Enesco stirs up the gifts-and-collectibles industry with a licensing agreement with Boyds and the acquisition of Gund.

Matthew Bousquette is a man with passion, persistence and a plan. If he succeeds, he will revolutionize gift-store retailers worldwide. It’s a $65 billion-a-year industry, and Bousquette is determined to carve out a big slice of that pie for Enesco.

 

As chairman of the board for Enesco, Bousquette is in a position to carry out his strategy; he took two big steps in that direction with a license to produce the Boyds line and the acquisition of Gund—two of several brands Enesco has recently added to its portfolio of merchandise.

 

After 17 years at Mattel, Bousquette set his sights on the fragmented gifts-and-collectibles industry, joining Enesco in early 2007; financial struggles at Enesco turned into opportunity for Bousquette and other investors. Enesco’s new management jumped in with both feet to help right the ship and by August 2007 had already launched Bousquette’s plan of action.

A Man with a Plan

Gift retailers must work to acquire the right mix of merchandise, dealing with numerous smaller companies and some large companies. This means working with many different sales reps, placing orders, having shipments come in from different places at different times, matching deliveries to invoices, paying bills to various companies, looking through multiple catalogs and websites, visiting showrooms, and keeping track of who to contact at which company. It can be very complicated and time-consuming.

 

Bousquette thought it would make sense to have one large company acquire numerous brands that represent the best of their niche in the market. Then gift retailers could carry a large number of quality and innovative products in their stores but only have to deal with one company, one invoice, one sales rep.

 

It’s such a simple concept, but one that has never been tested. Under Bousquette’s leadership, Enesco has embarked on a strategy of becoming the global leader in the gift, garden and home décor markets by internally building, buying and licensing the premiere brands in the industry. Enesco products sell and ship globally, Bousquette notes, so the company was perfectly primed to become the focal point of the worldwide gifts-and-collectibles industry.

 

The company started by acquiring new brands like Our Name is Mud and Country Artists Ltd., based on market research that helped to identify well-known and innovative product lines that would appeal to adult collectors and gift buyers. One void in the Enesco lineup was plush animals, both as collectibles and as gifts. The company’s survey of nine plush lines helped zero in on The Boyds Collection Ltd. as the top plush name brand in the adult collectibles category, along with Gund for its longtime name recognition and overall quality. Enesco went to both Boyds and Gund and laid out its plan, hoping to persuade both lines to join its company.

 

As a result of the talks, Enesco made an announcement in May 2008, noting the “signing of an exclusive, long-term, worldwide, strategic agreement with The Boyds Collection Ltd. Under the agreement, Boyds grants Enesco a license to design, manufacture and market certain products and brands of Boyds….The agreement covers a broad variety of formats and categories, including plush, resin, ceramic and other materials.

 

“The licensing agreement with Boyds builds on Enesco’s strategy of aggressive global growth in the gift, garden and home décor markets through internal growth, licensing and acquisitions.”

 

According to Gifts & Decorative Accessories, “it is more sweeping than the usual licensing agreement,” adding that “Boyds will close its existing offices and Enesco will hire what Bousquette characterized as ‘the bulk’ of Boyds’ design, development, marketing and sales employees, who will remain in Pennsylvania, as well as acquire some of the company’s assets.”

 

This announcement came as quite a surprise to Boyds collectors, who had heard vague rumors but nothing substantial until this hit the wire. It left them confused, upset and worried about what all this would mean for collectors and retailers.

 

With dwindling numbers of Boyds retailers, collectors fretted the sale was a sign of problems at the company. Soon, however, it became clear Enesco sought to acquire Boyds as part of a strategy that seems designed to give Boyds its biggest boost in years.

 

After the announcement, Enesco again raised eyebrows in July 2008 with its stealthy acquisition of Gund, a company that celebrated 110 years in business in 2008. With these two strong brands, Enesco has positioned itself to become the main player in the plush business.

Changing Times

Bousquette speaks about his plans for Boyds with great enthusiasm. He wants to “marry the best of the past with the current world,” pointing out this marriage will take Boyds into a global market, which may call for new products and designs that will appeal to other markets around the world.

 

“We have great respect for the heritage of the brand and feel they have strayed some from the original principles that made Boyds great, and we want to go back to that,” Bousquette says, stressing the importance of more attention to the magical details that make Boyds bears special—hats, fabrics, buttons, designs.

 

One result of this new agreement is some change in the product lineup, including a move away from children and infants and back toward adult collectors. The resin lines currently being produced are a reflection of what has been most profitable for Boyds and include the Bearstones, Charming Angels, Life Times and Treasure Boxes, which means the end of lines like the new Tattered Treasures, Faeries and Dollstones.

