Latest news with #JonathanCathey
Buzz Feed
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Your Fave Childhood Toys Are Having A Major Comeback
Between Funko Pop figurines targeting every corner of popular culture fandom and the recent rise of blind boxes, adults are collecting and playing with toys like never before. Companies like The Loyal Subjects and Basic Fun took notice and have been attracting the attention of older toy enthusiasts, specifically Gen X and Millennials, by reviving popular brands like Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Littlest Pet Shop and several others. Loyal Subjects CEO Jonathan Cathey told us, 'I don't think we had a conscious strategy other than to go after what we liked and knew — sort of that age-old writer wisdom — 'write what you know'. Being born in '74, I came of age with these brands, so I had a visceral connection... I knew there were many folks like me... so it just seemed like a no-brainer. It's sort of the anti-data approach, just go with your gut kind-a-thing.'It was a gut instinct that paid off. The brand's Rainbow Brite re-release took home the 'Doll of the Year' award at the 2025 Toy Awards. It's also worth noting that a Transformer toy took home 'Action Figure of the Year' and an updated version of Uno won 'Game of the Year.' Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun, explained, 'What makes [these brands] popular is that they have an extra charm and appeal that makes them memorable and endearing, generation after generation. So the brands that bring back memories are the ones that tend to remain popular.' Some of the toys have been restored just as you remember. Others have been updated slightly to align with current trends. We rounded up some of these throwback toys guaranteed to send you drifting down memory lane and spoke to some collectors about their favorites. A new kind of Care Bear Care Bears were originally created in 1981 to be featured on greeting cards. In the decades since, the characters have been the focus of TV shows, movies, games and (of course) dolls. The newest line, including this Grumpy Bear, are designed to help kids express their emotions and made from materials to help comfort children with sensory it from Amazon for $13.97+ (available in 11 styles). A truly outrageous music icon Barbie has had a chokehold on the pop culture zeitgeist for generations, but the '80s were Jem's time to shine. As the star of an animated series from 1985 to 1988, her flamboyant style and personality left such a lasting impression on kids at the time that they're now snatching up the revived doll line. Our own Noah Michelson is one such collector: "I know some people think nostalgia can be dangerous because it romanticizes the past in a way that often isn't entirely accurate, but I think leaning into it can also be a relief in some ways. So much is terrible right now and these toys are a reminder of — and a portal to — a better time."Get it from Walmart for $34.95. A colorful intergalactic superhero First introduced in 1984, Rainbow Brite leads a group of heroes who protect all of the colors of the universe. The Loyal Subjects revival of toy line is one of their most popular endeavors so far, earning them awards and accolades in the industry and from fans. While this 12-inch doll is the clear standout, the collection also includes mini figurines, bag charms and enamel pins. Get it from Amazon for $14 (also available in three other styles). A set of miniature animal friends A few years before Pokémon took the world by storm in the '90s, Littlest Pet Shop had young people all over trying to collect them all. Relaunched in 2022 by Basic Fun, fans of the original pets are embracing their tiny friends again with open arms. YouTuber Emily Kay explains, "I have around 750 Littlest Pet Shops. I've been collecting since I was around 6 years old and I'm 23 now! I stopped buying LPS when I went to college, it had been so long since Hasbro had made the type of Littlest Pet Shops that collectors like myself preferred, and there were less and less people involved in the community. I find the community to be a big part of why I enjoy collecting LPS! Once Basic Fun brought back the older style, I started to collect and make videos again with my rediscovered passion."Get them from Amazon for $11.99. An adorable adoptable dog Millennials have been living by the "adopt, don't shop" mantra since we were little kids. Between Cabbage Patch Kids and Pound Puppies, we adored dolls that came with adoption certificates and gave them loving homes. The original line of Pound Puppies ceased production in 2003, but the adoption shelter reopened in 2019 when Basic Fun brought back some familiar faces and introduced a few new it from Amazon for $14.99. A boy doll from 1985 with an unforgettable theme song Historically, most dolls have been designed to appear female and they've been marketed toward girls. Hasbro attempted to shake things up in the mid-'80s by creating My Buddy for boys. There are long-standing rumors that the doll served as visual inspiration for the murderous toy star of "Child's Play" franchise, but not even Chucky could stop this little guy from making his big return to shelves in February of it from Walmart for $34.97. A special anniversary-edition figurine for horse girls (and boys) everywhere My Little Pony has had several iterations since its debut in 1981. The adult fanbase for these magical horses is large enough that it was the subject of a documentary made back in 2012. Basic Fun introduced a limited edition re-release of the original line-up to celebrate the brand's 40th anniversary in 2021. I'm not sure they still qualify as ponies at 40 years old. Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in six styles). A sweet-scented doll with some equally fragrant friends While Rainbow Brite is off on her intergalactic travel preserving color in the universe, Strawberry Shortcake and her pals are holding it down on Earth baking sweet fruity treats. The first doll was introduced in 1979 and continues to have a devoted following with each new release thanks to The Loyal Subjects. Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in two styles).
