D&L provides raw material for Spin Master’s Hatchimals toy sensation

mals was the single biggest-selling toy at Amazon and Walmart in any category.

In fact, in the week of October 9th, the first, second, and fourth best-selling toys in the United States were Hatchimal products. “We intend to leverage the popularity of the initial launch to build Hatchimals into a long-term franchise driven by innovation,” Spin Master said then.

DLPC’s Managing Director Lester Lao said the main challenge for them was producing something that was both durable and delicate at the same time.

“The Hatchimals project had very specific requirements. Essentially, we were trying to replicate the structure and texture of an eggshell. That’s where our special material comes in,” noted Lao.

He explained that, “it makes the egg strong enough to withstand shipping and handling but also fragile and

D&L Polymer and Colours (DLPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of specialty plastics and food ingredients firm D&L Industries, Inc. (DNL), has developed a key raw material used in the Hatchimals toy sensation produced by billion-dollar toy firm Spin Master Corp.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, DNL said the award winning Hatchimal toy is composed of a plastic egg, containing DLPC’s specially developed material that allows it to hatch without splintering.

This material is manufactured by DLPC for TradeWalker Limited, a Hong Kong based solution provider for the toy manufacturing industry.

The hatching process gradually reveals an interactive furry toy that can walk, speak and sing through three different life stages: Baby, toddler and adult.

As a unique concept delivering a nurturing experience to children, Hatchimals quickly became the must-have toy for 2016 since its initial launch last October.

Spin Master said last November that consumer demand had far exceeded the expectations of the company and its retailers. For a time in October, Hatchi- breakable enough to hatch open. During the development process, the concept had to be kept under wraps and since our customer couldn’t disclose the end use, we just had to keep adapting the formulation.”

Lao added that, since the material would be used in a children’s toy, safety was a primary concern during the development phase.

“Not only did it need to be non-toxic, but the egg had to break without leaving sharp edges. It also needed to be designed so that it would hatch within a specified time frame,” he said.

Lao reiterated that developing customized materials is in line with the company’s long-term strategy. “Our goal is to maintain our focus on innovation. Our R&D work is an important reason why clients continue to rely on us to come up with solutions, just like what we did for the Hatchimals toy,” he said.