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Spin Master history
Spin Master company history timeline
The origins of Spin Master date to 1994, when three young Canadians began marketing a novelty gift item called Earth Buddy.
Deciding to market it in Canada, the pair took $10,000 of their savings to make 5,000 copies to sell as gifts for Mother's Day, 1994.
Ben Varadi, a classmate of Anton's from The University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of business, joined the Company subsequently in 1994.
The company sent college students cross-country in vans to give demonstrations, and by the end of 1995 the partners had sold more than 600,000 of the $14.99 sets.
In February 1996 they discovered another new product, one which would put the firm solidly on the map in the toy industry.
Air Hogs Sky Shark Debut in 1998; Sales Soar
In the spring of 1998 the purple and yellow Air Hogs Sky Shark began to hit the shelves of such specialty stores as Zainy Brainy.
Spin Master's first major success came in 1998 with the launch of the Air Hogs brand, and its first item, the Sky Shark.
Its success drove the company's annual revenues from $8 million to more than C$45 million during 1999.
Ernst & Young names Spin Master partners Anton Rabie, Ronnen Harary, and Ben Varadi their Entrepreneurs of the Year, 1999.
The company scored another success in 1999, with Flix Trix Finger Bikes, a string of 1/2 inch replicas of BMX bikes.
The year 2000 saw Spin Master address organizational inefficiencies that had arisen out of its rapid growth.
Since 2000, Spin Master has received 103 TIA 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 of its competitors.
CW Yuen joined Spin Master Toys Far East Ltd in 2000 as SVP & General Manager for Asia.
Shrinky Dinks Revival for Christmas 2001
Co-invented in 2001 by teacher and artist Michael McGinnis and Klitsner Industrial Design Group of San Francisco (KID Group), and manufactured by Busy Life LCC, Perplexus has become famously popular for its ingenious sculptural designs, wide appeal and various levels of challenge.
The fall of 2003 also saw Spin Master introduce an Australian import called Mighty Beanz, small plastic capsules decorated with cartoon characters that contained ball bearings.
In 2003, the company made its first corporate acquisition buying Bounce ‘Round, a company that created scaled down versions of the inflatable bouncy castles.
With its fleeting images drawn in water instead of ink, Aquadoodle nabbed the 2004 TOTY Activity Toy of the Year award and remains a mess-free favourite of parents and creative kids everywhere, racking up lifetime sales of $200 million.
Tucking into yet another new category, Spin Master innovated the Flip Open Sofa, child-sized furniture that folds out into a sleepover-ready mattress, and then acquired Ready Bed from World Apart in 2005 to launch a room decor division named Marshmallow.
By 2005, the partners had the foresight to realize that sustainable growth of the company required operational excellence, and Spin Master hired its first executive team.
For the first time taking the overall Toy of the Year award, in 2008 Spin Master had truly arrived.
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.
With the ball rolling, in 2009, Spin Master Entertainment set out to create a preschool series rooted in action and adventure.
Really hitting stride, Spin Master took home the overall Toy of the Year TOTY for a second year in a row, this time for Bakugan! By 2009 the entire toy industry was amazed by the phenomenon of Bakugan.
In 2010 Spin Master partnered with DreamWorks to create a line of licensed toys and collectibles for the animated feature film How To Train Your Dragon.
2010 proved to be a record-making year for Spin Master, with 10 TOTY nominations overall! Bakugan took home Boy Toy for the hugely popular 7-in-1 Maxus Dragonoid, and also Property of the Year, recognizing Spin Master’s first foray into developing entertainment and licensing.
Since 2011, Toca Boca apps have been downloaded around the world more than 250 million times.
Spin Master originally acquired the rights to Hedbanz for the US and Mexico in 2011 and the quick question game of "What Am I" has become one of the most successful titles within Spin Master's portfolio of hundreds of games ever since.
In 2012 Spin Master’s Digital Games Division launched into yet another medium with its first digital gaming app.
Ben Gadbois, Global President & Chief Operating Officer, joined Spin Master in 2012, providing outstanding leadership, strong strategic vision, and great team-building insights with more than twenty years of best-in-class Fortune 500 consumer goods experience.
