In an announcement sure to bring cheers and tears of joy to die-hard fans and artists, KR Purchase, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of National Entertainment Collectibles Association) and Kidrobot today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which KR Purchase will acquire Kidrobot. The globally recognized creator of designer vinyl toys joins the growing NECA family of specialty entertainment companies, and will proceed as an artist-run company under the creative direction of Frank Kozik, renowned graphic artist and creator of the Labbit urban vinyl toy line.

“It’s rare to have the opportunity to join forces with an artist-centric company like this,” said Joel Weinshanker, COO of NECA. “We are doubly thrilled to be able to allow it to grow organically and flourish on its own, which is what we’re certain it will do with the involvement of Frank Kozik as Creative Director.”

“When Joel and NECA approached us about joining forces, about his intention to support us and allow Kidrobot to move forward with autonomy, I knew we had found the right partner,” said Bob Africa, President of Kidrobot. “The timing of Frank agreeing to join us could not have been better and we are incredibly excited about Kidrobot’s future.”

Kidrobot will remain headquartered in their Boulder offices, while they are supported by NECA’s (located in Hillside, NJ) vast network of suppliers, creatives and internal team members.

As far as I’m concerned KidRobot has dropped off my radar for some time, for a number of reasons.  As a collector of vinyls it makes me sad to see where some of the vinyl companies were headed.  I think this is a great idea, but where it will go I have no idea.  I’m personally just really tired of KidRobot and their “mainstream” toys that just cater to the masses than the more passionate collectors.  Sure they have great licenses, but the quality of the work and the materials to me feel like they have dropped within the last couple of years.  But I guess only time will tell with the new merger.