Irwin Toy
Encyclopedia
Irwin Toy Limited was a Canadian distributor and manufacturer of toy
s. It was Canada's oldest toy company and remained independent and family owned.
and focused mainly on toys, Sam and Beatrice's sons had taken over management in the years to follow.
Most of Irwin's profits came from distributing other (usually American
) companies' toys -- and as a result, almost all popular toys available in Canada until the 1990s were distributed by Irwin. This was because many major American companies wished to sell their toys in Canada, but it was not seen as a useful business practice to open a Canadian branch because of the lower population and tariff
s which would generate less income. Irwin's success came mainly due to their licensing and contract manufacture of American companies Kenner
and Parker
, where Irwin was the Canadian importer and distributor of their products.
The business found success with the help of the Hula Hoop
, Slinky
, Frisbee
, and later on in the century with the enormously popular Star Wars
action figures, Care Bears
and the Easy-Bake Oven
. In the early 1980s, the Atari Video Computer System was a huge hit, and Irwin was the Canadian distributor. Irwin would also acquire the rights to the Sega
video game brand in Canada later on. The video game sales, and remaining products brought revenues of $100 million and huge growth for the company. The company also had a popular junior shareholders program to get kids interested in the toy company and introduce them to the stock market, and employed 350 people at their downtown Toronto factory.
However, in the 1980s and 1990s major American companies such as Hasbro
, Mattel
, and Kenner
acquired many of the companies that Irwin did business with. In the 1980s, with the introduction of the Free Trade Agreement
and later, the North American Free Trade Agreement
, it became less expensive for American companies to form Canadian branches. As a result, Irwin lost many business deals and major toy companies began to distribute toys themselves.
In 1989, Irwin Toy challenged the constitutionality a Quebec law prohibiting advertising directed toward children. The case, Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Quebec (Attorney General)
, reached the Supreme Court and resulted in a landmark ruling regarding the interpretation of freedom of expression provision
in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
.
Approaching the millennium, Irwin Toy was facing financial and business difficulty, and was sold to a private investment group, LivGroup Ltd. of Toronto in 2001 for approximately $55 million. Eighteen months after the buyout, Irwin Toy, now owned by Richard Ivey and Jean Marie Halde of Toronto, declared bankruptcy and entered into creditor supported liquidation
. The original factory was sold to developers for $10 million and converted into a condominium
(Lanterra/Toy Factory Lofts).
Following liquidation, the company officially closed down, and in 2003, the company was re-purchased by the former employees, George and Peter Irwin, and continued business as itoys inc.
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s. It was Canada's oldest toy company and remained independent and family owned.
History
The company began in 1926 as an importer and distributor of dry goods and clothing, located in Sam and Beatrice Irwin's house. Later, the company moved to a warehouse in the west end of TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and focused mainly on toys, Sam and Beatrice's sons had taken over management in the years to follow.
Most of Irwin's profits came from distributing other (usually American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) companies' toys -- and as a result, almost all popular toys available in Canada until the 1990s were distributed by Irwin. This was because many major American companies wished to sell their toys in Canada, but it was not seen as a useful business practice to open a Canadian branch because of the lower population and tariff
Tariff
A tariff may be either tax on imports or exports , or a list or schedule of prices for such things as rail service, bus routes, and electrical usage ....
s which would generate less income. Irwin's success came mainly due to their licensing and contract manufacture of American companies Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
and Parker
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
, where Irwin was the Canadian importer and distributor of their products.
The business found success with the help of the Hula Hoop
Hula hoop
A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck.Although the exact origins of hula hoops are unknown, children and adults around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history...
, Slinky
Slinky
Slinky or "Lazy Spring" is a toy consisting of a helical spring that stretches and can bounce up and down. It can perform a number of tricks, including traveling down a flight of steps end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its own momentum.-History:The toy was...
, Frisbee
Frisbee
A flying disc is a disc-shaped glider that is generally plastic and roughly in diameter, with a lip. The shape of the disc, an airfoil in cross-section, allows it to fly by generating lift as it moves through the air while rotating....
, and later on in the century with the enormously popular Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
action figures, Care Bears
Care Bears
The Care Bears are characters created by American Greetings in 1981 for use on greeting cards. The original artwork for the cards was painted by artist Elena Kucharik. In 1983, Kenner turned the Care Bears into plush teddy bears...
and the Easy-Bake Oven
Easy-Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven introduced by Kenner in 1963, and currently manufactured by Hasbro. The original toy used an ordinary incandescent light bulb as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element. By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens had been sold.The...
. In the early 1980s, the Atari Video Computer System was a huge hit, and Irwin was the Canadian distributor. Irwin would also acquire the rights to the Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
video game brand in Canada later on. The video game sales, and remaining products brought revenues of $100 million and huge growth for the company. The company also had a popular junior shareholders program to get kids interested in the toy company and introduce them to the stock market, and employed 350 people at their downtown Toronto factory.
However, in the 1980s and 1990s major American companies such as Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
, and Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
acquired many of the companies that Irwin did business with. In the 1980s, with the introduction of the Free Trade Agreement
Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement
The Free Trade Agreement was a trade agreement signed by Canada and the United States on October 4, 1988. The agreement, finalized by October 1987, removed several trade restrictions in stages over a ten year period, and resulted in a great increase in cross-border trade...
and later, the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
, it became less expensive for American companies to form Canadian branches. As a result, Irwin lost many business deals and major toy companies began to distribute toys themselves.
