Littlest Pet Shop, one of the most well-known collectible toy brands in history, will be marking its long-anticipated return to retail with an immersive digital play experience on the global immersive platform for communication and connection – Roblox. The brand-new pet simulation experience, which will launch worldwide in December 2023, is a joint collaboration between Littlest Pet Shop Master Toy licensee, Basic Fun!, a leading global marketer of toys and consumer products, Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), a leading toy and game company, and Suit Up Games, a Roblox development studio specializing in high-engagement branded experiences for young audiences.
With over 1 billion pets sold worldwide since the brand’s initial launch by Hasbro over 30 years ago, Littlest Pet Shop was the original pet collectible with more than 3,000 pets to collect, display, and trade. As a testament to its legacy status, Littlest Pet Shop’s signature quirky, edgy, and undeniably cute pets remain ever popular with kids and kidult collectors today.
“We are thrilled to partner with Suit Up Games and Hasbro to bring Littlest Pet Shop to Roblox,” said Maureen Dilger, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing of Basic Fun! “The iconic brand was one of the original toys to grow through its vibrant social media community. LPS is a natural fit for Roblox – the most popular immersive platform in the world for today’s young people to connect.”
With 66 million global daily active users, Roblox has quickly grown into a household name. Every day, tens of millions of people around the world connect, communicate and explore millions of immersive experiences together with their friends on Roblox.
“There has been a gap in the Roblox marketplace for a pet simulation game leveraging the pet collector genre. It was serendipity when Basic Fun! approached us about a partnership, as we were keen to enter this space in a big way. By collaborating with Basic Fun!, we get to do it with a global cross-generational brand like LPS that has collecting pets at the heart of its DNA,” said Ross Targett, General Manager of Suit Up Games.
“In reimagining Littlest Pet Shop for a modern audience, it was clear that we needed to meet today’s kids and kidults where they are. Roblox connects tens of millions of people every day for immersive and shared digital experiences, so it was natural to engage this community as we bring back the beloved brand on a global scale,” said Eugene Evans, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy and Licensing, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro.
The December 2023 release of the experience will kickstart a global marketing campaign to relaunch Littlest Pet Shop to fans and collectors around the world. Basic Fun! together with best-in-class distribution partners such as Bandai, will unleash the toy program in 20+ countries worldwide as early as Spring 2024, with over 140 bobblin’ pets to collect, featuring new characters, packs, and playsets.
“Over the years, we’ve seen huge demand to bring Littlest Pet Shop back – especially from fans who grew up with the brand in the ‘90s and ‘00s that want to connect with the newest generation through the universal language of play,” said Bradley Bowman, Senior Licensing Director, Global Toy and Games at Hasbro. “Basic Fun! has been a fantastic partner in keeping our classic brands alive and relevant as ever, so it was natural to entrust them with the relaunch of Littlest Pet Shop as we expand into the ‘phygital’ world to meet today’s kids where they are.” Basic Fun! will be offering a sneak peek of the new Littlest Pet Shop product line, as well as the Roblox experience, at the upcoming industry event, Toy Fair, which will be held in New York City from September 30 to October 3.