LOS ANGELES, Jan. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Loyal Subjects™ (TLS) – a collectible toy company – is excited to announce the launch of a partnership with Bandai America which will turbo-charge TLS' expansion across the retail landscape.
TLS' signature Action Vinyls™ are a hybrid comingling of stylized features, artful and detailed deco from the Designer/Art Toy/Vinyl world, and the pose-able dexterity found in Action Figures; hence "Action Vinyls" – a cool "Vinyl-like" collectible with "Action" in the form of pose-ability and accessories. The figures stand at about 3.25", have up to 15 points of articulation, are accompanied by a collector card, and have interchangeable accessories. TLS pays homage to its collector base by including rare figures and "Easter eggs" in its product lines.
TLS is a Universe Without Borders™. From the first Action Vinyls offering, TLS' vision has been to create a world with no rules, just synergistic fun and collaborative comingling. So an accessory from He-Man™ can also fit the hands of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™, and a hero from Megaman™ can battle a villain from Thundercats™ – the walls have been torn down, and the inmates have taken over! Not all collectible figures are treated equal, unless they're from TLS. TLS has sold millions of units worldwide and Action Vinyls are a toy industry disruptor.
"TLS and Bandai truly believe we can build a $100 million dollar brand together," said Jonathan Cathey, The Loyal Subjects' Founder/CEO and President. "All the key ingredients are there – quality, fun, accessibility, story-telling, creativity, and artful execution. We are seeing an increasing desire to join the TLS mission by collectors from all corners of the globe, and an explosive interest in the application of pop culture to the TLS army building experience. It's a perfect recipe, and we look forward to building significantly at retail to showcase our unique, beloved, and killer quality format – Action Vinyls. With the Bandai and TLS partnership, sky's the limit."
Added Michael Ciminera, Bandai America's Senior Vice President, Sales, "Vinyl collectables is a huge growth category in the industry right now. We believe TLS brings a unique product to the market with their Action Vinyls and robust licensing line up. We are thrilled to be able to help grow this brand at retail."
TLS is stacked with a wide range of popular and evergreen licenses crossing all genres: Anime, TV, Movie, Super Hero, Classic and Nostalgia, Horror, Fantasy, Cartoons, Video Game, Mobile Game, and Action Adventure. TLS is set to release a variety of offerings each quarter, including online and convention exclusives. TLS products are currently sold in a wide range of retailers including Hot Topic, GameStop, Target, Walmart, Box Lunch, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, FYE, 7-Eleven, Walgreens, and independent toy, hobby and comic book stores.
A Brief History of Time at TLS
Originally funded in 2009 by a $500 personal check, and launched by Jonathan Cathey with a strong creative vision and a helpful hand from an old friend and a small roto-molding toy supplier in China, The Loyal Subjects has been on an indie journey through the asteroid fields of publicly traded companies, big business licensing, cut3 throat competition, and big retail to find itself amongst the elite companies on the who's who of retailer shelves.
The first office was a humble living room, and the first warehouse a garage. In 2012, TLS partnered with its first licensor, pulling in two key licenses. By this time, Jonathan wanted something more than products that were beautiful, but static, and were essentially expensive totems to keep behind glass. Jonathan created Action Vinyls as he was looking for an item that would encourage play, engage with collectors, get in people's hands, kick start the imagination engine, inspire story-telling, and be a reinvestment in "fun." The first Action Vinyls offering sold out. Collectors came looking. They played, they told stories, they cued into the nuances, they created stop motion videos, and they took them to eat and on vacation, accompanying collectors in visceral life moments. Fun, authenticity, play, quality, and craftsman details – it worked! These values still counted in this world of "crank 'em out quick and who cares if it's sloppy," and there were thousands of collectors wanting a genuine, fun, quality, and fresh experience to reinvent their "toy box."
After preaching the Action Vinyls gospel for several years and securing placement at a number of national retailers, TLS collaborated with Crofton Capital, a private equity firm based in the Boston area with a shared vision for the TLS brand, and garnered an investment to support the brand's elevation to the next level. Rolling the clock forward again, and with millions of figures sold following successful debuts in mass retailers, and continued growth with the specialty retailers who masterfully curate collector culture, TLS is taking its next step by partnering with Bandai. The TLS palette is crisp and artful, the collectibles imaginative, fresh and engaging, and the quality second to none in the price range. With Bandai's exclusive sales and distribution, marketing support, and retail statement build to drive Action Vinyls fervor, TLS is poised to take a leap into phenomenology, the unique and viral explosion of the Action Vinyls format.
New York Toy Fair, 2019
The Loyal Subjects – Booth #5385
Bandai America Incorporated – Booth #3103
About The Loyal Subjects
Born in 2009, The Loyal Subjects™ (TLS) has infused collectible toys with the art, quality, nuances, details and value its loyal fan base of collectors expect. Best known for its Action Vinyls™, a proprietary form of collectible figures, The Loyal Subjects creates unique products based on licensed properties from partners including Capcom, Fox, Funimation, HBO, Mattel, Nickelodeon, Sanrio, Sony, Viz Media, Warner Bros, and WWE. For more information on The Loyal Subjects please visit www.TheLoyalSubjects.com.
TLS' mission? "Building rich experiences for collectors through dynamic products that stay true to a creative spirit." In the licensed collectibles world, TLS collectors have adopted play where they were only being offered display.
About Bandai America Incorporated
Bandai builds on dreams, adds to the fun, and strives to inspire kids of all ages around the world, every day! A leader in developing engaging, quality toys that capture children's imaginative spirit and provide endless "Fun For The Future," Bandai America Incorporated is the manufacturer and master toy licensee of some of the most popular brands in children's toys and interactive entertainment today. The Bandai America brand family includes PacManTM, Dragon Ball®, Godzilla and Tamagotchi®, among other boys, girls, preschool, and hobby product lines. Bandai America Incorporated is a subsidiary of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings USA Inc., an entity that resulted from the integration of Namco Ltd. and Bandai Co. Ltd. of Japan. Global interests encompass three strategic business units: Toys and Hobby, Video Games and Online Entertainment and Film and Music. The company is headquartered in El Segundo, California. Find out more about our expertise in connecting with kids in fun and fresh ways at www.Bandai.com.
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