Design Lab
design LAB inc is a US-based private-label designer and manufacturer of pet and theme park merchandise, producing licensed product lines under direct agreements with major entertainment and brand IP holders and selling through B2B retail, Amazon, Chewy, and its own Shopify storefront.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Design Lab does
design LAB inc is a US-incorporated, privately held private-label designer and manufacturer specializing in pet and theme park merchandise. The company holds direct licensing agreements with multiple Tier-1 entertainment and brand IP holders — including Disney, Paramount, Netflix (Stranger Things, Squid Game), Nickelodeon (Spongebob, TMNT), Warner Bros. (Harry Potter), Mossy Oak, Budweiser, and NASCAR — and operates six active licensed product lines (Spongebob, TMNT, Yellowstone, Stranger Things, Squid Game, Mean Girls) with three additional licenses (Garfield, NASCAR, Budweiser) listed as forthcoming. Its core capability is end-to-end product execution: design, merchandising, manufacturing, and shipping of full collections under exclusive private-label arrangements for retail buyers.
The company serves four retail tiers — mass market, mid-tier, specialty, and discount — across both pet merchandise and theme park merchandise categories. Distribution is multi-channel: direct B2B private-label relationships with retailers, Amazon marketplace listings across all six franchises, Chewy listings for Yellowstone pet merchandise, and a Shopify-powered direct-to-consumer storefront at design-labinc.com. The operational footprint includes quality monitoring and production oversight offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong (Asia sourcing) and California and Tennessee (US end-market), supporting a Southeast Asia-based supply chain with third-party social compliance auditing.
Revenue model is B2B private-label manufacturing and sales on a quote-based pricing structure, with no public pricing disclosure. The company provides exclusivity to clients and tailors collections to specific retailer demographics. No revenue, headcount, funding, or founding date is publicly disclosed; the firm operates as an independent private business with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or venture backing. A single public contact — Emma ([email protected]) — is listed for partnership inquiries.
Design Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design Lab
- Legal name
- design LAB inc
- Website
- https://design-labinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- design LAB inc is a US-based private-label designer and manufacturer of pet and theme park merchandise, producing licensed product lines under direct agreements with major entertainment and brand IP holders and selling through B2B retail, Amazon, Chewy, and its own Shopify storefront.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Private-Label Licensed Merchandise Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930), Pet and Pet Supplies Retailers (459910)
- SIC
- Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Pet Supplies Retail (Multi-category) (CRALAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Manufacturing, Private Label & Co-Manufacturing for Animal Diets (HLAMAHAO), Pet Toys, Training & Enrichment Products Distribution (CRAOAKAE)
Keywords
Where Design Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Design Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Private-label merchandise manufacturing and sales: Designs, merchandises, manufactures, and ships entire collections of pet and theme park merchandise to retail customers including mass, mid-tier, specialty, and discount channels.
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels1 record
Design Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design Lab designs, manufactures, and merchandises private-label pet and theme park merchandise under licenses from major entertainment properties (Disney, Paramount, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros.). The company develops custom products and supplies them to mass, mid-tier, specialty, and discount retailers, with supplemental direct-to-consumer availability through Amazon, Chewy, and its Shopify storefront.
Product overview
Design Lab is a private-label designer and manufacturer firm specializing in pet and theme-park merchandise. The company operates through multiple licensed product lines including Spongebob, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yellowstone, Stranger Things, Squid Game, and Mean Girls. Products are sold through retail channels including Amazon and Chewy. The company also holds licenses for upcoming products including Garfield, NASCAR, and Budweiser merchandise. Design Lab's business model involves designing, merchandising, manufacturing, and shipping entire collections across multiple categories for customers in mass, mid-tier, specialty, and discount retail segments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SpongeBob SquarePants Pet Products Private-label pet merchandise developed under the SpongeBob SquarePants license (Nickelodeon/Viacom), distributed to retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Mean Girls Pet Products Private-label pet merchandise developed under the Mean Girls film license (Paramount), distributed to retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Squid Game Pet Products Private-label pet merchandise developed under the Squid Game series license (Netflix), distributed to retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pet Products Private-label pet merchandise developed under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license (Paramount), distributed to retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Stranger Things Pet Products Private-label pet merchandise developed under the Stranger Things series license (Netflix), distributed to retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
- Yellowstone Pet Products Private-label pet merchandise developed under the Yellowstone series license (Paramount), distributed to retailers and direct-to-consumer channels.