In 1989, Irwin Toy challenged the constitutionality a Quebec law prohibiting advertising directed toward children. The case, Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Quebec (Attorney General)
Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Quebec (Attorney General)
Irwin Toy Ltd. v. Quebec , [1989] 1 S.C.R. 927 is a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision on freedom of expression in section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms...
, reached the Supreme Court and resulted in a landmark ruling regarding the interpretation of freedom of expression provision
Section Two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Section Two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the section of the Constitution of Canada's Charter of Rights that lists what the Charter calls "fundamental freedoms" theoretically applying to everyone in Canada, regardless of whether they are a Canadian citizen, or an individual or...
in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
.
Approaching the millennium, Irwin Toy was facing financial and business difficulty, and was sold to a private investment group, LivGroup Ltd. of Toronto in 2001 for approximately $55 million. Eighteen months after the buyout, Irwin Toy, now owned by Richard Ivey and Jean Marie Halde of Toronto, declared bankruptcy and entered into creditor supported liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
. The original factory was sold to developers for $10 million and converted into a condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
(Lanterra/Toy Factory Lofts).
Following liquidation, the company officially closed down, and in 2003, the company was re-purchased by the former employees, George and Peter Irwin, and continued business as itoys inc.
Itoys
The now bankrupt itoys inc. was a revival of the Canadian family-owned toy company Irwin Toy Limited. Legally, it was a new company under a different name and in a different location in Toronto however, it is still known as Irwin Toy in advertising and the like...
Brands and Toys Distributed
- BandaiBandaiis a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
- Barcode BattlerBarcode BattlerThe is a handheld gaming console released by Epoch in March 1991.The console at retail was supplied with a number of cards, each of which had a barcode. Upon starting the game, the player must swipe a barcode representing a player. The game uses barcodes to create a character for the player to...
- Dowell-Brown Power Fighters
- DragonBall Z + Secret Saiyan Warriors
- The G.U.R.L.Z.
- KennerKennerKenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
(prior to Hasbro's purchase) - IdealIdeal Toy CompanyIdeal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...
- JengaJengaJenga is a game of physical and mental skill created by Leslie Scott, and currently marketed by Parker Brothers, a division of Hasbro. During the game, players take turns to remove a block from a tower and balance it on top, creating a taller and increasingly unstable structure as the game...
- Mighty MaxMighty Max (toyline)Mighty Max was a series of toys that were manufactured by Bluebird Toys PLC in the UK in 1992. The toys were similar to the earlier Polly Pocket toyline; however, these toys were marketed primarily towards young boys. In Canada and the USA, they were distributed by Irwin Toy Limited. and Mattel...
- ReBootReBootReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
- Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
- Square 1Square one (puzzle)The Square One, also known as Back to Square One and Cube 21, is a puzzle similar to the Rubik's Cube. Its distinguishing feature among the numerous Rubik's Cube variants is that it can change shape as it is twisted, due to the way it is cut, thus adding an extra level of challenge and difficulty...
- TycoTyco ToysTyco Toys is an American toy manufacturer. Since 1997 it has been a division of the Mattel toy company.-History:Mantua Metal Products was a Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, metalworks business founded in 1926 by John Tyler and family...
(prior to Mattel's purchase) - Wham-OWham-OWham-O Inc. is a toy company currently located in California, USA. They are known for marketing many popular toys in the past 50 years, including the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly String, Hacky Sack and the Boogie board....
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
board game - WrebbitWrebbitWrebbit was a puzzle-making company best known for its Puzz-3D puzzles. The company was founded in Montreal, Quebec by Paul Gallant, and marketed itself as "The Puzzle Innovators." Its namesake appears to stem from the fact that the company's mascot is a green frog, and "Wrebbit" is either an...
- Kids Can PressKids Can PressKids Can Press is Canada's largest children’s book publisher, started in 1973 by a small group of women in Toronto who wanted to produce books for Canadian children....
- Magic Dip
- ZaksZaksZaks are a building toy originally produced by the company Ohio Art. They consist primarily of equilateral triangles and squares with toothed, hinged, and interlocking edges. The basic triangle and square shapes are further modified by having a number of different face styles, including holes or...
- MeccanoMeccanoMeccano is a model construction system comprising re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices....
- SpawnSpawn (comics)Spawn is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in a monthly comic book of the same name published by Image Comics. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarlane, Spawn first appeared in Spawn #1...
- Pound PuppiesPound PuppiesPound Puppies is a toyline sold by Tonka in the 1980s. It later inspired an animated TV special, an animated TV series, and a feature film. Shipments of the toys over five years generated sales of $300 million in 35 countries....
Toys Manufactured
- Interior Decorator Set (with Marvin Glass and Associates) 1964
- TroubleTrouble (board game)Trouble is a board game in which players compete to be the first to send four pieces all the way around a board. Pieces are moved according to the roll of a die. Trouble was developed by the Kohner Brothers and initially manufactured by Irwin Toy Ltd., later by Milton Bradley...
(usually under the name "Frustration") - Powerplay Hockey
- Top Corner Hockey
- My One and Only guy dolls
- Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
Adventure Dolls and other Sailor Moon items - Suzie Stretch dolls
- Girder & Panel Building Sets
- ME2ME2NAD-dependent malic enzyme, mitochondrial is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ME2 gene.-Further reading:...
- Globetrotters board game
- ReBootReBootReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
Action Figures