Discovery Toys

Discovery Toys is a multi-level marketing company specializing in educational toys.[1] Its products are sold in the U.S. and Canada, and its headquarters are in Livermore, California.

Not to be confused with Discovery Kids, a brand name owned by Discovery Communications which is unrelated to this company.
Discovery Toys
IndustryMulti-level marketing
Founded1978 (1978)
FounderLane Nemeth
HeadquartersLivermore, California, U.S.
Key people
Jerry Salerno (CEO)
ProductsToys
Websitewww.discoverytoys.net

The company was purchased by Avon Products in 1997 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eos International in 2001.[2][3][4]

History

Discovery Toys was founded as a multi-level marketing company in 1978 by Lane Nemeth,[5] a former daycare director, with a $5,000 family loan.[1][6] Lane, a mother from the San Francisco bay area, started the company when she was unable to find educational toys for your own kids.[7]

According to Nemeth, the company had 2,500 sales "consultants" in 1982 and had reached $4.6 million in revenue the previous year.[8] Ms. Nemeth grew the company to a $100 million in annual revenue by 1997 then sold the company to Avon[9] who sold it in 2002 to a private equity group. Discovery Toys was acquired by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eos International, Inc. in July 2001.[1][4]

One of the company's top selling toys is Marbleworks. Released in 1982, it consists of colorful, sloped, plastic half-pipes of different designs. The individual pieces interlock, creating a track on which marbles are run.[10] Marbleworks was included in Discovery's product line when Discovery Toys expanded into China in 2003.[11]

References
  1. "Eos International, Inc. Form 10-K (2001)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  2. "Avon to Buy Discovery Toys". Los Angeles Times. 1997-01-23. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  3. Carlsen, Clifford (1997-02-16). "Discovery Toys opens its door to Avon offer". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  4. "EOS INTERNATIONAL $6.5 MILLION SHORT TERM NOTES EXTENDED". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  5. Newman, Andrew Adam (2007-12-22). "For Pet Owners, Too, Toys a Reason for Concern". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
  6. Nancy Rutter (July 1, 1990). "Greer vs. Nemeth". Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  7. Said, Carolyn (2011-12-18). "Bay Area toy makers put modern twist on classics". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  8. Steve Kaufman (November 7, 1982). "Entrepreneur's sales thrive from educational toy parties". Boca Raton News (Knight Ridder). Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  9. Coco Masters (April 4, 2005). "Let's Pawty!". Time. Archived from the original on March 6, 2008. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  10. Matt, McFarland (2013-12-09). "The childhood toys that inspired female engineers and scientists". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  11. Kathy Chen (2003-09-24). "Discovery Toys Will Launch Its Toys and Games in China". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-19.


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