Playmates Toys
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Toy manufacturing |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Founder | Sam Chan Tai-ho |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong , Hong Kong |
Area served | Worldwide (including United States) |
| Products | Toys, action figures, dolls |
Playmates Toys Limited is a toy manufacturer based in Hong Kong, established in 1966 by Sam Chan Tai-ho under the name Playmates Industrial. Initially, the company focused on producing dolls for other brands. By 1975, it introduced its own line of preschool toys and expanded its operations to the United States, opening branches in Boston, Massachusetts (1977), and California (1983). The firm went public in 1984.
The company's significant breakthrough occurred in 1986 with the launch of the electronic robot doll Cricket. Its most notable commercial achievement came in 1989 with the highly successful release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.
Proprietary brands
- Amazing Dolls
- Amazing Pets
- Hearts For Hearts Girls
- Kinder-Garden Babies
- Nano Pets
- R.E.V.s
- Waterbabies
- WOW Pals
- Yo Stick
- Struts
- Ooglies
- Kuroba
- Tiny Toes
- BFF Best Friends Forever
- The Addams Family
- Austin Powers Vocalizers
Tie-in media toys
Playmates regularly acquires licenses from well-known media franchises to create toys, fashion dolls, and games. Prominent licenses include Atomic Betty, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek, Ben 10, Godzilla, Frozen, Miraculous Ladybug, Pikwik Pack, and Power Rangers (in collaboration with Hasbro). These partnerships involve leading global media companies such as Canadian Nelvana and American entities like Disney, DreamWorks Animation, and Nickelodeon.
Playmates Interactive Entertainment
Playmates Interactive Entertainment, Inc. was established in 1994 as a division of Playmates Toys Holdings, the parent organization of Playmates Toys. While headquartered in Hong Kong, its U.S. office was originally located in La Mirada, California, before moving to Costa Mesa, California, in September 1996. During that period, Gary Rosenfeld joined as vice president of business affairs and Chris Archer as producer. In August 1997, Ron Welch replaced Richard Sallis as president following Sallis's resignation. The company discontinued game publishing activities in 1998 and was officially dissolved by May 2000.