BRIO
Encyclopedia
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
company founded in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The company was founded in the small town of Boalt, Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
in 1884 by basket maker Ivar Bengtsson For a long time the company was based in Osby
Osby
Osby is a locality and the seat of Osby Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 6,947 inhabitants in 2005.Well known people born in Osby include Swedish ice hockey goalkeeper Magnus Åkerlund and their famous goalkeeper, the tremendous Awet Fesshaie....
, Scania, in southern Sweden. In 1908 Ivar's three sons took over and founded BRIO, which is an acronym for Bröderna ("brothers") Ivarsson [at] Osby. In 2006 the company moved its operations to Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
.
Lekoseum
In 1984 the company started the BRIO Lekoseum, a toy museumMuseum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
featuring the company's products and those of other companies (such as Barbie dolls and Märklin
Märklin
Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Wurttemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accessories, today it is best known for model railways and technical toys...
model railways), at the headquarters in Osby. Children can play with many of the toys.
Products
Wooden toy train
Wooden toy trains are toy trains that run on a wooden track system with grooves to guide the wheels of the rolling stock. While the trains, tracks and scenery accessories are made mainly of wood, the engines and cars connect to each other using metal hooks or small magnets, and some use plastic...
s, sold in Europe since 1958. Most are non-motorized and suitable for younger children. The cars connect with magnets and are easy to manipulate; in recent years, the range has been extended with battery powered, remote control, and 'intelligent track'-driven engines. BRIO licenses Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
wooden trains in some parts of Europe, but Learning Curve
Learning Curve Brands
Learning Curve Brands, Inc. is a subsidiary of the RC2 Corporation. They market brands of children's toys such as American Red Cross, The First Years, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Lamaze....
holds the Thomas license in the United States. Many competitors, such as Whittle Shortline
Whittle Shortline
- History :During the mid-1990s, former US Air Force pilot Mike Whitworth received a compound mitre saw as a gift from his wife, ostensibly for doing home improvement projects....
, make products that are compatible with BRIO. The high quality woods used and the Swedish manufacture make BRIO toys more expensive than many other brands.
BRIO also sold Theodore Tugboat
Theodore Tugboat
Theodore Tugboat is a Canadian children's television series about a tugboat named Theodore who lives in the Big Harbour with all of his friends. The show was produced in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada by the CBC , and the now defunct Cochran Entertainment, and was filmed on a model set using radio...
toys. Released were the tugboats, the Dispatcher, Benjamin Bridge, Chester the Container Ship, and Barrington and Bonavista barges. These toys were discontinued in 2000.
BRIO also sells BRIO-Mech construction kits. Long, thin wooden slats with evenly-spaced holes are connected together with various fasteners made of colorful plastic. Young children can build sturdy and elaborate constructions.
Additionally, the Alga subsidiary was one of five companies who at one time produced the physical skill game Crossbows and Catapults
Crossbows and Catapults
Crossbows and Catapults, also known as Barbarernas sista kamp and Battlegrounds, is a game of physical skill first released in 1983. It has since been published by several different game publishers including Lakeside, Alga , Base Toys, Tomy and currently Moose Toys...
.
Recent company history
Plantoys of Thailand had a joint venture with Brio in 2001/2002, being present in the Brio catalogs of the time.In 2004 the Swedish Investment company
Investment company
An investment company is a company whose main business is holding securities of other companies purely for investment purposes. The investment company invests money on behalf of its shareholders who in turn share in the profits and losses....
Proventus
Proventus
Proventus is a privately held Swedish investment company founded in 1980 by Robert Weil. It was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange from 1982 until 1995....
became the major shareholder of Brio with more than 40% of the votes. In the same year Brio of Sweden moved most of their production to three factories in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
Province, China.
The "Financial Statement January - December 2008" presented on February 17, 2009 speaks of financial problems concerning the company's liquidity. On the 11th of March 2009 the company stated "BRIO financially reconstructed – shareholders’ equity strengthened by more than SEK 300 million".
External links
- BRIO US – Official BRIO US Website
- BRIO corporate homepage – links to BRIO web sites in several countries and languages
- At www.brio.net search for the "Lekoseum" to surf to the "Brio Toy Museum".
- Wooden Train Manufacturers – links to other companies that make wooden trains that work with BRIO
- A "History of Brio until 1999" at the FundingUniverse website with information on the American market entry.