What Kids Want

What What Kids Want does

What Kids Want! Inc. (WKW) is a privately held, founder-led licensed toy designer and distributor founded in 1999 and headquartered in Northridge, California. The company designs, develops, and sells outdoor, active play, seasonal, musical instrument, and dress-up/role-play toys under licensing agreements with major entertainment IP owners including Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel, Universal Studios, Hasbro, Sanrio, Zag, and Mattel. Its catalog spans more than 20 character franchises (Paw Patrol, Frozen, Spider-Man, Hot Wheels, Barbie, Batman, Hello Kitty, Mandalorian, Jurassic World, and others) and is sold directly to mass, drug, grocery, and discount retailers in North America and internationally.

WKW operates an asset-light model: the company has only 1–10 employees, maintains a showroom and sourcing office in Hong Kong to support manufacturing partnerships, and does not disclose any proprietary technology or direct-to-consumer platform. Revenue is generated through wholesale hardware sales of licensed toys; pricing is determined through direct retailer relationships and is not publicly disclosed. The company is led by founders Jordan Kort (founder & co-CEO) and Steven Kort (founder & owner), with no institutional investors, funding events, or M&A activity referenced in available materials.

The competitive positioning rests on long-standing licensing relationships, a 25-year safety track record with no product liability claims or recalls, and direct placement in essentially every major U.S. mass and discount retail chain. The model is exposed to retail concentration risk, license renewal cycles, and shifts in entertainment IP value, but the lean cost structure and global Hong Kong-based sourcing footprint support a stable, low-overhead operating profile.

Name

What Kids Want

Legal name

What Kids Want! Inc.

Website

https://whatkidswant.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

What Kids Want is a privately held, founder-led licensed toy designer and distributor that sells branded outdoor, active play, seasonal, musical, and dress-up toys under licenses from Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel, Universal, Hasbro, Sanrio, and Mattel to major mass and discount retailers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Licensed Children's Toys

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Outdoor & Ride-On Toys Retail (CRALAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Infant & Preschool Toys Distribution (CRAOAMAH)

Keywords

• Licensed toy manufacturing
• Outdoor active play
• Character branded toys
• Seasonal toys
• Children's toys

Headquarters

HQ city

Northridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Licensed Toy Sales: WKW generates revenue by designing, developing, and selling licensed toys to major retailers. Products include outdoor, active play, seasonal toys, everyday basic toys, musical instruments, and dress-up/role play items. The company holds licensing agreements with major entertainment companies to produce toys under their branded properties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

What Kids Want (WKW) is a licensed toy manufacturer and distributor that designs, develops and sells character-based toy products to major retail chains worldwide. Its portfolio spans outdoor active play items, seasonal toys, everyday basic toys, children's musical instruments and dress-up/role play products, produced under licensing agreements with major entertainment companies including Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel, Universal Studios, Hasbro, Sanrio, Zag and Mattel. Products are sold through major U.S. retailers and discount chains, with international distribution supported by a Hong Kong showroom.

