Mega Brands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mega Brands Inc.

Formerly	Ritvik Holdings (1967–2002) Mega Bloks Inc. (2002–2006)
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Toys Stationery and crafts
Founded	1967; 58 years ago (1967)
Founders	Victor and Rita Bertrand
Headquarters	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Key people	Marc Bertrand (CEO) Vic Bertrand (CIO)
Products	construction toys message boards activity kits art materials school supplies writing instruments wood products puzzles
Brands	Board Dudes Locker Dudes Mega Bloks Mega Construx Mega Puzzles Mega Brands America Write Dudes
Revenue	$1.08 billion (Est. FY 2020)
Number of employees	1,700 (2018)
Parent	Mattel (2014–present)

Mega Brands Inc. is a Canadian company that makes toys for children. It used to be called Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings. Today, it is part of Mattel, a very big toy company. Mega Brands sells many different kinds of toys. These include building sets, puzzles, and craft kits.

Their most famous product is Mega Bloks. These are building toys that let you create all sorts of things. Other popular brands from Mega Brands include Mega Construx, Mega Puzzles, and Board Dudes. In 2016, Mega Bloks was the second best-selling construction toy brand in the world.

The Story of Mega Brands

Starting as Ritvik Holdings

The company began in 1967. It was founded by Victor Bertrand and his wife, Rita. They named their company Ritvik Holdings, combining parts of their names. At first, Ritvik Holdings brought toys from other countries to sell in Canada. They also helped foreign toy companies work with Canadian factories.

Over time, Ritvik Holdings grew a lot. They started making their own plastic toys. They also added design teams and marketing services. By the early 1980s, they were a top company in Canada for plastic toys.

The Idea for Mega Bloks

Victor Bertrand wanted to sell toys outside of Canada. He noticed that building block sets were very popular. Lego was the biggest company in this area. Bertrand decided to make a similar toy.

He had a special idea for his new blocks. He wanted to make jumbo-sized bricks. These would be perfect for toddlers, who were too young for smaller Lego bricks. He also believed his experience in making plastic items would help him offer a good price.

Mega Bloks Becomes a Hit

In 1984, Ritvik showed off their new Mega Bloks toys. They presented them at trade shows in the US and Canada. The toys were an instant success! Mega Bloks sold very well in Canada. They even made a $1 million sale to Toys "R" Us. By 1985, you could find Mega Bloks almost everywhere in Canada and the US.

Many big companies wanted to sell Mega Bloks. Some even wanted to buy the company itself. By 1989, Mega Bloks were sold in 30 countries. They were especially popular in Europe, the US, and Canada. The company offered up to 30 different play sets. They even released a piano set with Mega Blok-compatible keys for young children. In 1989, Ritvik decided to focus only on Mega Bloks. They sold off all their other toy lines.

New Challenges and Growth

In 1991, Ritvik launched a "Micro" line of Mega Bloks. These smaller bricks were compatible with Lego bricks. This meant Ritvik and The Lego Group were now direct competitors. Lego Canada sued Ritvik, saying their Micro Mega Bloks looked too similar to Lego. However, Lego's patent for the brick shape had expired. Ritvik won the case because they made sure their brand looked different from Lego. Similar lawsuits in Europe and the U.S. had the same outcome.

Mega Bloks sales grew very fast during this time. They grew by about 70% each year until the mid-1990s. In 1996, a part of Ritvik was sold to the Blackstone Group. Rita Bertrand and her daughter Chantal retired that year. Victor Bertrand Jr. and Marc Bertrand became active in managing the company.

Ritvik also started making toys based on popular characters. In 1998, they made a deal for Teletubbies toys. Then they worked with Fisher-Price for Sesame Street characters. They also introduced a NASCAR toy line.

By 2000, Ritvik added new features to their toys. They made building sets that could change into vehicles. They also created a remote control electronic kit called the Mega Bloks RO Action Builder. The company started advertising on TV and spent a lot on marketing and new ideas.

Becoming Mega Bloks Inc.

Sales for Ritvik had doubled since 1999. In May 2002, the company became public. This means people could buy shares of the company on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company changed its name to Mega Bloks Inc. Victor Bertrand Jr. and Marc Bertrand took on bigger roles in the company.

Even though the toy market was a bit slow from 2002 to 2003, Mega Bloks continued to sell more toys. The company had grown for 17 years in a row. It became the second-largest construction toy company, right behind Lego.

In 2003, Mega Bloks worked with a Japanese toy company called Bandai. They sold Mega Blok sets with popular Japanese cartoon characters. They also released a Dragon series of toys. These were inspired by popular fantasy movies. Another new product was Mega Play!, which were large blocks that children could even fit inside.

In 2005, Mega Bloks, Inc. bought Rose Art Industries. This included their Magnetix toy line. However, Magnetix toys soon had safety issues. The company had to recall them. This caused the value of Mega Bloks shares to drop. In 2006, the company also bought Board Dudes, Inc., which made message boards and locker products.

The Birth of Mega Brands

On June 15, 2006, the company changed its name again. It became Mega Brands Inc. This was because they had bought several brands that were not just about building bricks. Rose Art Industries was renamed Mega Brands America, Inc.

After many years of growth, Mega Brands faced financial challenges in 2008. The company worked to get back on track. In 2010, they moved their stationery and activities division to California. This part of the company was brought back into Mega operations by 2012.

On February 28, 2014, Mattel, Inc. announced that it would buy Mega Brands Inc. The deal was completed on April 20, 2014. Mega Brands became a part of Mattel. Before this, Mega and Mattel had already worked together. They made Mega "Worlds" sets based on Mattel brands. They also created a line for Mattel's American Girl dolls.

Three years later, in 2017, Mattel introduced Mega Construx. This is a new type of building set for kids aged four and up, and also for adult collectors. The first Mega Construx sets were based on Pokémon characters.

In March 2021, the RoseArt brand was sold back to the Rosen family. They were the original owners of Rose Art Industries.

Types of Products

Mega Brands makes different kinds of building toys:

• Bricks
  • Mega Bloks - These are the original large blocks for younger children. They are now called 1st Builders.
  • Mega Blocks - These are a medium size and work with Duplo blocks. They are now called Junior Builders.
  • Mega Bloks micro - These are smaller bricks that are compatible with Lego bricks.
• Mega Construx - These are now part of the Wonder Builders and Advanced Builder lines. They are also compatible with Lego bricks.

Mega Construx figures are different from Lego mini-figures. They have many points where they can bend and move. This allows for up to 16 different poses and lots of ways to customize them.

In 2022, many Mega Construx lines were rebranded to simply "MEGA" with a purple logo. Some products from earlier years might have either brand name.

Popular Connections

Mega Bloks have appeared in a commercial for the Honda Element car. In the ad, giant bricks fall from the sky and build the car. The commercial clearly shows that they are Mega Bloks.

Mega Brands has licenses to make toys based on many popular movies, TV shows, and video games. These include:

• Thomas the Tank Engine
• Call of Duty
• Halo
• Barbie
• Hot Wheels
• Masters of the Universe
• Power Rangers
• American Girl
• Monster High
• Destiny
• Elder Scrolls
• The Witcher

They used to have the rights for Pokémon and the Despicable Me movies. Mega Brands also had licenses for Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They also make sets for Nick Jr. Channel shows like Paw Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, and Shimmer and Shine. Recently, they even got the license for Alien.

Toy Themes

See also

In Spanish: Mega Brands para niños

• Oxford (toy company)