Stamford, CT — Wham-O appoints Anjar Co. & Becker Associates as the exclusive global licensing agency for Wham-O and its iconic brands, including: Frisbee, Slip ’N Slide, Hula Hoop, Hacky Sack, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, and Boogie Board. Under the Agreement, Anjar and Becker Associates will develop, license, and commercialize Wham-O brand merchandise and brand extensions across all product categories to bring families, friends, and teammates together, while promoting active play and fun, indoors and out.
Todd Richards, President of Wham-O, says, “I’m very excited to be working with such a well-known agency as Anjar and Becker Associates. All of us at Wham-O are looking forward to prosperous opportunities.”
Jonathan Becker, President of Anjar Co., says, “It’s hard to overstate the iconic stature of Wham-O’s brands. Slip ‘n Slide, the Super Ball, Hacky Sack, Hula Hoop, and, of course, the Frisbee, are ubiquitous, part of our culture and the happy memories of millions of people around the world. The opportunity to leverage these well-known brands, in toys and other categories, is an honor and privilege, and we’re excited to pursue every opportunity to showcase them to potential licensees.”
Wham-O is a lifestyle brand that has been synonymous with fun, play, and active sports since Arthur “Spud” Mellin and Richard Knerr founded it almost 75 years ago. Wham-O manufactures and markets some of the most recognizable consumer brands in the world today. Wham-O’s brands are steeped in the tradition of classic, well-made toys. The name, Wham-O, is based on the sound a slingshot (Wham-O’s first product) made when it hit its target. Since then, Wham-O has sold about 300 different toys and games in more than 85 countries. The Wham-O brand portfolio embodies fun games and toys that appeal to all ages. The Frisbee and Hula Hoop were inducted into the Strong Museum’s National Toy Industry Hall of Fame (in 1998 and 1999, respectively). The name, Super Bowl, came from The Super Ball.
According to David Huang, Head of Product Development and Licensing at Wham-O, “For over 70 years, Wham-O has been responsible for many of the most memorable toys for multiple generations of children, making it truly an American institution. We’re both proud and excited to be partnered with Anjar/Becker Associates to help continue spreading our message of FUN beyond the toy world.”
Patti Becker, CEO of Becker Associates, adds, “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to create a licensing program to extend Wham-O and their iconic brands, which have a special place in people’s hearts throughout the world. Wham-O’s immense and lasting popularity started with the Frisbee, which will turn 65 next year. These timeless toys improve physical health and wellbeing. The timing couldn’t be better to capitalize on the extraordinary brand awareness and appeal of Wham-O’s amazing toys!”
About Wham-O
Wham-O Inc. is an American toy company based in Carson, California, United States. It is known for creating and marketing many of the most popular toys over the past 70 years with brands that include Hula Hoop®, Frisbee®, Slip ‘N Slide®, Super Ball®, Trac-Ball®, Hacky Sack®, & Boogie Board®. Wham-O is a company and lifestyle brand that is steeped in the American cultural tradition of classic, well-made toys.
About Anjar Co. LLC and Becker Associates LLC
Anjar and Becker Associates are an award-winning, full-service global licensing, IP and Brand Management Agency. We’ve licensed about 1000 products and our licensees have provided ~$2 billion of fun for children around the world, including numerous evergreen products that have become familiar household names. We make our brands meaningful by bringing them to life via consumer-driven licensing. We hope to inspire play, which is universal, and create lifelong memories and experiences across our portfolio of products, as we turn many of the best-known toys and games into global, world-famous brands. We’re the proud recipient of the prestigious ‘OUTSTANDING LICENSING AGENT’ Award. Jonathan is a leading IP Attorney, with over 35 years of toy licensing experience, and a tenured Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where he teaches Business Practices in the Toy Design Department. Patti is the past President of Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment (WIT). Under her leadership, WIT saw explosive growth into more than 24 countries on five continents, 35x increase in membership, and the creation of the WIT-Walmart Women’s Empowerment Initiative, an ongoing program where more than 500 Women-Owned-Businesses have pitched their products to Walmart buyers, resulting in dozens of Walmart.com or in-store Walmart listings. Jim Becker, the founder of Anjar, was inducted into the prestigious TOY INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME in 2018, on Anjar’s 50th Anniversary.