Product overview

What Kids Want (WKW) is a licensed toy manufacturer and distributor offering a diverse portfolio of active play, outdoor, seasonal, and musical toys. The company operates as a single product line focused on licensed character toys across multiple entertainment brands including Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel, Universal Studios, Hasbro, Sanrio, Zag, and Mattel. Their products span categories such as Hot Wheels, PJ Masks, Peppa Pig, Barbie, Wonder Woman, Batman, Minnie, Mickey, Frozen, Princess, Avengers, Spider-Man, Cars 3, Jurassic World, Trolls, TMNT, Paw Patrol, and more. The core offerings include outdoor active play items like bowling sets, water blasters, jump ropes, golf sets, chalk sets, bop bags, inflatable characters, and disc launchers, as well as musical instruments and dress-up/role play products. All products are distributed to major retailers in North America, Australia, Asia, and worldwide markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Wheels Toys Hot Wheels licensed toy products including bowling sets, bubble tools, and bubble sticks for active outdoor play. Sold through major retailers.
• PJ Masks Toys PJ Masks themed active play toys including sand backpacks, bowling sets, jump ropes, golf sets, disc launchers, chalk sets, basketball sets, and glow shapes.
• Peppa Pig Toys Peppa Pig branded toys including bowling sets, flying discs, golf sets, basketball sets, chalk markers, and playground balls.
• Barbie Toys Barbie themed active play toys including sand play backpacks, bowling sets, jump ropes, golf sets, basketball, and chalk sets.
• Wonder Woman Toys Wonder Woman themed toys including 24-inch inflatable characters, 36-inch bop bags, and sticky catch game cards.
• Batman Toys Batman themed toys including sticky catch game cards, 24-inch inflatable characters, and dart blasters.
• Minnie Toys Minnie Mouse themed toys including 3D flying discs, glow tiaras, bowling sets, jump ropes, golf caddy sets, hopscotch pads, watering cans, sand play backpacks, and snorkel sets.
• Mickey Toys Mickey Mouse themed toys and active play products.
• Frozen Toys Frozen branded toys including golf caddy sets, jump ropes, swim vests, 3-piece drum sets, sidewalk chalk paint, and bouncy balls.
• Princess Toys Princess themed toys and active play products.
• Avengers Toys Marvel Avengers themed toys including bowling sets, chalk sets, colossal boxing gloves, dart target game sets, character bowling sets, and super hero bop bags.
• Spider-Man Toys Spider-Man themed toys including bowling sets, bubble buckets, kickboards, water blaster backpacks, stomp launchers, foam disc launchers, dart guns, bop bags, and golf caddies.
• Cars 3 Toys Disney/Pixar Cars 3 themed toys including bowling sets, kick boards, golf sets, chalk boards, basketball sets, and clear bucket chalkboards.
• Jurassic World Toys Jurassic World themed toys and active play products.
• Gabby Toys Gabby themed toys and active play products.
• Trolls Toys DreamWorks Trolls themed toys including sand packs, bowling sets, jump ropes, disc launchers, chalk sets, basketball sets, character bowling sets, easter basket fun sets, and watering cans.
• SpongeBob Toys SpongeBob SquarePants themed toys and active play products.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) Toys TMNT themed toys including sand backpacks, bowling sets, kickboards, foam disc shooters, basketball sets, character bowling sets, water blaster backpacks, disc shooters, and music sets.
• Paw Patrol Toys Spin Master Paw Patrol themed toys including sand set backpacks, sculpted flying discs, hopscotch pads, chalk buckets, chalk tins, and bowling sets.
• MLB Toys Major League Baseball themed toys and active play products.
• Hello Kitty Toys Sanrio Hello Kitty themed toys and active play products.
• Mandalorian Toys Star Wars Mandalorian themed toys and active play products.

Quantifiable outcome

• No product liability claims, injuries or recalls in company history

Named customers19 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Disney Consumer ProductscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2004WKW's initial entry in seasonal active play toys started through its affiliation with Disney Consumer Products in early 2004. This partnership launched the company's licensed active play category business.
• NickelodeoncoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Nickelodeon properties including Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and others.
• MarvelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Marvel properties including Spider-Man and Avengers.
• Universal StudioscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Universal properties including Jurassic World.
• HasbrocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Hasbro properties including PJ Mask.
• SanriocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Sanrio properties including Hello Kitty.
• ZagcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Zag properties.
• MattelcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicense partner for producing toys based on Mattel properties including Hot Wheels, Barbie, and Fisher Price.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Playmates Toys: Hong Kong-based designer, manufacturer, and marketer of children's toys including licensed properties, sharing WKW's Hong Kong sourcing footprint and mass-retail distribution model.
• Jakks Pacific: Mid-sized US-based licensed toy manufacturer that designs, produces, and distributes children's toys under major entertainment IP including Disney, Nickelodeon, and others, with a comparable business model of selling through mass and discount retailers.
• Spin Master: Global children's entertainment company producing licensed and proprietary toys including outdoor, active play, and character-based products sold through the same mass-market retailers as WKW, including Paw Patrol licensee.
• Moose Toys: Australia-headquartered toy company developing licensed and branded play products across categories, with strong presence in mass retail channels and similar IP-driven product development approach.
• MGA Entertainment: Privately held US toy company with a portfolio spanning dolls, games, outdoor toys, and licensed character products, competing in similar price tiers and retail channels as WKW.
• Basic Fun!: Florida-based toy company focused on licensed nostalgia, preschool, and active play products distributed through mass-market and discount retailers, with comparable IP licensing strategy.
• Zuru: Privately held global toy manufacturer known for category-leading products sold through mass retailers, with comparable scale and licensing-driven approach to children's products.

Broad incumbents

• Mattel: Global toy giant and licensor of brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price — simultaneously a partner (licensing IP to WKW) and a major competitor with vertically integrated toy manufacturing and retail reach.
• Hasbro: Diversified global play and entertainment company that both licenses properties (e.g., PJ Masks) to WKW and competes directly through its own toy portfolio sold in the same mass and discount channels.
• Funko: Licensed pop culture products company with a comparable IP-licensing-driven model, distributing through mass-market and specialty retailers though focused on collectibles rather than active play.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/What_Kids_Want
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC1d8ze4CMOB3Fp_id6gAvDA
• Facebookfacebook.com/What-Kids-Want-153915494645604
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/what-kids-want-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about What Kids Want