Shanghai Bloks Technology

Shanghai Bloks Technology Group, positioned as a major player in the global toy industry, was founded in December 2014 by Zhu Weiyong, a co-founder of the publicly-listed gaming company Youzu Interactive. After the successful IPO of Youzu, Zhu embarked on a new venture in the children's sector, establishing Bloks, initially named Putao Technology. His background in the gaming industry informed the company's direction, focusing on the intersection of toys, animation, and education. The management team includes President Sheng Xiaofeng, who previously spent a decade at Intel developing educational products.

The company's history shows a strategic evolution. It began developing its own brick-based toys in 2016 and launched its proprietary IP, "Magic Blocks" (百变布鲁可), in 2017, targeting the preschool market. A significant pivot occurred in 2019 when Bloks began developing assembly character toys, a move that now defines its core business. This strategic shift was solidified in 2021 with a licensing agreement for the Ultraman IP, which has become a substantial revenue driver. The firm has since expanded its portfolio to include over 30 licensed IPs such as Transformers, Naruto, and Pokémon. This strategic focus on IP-based toys has propelled Bloks to become the largest company in China's assembly character toy market and the third-largest globally by GMV in 2023.

Bloks generates revenue through the sale of its toy products via a multi-channel distribution network. The business model leans heavily on offline sales through a network of over 433 distributors that cover more than 140,000 retail locations, including major chains like Toys "R" Us and Walmart. This offline channel accounted for 91% of sales in the first quarter of 2024. The product lineup primarily consists of assembly character toys, which emulate human-like structures and allow for the recreation of popular IP characters. While the company also produces traditional brick-based toys, the assembly character segment, particularly products based on licensed IPs like Ultraman, constitutes the vast majority of its income. The firm has also launched its own IP in this category, "Hero Infinity." To foster customer loyalty, Bloks operates a 'Bloks Builders Club' (BFC) and a WeChat mini-program, encouraging user-generated content and co-creation of new products.

Keywords: assembly character toys, IP-based toys, collectible toys, building blocks, Ultraman toys, Transformers toys, Zhu Weiyong, Chinese toy market, Youzu Interactive, character building kits, modular toys, anime character figures, pop culture collectibles, toy manufacturing, toy distribution, children's entertainment, licensed merchandise, Hero Infinity IP, Magic Blocks IP, toy design and development