WORLD NEWS

PlayMonster and Hasbro announce expanded Playskool partnership

Published on: 30th March 2023

PlayMonster will add the Playskool brand to its US portfolio in 2024 as part of an overall global growth strategy, although some lines will remain with current international suppliers.

PlayMonster Group and Hasbro have announced that PlayMonster will bring the entire Playskool brand to the company’s dynamic roster in 2024 as part of an overall global growth strategy delivering innovation and re-imagined classic play to pre-schoolers and their families.

Playskool has helped generations of babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers and their families play together for nearly a century, representing quality, trust and memorable play experiences that help define a child’s early years.

Following a successful 2022 launch of the Playskool Glo Friends line, PlayMonster plans to re-launch Weebles in autumn 2023 with a diverse new line up of Weebles figures and playsets.

In the UK, licensed Weebles are manufactured and distributed by Character Options. The company has confirmed to Toy World that this will continue to be the case going forward.

In 2024, PlayMonster will take over the entire Playskool line in the US, including Glo Worm, Sit ‘n Spin, Busy Gears, Elefun, Busy Ball Popper, and Busy Poppin’ Pals, in addition to Koosh, Spirograph and Glo Friends, which PlayMonster already licenses globally.

“It is an honour and quite a lot of fun to expand our work on Playskool with Hasbro into new segments, more products, and increased global reach across a strong pre-school portfolio of graduated ages and stages,” said Steve Adolph, CEO of PlayMonster. “We look forward to sustained growth as we continue to bring quality, purposeful and fun play to young families everywhere.”

“We are excited by the new ways in which PlayMonster is bringing forward the vision and values of the Playskool brand that still garners a universal fondness felt by parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents,” said Jess Richardson, VP Global Toys & Games Licensing at Hasbro. “This deal emphasizes a focus of our Blueprint 2.0 to offer new and innovative ways to play by aligning our iconic brands with proven industry leading partners that value them.”

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