Winona Capital Invests in Fat Brain Toys

Private equity firm Winona Capital has made a strategic investment in manufacturer and retailer Fat Brain Toys. The new partnership will enable the 12-year-old Fat Brain Toys to serve a much larger audience.

Fat Brain’s headquarters and distribution center will continue to operate from the Omaha, Neb. area. Co-founders Mark and Karen Carson and CFO Dean Giesselmann will also continue in their current leadership roles, as will the rest of the company’s employees.

Fat Brain Toys operates one of the largest online toy stores, as well as two physical storefronts, and wholesales its proprietary products to more than 2,000 retailers domestically and around the world. Sonenshine Partners served as investment banking adviser to Fat Brain Toys.

About the author

Phil Guie

Phil Guie is an associate editor at Adventure Publishing Group. He writes and edits articles for The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. Phil also serves as lead editor for The Toy Book Blog and The Toy Report newsletter, and manages social media for The Toy Book. But of course, Phil’s pride and joy are his weekly reviews for The Toy Insider, in which he writes about video games, movies, and other cool things. His hobbies include comics, baking, fidgeting, and traveling to off-the-beaten places and making new friends.