SHENZEN, China–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Leading international toy and consumer products company, ZURU, launches SMASHERS, a brand new collectable toy line that gives kids a wacky surprise with every smash. The interactive new collectable is available now at all major retailers.

SMASHERS have over 100 characters with each one housed inside an iconic and innovative red SMASHBALL. Kids can discover which characters they’ve collected by smashing the SMASHBALL open with its unique and on trend surprise opening mechanic created by ZURU. Once unboxed, children can battle, collect and score SMASH POINTS with their SMASHERS. Each one has its own Smash Point Value allowing for extended play.

Series 1 is based on the world’s most popular sports including basketball, football, hockey, soccer and many more. The range includes both good and bad sport characters, along with Rare Sports and Golden Trophies to find, and all SMASHERS appear on the accompanying Collector’s Guide and Game Sheet. Kids can also track their SMASHERS collectables and points using the SMASHERS mobile app.

Adam Woods, Creative Director, ZURU, says, “Unboxing remains a huge trend globally and we wanted to embrace that in a brand new collectible. SMASHERS is an innovative new collectible device that takes that trend to an exciting new level. Kids will love to smash open the surprise SMASHBALL and collect our funny characters. The other great thing about our innovation is that SMASHERS can easily encapsulate any trending theme or license, which other traditional collectables sometimes struggle to achieve.”

Aimed at both pocket money and birthday money budgets, the line includes the SMASHERS one-pack, three-pack, eight-pack, and bigger items including the Collectors Tin and SMASHERS Team Bus that transforms into a Basketball Court to shoot Smashers at the hoop! Prices range from $2.99 to $19.99.

“We are extremely excited to launch SMASHERS,” says Renee Lee, Global Marketing Manager, ZURU. “The surprise opening mechanic is truly unique and children will love that this time, it’s ok to smash open their toys. Sports are the perfect launch theme with all the upcoming sporting events and we hope SMASHERS inspires kids to learn about and pursue their favorite sports. We have a huge campaign that will reach millions of kids across the United States. We’ve already had over 13 million views on YouTube and are seeing an extremely positive response to our online animated content. What’s really exciting is seeing how kids are loving the challenge of rebuilding their SMASHBALLS – which means endless smashing!”

The SMASHERS launch will be backed by a huge global marketing push spanning trade support, traditional on- and offline media, unboxing influencer outreach, events, sampling and social media, as well as big presence at retail. The mascot SLAM has already made appearances at key events including the Superbowl and New York Toy Fair to encourage kids to get active and trial the smashing themselves. To add an immersive twist to their marketing strategy, ZURU has partnered with YouTube content specialist, Wildbrain, to launch a 9 webisode series where kids can watch their favorite SMASHERS characters take on hilarious challenges. The first webisode was launched in conjunction with Ryan’s Toy Reviews on YouTube on February 27^th. Kids can tune into the SMASHERS YouTube page to watch the full episodes as they are released.

About ZURU

ZURU is a disruptive and award-winning company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative toys. Inspired by kids and imaginative play, ZURU is one of the fastest growing toy companies and is known for their agility, creativity and new-age manufacturing techniques. The company employs more than 400 staff, has 10 offices and supplies most major retailers in 120+ countries. ZURU has delighted millions of families all over the world through partnerships with entertainment properties, including Nickelodeon, Disney, Universal Studios and DreamWorks as well as successfully building their own global brands such as Bunch O Balloons, ZURU Fidget, Mayka, X-Shot, Robo Alive, Micro Boats and Hamsters in a House. Let’s reimagine play, everyday!

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