Rainbow Designs has secured a strategic distribution deal with US plush powerhouse, Animal Adventure.
The deal will see Rainbow Designs launch and distribution the Animal Adventure soft toy collections in the UK, together with a range of seasonal and promotional plush.
Headlining the baby collection is the Safe & Soft Collection including My First and Baby Comfort Toys. The patented collection features specially treated antibacterial and hypoallergenic materials. Further expanding the line is the aquatic Under the Sea collection with a soft book and the My First Plush collection.
The Animal Adventure Cuddles Collection, meanwhile, includes a wide range of themes and formats such as Little Luxuries Plush, Puppy Pals, Dangle Bears, Dinoriffics, Barnyard Buddies and Puddle Jumpers Plush. The Squeeze with Love line – featuring the Little Dumplings – completes the collection.
In addition to the core domestic stock opportunity, the deal also provides Rainbow with access to an extensive catalogue of seasonal specials and everyday plush, from Animal Adventure and its affiliate Dan Dee International.
“This distribution agreement is an exciting new opportunity to expand and extend our current business into the everyday plush sector, alongside our traditional licensed character business,” commented Anthony Temple, md at Rainbow Designs. “The Animal Adventure Collection adds an extra dimension for Rainbow and is complementary to our position as the Home of Classic Characters.
“Animal Adventure and Dan Dee have a proven leadership position in the US soft toy market with amazing design and sourcing capability. We are delighted to be joining forces with them on this new ‘Adventure’. It’s a great fit and we are looking forward to working with the Animal Adventure team.”
Mark Matheny, head of international sales and global licensing at Animal Adventure and Dan Dee International, continued: “We are very excited to be teaming up with Rainbow as our strategic distributor in the UK. We have been looking for a strong UK partner to help us expand our product ranges and retail footprint and we are delighted to have secured an agreement with Rainbow.
“Rainbow has a very strong reputation in the UK as a leader in the plush, baby and infant categories. Their extensive customer network, along with their world-class sales, marketing, distribution and warehouse capabilities make Rainbow a perfect partner for our brands. We look forward to working with them on this exciting launch and to exploring future design and distribution collaborations for North America.”
Rainbow Designs will be launching the initial Animal Adventure Collection at the 2023 trade shows including London Toy Fair, Nuremberg and Spring Fair.
