TT Toys Toys
TT Toys Toys SRL are an Italian manufacturer of children’s pedal and electric ride on cars. They have a factory near Milan and specialise in the manufacture of licensed replica cars for children.
History[edit]
Alberto Burratti, Luigi Vezzoli, Carlo Boselli and Pietro Pandini founded Toys Toys in 1978 in Tribiano, Province of Milan (Lombardy). The founders came from a specialist vacuum-forming factory and wanted to apply this knowledge to the toy world. The company built up a number of partnerships with major car-manufacturers and with entertainment companies (such as Walt Disney).
In 1997 Toys Toys joined the Berchet Group.
The partnership with Berchet allowed Toys Toys to increase product range and encourage a direct presence in Italy. However Berchet began to suffer from financial difficulty and so in 2005 was acquired by rival company Smoby.[1] Smoby used its vast network of global distributors to catapult Toys Toys products across the world. However Smoby themselves then fell into financial troubles and despite an attempt by MGA to save the company,[2] they eventually fell into the French equivalent of bankruptcy[3] and their CEO was arrested.[4] Therefore, in 2007 the Toys Toys bosses decided to acquire the company via a management buy-out, and continued to remain independent even after Simba-Dickie revived Smoby.[5]
Toys Toys enjoyed a few years of growth as it built up its own network of distributors around the world, however was badly hit by the global recession that began at the end of 2007. Toys Toys did survive the crisis, but in 2010 agreed to acquisition by the Italian company WICE Group, which has given the company extra security.
Products[edit]
Toys Toys primarily focus on the manufacture of licensed ride-on cars for children. The company works with the relevant manufacturer’s designers to recreates the adult car in child size.
Despite the focus on licensed cars, Toys Toys have experimented with non-branded ride-ons as well. They manufactured a petrol powered Freester that later became a 24v. The latest 2010 catalogue includes a range of ‘baby’ pedal cars which are smaller and cheaper than their licensed products.[6]
Licenses[edit]
Toys Toys hold licenses for a variety of sports car brands as well as licenses for more mainstream cars.
Toys Toys have always been very picky about what licenses they accept, agreeing to only manufacturer popular and prestigious cars. In 2009 the managers turned down offers to manufacturer licensed cars for Aston Martin and Bentley.[clarification needed][citation needed]
| License | Models available in 2010 Catalogue | Models discontinued from 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Ferrari | F1, California, Enzo, 458 Italia | F430 Scuderia, 250 GTO |
| Lamborghini | Gallardo | - |
| Mercedes | 300 SL, 500 SL | SLK |
| BMW | 335i Cabrio, M6, 328 | Z4 |
| Porsche | Cayenne, 356 | Boxster 'S' |
| Renault | Twingo | Megane Trophy |
| Volkswagen | Beetle | - |
| Fiat | Classic 500, Nuova 500 | - |
| Abarth | 500 | - |
| Alfa Romeo | 8C | Brera |
| Jaguar | XK | - |
| Audi | R8 Spyder | TT |
| Citroen | Charleston 2CV | - |
| Mini | Cooper 'S' | - |
| Smart | Fortwo | - |
Distributing Countries[edit]
- Italy – MacDue
- France – Tbd
- Germany – R.Brehm GMBH
- Spain – Tbd
- Portugal – Tbd
- United Kingdom – Exclusive Toys[7]
- Ukraine - Alimpex Group[8]
- Switzerland – Tbd
References[edit]
- ^ "Smoby swoops for Berchet | Toy Industry | News by ToyNews". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Smoby struggles on | Toy Industry | News by ToyNews". Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Smoby enters receivership under French court's order. (News)". Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Smoby boss arrested | Toy Industry | News by ToyNews". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Simba-Dickie gets Smoby - 3/5/2008 7:30:00 AM - Playthings". Archived from the original on 17 October 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "ToysToys catalogue" (PDF). exclusivetoys.co.uk. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Home". exclusivetoys.co.uk.
- ^ "Детские электромобили Toys Toys в Украине - Детские электромобили Toys Toys в Украине". Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.