Animal Fair

Description

History The company was founded in Cannon Falls, Minnesota in 1965 by Terry Mitchell, a toy designer and entrepreneur, who created a product called "Slurp", a brightly colored little creature with long fluorescent hair and large eyes that protruded from his head. There were originally six employees, and all of the items were hand sewn. The original name of the company was Spectacular Products, Inc., and all products were targeted to the novelty gift and plush business.In 1971, the focus changed to producing a higher quality plush product, with unique designs geared to upscale gift and department stores. In keeping with the new focus, the name of the company was changed to Princess Soft Toys as it had a royal sound to it. By the late 1970's, Princess employed over 80 people and was operating three shifts to keep up with the demand.In 1984, Kim Calkins, who spend 10 years with Animal Fair as Vice President of Manufacturing Services, Vice President of Product Development and Vice President of Premium Sales, was hired as Vice President and General Manager. He had traveled extensively throughout the Orient, working directly with manufacturers in those parts of the world for many years, and helped convert Princess from domestic factory to an importer from the Orient. The company was then much more competitive in both quality and price.

Fact sheet

Company contacts

Companies nearby