Best known for its award-winning wooden toys, Le Toy Van acquires premium plush brand Pickles amid a period of strong growth
Le Toy Van has signalled a major push into the plush category with the acquisition of premium plush brand Pickles, formally known as Mr Pickles.
The acquisition comes at a time of strong growth for the award-winning wooden toy company, which has enjoyed year-on-year growth in recent years and expanded its team with nine new hires over the past 12 months.
With its wooden toys now sold in more than 150 countries worldwide, the company sees significant potential to introduce Pickles to its established network of international customers, distributors and retail partners.
“There is a real demand for beautifully designed, sustainable toys, and we’re incredibly excited to bring Pickles into the Le Toy Van family,” said Steven Le Van, Managing Director of Le Toy Van. “Our wooden toys have even been described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘works of art’, and we see that same attention to design and character in Pickles. It’s such a strong brand, the designs are beautiful, and we can’t wait to carry it further and share it with the world.
“Entering plush also feels like a very natural progression for us. So many of our products are designed to encourage imaginative, nurturing and role play alongside plush toys – from our care kits, including our bestselling Doctor’s Kit, to our much-loved large puppet theatres.”
Pickles is known for its distinctive, beautifully designed plush characters, with a strong focus on quality, personality and timeless design. Le Toy Van says it sees significant opportunities for the two brands to complement one another, with Mr Pickles plush toys sitting naturally alongside Le Toy Van’s doll houses, role-play sets, furniture and accessories.
The newly expanded range will be showcased to the international toy industry at London Toy Fair and Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, with an exclusive first look at selected Pickles products coming next month at Top Drawer London.