 

Boyds’ Dave Miller says midsize companies like Boyds are increasingly challenged to be competitive in the current economy, and working with Enesco gives them the advantages of a larger company, including worldwide distribution and support. He feels the partnership will ensure the success of Boyds for years to come and Enesco’s resources, like its customer-service team and sales staff, will be a great help to their retailers. In addition, Enesco’s relationship with many gift retailers gives Boyds a great opportunity to be placed in many stores that have not carried the line in recent years, especially internationally.

 

Although there are transition issues, the company is working diligently through them and looking forward to a terrific spring lineup. Miller said Boyds’ relationship with Jim Shore was a plus in this decision, as Shore has been very pleased with his relationship with Enesco. The new spring Jim Shore plush line has Miller very excited, as it represents a major step forward in marrying Shore’s designs with the Boyds plush know-how.

 

The new Jim Shore bears will be traditional Boyds-style bears elaborately dressed in fabrics designed by Shore. They will have the most detail ever in a Boyds fabric, with custom embroidery.

 

Collectors will see more details, better fabrics and more custom-designed fabrics, Miller says, though still with the look and feel of Boyds, but perhaps not strictly a country feel—more contemporary designs and brighter colors, or extreme detailing with contemporary themes.

 

Boyds will continue to do exclusives, Miller assures, especially with organizations like the American Cancer Society and Longaberger, and four to six special pieces will be made in 2009 to commemorate Boyds’ 30th anniversary.

Gotta Getta Gund

The other part of the plush puzzle is Gund. For more than 100 years, Gund has been creating cuddly teddy bears and other plush animals for young and old, a rare success story that speaks to the strong family ties that have led the company for so long.

 

Founded in 1898 by Adolph Gund, the company was taken over by Jacob Swedlin in 1925 when Gund retired, with an agreement in place to keep the name the same. It has and is still run by descendants of the Swedlin family.

 

Jim Madonna joined the company 12 years ago and has worked closely with the Raiffe family management team, who has guided the company for generations. In July 2004, he took over as president of Gund—the first time in many years a non-family member served in that capacity.

 

Gund is “as committed as ever, if not more so, to improving the brand by focusing on the quality that got them to 110 years in business,” Madonna says. His genuine pride in the company spills over as he talks about the purchase by Enesco. While not speaking for the Raiffe family, Madonna says the time was right to line up new stewards to take the helm, and the Raiffes considered this proposition very carefully before agreeing to what is, in essence, a merger between two great companies.

 

Gund will continue to operate as a separate company with the existing Gund management team. The company will play a key part in bringing instant credibility to Enesco’s plush products, which is part of Enesco’s overall strategy. This strategy should help Gund grow and expand into worldwide markets, and the Gund-Boyds buying power will help keep prices competitive.

 

Maintaining high standards of quality and consumer appeal are utmost in Bousquette’s plans. He says Enesco and Gund share a common dream—to be “passionate and true to your vision”—and describes Gund as a classic American brand that will be a considerable asset to Enesco’s family.

Win-Win

Bousquette knows he has his work cut out for him. He was told independent small retailers are dying, that he was overreaching to try this. He responds by saying he thinks manufacturers have let down the retailers by making life too complicated, without the support needed to help them sell.

 

If you can offer a diverse lineup of innovative products, coordinate the ordering and shipping process, and help support the retailers, then consumers will visit stores to see what is new, he says. He is confident his company is choosing brand names that will drive customers to the stores and offer a make-life-easier approach to retailers, which will attract them to the Enesco brand family. It sounds like a win-win situation for everyone involved.

As she sculpts the molds and designs the costumes for Goodreau Doll’s American Ball Jointed Dolls (BJDs), Paulette Goodreau is surrounded by pets she and her sister, Annette Goodreau, have rescued. The two share their home with 17 very loved animals. They even call their home “Whisker Woods.” With such an animal attraction, it’s no surprise Paulette is now creating critter companions for the company’s dolls. The collection of poseable resin bears and other animals—aptly named the Ball Jointed Critters of Whisker Woods—pays homage to the Goodreaus’ home and their love for animals.

 

“Sometimes I think animals see the possibilities, and we see limitations. I try not to see limitations when I am creating anything, just the possibility of what it can be,” says Paulette, who has been designing teddy bears and other animals non-professionally for about ten years. She’s been the artist behind Goodreau Doll since the company was founded, and the critters are the Goodreaus’ foray into the animal kingdom.

 

“I would describe them as different, unusual, whimsical and appealing,” doll collector Paula Kagan of Orono, Maine, says of the Whisker Woods critters. “They are easy to handle and bring childhood thoughts to mind.” Kagan first became acquainted with the BJCs at IDEX 2008 in Orlando, Fla. During a dessert social, she was the lucky winner of a one-of-a-kind “Snow Queen” doll, along with a ball-jointed critter (a bear). “They adorn the center of my doll room together and I adore them both,” she says.

