Out There First Acquires Alex Brands, Relaunches Company as Alex Global Products

Source: Alex Global Products/The Toy Book

The assets of Alex Brands have been acquired by Out There First.

Alex Global Products is the new name of the company that will serve as the home of popular brands including Alex Toys, Backyard Safari, Ideal, Poof, Scientific Explorer, and ZOOB. The announcement follows the May 12 Alex Brands auction, out of which Slinky and Shrinky Dinks were acquired by Just Play.

The new company is being led by Managing Director Keith Gammon, an industry vet with experience at Little Tikes and Mattel. Most recently, Gammon served as executive vice president of sales at Alex Brands.

“We are very excited to be joining the Out There First family of companies,” says Gammon. “For decades, our iconic portfolio of brands has created a fun, learning environment for children of all ages. There is a strong cultural fit between our two companies, we are excited to leverage our world-class talent with the buying power and operational efficiencies of Out There First to drive strong revenue and profitable growth.”

Prior to its closure and rebirth, Alex Toys grew through acquisitions, including legacy brands such as Ideal and Poof.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.