Kid Brands, Inc. and its subsidiaries design, develop and distribute infant and juvenile branded products. These products are primarily distributed through mass market, baby super stores, specialty, food, drug, independent and e-commerce retailers worldwide.

The company’s operating business is composed of four wholly owned subsidiaries: Kids Line, LLC; LaJobi, Inc.; Sassy, Inc.; and CoCaLo, Inc. Through these subsidiaries, the company designs and markets branded infant and juvenile products in a number of complementary categories including, among others: infant bedding and related nursery accessories and décor, food preparation and nursery appliances, and diaper bags (Kids Line and CoCaLo); nursery furniture and related products (LaJobi); and developmental toys and feeding, bath and baby care items with features that address the various stages of an infant’s early years (Sassy). In addition to the company’s branded products, the company also markets certain categories or products under various licenses, including Carter’s, Disney, Graco and Serta.

Kid Brands was founded in 1963 and is based in East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

. Additionally, the company has operations in southern California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, and in certain foreign countries.

History

The company, formerly known as Russ Berrie and Company, was named after its founder, Russell Berrie, originated as a maker of stuffed animals, other toys and gifts.

As it transitioned into a pure play infant and juvenile company, it acquired the following companies:

• Sassy, Inc. (July 2002): Sassy offers products for children that parents can trust for nurturing and developing their child because it has premium quality, innovative design and focused coloration, environmentally principled, with credible and helpful purpose and value added features.
• Kids Line LLC (December 2004): Kids Line features designers from across the country that create original nursery, toddler, and kid bedding lines with complementary accessories. With a wide range of boys, girls, and unisex lines,
• CoCaLo, Inc. and LaJobi, Inc. (April 2008): CoCaLo is a versatile fashion forward company that offers a variety of distinctive looks from home décor to lifestyle to meet the needs of today’s parents. CoCaLo designs complete nursery collections with a full assortment of coordinating accessories providing parents resources to create a beautiful, cozy and safe nursery. LaJobi specializes in design-led furniture for the baby nursery.

In December 2008, the company divested its gift business operations to The Russ Companies, Inc. (TRC), previously The Encore Group. The Company retained the Russ and Applause brands, and licensed them to TRC.

To support the company’s focus on growing a leadership position in the infant and juvenile industry, on September 23, 2009, Russ Berrie received shareholder approval to change its corporate name to Kid Brands, Inc. Along with the new name, the company’s common stock began trading under the symbol .

Shining Stars

The Shining Stars program was introduced in partnership with the International Star Registry

International Star Registry

The International Star Registry , founded in 1979, is a company which sells products related to entries in the Your Place in the Cosmos book published by the company every 2 – 3 years. As of 2009, the company has produced 8 volumes of the book which includes customers from August 2004 through July...

. Russ Berrie's Shining Star Friends product line was introduced to market the program. When an individual purchases a plush animal they can log into the website and supposedly name a star. To register your plush, you must open the tag (found round the toy's neck) and enter the secret code into the website. If you obtain 3 toys (and register them) you will gain access to the VIP zone in the Super Starcade chatroom.

A message on the Shining Stars website states that, "Russ Berrie Inc. the licensor of the Shining Stars brand filed

Filing (legal)

In law, filing is the act of submitting a document to the clerk of a court for the court's immediate consideration, for storage in the court's files, or both. Courts will not consider motions unless an appropriate memorandum or brief is filed before the appropriate deadline...

 for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code

Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...

 on 26th April 2011 and therefore we apologize that the Shining Stars website associated with the Russ Berrie Shining Star products is no longer maintained."

Philanthropy

The Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University

William Paterson University

William Paterson University is a comprehensive public institution located in Wayne, New Jersey serving nearly 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students through five colleges: , , , , and ....

 is named after Russ Berrie.

In 1993, Russ Berrie made a gift of $1 million to build a new performing arts center and learning facility at Ramapo College

Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is a public liberal arts and professional studies institution of the New Jersey system of higher education.- Location :...

, in Mahwah, New Jersey

Mahwah, New Jersey

Mahwah is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 25,890. The name Mahwah is derived from the Lenni Lenape word "mawewi" which means "Meeting Place" or "Place Where Paths Meet".The area that is now Mahwah was...

called, "The Angelica and Russ Berrie Center for Performing Arts".