 

While BJD fans will want to add the animals to their doll collections, they aren’t the only ones who will discover the unique appeal of the ball-jointed critters (BJCs). Teddy bear fans and animal lovers will find them to be interesting additions to their collections as well.

 

“You have domesticated and wild animals to appeal to many different collectors,” says collector Tina Gaunt of Pikeville, Ky., noting that the diversity of the BJC line is what she finds most attractive. “I think the fact that they are [ball jointed] will appeal to doll collectors, and the fact they are bears will appeal to bear collectors. It offers something for both markets.”

 

Carol Graham, owner of Bearzabout, a bear and doll shop in Duvall, Wash., agrees the critters will have crossover appeal. “We just did a doll show in Puyallup, Wash., with Paulette, and she introduced her new critter line there. It was as enthusiastically received as Paulette herself was. The critters are extremely cute and also seemed to appeal to the teddy bear collectors,” she says.

 

Soft-sculpture artist Karen Lyons of KJ Lyons Design in Seattle, Wash., had a chance to see the Goodreaus’ Alice in Wonderland critters created for Disney’s 2008 Teddy Bear and Doll Weekend. “What I loved about them was their dreamlike expressions, almost surrealistic in detail. They fit perfectly with the Alice in Wonderland theme,” Lyons notes. “It’s very unusual to see fine resin characters. They are difficult pieces to create. The Goodreaus do a wonderful job. They are finely crafted pieces with their own artistic style.”

 

Whether creating storybook characters, wild animals or posh pets, Paulette lets her imagination—and her love for animals and collecting—be her guide. More than 20 different designs are in the works (her personal favorite being a yet-to-be-released bat). Debuted in May 2008, the 8-inch critters sell for around $160 while the 5-inch animals are around $120. Each BJC is manufactured in a limited edition of 150 pieces and then retired.

 

Not surprisingly, the animals have a doll-like quality to them. The critters come dressed in little fur suits (complete with a tail) and boots, and they are articulated in 14 places for maximum poseability. Complete with painted faces, realistic eyelashes and changeable eyes (so you can switch the animal’s eye color depending on your preference), they can be dressed in costumes created especially for them. The possibilities for play are particularly attractive to people who enjoy dressing and posing their bears and other animals.

 

“I happen to love the BJD dolls, and I change clothes and poses whenever I feel like ‘playing,’” Kagan says. “The Goodreaus in general are wonderful people with whom to associate, even if you don’t collect their products. They are warm-hearted, generous, fun-loving individuals with great intelligence and good humor!”

 

In business for just over two years, Goodreau Doll is a fairly new company, but the family-run business is already seeing success. Each member of the family does her part to put smiles on collectors’ faces. “My sister Mary does all of our charity pieces, Annette actually owns the company, and Mom Eloise is the mascot,” explains Paulette, who grew up in Michigan with her single mother and five siblings.

 

Paulette does the designing and sculpting and her family helps out with some of the fine details. Art has always been a part of her life. “For as long as I can remember I have been drawing—there is not a day that goes by that I do not have to draw. It is just me,” Paulette says. “I have always been a doll collector, and I have every doll from when I was young. I also collected stuffed animals…I love art in any form, and I see toys, dolls and bears as art forms.”

 

Supporting art and collecting is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg for the Goodreaus. They also do their part to support animal charities and the environment. “We would like every endeavor we embark on to make a positive contribution to the world, and not just take resources,” Paulette shares. “When we had our catalog done, we gave personally to a re-plantation of trees organization. We donate our time, money and energy to local and global nonprofit organizations, and also give many personal gifts that do not fall under the tax-deduction area. So each time someone buys a doll or critter from us they support our causes also.”

 

The Critters of Whisker Woods may not be your typical collectible critters—after all, they are not stuffed or furry—but they can add a new dimension to a teddy bear collection and bring a little more love into the animal world.

“Goldilocks and the Three Bears” is the newest chapter of stunning storybook characters from R. John Wright.

The endearing dolls and animals from R. John Wright Dolls in Bennington, Vt., are what fairy tales are made of. Their expressive faces and unparalleled detail enliven quintessential characters that once only lived in our imaginations or illustrated the pages of our favorite books. From Alice in Wonderland to Winnie-the-Pooh, John and his wife and creative partner, Susan, create classic characters that are sought after by doll and bear collectors and fairytale fans alike. At the R. John Wright Workshop and Studio in Vermont, a highly skilled team of 25 trained artisans puts each limited edition into production.

 

“The Wrights are unrivaled at bringing our storybook favorites to life by using the finest materials and being faithful to the original illustrations,” says Barrie Shapiro, co-owner of The Toy Shoppe in Richmond, Va. “We know that our collectors will always be delighted when their selections are received—they arrive exactly as they should, exactly as they imagined.”

