Kids Preferred

What Kids Preferred does

Kids Preferred is a privately held consumer goods company founded in 1984 and headquartered in East Windsor, New Jersey, that designs, manufactures, and distributes licensed plush toys, soft developmental toys, wood toys, soft books, activity toys, jack-in-the-boxes, and seasonal/holiday gifts for infants and toddlers. The company operates under licensing agreements with premier entertainment and publishing brands including Disney (Disney Baby, Mickey & Friends, Winnie the Pooh, Stitch, Disney Princess, Nightmare Before Christmas), Warner Bros (Harry Potter, DC Comics, Elf, Frosty the Snowman, Beetlejuice), Universal (Curious George, E.T., Back to the Future, Kung Fu Panda), Sesame Workshop, Star Wars/Lucasfilm, Peanuts, Eric Carle, Carter's, Peppa Pig, Peter Rabbit, Goodnight Moon, Llama Llama, Bluey, and others. Its core capability is soft-toy manufacturing combined with brand licensing, product development, and global sourcing (led by a VP of Global Sourcing & Product Development).

Kids Preferred generates revenue primarily through wholesale distribution of physical licensed toy and gift products to major U.S. mass-market retailers — Amazon, Target, Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club, Kohl's, and specialty chains — at value retail price points. The company also sells directly to consumers via an Amazon storefront and a Shopify-powered website, and distributes internationally in Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. Its customer base spans parents, grandparents, and caregivers of young children (end consumers) plus large retail chains (channel customers). Marketing is conducted through paid social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) and Google remarketing.

The company does not publicly disclose revenue. With 101-250 employees, four decades of operating history, and a self-described position as the leading premier baby license company in the U.S., it functions as an established mid-market licensed consumer-products business. The leadership team comprises CEO Louis Premselaar, President & CRO Larry Presser, CFO Jason Myers, COO Lisa Deubel, and CCO Dean Robinson, with VP-level leaders dedicated to the Carter's brand/sales and global sourcing/product development functions. There is no public evidence of venture capital or private equity ownership, active M&A activity, or a pending IPO.

Name

Kids Preferred

Legal name

Kids Preferred

Website

https://kidspreferred.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kids Preferred is a privately held, East Windsor, NJ-based licensed baby and children's toy manufacturer founded in 1984 that designs and distributes plush toys, developmental toys, and soft books under licenses from Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Sesame Workshop, Carter's, and other entertainment brands via major U.S. retailers and international channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Plush and Developmental Toys

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Dolls & Stuffed Toys (3942), Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Dolls, Plush & Action Figures Retail (CRALAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Educational & Learning Toys Retail (CRALAFAB)

Keywords

• Licensed plush toys
• Baby developmental toys
• Infant soft toys
• Licensed character merchandise
• Children's stuffed animals

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Licensed Toy and Gift Sales: Kids Preferred generates revenue by manufacturing and selling innovative soft toys, plush stuffed animals, and developmental gifts under licensed brand agreements. Products are sold at value retails through wholesale distribution to major retailers and directly through Amazon storefront.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kids Preferred manufactures and sells innovative soft toys, plush stuffed animals, and developmental gifts for infants, toddlers, and young children. Its products are built around licensing agreements with major entertainment brands including Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Sesame Workshop, Star Wars/Lucasfilm, Peanuts, Carter's, and Eric Carle. The portfolio spans plush toys, soft books, wood toys, activity toys, stroller toys, and jack-in-the-boxes, distributed through mass retailers, specialty stores, and its own e-commerce site.

