NantWorks, Jakks Pacific Enter Joint Venture

Jakks Pacific, Inc., and NantWorks, LLC, have entered into agreements to create a joint venture company, DreamPlay Toys, LLC, to develop, market and sell toys and consumer products incorporating NantWorks’ proprietary iD (iDream) image recognition technology.

This technology enables the consumer to instantly link the physical toy to video content, animation, and interactive game play. With the NantWorks’ downloaded iD Browser app, a consumer simply points to the DreamPlay toy or image to activate content on a smart phone or tablet device screen, instantly bringing the toy to life. Jakks Pacific plans to introduce a broad product line, which will combine this technology with new content.

The new line of toy products is expected to be introduced at next month’s Los Angeles Toy Fair and at the Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Jakks Pacific will be responsible for the development, marketing, sales, and distribution of toy products using NantWorks’ iD image recognition platform.

Jakks Pacific Partners with NantWorks and Maui Toys

Jakks Pacific, Inc., is partnering with NantWorks, LLC, to incorporate new image recognition technology into select product lines. Jakks will have the exclusive right to arrange for partnerships with other toy companies to make the image recognition platform available to them in the development, sale, and marketing of their toy products. There will be a profit-sharing arrangement for these third-party toy partnerships. DreamPlay Toys, the joint venture overseeing this technology integration, will also include a consumer products division.

Jakks has also announced its acquisition of Maui Toys. Jakks has acquired all of the shares of stock of the privately held toy company as well as its Hong Kong-based affiliate, A.S. Design Limited.

This post was originally written by Ali Mierzejewski and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.

Jakks Pacific, Nantworks Partner to Produce Next Generation of Interactive Toys

Jakks Pacific, Inc., and NantWorks, LLC, announced that they have signed a letter of intent to create a joint venture to develop, market, and sell next generation toys incorporating NantWorks’ proprietary image recognition technology. The new venture will be named DreamPlay Toys.

JAKKS Pacific will begin transforming its product line to incorporate the new image recognition technology, and will present the first examples at the International Toy Fair in Los Angelos in October. Children will be able to “activate” toys, and interact with them using smart phones or tablet devices in their homes and in stores. The NantWorks platform enables instant connections between physical toys, video, posters, books, games, and all other forms of media.

NantWorks will link Jakks’ toy products to content and animation on mobile devices through the image recognition platform, and JAKKS will have the exclusive right to arrange for partnerships with other toy companies to make the platform available to them in the development, sale, and marketing of their toy products. JAKKS and NantWorks will have a profit sharing arrangement for these third-party toy relationships.

This post was originally written by Sierra McCleary-Harris and published by ToyBook.com. For more news, visit www.toybook.com, follow The Toy Book on Twitter, and like The Toy Book on Facebook. The Toy Book is a bimonthly trade magazine covering the toy industry, published by Adventure Publishing Group.