| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | International toy, game, craft, and activity company |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founders | Fran Patch Bryce Patch |
| Headquarters | Beloit, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Products | Criminal Minds UNknown SUBject | Drone Home | Farkle | Five Crowns | Koosh ball | Loopdedoo| Loopdeloom | Quiddler | Set (card game) |Spirograph Animator | The Magical World of Disney Trivia | The Original Magnatab | Utter Nonsense! | Windward | Wooly Willy | Yeti in My Spaghetti | 5 Second Rule |
| Brands | Ann Williams | Colorforms | Craft-tastic | Craft-tastic Nature | Craft Crush | Fashion Plates | Glo Friends | Koosh | Latchkits | My Fairy Garden | Snap Ships | Spirograph | Take 'N Play Anywhere | The Original Magnatab | Waterfuls | Weeble | 5 Second Rule |
| Owner | Adams Street Partners and H.I.G. Capital |
| Website | PlayMonster |
PlayMonster (formerly, Patch Products) is a manufacturer and marketer of family entertainment products that specializes in games, children's puzzles, toys, activities, and teaching tools. As of February 2016, Patch changed its company name to PlayMonster. [1]
Brothers Fran and Bryce Patch opened a commercial printing company, producing games and related items for other companies. They printed Trivial Pursuit game boards and Cabbage Patch Kids sticker books, among other products.
Fran and Bryce Patch began their own toy and game company: Patch Products. [2] The company started a line of PuzzlePatch tray puzzles for preschoolers, which are still in production; the company produced its 100 millionth puzzle in 2008. The American Toy Institute, Great American Toy Contest, National Association for Gifted Children, Nick Jr. Magazine and Toy Tips have recognized the puzzles for helping educate children. [3]
The company obtained the license for TriBond , its first board game, which was inducted into Games Magazine's Hall of Fame. [4]
Patch followed the success of TriBond with two other board games, Blurt! and MadGab. The company sold the brand rights to these games to Mattel in 2004. [5]
In 2008, Patch Products acquired Smethport Specialty Co., the maker of Lauri Toys and specialty products, adding educational items to Patch's lineup, including Tall-Stackers pegging and crepe rubber puzzles, along with the Wooly Willy magnetic personality. [6]
Patch Products secured the rights to create a fresh version of the popular Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? board game based on the TV show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy. [7]
Patch Products introduced 5 Second Rule. 5 Second Rule would go on to be played on The Ellen Show for over six years. Patch Products also developed a nostalgic line called Treasured Toys, which included bringing back favorites Yakity-Yak Teeth, Shark Attack, and Bed Bugs. [8] [9]
5 Second Rule was a finalist for Game of the Year TOTY Award. [10]
Patch Products was honored with a Wisconsin Family Business of the Year Award. The Work Hard—Play Hard Award was given to Patch to recognize the company's emphasis on family fun to promote togetherness. [11]
Patch Products, was the distributor of the Perplexus 3D maze game to independent toy and gift stores. [12] It also became the new manufacturer and distributor of the well-known The Game of THINGS... [13] Patch debuted its new collectible soft doll line Planet Sock Monkey which adds attitude and style to the classic sock monkey: each doll features a its own name, personality, clothing, and accessories. [14]
Patch Products was acquired by the private equity firm Topspin Partners. [15] Shortly after, Patch Products grew with the acquisition of Onaroo, previously owned by American Innovative, LLC. This brand allowed Patch Products to expand into a new, complementary category of children's room décor. [16]
Patch Products changed its name to PlayMonster. The new name better reflected the company’s values and commitment to providing play for all ages. [1]
PlayMonster had multiple TOTY Award finalists, and won Game of the Year with their kids game Yeti in My Spaghetti. [17] PlayMonster also acquired Tinkineer and its Marbleocity line (laser-cut STEM kits). [18]
Topspin sold PlayMonster to Audax Private Equity. [19] PlayMonster also acquired the UK-based toy company Interplay UK Ltd. [20]
PlayMonster acquired Set Enterprises . [21] PlayMonster also acquired Kahootz Toys . [22] Patriot Capital became an investor in PlayMonster at this time. [23]
Interplay, acquired in 2016, rebranded to PlayMonster. [24] PlayMonster also acquired Ann Williams Group, a Michigan-based manufacturer of craft and activity kits for kids and adults. [25] Additionally, PlayMonster partnered with Dude Perfect to relaunch the Koosh brand, licensed by Hasbro, in time for the 35th anniversary of Koosh. [26]
PlayMonster promoted Tim Kilpin to CEO and gained investments from private market firms Adams Street Partners and H.I.G Capital. PlayMonster also relaunched Glo Friends, licensed by Hasbro. PlayMonster's take on the Glo Friends line introduces products featuring elements of Social–Emotional Learning. [27]
Tim Kilpin transitioned to the newly created role of Executive Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors. Sitting President, Steve Adolph, was appointed Chief Executive Officer. [28]
 |
PlayMonster has won awards from Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy, The National Parenting Center, iParenting Media Awards, Parents' Choice, and Toy Tips.[ citation needed ] Award-winning games include: What's Yours Like?,5 Second Rule,Buzzword,Know It or Blow It, Malarky,Don't Rock the Boat,Big Little Games Flingin' Frogs,Toss Up!,Swap!,Roll-It Tic-Tac-Toe,Giant Spoons, 100 Wacky Things,Word Shout,Farkle Frenzy, andTales to Play
From September through December every year, PlayMonster sponsors the Million Minute Family Challenge, a grass-roots effort to promote interaction and communication among family and friends through playing board games. The goal is to encourage at least one thousand families, groups, or organizations in each of the fifty states to play a board game together for twenty minutes, or a cumulative million minutes.
