toys, featured plastic balls which burst open to reveal anime-style characters. Bakugan reached almost $1 billion in yearly sales.[17]
Under Harary's leadership, Spin Master Entertainment launched with Bakugan Battle Brawlers the animated action adventure television series under the direction of Mitsuo Hashimoto. To date, Spin Master Entertainment has developed six television series with over 400 cumulative episodes.[18] In 2019, Abby Hatcher, an animated preschool series debuted on Nickelodeon on January 1, 2019, in the U.S.[19] The show centers on Abby and her new friends the Fuzzlies, who are amazing and quirky creatures that live in her family's hotel. Together with her best Fuzzly friend Bozzly, Abby goes on wild adventures to fix Fuzzly mishaps and help them in any way she can.[19] In 2020, Spin Master launched its first direct to Netflix series, Mighty Express. The show follows a team of trains and their kid best-buddies as they keep things moving and get the delivery through no matter what the trouble -one thrilling adventure after another.
In August 2013, Spin Master acquired the Erector Set by Meccano construction set line.[20] In June 2015, Spin Master entered into an agreement to acquire Cardinal Industries, a 60-year-old game and puzzles company. The purchase made Spin Master the second largest games company in the United States. A month after announcing it was buying Cardinal, Spin Master made its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange.[14]
In January 2016 Spin Master purchased the library of board games owned by Editrice Giochi SRL, one of the oldest privately held toy game companies in Italy. In February 2016, Spin Master bought the Etch A Sketch and Doodle Sketch brands from The Ohio Art Company for an undisclosed price. In April 2016, Spin Master purchased digital toy makers Toca Boca and Sago Mini from the Bonnier Group of Sweden. In August 2016 Spin Master diversified into the water and outdoor sports category through the acquisition of Swimways corporation.[14]
In 2017, Spin Master acquired Marbles, a firm known for creating games, gifts and gadgets and the maker of Otrio; Aerobie, a leading producer of outdoor flying disks and sports toys; and Perplexus, a 3D ball-in-a-maze Spin Master had been distributing since 2013.[14]
In March 2018, Spin Master acquired the 120 year old stuffed toy brand Gund.[21] In December of that year, Spin Master was announced as the new toy licensee of the DC Entertainment starting in spring 2020, having acquired the license from Mattel.[22] Spin Master is now a $1.5 billion (sales) company, which employs over 1,600 people in 16 countries.[23] At the end of 2019, Spin Master completed the acquisition of the award-winning Orbeez brand from Maya Toys, complementing its growing Activities segment.[24] Also in 2019 Spin Master started a ten-year toy licensing contract with Monster Jam ending a previous toy licensing deal between Monster Jam and Mattel who marketed it Monster Jam toys under the Hot Wheels line.[25]
In February 2020, Spin Master announced the theatrical release of the Paw Patrol movie, a Spin Master Entertainment production in association with Nickelodeon Movies and distributed by Paramount Pictures.[26] Paw Patrol: The Movie released in theatres on August 20, 2021, grossing $142 million worldwide.[27] Following the success of its first theatrical film for the franchise, Spin Master announced that production had begun on a sequel, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie slated to release on September 29, 2023.[28] On 27 October 2020, Spin Master said it will pay $50 million for Rubik's Cube, the iconic game invented nearly 50 years ago.[29] The acquisition was completed on 5 January 2021.[30] At the end of 2020, Spin Master announced executive leadership changes appointing Max Rangel as Global President effective January 2021, assuming the position of Global President and CEO in April 2021.[31] In February 2022, Spin Master announced it renewed its licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to continue manufacturing DC Universe toys through 2026.[32]
