One of the top names in the collectibles game just acquired the leading maker of Halloween costumes and accessories.
On Friday afternoon the Rubie’s Costume Co. emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as Rubies II LLC, a newly-formed entity owned by strategic operator and managing partner Joel Weinshanker, majority owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises; managing partner of Graceland Holdings; and the sole member, chairman, and founder of the National Entertainment Collectibles Association Inc., best-known as NECA.
“We would like to thank our stakeholders and the hundreds of employees who will be taking the new journey with us,” says Weinshanker. “We look forward to elevating the properties of our licensing partners with quality and innovation, and we will strive to provide our retail partners with the best products and the best tools to service their customers.”
In recent years, NECA has made a number of strategic acquisitions including Kidrobot, Loot Crate, Chia Pet, and The Clapper as its product selection has grown. Additionally, the company’s collectibles and action figures have taken increased space at major retailers including Walmart and Target over the past year.
Appropriately, the closure of the sale comes just as we enter Halloween season and lines such as NECA’s Toony Terrors are top-of-mind for many collectors.
“The future is bright at Rubie’s. We will continue to dominate the Halloween space, and make it even clearer to everyone that there is only one place like home for Halloween — Rubie’s,” Weinshanker says.
NECA’s Loot Crate recently debuted a collection of masks based on the Universal Monsters franchise.
