The company behind the best-selling dolls of the past two Christmas seasons is IMC Toys, led by its CEO and chief architect of growth, Albert Ventura. Based in Terrassa, near Barcelona, Ventura has steered the firm for more than two decades. His strategy moved the company from a simple distributor to a full-fledged producer, and recently into original content production with a hit series on Netflix. Today, IMC Toys is expanding into video games, audiobooks, and a new line of dolls called BFFs, aimed at reaching a broader audience within the doll category. All of this unfolds against an uneasy economic backdrop that has already forced adjustments to growth forecasts. Yet the plan remains to scale in stride with the company’s evolving capabilities.
Tell me about the origins of IMC Toys…
This company began in 1981 as a toy importer and distributor. The model worked for years, handling products such as Mecano components and Nikko radio-controlled cars. Eventually the system wore thin, and a generational transition followed: the chief financial officer at the time became general manager and proposed a new direction.
Who was responsible then?
The business originated as a complement to a toy purchasing center, owned by traders. Ventura started out as a finance manager but quickly became a shareholder and later brought in other shareholder managers. In those early days the company was small: by 2000 annual turnover hovered around 7 to 8 million euros, marking a distinct new phase. The company is forty years old in name, yet effectively two decades into a parallel journey shared by two twenty-year chapters.
How did you come to the company?
It was Ventura’s first job. He is an economist who began his career in the finance department, rising to management through steady growth and a drive to reshape the business model.
Then a lifetime…
The last twenty-two years proved to be an exciting ride with constant change. The Covid era and the raw materials squeeze added pressure, but every year brought something new and that kept things engaging. Retirement has never felt imminent because the work remains enjoyable and the future looks bright with ongoing projects and opportunities ahead.
What did you raise when you took the company in a new direction?
The turning point was a bold plan to become a manufacturer. Ventura traveled to Asia to study U.S.-style design and production workflows, recognizing the advantages of designing toys in Europe, manufacturing in Asia, and selling globally from a single hub. The aim was to design in Terrassa, manufacture in China, and distribute worldwide through a structured network.
How did it start?
Initial steps began with licenses such as 007 and Barbie, followed by expanded manufacturing and international sales. Substantial growth soon revealed the value of local subsidiaries, initiating a global footprint: a first office in Hong Kong in 2001, followed by a UK presence in 2004, France in 2005, Germany in 2008, Italy in 2014, and a major leap to the United States in 2018. Today, IMC Toys serves customers in sixty countries.
At what point did the company start making original toys?
Original lines emerged after a period of licensing with Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel, culminating in a foray into the doll market with Cry Babies in 2017. The product launched first in Spain and the United Kingdom, where demand proved strong and enduring.
And they created their own series.
Recognizing the potential of original content, the team tested a YouTube-driven approach. An early investment of around 300,000 euros produced a 20-minute pilot that performed well and generated YouTube monetization. The success justified a full production plan to support a broader television strategy.
Where is this project now?
The series entered a second season and continued to perform well, paving the way for a third. The program became closely aligned with product lines, and it eventually reached Netflix, broadening the reach and revenue avenues beyond traditional toy sales.
How did that happen?
Negotiations with Netflix spanned months as the streaming platform sought exclusive rights, while the team also benefited from substantial YouTube earnings. A dedicated streaming platform was launched, enabling content to be watched on Samsung TVs via a Kitoons app, expanding access and control over distribution across devices.
Does this new branch weigh too much on your income?
The content division is still in early stages. The initial season is effectively five years old, conceived as a digital boost to lift toy sales as consumer attention shifted online. The ambition mirrors that of Hasbro and Lego: to build a brand that transcends a single toy line and sustains interest for decades through ongoing content and product development.
How does the digital strategy evolve from support to revenue stream? It matters little how small the start seems…
There is a monetization path through content that can help finance the series. Some productions fail, but successful ones generate ongoing YouTube revenue that helps recoup the initial investment within roughly a dozen years, even if a toy line loses momentum in the market.
What are they working on now?
New formats are on the horizon. A portion of the content may expand into video games and audiobooks, with games expected as early as 2023 and audiobooks slated for release this year. The company is also exploring ideas for new apps and a fresh line called BFFs, a continuation of Cry Babies designed for a younger audience around five years old, aiming to succeed in the fashion doll segment.
What is the strategy for new lines? Does the drama or the toy come first?
The approach has sometimes paired series development with product launches, minimizing risk by aligning the two tracks. In other cases, a new toy line is introduced with a smaller digital production to test demand. A one-season show can cost around a million euros, with many projects starting as a 200,000-euro pilot, expanding only if results warrant a second season. The toy industry remains highly innovative, with many experiments that do not always hit the mark.
Have you made any sales forecasts around your BFF line?
Initial rollout covered Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with expansion to the United States. Early indicators show about two million units in the U.S. market alone, signaling strong demand across major territories.
What does this represent in income?
The BFF initiative is contributing to a current annual turnover of around 150 million euros, with 2021 presenting unusual challenges across the supply chain. Raw material costs, shipping delays, and container shortages affected many, but IMC Toys pressed forward, growing from 136 million to 150 million while navigating persistent volatility.
Why was 2021 so challenging?
Orders could not always be fulfilled because production, shipping, and logistics faced bottlenecks. The company learned to adapt, focusing more on online sales when physical channels were constrained. Despite these hurdles, growth continued, though the year tested expectations as cost pressures and supply chain disruption persisted. Looking ahead, forecasters narrowed projections for 2022 from an initial 200 million to around 180 million euros due to uncertain demand and macroeconomic factors such as inflation and rising interest rates. Still, the team remained cautiously optimistic and prepared to adjust plans as conditions evolved.
Will Cry Babies be the best-selling Christmas doll again?
Predicting a third consecutive top spot is unlikely. The market rewards novelty, and sustaining leadership requires ongoing innovation. The priority now is to ensure brand continuity while introducing new products that keep the audience engaged and expanding the toy universe built around Cry Babies and its successors.