Discovery Toys

Discovery Toys is a multi-level marketing company specializing in educational toys.[1] Its products are sold in the U.S. and Canada, and its headquarters are in Livermore, California.

Not to be confused with Discovery Kids, a brand name owned by Discovery Communications which is unrelated to this company.
Discovery Toys
IndustryMulti-level marketing
Founded1978 (1978)
FounderLane Nemeth
HeadquartersLivermore, California, U.S.
Key people
Jerry Salerno (CEO)
ProductsToys
Websitewww.discoverytoys.com

History

Discovery Toys was founded as a multi-level marketing company in 1978 by Lane Nemeth, a former daycare director, with a $5,000 family loan.[1][2] According to Nemeth, the company had 2,500 sales "consultants" in 1982 and had reached $4.6 million in revenue the previous year.[3] Ms. Nemeth grew the company to a $100 million in annual revenue by 1997 then sold the company to Avon[4] who sold it in 2002 to a private equity group. Discovery Toys was acquired by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Eos International, Inc. in July 2001.[1]

One of the company's top selling toys is Marbleworks. Released in 1982 it consists of colorful, sloped, plastic half-pipes of different designs. The individual pieces interlock, creating a track on which marbles are run. Marbleworks was included in Discovery's product line when Discovery Toys expanded into China in 2003.[5]

References
  1. "Eos International, Inc. Form 10-K (2001)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  2. Nancy Rutter (July 1, 1990). "Greer vs. Nemeth". Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  3. Steve Kaufman (November 7, 1982). "Entrepreneur's sales thrive from educational toy parties". Boca Raton News (Knight Ridder). Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  4. Coco Masters (April 4, 2005). "Let's Pawty!". Time. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  5. Kathy Chen (2003-09-24). "Discovery Toys Will Launch Its Toys and Games in China". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-19.


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