Jada Toys, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryConsumer products
Founded1999; 25 years ago (1999)
FounderJack Li
May Li
HeadquartersCity of Industry, CA, U.S.
Key people
Bill Simons (CEO)
ProductsScale model cars, figures, radio controlled models, dolls
ParentSimba Dickie Group
Websitejadatoys.com

Jada Toys, Inc. is an American manufacturer of collectible scale model cars, figures, radio controlled model vehicles, and dolls. It was founded in 1999 by Jack and May Li.[1] Jada's products are predominantly aimed at the collectible market, and are available and popular at retail outlets worldwide.

The company has or has had license rights to market products from a wide range of entertainment companies and franchises as well as sports associations, including DC Comics, Disney, Marvel Comics, NASCAR, NBA, WWE, Fast & Furious, and Hello Kitty, among others.

History

Founded by Jack and May Li in 1999,[1] Jada's first toy was a 1:24 scale die-cast 1953 Chevrolet tow truck, part of their Thunder Crusher line. Though the Chevrolet tow truck toy and other lines proved successful, the company remained in obscurity until the introduction of the urban-themed DUB City brand.[2] Launched in collaboration with DUB Magazine in 2002,[3] the line presents officially licensed vehicles with custom rims, lowered ride height and special in-car entertainment systems. Dubs, so named for their 20-inch or bigger wheels, are among the company's best sellers and the most visible in retail outlets.[2]

The company launched the DUB City spinoff Chub City in 2005. Targeted at a younger generation of collectors, the line included heavily stylized vehicles and a story told through webisodes and comics.[4] The human characters featured in the story inspired toys of their own. By 2007, the line had done over $12.5 million in sales and was featured in a Burger King kids meal promotion.[5] In 2009, Jada sold the brand to Dentsu Entertainment;[6] who, in conjunction with Fuel Entertainment and Nelvana, planned on launching a $15 million 52-episode animated series in late 2015.[7] At the time of the sale, Chub City toys had sold over 20 million units.[6]

Branching out of automotive licensing, in 2008 Jada Toys teamed up with Activision to release the Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker. The toy consists of a belt buckle, a portable speaker and two guitar picks. Waving the pick near the buckle lets the user play air guitar to one of ten songs (five licensed tracks) such as Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and Boston's "More Than A Feeling."[8] Two cartridges that add additional songs were also released.

In 2011, Jada entered the girls category when it received a license to produce Hello Kitty play sets and remote-controlled cars.[9] This was followed up with the company's own line of fashion dolls called Cutie Pops in 2012 and the RC line GirlMazing in 2014.[10][9]

Jada became the master toy licensee for the RoboCop reboot in 2013.[11][12] In 2014, the company gained the rights to produce vehicular toys based on Jurassic World and the Fast and Furious series.[13]

2016 saw the introduction of the Metals Die Cast line of figures. Based on various licensed entertainment properties, Jada offers the line in 2", 4" and 6" scales.[14] The company planned to release over 150 Metal Die Cast products in its first year.[15]

On January 29, 2019, the company was acquired by Simba Dickie Group.[16]

Products

Own products

Notes
  1. ^ Die-cast cars from and inspired by the battle car themes.
  2. ^ American Muscle Cars receiving the Pro-Touring treatment.
  3. ^ Jada Toys' take on classic Hot Rods of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
  4. ^ American cars with oversized wheels, raised ride height and special paint jobs.
  5. ^ Classic and modern cars in faux dusty, unrestored condition.
  6. ^ DUB City-treated pickup trucks and SUVs.
  7. ^ Customized Japanese sports cars.
  8. ^ Classic 1950s cars inspired by George Barris's custom designs.
  9. ^ Customized rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive sports and race cars from and inspired by the Formula D Championship Series.
  10. ^ Custom Peterbilt 379 trucks with brand sponsored haulers.
  11. ^ Classic and modern cars in their unmodified form.
  12. ^ American Lowrider cars.
  13. ^ 1:64 scale cars packaged in mini-dioramas.
  14. ^ Customized Volkswagen cars.

Licensed

In addition to Jada's own lines, the company also produces a wide range of branded toys and diecast products based on various movies, TV Shows, sports leagues, comics, games, and characters.

Notes
  1. ^ Painted yellow with black stripes, similar to Bumblebee from the Transformers film. Also from 2009 they offered an exclusive Chevy Stingray Concept

References

  1. ^ a b "About Us - Jada Club". Jada Toys. Archived from the original on May 9, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Aaron (2006). "Jada: From Lowriders to Hot Rods - A Diecast Success Story". DieCastX Magazine. No. Summer 2006. United States: Air Age Media. pp. 60–63. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  3. ^ McClellan, Ken (13 December 2001). "DUB Magazine and Jada Toys Introduce DUB CITY: Diecast Toys for the Baller in All of Us". Jada Toys. Archived from the original on 10 June 2002. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  4. ^ "Jada Toys Goes to Chub City". ICv2. GCO. 31 July 2005. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  5. ^ Flandez, Raymund (6 March 2007). "Toy Makers Hit It Big With Burger King Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Newscorp. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Dentsu Inc. Enters into an Agreement for the Purchase of Toy Brand Chub City". Jada Toys. Anime News Network. 10 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Pipeline: An early peek at shows on the development track" (PDF). Kidscreen. No. February/March 2014. Canada: Brunico Communications. p. 38. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  8. ^ Wright, Rob (7 January 2008). "Guitar Hero - Without the Guitar". Tom's Hardware. Purch Group. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Jada Toys, Inc. - Our Company". Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  10. ^ Liu, Jonathan (4 September 2014). "Jada Targets Girls With New R/C Toys". GeekDad. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  11. ^ Moore, Joe (4 November 2013). "Jada Toys Officially Unveils Robocop Figures". The Toy Ark. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  12. ^ "MGM Readies Robocop for Retail". License! Global. UBM plc. 19 February 2014. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  13. ^ Michalik, Maddie (4 August 2014). "Jada Toys Secures Vehicles License for Jurassic World and Fast & Furious 7". The Licensing Book. The Adventure Group. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Jada Toys Hires Scott "Toy Guru" Neitlich as Vice President of Marketing". Jada Toys. Street Insider. 3 June 2016. Archived from the original on 30 January 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Jada Toys at Anime Expo 2016". Mad4Metals. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  16. ^ Thomas, Rhys (January 29, 2019). "Simba acquires Jada Toys". Toys 'N Playthings. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  17. ^ "FRP Signs Jada Toys as Master Toy Licensee for Donkey Hodie". Fred Rogers Productions. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2022.

External links

Scale model manufacturers and brands
Categories