In August 2013, Spin Master acquired the Erector Set by Meccano construction set line.
The Spin Master team, together with Chapman, workshopped this initial concept eventually creating PAW Patrol which first aired in North America in 2013.
In 2013, Spin Master celebrated Air Hogs’ 15 year anniversary as the toy industry’s category-defining RC brand.
Spin Master has distributed Perplexus since 2013 and with this transaction, Spin Master now owns the global rights to the Perplexus brand.
2014 saw the release of Sick Bricks, an amazing combination of mobile app and toy that allowed players to scan toys into the app to unlock over 60 new characters.
Hugely popular robot dog Zoomer took home the 2014 Innovative TOTY, edging out Spin Master’s own Flutterbye Fairy (also nominated for Girl Toy). In the battle for Games TOTY, Spin Master took two of the five slots, with Boom Boom Balloon beating out Hedbanz Act Up.
In June 2015, Spin Master entered into an agreement to acquire Cardinal Industries, a 60-year-old game and puzzles company.
Debuting on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol TOY, Spin Master became public on July 30, 2015.
Other anticipated titles include Savannah, Game properties Battle of the Sexes and Would You Rather and Girls small dolls tie-in Kawaii Quest, with an exciting slate of games and apps planned for release in 2015.
In 2015 Meccanoid also won the prestigious Grand Prix du Jouet 2015 Award from France, chosen by a professional jury from within the toy industry, as well as the Innovation Toy of the Year from Sweden.
In February 2016, Spin Master bought the Etch A Sketch and Doodle Sketch brands from The Ohio Art Company for an undisclosed price.
Spin Master team members celebrate Etch A Sketch Day internationally on July 12, 2016 by setting a new Guinness World Record for most people drawing simultaneously on an Etch A Sketch: 440!
In August 2016 Spin Master diversified into the water and outdoor sports category through the acquisition of Swimways corporation.
Presented by the British Toy & Hobby Association and the Toy Retailers Association, Spin Master wins three coveted UK Toy of the Year Awards: Toy of the Year 2017 for Hatchimals, Licensed Toy of the Year for PAW Patrol and Preschool Toy of the Year for the PAW Patroller.
Since 2017, Spin Master and Save the Children have partnered to bring toys to children in emergency situations around the globe.
In March 2018, Spin Master acquired the 120 year old stuffed toy brand Gund.
In 2019, Abby Hatcher, an animated preschool series debuted on Nickelodeon on January 1, 2019 in the United States The show centers on Abby and her new friends the Fuzzlies, who are amazing and quirky creatures that live in her family's hotel.
At the end of 2019, Spin Master completed the acquisition of the award-winning Orbeez brand from Maya Toys, complementing its growing Activities segment.
The 10-year licensing partnership will begin in 2019 and significantly expands Spin Master's efforts to continuously push the boundaries of innovation, creativity and fun.
Spin Master receives seven nominations for the 2019 Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY), bringing the total TOTY nominations the company has received to date, to 103.
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.
On 27 October 2020, Spin Master said it will pay $50 million for Rubik's Cube, the iconic game invented nearly 50 years ago.
The iconic Etch a Sketch, the classic red-framed drawing toy, is shaking things up in 2020 to mark its 60th anniversary.
Spin Master announces that its Tech Deck brand is an official sponsor of USA Skateboarding, joining forces with the national governing body for skateboarding in the United States as the sport makes its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
In 2020, Spin Master launched its first direct to Netflix series, Mighty Express.
Max Rangel is appointed Global President effective January 2021 and will assume the position of Global President and CEO in April 2021.
The acquisition was completed on 5 January 2021.
Fans can experience the larger-than-life story for the first time ever on the big screen August 20, 2021, then head home to recreate their favorite missions and high-stake rescues with the toy line.
PAW Patrol: The Movie released in theatres on August 20, 2021 grossing $142 million worldwide.
Spin Master will develop products including action figures, playsets and role play items, with an anticipated on-shelf date in the Fall of 2021.
Spin Master issues Third Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report, articulating the Company's environmental, social and governance goals and performance for 2021.
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.
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.
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