In 2021, Spin Master launched the Future of Play Scholarship committing to invest $100,000 in financial aid annually to the education and mentorship of underrepresented individuals.[33] On October 19, 2021, Spin Master established Spin Master Ventures, a $100 million venture fund to back up games, toys and entertainment startups with investments made in Nordlight, a game development company in Stockholm and Hoot Reading, an online tutoring service that provides reading lessons to children.[34] By the end of 2021, Spin Master had grown to a global children's entertainment company, employing over 2,000 people in 28 offices around the world.[35]
On October 11, 2023, Spin Master announced an agreement to acquire toy company Melissa & Doug from AEA Investors for $950 million in cash.[36] The acquisition was completed on January 2, 2024.[37][38]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023) |
Spin Master Games is the board game division of the company. Spin Master also owns Cardinal Industries, Marbles [41] and Editrice Giochi board and card game publishers. Spin Master Games publishes titles such as:
Alongside the company's toy and board game businesses, they are the company behind several successful kids' media franchises:
| Title | Release date | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakugan Battle Brawlers | February 24, 2008 – January 26, 2012 | TV Tokyo (Japan) Teletoon (Canada) | co-production with Sega Toys, Sega, TMS Entertainment and Nelvana |
| Redakai: Conquer the Kairu | July 9, 2011 – December 23, 2013 | YTV (Canada) Cartoon Network (U.S.) Canal J/Gulli (France) | co-production with Marathon Media |
| Paw Patrol | August 12, 2013 – present | TVOKids (Canada) Nickelodeon (U.S.) | co-production with Guru Studio |
| Tenkai Knights | August 24, 2013 – December 6, 2014 | Cartoon Network (U.S.) Teletoon (Canada) TV Tokyo (Japan) | co-production with Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions and Bones |
| Little Charmers | January 12, 2015 – April 15, 2017 | Treehouse TV (Canada) Nickelodeon (U.S.) | co-production with Nelvana and Atomic Cartoons |
| Rusty Rivets | November 8, 2016 – May 8, 2020 | Treehouse TV (Canada) Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. Channel (U.S.) | co-production with Jam Filled Toronto |
| Super Dinosaur | September 8, 2018 – January 26, 2019 | Teletoon (Canada) Amazon Prime Video (US) | co-production with Skybound Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons |
| Bakugan: Battle Planet | December 23, 2018 – March 1, 2023 | Cartoon Network/Netflix (United States) TV Tokyo (Japan) Teletoon/YTV (Canada) | co-production with TMS Entertainment, Nelvana and Man of Action Entertainment First revival of the Bakugan franchise |
| Abby Hatcher | January 1, 2019 – April 2, 2022 | TVOKids (Canada) Nickelodeon (U.S.) | co-production with Guru Studio |
| Dragomonz | September 23, 2019 | YouTube | |
| Zo Zo Zombie | March 19, 2020 | co-production with J.C.Staff | |
| Mighty Express | September 22, 2020 – August 29, 2022 | Netflix | co-production with Atomic Cartoons |
| Sago Mini Friends[51] | September 16, 2022 – present | Apple TV+ | co-production with Brown Bag Films |
| Rubble & Crew[52] | February 3, 2023 – present | Treehouse TV (Canada) Nickelodeon (U.S.) | co-production with Jam Filled Toronto Spin-off of PAW Patrol |
| Bakugan | September 1, 2023 – January 8, 2024 | Netflix | co-production with TMS Entertainment Second revival of the Bakugan franchise |
| Vida the Vet | October 14, 2023 – present | Treehouse TV (Canada) CBeebies (UK) | co-production with Jam Filled Toronto |
| Unicorn Academy[53] | November 2, 2023 – present | Netflix | co-production with Mainframe Studios |
| Bella's Bro-Bots | 2024 | Treehouse TV (Canada) | co-production with Nelvana |
| Title | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paw Patrol: The Movie | August 20, 2021 | co-production with Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies and Elevation Pictures (Canadian distribution) |
| Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie | September 29, 2023 |
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In 2012, Spin Master launched its first digital gaming app for Tech Deck.[54] Other successful apps connected to the company's entertainment and toy Intellectual properties followed and, in 2016, Spin Master expanded its offering in the digital space with the acquisition of global mobile and digital app brands Toca Boca and Sago Mini.[55] Spin Master Digital Games' most popular titles include:
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