MEGA Brands

Infobox_Company
company_name = MEGA Brands Incorporated
company_
company_type = Public company
foundation = Montreal, Quebec (1967)
founders = Victor and Rita Bertrand
location = Montreal
industry = Toys
products = Mega Bloks
revenue = | operating_income =
net_income =
homepage = [http://www.megabrands.com www.megabrands.com]
num_employees = CEO= Marc BertrandCOO= Vic Bertrand

MEGA Brands, Incorporated TSX|MB (Formerly MEGA Bloks, Incorporated) is a publicly traded children's toy company based in Montreal, Canada. Mega Bloks is the name of their most popular toy, plastic building blocks. Mega Brands Inc. distributes a range of toys, puzzles, and craft-based products worldwide but enjoys greatest success in North America, where Mega Bloks is one of the top 10 toy brands [ [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_July_25/ai_n14815819 Leading Construction Toy Company] ] .

History

In 1967, Victor Bertrand and his wife Rita founded the company as Ritvik Toys, Inc. (a portmanteau word based on a combination of "Rit"a and "Vic"tor). Ritvik was amalgamated with Ritvik Holdings Inc. on June 30 1998. [ [http://www.patent.gov.uk/tm/legal/summaries/1999/o08699.htm patent.gov.uk] ] On March 19, 2002, the name was changed from Ritvik Holdings Inc. to Mega Bloks Inc. Currently, the founders' sons Vic Bertrand Jr. and Marc Bertrand are COO and CEO, respectively.

On June 15 2006, following the acquisition of several brand names not associated with construction brick toys, the company again changed its name, this time from Mega Bloks Inc. to Mega Brands Inc.

LEGO lawsuits

upheld Mega Bloks' right to continue selling the product in Canada [ [http://www.megabloks.com/en/corpo/pdf/Mega-Bloks-Appeal.pdf Mega Bloks Appeal] (PDF)] .

Products

The Mega Bloks toy brand should be distinguished from its parent company Mega Brands Inc., which offers a range of products in addition to toy construction bricks.

The building blocks come in four sizes.
#Maxi size, introduced in 1985, intended for very young children. The blocks feature slightly rounded corners and edges and have tall rounded studs.
#Mini size, introduced in 1989, designed for toddlers and preschoolers. The bricks likewise have slightly rounded edges and corners. The studs are 5/12 the height of the body of the brick. This size is the same size as Duplo.
#Micro size, introduced in 1991, has sharp edges and corners, and the studs are 1/6 the height of the body of the brick. This size is the same size as ordinary LEGO bricks.
#Nano building system, introduced in 2004, is the smallest.The first three scales are intercompatible to varying degrees and may be combined in building. Nano is not directly compatible with any of the other scales.

Most blocks are manufactured in Canada, but some of the more specialized elements are made in China.

Themes

On October 12 2004, Mega Bloks released an animated movie, ', direct to DVD and video and which subsequently aired on the Cartoon Network. "Fire & Ice" was based on Mega Bloks' successful "Dragons" product line, featuring detailed warriors, castles, and, of course, dragons, in Micro scale. A sequel, entitled ' has also aired on the Cartoon Network and been released on video.

Mega Bloks has entered numerous license agreements over the years with such properties as NASCAR, Harley-Davidson, Marvel Comics, Gundam, Bandai, Star Trek, TMNT, and The Walt Disney Company.

Additionally, Mega Bloks has produced sets based on "Pokémon", "The Chronicles of Narnia," "", "Spider-Man 3" and Dragons, as well as sets in tribute to the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) and the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Many Micro-scale Mega Bloks sets include small action figures whose design has evolved substantially over time. Early versions had little articulation and compared poorly with figures offered in competing brick-based construction toys. Mega Bloks figures were constructed from a small number of standard, interchangeable components like legs, arms, and torsos, with minimal printing on a basically spherical head to yield a rudimentary face.

More recently, Mega Bloks figures have attained a much greater level of detail and articulation, with high-quality sculpts of head and body elements alike, in many cases with unique designs to represent a particular character. Examples of these can be seen in their Mega Bloks Pyrates and NEO Shifters line.

Quality

The overall quality of Mega Bloks elements has improved markedly since the first sets were released. Certain elements, however, suffers from inconsistent clutch power and are susceptible to stress fracture.

Media

On October 15 2003 a commercial for Honda debuted in which computer-generated imagery showed a cloud of Mega Bloks bricks raining down to assemble a life-sized version of the Element SUV.

References

* [http://www.marquedor.com/telemarque/archives/02-06-01b_en.htm KIRKBI AG and LEGO CANADA INC. v. RITVIK HOLDINGS INC]
* [http://www.megabloks.com/eng/media/pdf/20020502prospectus.PDF Mega Bloks Prospectus] This PDF file on megabloks.com contains details on the company and its products.
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_July_25/ai_n14815819 Press release.] Link to the announcement of the agreement by which MEGA Brands, Inc. began using software developed by Aras Corporation.

External links

*Official
** [http://www.megabrandsinc.com/ Official Mega Brands Website]
** [http://mega.channel.or.jp/index.html Official Japanese Language Mega Bloks Website]
** [http://www.megabloks.co.kr/ Official Korean Language Mega Bloks Website]
*Community
** [http://bloks.hyperboards.com/ The Bloks Forum] The first online forum specifically dedicated to Mega Bloks and fans of the brand.
*Media
** [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425960/ "Dragons: Fire & Ice" IMDb entry]
** [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0484265/ "Dragons: Metal Ages" IMDb entry]
** [http://www.darnellworks.com/a52/nr0058c.htm Commercial for the Honda Element constructed of Mega Bloks, titled "Purpose"]