The Independent
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
How Trump's trade war threw his and America's toys out the pram
President Trump's trade war rhetoric has found a new target: children's toys. In recent remarks, the president suggested that children would be content with fewer toys if tariffs increase prices, sparking a backlash on social media and among industry figures. Trump asserted that children could happily make do with two, three, or five dolls instead of 30 if US import taxes drive up consumer costs. The response online was swift, with memes depicting the president as the Grinch and images circulating of a young Barron Trump's miniature Mercedes convertible. Jonathan Cathey, CEO of The Loyal Subjects, a Los Angeles-based collectible toy company that produces Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite dolls, criticized the president's remarks on LinkedIn. "COMPLETELY out of touch," Cathey wrote. "If that ain't a 'Let them eat cake' moment shot through the echoes of history? Love how toys and dolls have become THE martyr metaphor for this nonsensical trade war incoherence." The president's comments also resonated with parents, some of whom took issue with his seemingly flippant suggestion that "two dolls will cost a couple bucks more." Others acknowledged that their own children possess an overabundance of toys. The incident highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the impact of tariffs on consumer goods and the president's messaging around the issue. Either way, the U.S. toy industry has a lot riding on a possible deescalation of the tariff standoff between the Trump administration and the government in Beijing. Nearly 80% of the toys sold in the U.S. come from China. The Toy Association, a trade group, has lobbied for an immediate reprieve from the 145% tariff rate the president put on Chinese-made products. Some toy companies warn the likelihood of holiday shortages increases each week the tariff remains in effect. How much is the US doll market worth? From Barbie, Bratz and Cabbage Patch Kids to Adora baby dolls, American Girl and Our Generation, dolls are a big business in the U.S. as well as beloved playthings. The doll category, which includes accessories like clothes, generated U.S. sales of $2.7 billion last year compared to $2.9 billion in 2023 and $3.4 billion in 2019, according to market research firm Circana. Consumers splurged on toys during the height of the COVID pandemic to keep children and themselves occupied, but sales flattened as inflation seized the economy. Younger girls becoming more interested in buying makeup and skincare also has cooled the demand for dolls. The nation's largest toy maker, Mattel, said this week it would have to raise prices for some products sold in the U.S. to offset higher costs related to tariffs. The company, whose brands include Barbie and American Girl, said the increases were necessary even though it's speeding up the expansion of its manufacturing base outside of China. Smaller toy companies are expected to have a harder time than Mattel and Hasbro, which makes the eating, drinking and diaper-wetting Baby Alive. Cathey said he paused The Loyal Subjects' shipments from China in April because he couldn't pay the stratospheric tariff they would have incurred. 'Nobody insulates themselves with that much cash,' he said. With about four months' worth of inventory on hand, Cathey said his ability to secure holiday stock depends on a break in the U.S.-China trade standoff happening in the next two weeks since it would take time for cargo operations to resume. Cepia, a Missouri company that was behind the 2009 holiday season hit Zhu Zhu Pets, launched a line of 11-inch fashion dolls called Decora Girlz last year. CEO James Russell Hornsby said he was working to relocate some production but the move won't happen in time to replace the orders he planned to get from China. Hornsby described himself as a Trump supporter and said he understands the administration's desire to reduce trade imbalances. 'Let's just get the deals done and stop all this because (Trump's) disrupting Christmas,' he said. Although American Girl launched in 1986 with a line based on fictional historical characters, the dolls never were domestic products. They were made in Germany before production eventually moved to China. Toy experts say that in addition to lower costs, Chinese factories have developed techniques and expertise that are not easily replicated. 'We don't have any capacity in the U.S. to make rooted doll hair. And then you've got things like the faces. Some of them are hand-painted, others are done with a Tampo (printing) machine,' James Zahn, editor-in-chief of industry publication The Toy Book, said of doll-making. Hornsby said rooting the synthetic hair onto the heads of Decora Girlz dolls is carried out by skilled workers at factories in Guangzhou and Dongguan, China. 'It's not just sticking into a machine and it automatically does it," he said. 'You have to know what you're doing in order to make that doll look like it's got a full set of hair when literally maybe only 60% of the head is filled with hair." Are toys from China safe? White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said last week that he assumes consumers would prefer to pay more for American-made products. Dolls made in China might have lead paint in them, he said. Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said the picture is more complicated. Products for children ages 12 and under require third-party testing and certification from labs approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the agency tasked with enforcing lead levels in toys, Murray said. The rules apply to all products sold in the U.S. Toys by major brands such as Fisher-Price, Mattel, Hasbro and Lego, which have long outsourced manufacturing to China, are usually in compliance, she said. But the rise of online shopping, including e-commerce platforms that ship directly to U.S. consumers from overseas, has posed a challenge, according to Murray. When valued at less than $800, such parcels entered the U.S. duty-free and were not subject to the same scrutiny as bulk imports, she said. The White House eliminated the customs exemption starting May 2 for low-value parcels that originated in mainland China and Hong Kong. U.S Customs and Border Protection expects additional oversight will make it easier to flag problems. Toy companies and industry experts argue the high tariffs on Chinese imports will tempt price-sensitive shoppers to search for cheap counterfeit toys that carry higher safety risks. Can children have too many dolls? Plenty of people agree American consumer culture has gotten out of hand, in large part due to prices kept low through the labor of foreign factory workers who earn much less than they would in the U.S. Katie Walley-Wiegert, 38, a senior marketer in Richmond, Virginia, and the parent of a 2-year-old son, agrees there's too much materialism but thinks parents should have choices when deciding what is best for their children. She found the wealthy Trump's comments off-putting. 'I think it is a small view of what purchase habits and realities are for people who buy toys for kids,' Walley-Wiegert said. San Francisco resident Elenor Mak, who founded the Jilly Bing doll company after she couldn't find an Asian American doll for her daughter, Jillian, now 5, said the president's remarks upset her because some families struggle to buy even one doll. The trade war with China 'just makes it even more impossible for those families,' Mak said.
