University Games Acquires Briarpatch
University Games announced that it will acquire the assets of Briarpatch. The purchase price was not disclosed.
“Briarpatch is the leader in preschool specialty games and has been for the past 20 years,” said Bob Moog, president of University Games, in a statement. “Briarpatch has a rich portfolio of games and puzzles based on popular literary properties like I Spy and Fancy Nancy.”
The merger will increase University Games’ domestic revenue by approximately 20 percent, according to the company. Additionally, the Briarpatch licenses will augment University Games Colorforms business. Plans are in place to make the transition as seamless as possible for the retailers and consumers. University Games says it plans to begin shipping Briarpatch products in mid-March.
Briarpatch was founded in 1991 by John Donofrio and Martine Redman. Their first game was based on Eric Carle’s bestseller, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In 2006 the license transferred to University Games. John Donofrio, co-founder of Briarpatch will join University Games in a consulting role. Martine Redman passed away in 2007.
The Briarpatch acquisition is the ninth acquisition since 1994 for University Games. Prior acquisitions include Great Explorations, Bepuzzled, Colorforms, JP Kids, and Front Porch Classics. In addition, the international division of University Games actively markets in more than 30 countries through its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and Canada.