MALIBU, Calif.–JAKKS Pacific’s (NASDAQ: JAKK) Tollytots® division has signed a worldwide master toy license with Dorel Juvenile Group, Inc. (“DJG USA”), a division of Dorel Industries (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) and the nation’s largest juvenile products manufacturer, for the award-winning and trusted brand of innovative baby products and accessories, Safety 1st®.
Under this license agreement, Tollytots will develop, market and distribute a comprehensive line of preschool and early learning toys for infants and toddlers in-line with the Safety 1st standards of safety, innovation, design and value, that have made Safety 1st a trusted and premiere brand for generations of parents and children. The new Safety 1st toy line from Tollytots will cover a broad range of categories including learning and developmental toys and is expected to launch in fall 2012.
“We are thrilled to partner with DJG and their Safety 1st brand, the leading provider of innovative products in child care, home safety, play and travel safety,” said Darryl Wizenberg, President of Tollytots. “As a parent, I have always trusted the Safety 1st brand and use their products every day in our home. As a businessman, I am excited to offer parents an exciting new line of toys that stimulate the development process of infants and toddlers with the premiere Safety 1st standards that parents can trust.”
Dave Taylor, President and CEO of Dorel Juvenile Group USA, added, “Our alliance with Tollytots will continue our commitment to developing the highest quality products for families. Our consumers look to us for technology, value and products that enrich their lifestyles and Tollytots produces premium, innovative and engaging products for children. Together, we anticipate a highly successful extension of the Safety 1st brand into the toy aisle.”
“With Dorel Juvenile Group’s reputation for raising the safety bar, our selection process for the perfect toy partner for the Safety 1st toy line was implemented with strict criteria. Tollytots’ expertise in combining quality, creativity and safety in the pre-school toy sector, made our decision an easy one,” said Randi Goodman, Principal, Synergy Licensing.
Synergy Licensing, exclusive licensing agency for Dorel Juvenile Group, brokered the deal.
Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A) is a world class juvenile products and bicycle company. Established in 1962, Dorel creates style and excitement in equal measure to safety, quality and value. The Company’s lifestyle leadership position is pronounced in both its Juvenile and Bicycle categories with an array of trend-setting products. Dorel’s powerfully branded products include Safety 1st, Quinny, Cosco, Maxi-Cosi and Bébé Confort in Juvenile, as well as Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, IronHorse and SUGOI in Recreational/Leisure. Dorel’s Home Furnishings segment markets a wide assortment of furniture products, both domestically produced and imported. Dorel is a US$2.3 billion company with 4700 employees, facilities in nineteen countries, and sales worldwide. www.djgusa.com
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a wide range of products that feature some of the most popular brands and children’s toy licenses in the world. JAKKS’ diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys and Pet Toys sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific®, Creative Designs International™, Road Champs®, Funnoodle®, JAKKS Pets™, Plug It In & Play TV Games™, Girl Gourmet™, Kids Only!™, Tollytots® and Disguise™. JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Disney®, Nickelodeon®, Warner Bros.®, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Hello Kitty®, Graco® and Cabbage Patch Kids®. www.jakks.com
This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS Pacific’s business based partly on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those described above, changes in demand for JAKKS’ products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and difficulties with integrating acquired businesses. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS undertakes no obligation to update any of them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
© 2011 JAKKS Pacific, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contacts
Tollytots Contact:
Tollytots
Carolyn Sutton, 214-454-9214
carolyn@tollytots.com
or
JAKKS Pacific Contact:
JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
Anne-Marie Feliciano, 310-455-6245
anne-marief@jakks.net
or
Dorel Juvenile Group Contact:
360 Public Relations
Brittany Welch, 617-585-5785
bwelch@360publicrelations.com
or
Synergy Licensing Contact:
Synergy Licensing, LLC
Randi Goodman, 212-439-6347
rgoodman@slicensing.com