Bendon has acquired Hinkler’s North American business to expand its product offering across coloring books, arts and crafts, stationery, toys, and games. 

Hinkler North America owns franchises including Kaleidoscope, Craft Maker, and Piccadilly. The portfolio will complement Bendon’s existing owned brands and licensed properties from partners such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel and Universal. 

Bendon plans to invest in the acquired brands and support their continued growth through its retail partnerships, product development infrastructure and distribution network.

“Hinkler brings established brands, innovative products and strong category expertise, while Bendon brings significant retail relationships, distribution and product development capabilities,” said Ben Ferguson, founder and CEO of Bendon. 

“We believe the combination creates substantial opportunities to offer our retail partners a deeper assortment across more categories and price points.” 

The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Hinkler’s Australian and international operations are not part of the transaction and will continue to operate independently under existing ownership. 

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Ashland, Ohio, Bendon is a designer and distributor of children’s coloring, activity, educational and entertainment products.  

Hinkler is Bendon’s second acquisition since Brightstar Capital Partners invested in the company in April. It previously acquired School Zone Publishing Company in July.