The head of the company that created Bratz dolls and Little Tikes is putting $100 million toward a long-shot bid to save Toys “R” Us, Bloomberg News reported. MGA Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Officer Isaac Larian is aiming to buy the toy-store company’s assets as part of an investment group that includes a crowd-funding campaign. He said it’s his own money on the line, and MGA isn’t part of the bid. If he’s successful, the executive expects that 200 to 400 U.S. stores can be saved. “There is a lot of value in the Toys ‘R’ Us name, a lot of value in all the assets that they have,” Larian said. “If Toys ‘R’ Us is not here, I think the toy business as a whole will have a devastating year -- this year and the following year.” Larian’s push to help the toy retailer survive liquidation includes a bid that a group of investors made for the Canadian assets of Toys “R” Us last week. He and other investors also launched a campaign on GoFundMe for the purchase of U.S. assets from the company. Their goal is to raise $1 billion by Memorial Day. Read more.
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