 

R. John Wright’s latest storybook collection, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” continues the company’s storied excellence. The 12¼-inch felt “Goldilocks” doll, with her adorable golden curls and sweet summer dress, is destined to become a classic. And “Papa Bear,” “Mama Bear” and “Baby Bear” appear to have stepped right off the pages of the classic tale.

 

One of the most well-known childhood stories, Goldilocks and the Three Bears tells of a young girl with beautiful blond locks. Wandering into the woods, she comes across a cottage and discovers no one is home. She sees three bowls of porridge on the table and takes a taste of each one, finding the smallest to be “just right.” She tries out the bears’ three chairs (breaking the smallest one) and then their three beds, finally settling into the smallest one and quickly falling fast asleep. The Three Bears return to find all that Goldilocks has done—and that she is asleep in Baby Bear’s bed! When she awakens and finds the bears staring down at her, she runs from the cottage to the safety of her home.

 

“It is one of the all-time classic children’s stories and has certainly stood the test of time. It has a very simple and direct storyline with a great contrast between the lovely little girl and the gruff, rustic bears. It works on several levels as both a cautionary tale and a fantasy,” John says.

 

When, in 2006, children’s book author Lauren Childs and photographer Polly Borland asked the Wrights to design a set of bears and a doll to be used in a new Goldilocks photo-storybook, John and Susan were thrilled with the idea. “[Lauren and Polly] had previously collaborated on a very successful Princess and the Pea storybook, and they were big fans of our work,” says John, noting that Puffin Books (U.K.) plans to release the book this fall. “We had long wanted to do a Goldilocks series and this provided the impetus to do it.”

 

Just like Goldilocks had to try each bowl of porridge, each chair and each bed, John says they had to try a few options before arriving at the final bear designs. “There are many illustrators who depicted the Three Bears and these were generally referred to in coming up with our design,” John explains. “Full-scale sketches established the size and scale of the pieces to one another. From there we made sample bears, which were honed and refined until we achieved the desired result. In doing something like this for the first time there is a great deal of trial and error involved.

 

“These are the most realistic bears we’ve ever done and that presented a challenge to us,” John continues. “My own personal favorite in the group is ‘Papa Bear.’ He stands on his own quite effectively and reminds me of the carved wood Black Forest bears, which I’ve always admired.”

 

Sporting a vest and hat, 16-inch Papa Bear carries a custom-made wooden pipe in one of his vest pockets. He is the first-ever R. John Wright bear with teeth. Standing 15 inches tall, Mama Bear comes with an apron for indoors and a cape for her walks in the woods, and 8 inch Baby Bear is adorable with his bib and alternate jacket. “We wanted to merely suggest their domesticity without fully covering them up with clothing,” John notes.

 

Papa Bear and Mama Bear are fashioned from alpaca plush, while Baby Bear is made from a wool/mohair blend. Each bear has felt paw pads, resin claws, a leather nose and glass eyes. They are fully jointed and stuffed with a combination of cotton and kapok. An interior wrist movement was also added so the bears could be more expressive when posed for the book’s photographs.

 

To create the detailed expressions of the R. John Wright critters, the faces of the bears are molded in metal molds. The heads (and sometimes entire bodies) are first sculpted in clay and then in wax before the final molds are cast. “To our knowledge, we don’t know of anyone else doing this particular type of process with plush,” John says. “This adds greatly to the sculptural quality and assures that there is consistency in the edition.”

 

The Toy Shoppe has been offering R. John Wright’s creations to collectors worldwide since 1978 and owner Barrie, along with husband and co-owner Danny, has long admired the Wrights’ art. “Their materials and approach to bear making are fresh and innovative, creating their own special look and resulting in some of the most amazing and wonderful bear creations we have ever seen,” she notes.

 

Since creating his first doll in 1976 and incorporating R. John Wright Dolls in 1984, John has become widely recognized for his fabulous felt dolls and appealing animal characters. In 1985, the company released its first bear—an 8-inch Winnie-the-Pooh, which accompanied a Christopher Robin doll. “Character animals in particular often take on human qualities, so it was not much of a leap for us to go from designing dolls to designing storybook animals and bears,” John notes. A year after introducing Pooh, they began designing the other animal characters from Hundred Acre Wood: Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, and Kanga and Roo.

 

During the past two decades, several storybook characters stepped off the pages and into the R. John Wright studio: Paddington Bear, Curious George, Peter Rabbit and other Beatrix Potter animal characters, the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, and the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees from the Raggedy Ann books.

 

“It is difficult to say which of their storybook characters have been the most popular—they all are!” Barrie says. “From the original ‘Little Prince,’ created in 1983 exclusively for our shop, to ‘Babes in the Wood’ created last year, there is not one edition that has not been in demand and quickly sold out.”

 

Collectors will agree that with Goldilocks and the Three Bears, R. John Wright has once again gotten it “just Wright.” The set will be available this summer through all R. John Wright authorized retailers.