Thinkway Toys has been awarded the master global toy licence for Despicable Me 2.

Thinkway plans to roll out a wide variety of items including toys, figures, plush, dolls, play-sets, vehicles, role-play and novelty products.

The deal with Universal Partnerships & Licensing and Illumination Entertainment, will see product launching in summer 2013 in tandem with release of the movie sequel.

“Gru and the Minions made Despicable Me a tent-pole franchise for Universal and we know Thinkway’s innovation, reputation and global reach make them the best partner for us to bring the Minions to life through toys,” said Stephanie Sperber, UP&L president. “The Thinkway team is made up of creative, out of the box thinkers who will include technology that the consumer has never seen before.”

Albert Chan, CEO of Thinkway, added: “Our team is ecstatic to create an all new line of toys for Despicable Me 2. The characters are endearing, filled with humour and adventure and we can’t wait to include these elements into the toy line.”