ZURU Acquires Funville's Sparkle Girlz Doll Brand To Grow The Magic In The Doll Aisle

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading international toy and consumer products company, ZURU, is excited to announce the company's acquisition of Sparkle Girlz, the 10-year old doll brand developed by Danuta Saville as Funville.  The Sparkle Girlz brand vision was to create a stronger presence of magic, imagination and sparkle in the doll category. The brand features an extensive range of products that incorporate fun, fantasy and fashion into a variety of dolls. Sparkle Girlz has seen strong brand growth since its beginnings, now distributing its products globally.

Anna Mowbray, COO of ZURU, explains the strategy behind the acquisition, "The brand is a perfect fit to the ZURU model. Exceptional quality and design at affordable prices. I see so much synergy between what Danuta and John Saville have developed alongside the passion, creativity and business success of ZURU."

Mowbray continued, "We have exciting product development plans and marketing initiatives that we know will rapidly grow and elevate the brand and look forward to adding this range to our girls portfolio."

The integration of Sparkle Girlz into ZURU does not only boast a win for ZURU, but Funville also.

Founder Danuta Saville commented, "The success of ZURU coupled with the drive of a young, dynamic and visionary team makes them a great partner in driving the Sparkle Girlz brand forward."

For John Saville, Director of Funville, he too looks forward to a new venture with ZURU. "After 49 years in the toy industry I am delighted to see this exciting progression of the Sparkle Girlz brand. I know the brand will grow phenomenally with ZURU behind it."

The extensive product range includes iconic themed dolls such as fairies and princesses, hair styling unicorns, baby dolls, interactive play sets, castles, surprise collectables and more. The brand also works to integrate environmentally friendly packaging into more of its products.  The brand is particularly proud of the exemplary cone packaging design in one of its doll lines, which removed the presence of single use plastic. The innovative design has been globally recognized as a pioneering example of movement towards sustainable packaging.

The dolls category is valued at USD$1.8 Billion and has grown 13.1% since 2017. Play patterns surrounding dolls show no sign of slowing down as they continue to hold a key role in instilling creativity, empathy and compassion in children. Sparkle Girlz have a stable presence in all sub-categories providing huge opportunities for ZURU to continue developing the brand in partnership with Danuta.

About ZURU
ZURU is a disruptive and award-winning company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative toys. Inspired by kids and imaginative play, ZURU is one of the fastest growing toy companies and is known for their agility, creativity and new-age manufacturing techniques. The company employs more than 400 staff, has 10 offices and supplies most major retailers in 120+ countries. ZURU has delighted millions of families all over the world through partnerships with entertainment properties, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Universal Studios and DreamWorks as well as successfully building their own global brands such as Bunch O Balloons™, ZURU Fidget™, 5 Surprise™, X-Shot™, Robo Alive™, Micro Boats™ and Smashers™. Let's reimagine play, everyday!

Visit us at www.zuru.com, follow on Facebook @ZURUToys, or  Twitter @ZURUToys.

SOURCE ZURU