Hasbro Licenses 'Power Rangers' Toys To Playmates For 2025
Toys are confirmed for next year, surrounded by lots of familiar friends
2024 has been and will be quite the dormant year for Power Rangers in all facets, but the first signs of life for 2025 might look a little funky. Hasbro, the toy company that bought the franchise in 2018 inked a global licensing agreement with Playmates Toys, known for being the long-standing home of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek toys, will take over production and distribution of Power Rangers products starting next year. Such first-announced products are a kid targeted toy line focused on the initial Mighty Morphin iteration.
According to the press release, Playmates holds licensing rights to develop “additional cross-category Power Rangers products”, including action figures, Zords, blasters, plush, role play, vehicles and accessories. The distribution jurisdiction is pretty global, covering across all regions excluding Asia. Karl Aaronian, Playmates’ Senior Vice President of Marketing said “We are honored to work with Hasbro on the reimagination of this iconic franchise’s toy line for long time fans and a new generation of children. Playmates and Hasbro speak the same toy language and share a passion for Power Rangers, a multi-generational phenomenon that has stood the test of time.”
To reiterate, by no means has Hasbro sold the franchise, it is just the toy rights. TV and movie production rights are still with them and they will continue to drive global strategy and growth for the franchise as a whole by strategically working with licensees across other facets including publishing, clothing and footwear. Hasbro’s utilization will continue through their direct-to-consumer channel Hasbro Pulse and its presence at San Diego Comic Con and other major industry events.
“Playmates’ ability to interpret character-based story telling in highly detailed, innovative, and affordable products has revitalized several iconic brands, they are the perfect fit to fully expand the Power Rangers franchise,” said Casey Collins, President of Licensed Consumer Products at Hasbro. “While we’ll continue to provide oversight and direction on future Power Rangers product ranges, Playmates will leverage its action figure and accessory design, development and marketing expertise to create an entirely new play and collecting experience for fans of all ages. With two powerhouse companies coming together to support a powerhouse brand, the potential is limitless!”
Playmates as a toy company is no stranger to giant monsters nor giant robots, with both Voltron (currently putting out a 40th anniversary collection) and Legendary’s Monsterverse, including the recent Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire. Miraculous Ladybug, relevantly a Toei co-production which briefly had a stint on Nickelodeon back in the Dino Charge and 2012 TMNT series days but has since camped itself with Disney to match much of the rest of the world, also has its toy license with Playmates.
Source: Hasbro