Companies that use Design Lab
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Design Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Design Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DisneycoreLicensing partner for theme park merchandise; Design Lab develops Disney-branded products under licensing agreement
- ParamountcoreLicensing partner for theme park merchandise; Design Lab develops Paramount-branded products under licensing agreement
- NetflixcoreLicensing partner for streaming content merchandise including Stranger Things and Squid Game; Design Lab develops Netflix-branded products under licensing agreement
- NickelodeoncoreLicensing partner for children's entertainment merchandise including Spongebob and TMNT; Design Lab develops Nickelodeon-branded products under licensing agreement
- Warner Bros. (Harry Potter)coreLicensing partner for Harry Potter merchandise; Design Lab develops Harry Potter-branded products under licensing agreement
- Mossy OakminorLicensing partner for outdoor/lifestyle merchandise; Design Lab develops Mossy Oak-branded products under licensing agreement
- BudweiserminorLicensing partner for Budweiser-branded merchandise; Design Lab develops products under licensing agreement
- NASCARminorLicensing partner for NASCAR-themed merchandise; Design Lab develops products under licensing agreement
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Design Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jazwares: Jazwares is a global toy and consumer products company that designs, manufactures, and distributes licensed and proprietary toys, including a dedicated pet products line. Its business model of private-label licensed manufacturing across multiple entertainment franchises mirrors Design Lab's core operations.
- Bioworld: Bioworld designs and manufactures licensed apparel, accessories, and lifestyle products for major entertainment brands. Its private-label, multi-category, multi-studio approach closely parallels Design Lab's product and channel strategy.
- Mad Engine: Mad Engine is a licensed apparel and accessories manufacturer serving mass-market and specialty retailers through private-label programs. It shares Design Lab's model of building retailer-exclusive collections around entertainment IP.
- Basic Fun!: Basic Fun! designs and manufactures licensed toys, novelties, and collectibles for entertainment and consumer brands. It is a direct private-label competitor to Design Lab in the licensed toy and novelty manufacturing space.
- Ripple Junction: Ripple Junction is a licensed apparel and accessories company producing pop-culture merchandise for major entertainment franchises. It competes in the same retailer-distributed private-label and DTC channels as Design Lab.
- Amscan: Amscan is a large manufacturer and distributor of licensed party goods, seasonal merchandise, and theme-park-adjacent products. Its theme-park/character merchandise overlap makes it a direct comparable for Design Lab's theme-park merchandise line.
Broad incumbents
- Funko: Funko is a leading publicly traded manufacturer of licensed pop-culture collectibles and figures. While much larger and more brand-led than Design Lab, it competes for the same studio licenses and the same retail and consumer channels.
- MGA Entertainment: MGA Entertainment is a privately held global toy and entertainment company producing licensed and proprietary toys and consumer products. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping retail and licensing relationships.
- Spin Master: Spin Master is a global children's entertainment and toy company with a large licensed products portfolio. It is a broader incumbent that competes with Design Lab for major entertainment licenses and mass-retail placement.
- Hallmark: Hallmark licenses, designs, and distributes a wide range of licensed gifts, apparel, and consumer products through mass and specialty retail. It is a broader incumbent in the licensed consumer goods space with overlapping retail customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Design Lab social profiles
Digital presenceDesign Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Design Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design Lab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design Lab
What does Design Lab do?
Design Lab designs, manufactures, and merchandises private-label pet and theme park merchandise under licenses from major entertainment properties (Disney, Paramount, Netflix, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros.). The company develops custom products and supplies them to mass, mid-tier, specialty, and discount retailers, with supplemental direct-to-consumer availability through Amazon, Chewy, and its Shopify storefront.
Is Design Lab a public or private company?
Design Lab is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Design Lab founded?
Design Lab was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design Lab based?
Design Lab is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Design Lab make money?
One revenue line is on record: private-label merchandise manufacturing and sales.
Who are Design Lab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jazwares, Bioworld, Mad Engine, Basic Fun!, Ripple Junction and Amscan. Broad incumbents are Funko, MGA Entertainment, Spin Master and Hallmark.
Does Design Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design Lab.
What industry is Design Lab in?
Design Lab's product category is Private-Label Licensed Merchandise Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAHAA, General Pet Supplies Retail (Multi-category), with a secondary code of HLAMAHAO, Manufacturing, Private Label & Co-Manufacturing for Animal Diets. Its NAICS code is 339930 and its SIC code is 3944.