Product overview

Kids Preferred is a single-brand toy company and the leading premier baby license company in the United States. The company manufactures innovative soft toys and gifts for children of all ages under an umbrella of the most valuable and relevant licensed brands in the marketplace. The product portfolio consists primarily of plush stuffed animals, soft developmental toys, wood toys, soft books, activity toys, stroller toys, and jack-in-the-boxes — all featuring licensed characters from major entertainment properties. Kids Preferred operates under licensed agreements with Disney (Disney Baby, Mickey & Friends, Winnie the Pooh, Stitch, Nightmare Before Christmas, Disney Princess), Warner Bros (Harry Potter, DC Comics, Elf, Frosty the Snowman, Beetlejuice), Universal (Curious George, E.T., Back to the Future, Kung Fu Panda), Star Wars, Sesame Street, Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), Peanuts (Snoopy), Carter's, and various other children's book and entertainment brands. The company sells through major retail channels including Amazon, Target, Walmart, and specialty stores throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Disney Baby Activity toys, plush, soft books, and jack-in-the-boxes featuring Disney characters including Stitch, Jack Skellington, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, and Winnie the Pooh, designed for infants and toddlers.
• Mickey and Friends Disney Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse plush toys featuring the global cultural icons encouraging originality and creativity.
• Stitch Disney's Stitch plush toys and products featuring the iconic trouble-making space invader character.
• Classic Pooh Disney Classic Pooh plush toys representing friendship, simple joys, and the curious nature of child's imagination set in the Hundred Acre Wood.
• Winnie The Pooh Disney's Winnie the Pooh plush toys representing friendship, simple joys, and curious nature of child's imagination.
• Disney Princess Disney Princess snuggly sensory toys and plush for little ones to explore the Disney world of sound and color.
• The Nightmare Before Christmas Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas plush toys featuring characters from the recognizable movie, marketed as year-round friends for boys and girls.
• Warner Bros Warner Bros branded products featuring Harry Potter, DC Comics Justice League, Elf, Frosty the Snowman, and Beetlejuice.
• Harry Potter Harry Potter Wizarding World collection featuring iconic characters in detailed plush, introducing a new generation to the fandom.
• DC Comics DC Comics Justice League plush toys featuring iconic characters offering support, community, and motivation.
• Universal Welcome to the Universe Baby! line inspired by NBCUniversal characters including Curious George, Kung Fu Panda, E.T., and Back to the Future.
• Sesame Street Sesame Street infant playthings created in collaboration with Sesame Workshop featuring beloved characters like Elmo.
• Eric Carle The World of Eric Carle featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Friends, designed to nurture a child's love of literature and learning.
• Guess How Much I Love You Guess How Much I Love You plush and toys celebrating the bond of unconditional love featuring Big and Little Nutbrown Hare.
• Peanuts Peanuts and Snoopy plush toys, soft books, blankets, and products featuring Charlie Brown from the comic strip started in 1950.
• Star Wars Star Wars Disney Baby license plush and activity toys featuring Ewok, Grogu (Baby Yoda), The Mandalorian, and Chewbacca for babies and toddlers.
• Miffy Miffy plush toys based on Dutch artist Dick Bruna's picture books, with uncomplicated and innocent characters featuring a positive attitude.
• Peter Rabbit Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and friends plush and products inspired by The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
• Carter's Soft toys and gifts under the Carter's brand, leveraging Carter's position as the #1 children's apparel brand trusted by generations of mothers.
• Peppa Pig Toys and plush featuring Peppa Pig and friends from the popular children's series.
• Goodnight Moon Plush and toy products bringing the classic bedtime book Goodnight Moon to life.
• Llama Llama Llama Llama plush and toys based on the beloved bedtime character from Anna Dewdney's book series.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Holiday plush and toy products featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
• Frosty the Snowman Holiday plush toys and products featuring Frosty the Snowman from Warner Bros.
• Elf Elf movie licensed plush toys and products from Warner Bros.
• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice licensed plush toys and products from Warner Bros.
• Jaws Jaws licensed toys and products.
• Toy Story Toy Story licensed plush toys and products.
• Monsters Inc. Monsters Inc. licensed plush toys and products.
• Spider-Man Spider-Man licensed plush toys and products.
• Bluey Bluey licensed plush toys and products.
• The Bad Guys The Bad Guys licensed plush toys and products.
• Making by NICF Nettie Making by NICF Nettie licensed plush toys and products.
• Godzilla Godzilla licensed plush toys and products for children.
• Gremlins Gremlins licensed plush toys and products.
• Shrek