Digimon, short for "Digital Monsters", is a Japanese media franchise encompassing virtual pet toys, anime, manga, video games, films and a trading card game. The franchise focuses on the eponymous creatures, who inhabit a "Digital World", a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various communication networks.
Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 countries. The company operates through three business segments: North America, International, and American Girl.
Hasbro, Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of Kenner, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, and Wizards of the Coast, among others. As of August 2020 over 81.5% of its shares were held by large financial institutions.
Smethport is a borough and county seat of McKean County, Pennsylvania, United States. The mayor is Wayne V. Foltz. The population was 1,430 at the 2020 census. Smethport is part of the Bradford, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Smethport, having the coldest temperature ever recorded in Pennsylvania, is the coldest place in Pennsylvania and one of the coldest towns in the contiguous United States.
Parker Brothers was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products were Monopoly, Clue, Sorry!, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, Bop It, Scrabble, and Probe. The trade name became defunct with former products being marketed under the "Hasbro Gaming" label with the logo shown on Monopoly games.
The Koosh ball is a toy ball made of rubber filaments (strands) radiating from a steel-bound core, patented in 1987 by Scott H. Stillinger. The company later expanded their product line to include 50 other Koosh-related products, including keyrings, baseball sets, and yo-yos.
Ravensburger AG is a German game and toy company, publishing house and market leader in the European jigsaw puzzle market.
Wooly Willy is a toy in which metal filings are moved about with a magnetic wand to add features to a cartoon face. The toy was originally manufactured in Smethport, Pennsylvania and was launched on the toy market in 1955. It remains in production as of 2016.
Rachel Tanya Lowe MBE is a British serial entrepreneur and board games developer. She is best known for developing the Destination series of games, including editions for Toy Story, the London 2012 Olympic Games and Downton Abbey.
Fisher-Price is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York. The company was founded in 1930 during the Great Depression by Herman Fisher, Irving Price, Helen Schelle, and Margaret Evans-Price.
Spin Master Corp. is a Canadian multinational children's toy and entertainment company. Spin Master employs over 1,600 people globally with offices in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.
Vivid Imaginations is a British toy manufacturer, distributor and wholesale company, based in Guildford, Surrey.
ThinkFun, formerly known as Binary Arts, is a toy and board game company founded in 1985 by Bill Ritchie and Andrea Barthello. The two started the company from the basement of their home in Virginia, with a product base that initially consisted of four games invented by a family friend William Keister. The husband and wife team used these products as a launching pad for their company, and within six months they were able to move the company headquarters out of their basement and into a more workable space and were able to begin to expand their product line.
Outset Media Corporation is a Canadian company which develops and distributes family entertainment products, specializing in board games, party games, card games, and jigsaw puzzles. In addition to developing its own games, Outset Media also distributes games and puzzles in Canada for United States-based companies.
Kahootz Toys was a toy company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, best known for the relaunch of the classic toy Spirograph.
Moose Toys is an Australian-owned toy design, development and distribution company founded in 1985. Moose is headquartered in Australia, has over 600 staff and distributes to over 50 countries.
Osmo is a line of hands-on educational digital/physical games product by the company Tangible Play, based in Palo Alto, California. Osmo's products are built around its proprietary “Reflective Artificial Intelligence,” a system that uses a stand and a clip-on mirror to allow an iPad or iPhone's front-facing camera to recognize and track objects in the physical play space in front of the device.
Ronnen Harary is a Canadian entrepreneur, television and film producer, philanthropist, and billionaire. He is a co-founder of Canada-based children's entertainment company Spin Master and the co-creator of PAW Patrol, a preschool series that airs in 160 countries.Along with childhood friend Anton Rabie, he founded Spin Master shortly after graduating from the University of Western Ontario, and they were co-CEOs of the company from 1994 to 2021. Harary is now chair of Spin Master's board of directors. He continues to oversee the company's long-term strategic vision and remains involved in business development and merger and acquisition activity.
Moonbug Entertainment is a British children's media company and multi-channel network headquartered in London, with an overseas office in Los Angeles, United States which creates, produces, and distributes children's video and audio content. It is currently owned by Candle Media, an American media company led by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs. Moonbug distributes children's entertainment intellectual property, including the YouTube channels Cocomelon and Little Baby Bum and YouTube series such as Mia's Magic Playground, Blippi, and My Magic Pet Morphle.
Lego Life of George was a Lego theme that for the first time, combined standard Lego bricks with a mobile app. The theme was first introduced in October 2011. It was eventually discontinued by the end of December 2013.