The coronavirus COVID-19 is proving an unexpected boon to toys made in America.
As the viral outbreak continues to crimp production in China, where 85 percent of toys are made, retailers are looking elsewhere to fill their shelves, including the good ol’ US of A, sources said.
Buyers from Walmart, Target, Amazon and scores of other toy sellers last month walked the isles of the toy fair.— New York City’s massive industry trade show — asking how quickly companies can get their products to stores, sources said.
The question has led some retailers to start doing more deals with homegrown toy makers like Channel Craft, a 37-year-old toy maker from Charleroi, Pa., that specializes in wooden playthings like planes, boomerangs and juggling sticks.
“We had our best Toy Fair in a decade,” Channel Craft Vice President Jon Hogue told The Post of the Javits Center trade show that wrapped up in late February. About one-third of the orders Channel Craft booked at Toy Fair this year were from new customers, Hogue said, including FYE, a 200-store chain that sells videos and other entertainment-related merchandise.
Philadelphia-based putty maker Crazy Aaron’s also saw a jump in interest from retailers scrambling to fill in gaps left by shuttered China factories, founder Aaron Muderick told The Post.
“Major buyers came to my booth and told me it’s because I can ship right now,” Muderick said. One retailer that had committed to testing Crazy Aaron’s new scented play dough line — Land of Dough — in just 20 of its stores prior to the trade show, upped its order to 200 stores after browsing the show, he added.
Similarly, American Plastic Toys, which has factories in Michigan and Mississippi and counts Walmart among its biggest customers, is talking to retailers about helping them with their “contingency plans,” President John Gessert told The Post. One of American Plastic’s existing customers already placed a larger-than-usual order for spring.
“At this point we haven’t received calls for additional fall items, but I think it’s in the back of everyone’s mind,” Gessert said.
Indeed, KC Olafsson, the owner of two Monkey Fish Toys stores outside Philadelphia, told The Post she’s buying more than she normally would “from manufacturers who are not making product in China” in case the supply problem lasts longer than expected.
Toy makers that stocked up ahead of hefty tariffs on China-made goods also are expecting to benefit from the crisis.
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Mattel, Inc., a children's entertainment company, designs and produces toys and consumer products worldwide. The company operates through North America, International, and American Girl segments. It offers dolls and accessories, content, gaming, and lifestyle products for children under the Barbie brand; diecast cars, tracks, playsets, and play products for kids, adults, and collectors under the Hot Wheels brand name; content, toy, live events, and other lifestyle products under the Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends brands; and dolls and books under the American Girl brand name. The company also provides products under its owned brands, such as MEGA, Polly Pocket, Uno, Enchantimals, Fireman Sam, and Matchbox; and partner brands, including Disney, WWE Wrestling, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, NBCUniversal, and Mojang. Mattel, Inc. sells its products directly to consumers through its catalog, Website, and proprietary retail stores; retailers, including discount and free-standing toy stores, chain stores, department stores, and other retail outlets; and wholesalers, as well as through agents and distributors. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in El Segundo, California.
Hasbro, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a play and entertainment company. The company's U.S. and Canada segment markets and sells action figures, arts and crafts, and creative play products; electronic toys and related electronic interactive products; fashion and other dolls, infant products, play sets, preschool toys, plush products, and sports action blasters and accessories; and vehicles and toy-related specialty products, as well as traditional board games, and trading card and role-playing games primarily in the United States and Canada. Its International segment markets and sells toy and game products primarily in the Europe, the Asia Pacific, and Latin and South American regions. The company's Entertainment and Licensing segment engages in consumer products licensing, digital gaming, and television and movie entertainment operations. The company sells its products to wholesalers, distributors, chain stores, discount stores, drug stores, mail order houses, catalog stores, department stores, and other traditional retailers, as well as Internet-based e-tailers. Hasbro, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an entertainment company worldwide. The company's Media Networks segment operates domestic cable networks under the Disney, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic brands; and television broadcast network under the ABC brand, as well as eight owned domestic television stations. This segment is also involved in the television production and distribution; and operation of National Geographic magazines. Its Parks, Experiences and Products segment operates theme parks and resorts, such as Walt Disney World Resort in Florida; Disneyland Resort in California; Disneyland Paris; Hong Kong Disneyland Resort; and Shanghai Disney Resort; Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, National Geographic Expeditions, and Adventures by Disney; and Aulani, a Disney resort and spa in Hawaii, as well as licenses its intellectual property to a third party for the operations of the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. The company's Studio Entertainment segment produces and distributes motion pictures under the Walt Disney Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar, The company was founded in 1923 and is based in Burbank, California.
Spin Master Corp., a children's entertainment company, creates, designs, manufactures, and markets various toys, games, products, and entertainment properties in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company sells toys and related products to retail customers and distributors, as well as online. The company was formerly known as SML Investments Inc. Spin Master Corp. was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
MGA Entertainment Inc. (short for Micro-Games America Entertainment) is a manufacturer of children's toys and entertainment products founded in 1979. Its products include the Bratz fashion doll line, BABY born, L.O.L. Surprise Num Noms and Poopsie Slime Surprise. MGA also owns Little Tikes. MGA is headquartered in a corporate campus in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. develops, produces, and markets consumer products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: U.S. and Canada, International, and Halloween. It offers action figures and accessories, such as licensed characters; toy vehicles and accessories; dolls and accessories, including small, large, fashion, and baby dolls based on licenses,. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.
Funko, Inc., a pop culture consumer products company, designs, sources, and distributes licensed pop culture products in the United States, China, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom. The company offers vinyl, blind-packed miniature, and action figures; and plush products, accessories, apparels, and homewares, as well as bags, purses, and wallets. The company sells its products to specialty retailers, mass-market retailers, and e-commerce sites; distributors for sale to small retailers; and consumers through its e-commerce business, as well as at specialty licensing and comic book shows, conventions, and exhibitions. Funko, Inc. was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Everett, Washington.
BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. develops entertainment-related products and services worldwide. Its Toys and Hobby segment offers toys, capsule and candy toys, cards, confectionery, food, apparel, sundries, plastic models, figures, communications and peripheral equipment, consumer electronics, character-based products, pachinko and pachislot machines, medical and electronic-related equipment, playground equipment, bicycles, furniture, visual, RC and robot toys, molds, stationery, prizes, and other products. The company was formerly known as NAMCO BANDAI Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc. in June 2014. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Nintendo Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and distributes electronic entertainment products in Japan, the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia, and internationally. It provides video game platforms, playing cards, Karuta, and other products; and handheld and home console hardware systems and related software. The company operates two stores in Israel and New York. The company was formerly known as Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd. and changed its name to Nintendo Co., Ltd. in 1963. Nintendo Co., Ltd. was founded in 1889 and is based in Kyoto, Japan.
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark, and main offices in Enfield, USA, London, UK, Shanghai, China, and Singapore. Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and based on the iconic LEGO® brick, it is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials.
Playmobil has been a successful toy line for more than 40 years and they have been a major competitor to Lego toys. Examples of directly competing toys in both their product lines are not hard to find. Within the limitations of the Playmobil toy world, the Playmobil toys are usually realistic, and present accurate representation time period.
Mega Brands Inc., formerly known as Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings, is a Canadian children's toy company. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Mega Puzzles, Board Dudes and Rose Art. The company distributes a wide range of construction toys, puzzles, and craft-based products.
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