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DisneycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership to manufacture soft toys, plush, and developmental products featuring Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Disney Baby, Disney Princess, Winnie the Pooh, Stitch, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• Warner BroscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Harry Potter, DC Comics Justice League, Elf, Frosty the Snowman, and Beetlejuice branded plush and toy products.
• UniversalcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership featuring Universal brands including Curious George, E.T., Back to the Future, and Kung Fu Panda in the 'Welcome to the Universe Baby!' gender-neutral product line.
• Sesame WorkshopcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCollaboration with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, to create an adorable line of infant playthings featuring Elmo and other Sesame Street characters.
• Eric Carle / Penguin Random HousecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carle storybook characters brought to life in plush and toy products.
• Carter'scoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPartnership to manufacture soft toys and gifts under the Carter's brand, leveraging Carter's position as the #1 children's apparel brand trusted by generations of mothers.
• Peanuts WorldwidecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Peanuts characters including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, featuring soft books, blankets, and plush toys.
• Miffy / Dick Bruna / Mercis bvcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership to manufacture plush toys featuring Miffy, the Dutch character created by Dick Bruna. Celebrating Miffy's 70th birthday in 2025.
• Peter Rabbit / Frederick Warne & CocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and friends, featuring plush toys and products inspired by The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
• Guess How Much I Love You / Walker BookscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Big and Little Nutbrown Hare characters from the beloved children's book, with over 57 million copies sold worldwide.
• Goodnight Moon / HarperCollinscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership to bring the classic bedtime book Goodnight Moon to life in plush and toy products.
• Llama Llama / Anna E. Dewdney Literary TrustcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership for Llama Llama, the beloved bedtime character from Anna Dewdney's book series.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership to manufacture Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holiday products, celebrating 60 years of the beloved classic.
• Peppa Pig / Entertainment OnecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership to manufacture toys and plush featuring Peppa Pig and friends from the popular children's series.
• Star Wars / LucasfilmcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing partnership featuring Star Wars characters including Grogu (Baby Yoda), Ewok, The Mandalorian, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 in soft baby toys and plush.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Spin Master: Large diversified toy company with significant licensed plush via GUND plus broad entertainment IP licensing; broader portfolio but overlapping category and channel.
• Mattel: Master toy licensee for Disney Princess, Frozen, Mickey and others; competes for the same Disney licenses and mass-channel shelf, but with a far broader portfolio.
• Hasbro: Major toy and licensing platform with Disney Princess, Marvel, and Star Wars licenses; competes for the same licensor relationships and retail shelf.
• Build-A-Bear Workshop: Plush-led specialty retailer and licensor; partial overlap on licensed stuffed animals and Disney partnerships, though primarily a retail concept versus manufacturer.

Direct peers

• Jazwares: Licensed toy and plush manufacturer (owner of Squishmallows) competing for the same entertainment IP licenses and mass-retail shelf space; direct overlap on plush and collectibles.
• Jakks Pacific: Mid-sized US licensed toy manufacturer with similar category breadth (plush, role play, outdoor) and a comparable value-toy go-to-market across mass and club retailers, including Walmart and Target.
• Douglas Company: Family-owned plush manufacturer with broad assortment of licensed and proprietary stuffed animals; competes in the same value-toy and specialty-retail channels.
• Manhattan Toy: Specialty developer of infant and toddler soft toys, developmental plush, and activity toys; closest peer on the developmental-toy side of Kids Preferred's mix.
• Aurora World: Global plush and soft-toy manufacturer serving mass-market baby and gift channels; closest direct competitor on category and channel mix.
• GUND: Specialty plush manufacturer (owned by Spin Master) producing licensed and proprietary stuffed animals for the same infant/toddler consumer base across mass and specialty channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-preferred

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Kids Preferred