Discovery Toys
| Industry | Multi-level marketing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Lane Nemeth |
| Headquarters | Livermore, California, U.S. |
Key people | Jerry Salerno (CEO) |
| Products | Toys |
| Website | www |
Discovery Toys is a multi-level marketing company specializing in educational toys.[1] Its products are sold in the U.S. and Canada, and its headquarters are in Livermore, California.
The company was purchased by Avon Products in 1997 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eos International in 2001.[2][3][4]
History
[edit]Discovery Toys was founded as a multi-level marketing company in 1978 by Lane Nemeth,[5] a former daycare director, with a $5,000 family loan.[1][6] Lane, a mother from the San Francisco bay area, started the company when she was unable to find educational toys for her own children.[7]
According to Nemeth, the company had 2,500 sales "consultants" in 1982 and had reached $4.6 million in revenue the previous year.[8] Ms. Nemeth grew the company to a $100 million in annual revenue by 1997 then sold the company to Avon[9] who sold it in 2002 to a private equity group. Discovery Toys was acquired by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eos International, Inc. in July 2001.[1][4]
One of the company's top selling toys is Marbleworks. Released in 1982, it consists of colorful, sloped, plastic half-pipes of different designs. The individual pieces interlock, creating a track on which marbles are run.[10] Marbleworks was included in Discovery's product line when Discovery Toys expanded into China in 2003.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Eos International, Inc. Form 10-K (2001)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- ^ "Avon to Buy Discovery Toys". Los Angeles Times. 1997-01-23. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Carlsen, Clifford (1997-02-16). "Discovery Toys opens its door to Avon offer". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ a b "EOS INTERNATIONAL $6.5 MILLION SHORT TERM NOTES EXTENDED". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Newman, Andrew Adam (2007-12-22). "For Pet Owners, Too, Toys a Reason for Concern". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Nancy Rutter (July 1, 1990). "Greer vs. Nemeth". Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
- ^ Said, Carolyn (2011-12-18). "Bay Area toy makers put modern twist on classics". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ Steve Kaufman (November 7, 1982). "Entrepreneur's sales thrive from educational toy parties". Boca Raton News (Knight Ridder). Retrieved December 8, 2009.
- ^ Coco Masters (April 4, 2005). "Let's Pawty!". Time. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
- ^ Matt, McFarland (2013-12-09). "The childhood toys that inspired female engineers and scientists". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ Kathy Chen (2003-09-24). "Discovery Toys Will Launch Its Toys and Games in China". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
External links
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