Playmates Toys


Playmates Toys Limited is a Hong Kongese toy company. The company was founded in Hong Kong in 1966 by Sam Chan as Playmates Industrial, manufacturing dolls for other companies. In 1975, Playmates began marketing their own line of pre-school toys, and in 1977 opened an American subsidiary in Boston. Another subsidiary was founded in California in 1983, and in 1984 the company went public.
The company's first big success was in 1986, with the marketing of an electronic baby doll named Cricket. In 1989, the company marketed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures, which was a massive step forward for the company.

Proprietary brands

Playmates Interactive Entertainment Inc. was founded was a subsidiary of Playmates Toys Holdings, also the parent company of Playmates Toys, in 1994, co-located with Playmates Toys' US branch in La Mirada, California. In September 1996, Playmates Toys' US branch and Playmates Interactive relocated their headquarters, including 50 employees, to Costa Mesa, California. At the same time, the company was joined by Gary Rosenfeld and Chris Archer as vice-president of business affairs and producer, respectively. In August 1997, Playmates Interactive's president, Richard Sallis, resigned and was succeeded by Ron Welch. Playmates Interactive was defunct by May 2000.