The Nacelle Co. is on a roll as the studio behind Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us and The Movies That Made Us, Behind The Attraction for Disney+, and the multiplatform A Toy Store Near You continues its expansion into toys and publishing.
The Toy Book can exclusively reveal that The Nacelle Co. has acquired the Marx Toys brand from Jay Horowitz of American Classic Toy and has plans to revamp and revitalize the company, its name, and some of its iconic properties. Immediate efforts include books and lifestyle products while film and TV projects loom on the horizon.
“With this deal, we’re honoring the rich history of Marx Toys by reviving the iconic American toy brand and introducing their wonderful creations to a new audience,” says Brian Volk-Weiss, founder and CEO, The Nacelle Co.
Prior to its bankruptcy in 1980, the Marx Toy Co. was a force in the toy industry for decades with co-founder Louis Marx appearing on a 1955 cover of Time magazine where he was dubbed “The Toy King of America.” The company released many iconic toys that are still available today, including The Original Big Wheel, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, and The Great Garloo. At the heart of Marx’s success was the idea that quality toys could be mass-produced and sold at a low cost. Louis Marx was the first inductee into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 1985.
“I am proud to have been a part of the Marx Toy legacy for 40 years and look forward to Nacelle’s revamping and promoting of the Marx Toy legend — known as the world’s largest toy company during most of the 20th century — to the new generation,” says Jay Horowitz.
In recent months, The Nacelle Co. has acquired ’80s brands, including Ideal Toys’ Robo Force and Revell’s Power Lords, and inked a deal with Super7 to create a new animated series based on SilverHawks. Nacelle already has deals in place with Funko and Super7 to produce toys and ancillary merchandise based on several recently acquired franchises.
Additionally, development is underway for several new TV series inspired by classic brands in the growing Nacelle Co. portfolio and production is underway on a documentary film about the Beanie Babies craze of the late 1990s.
