Sahil Dhiman

HARARY, ANTON RABIE, And BEN VARADI - Co-Founders Of Spin Master

Spin Master was founded in 1994 by two childhood friends, Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie, and their classmate, Ben Varadi, soon after graduation from The University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business.

The three founders have led and established Spin Mas...

Spin Master was founded in 1994 by two childhood friends, Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie, and their classmate, Ben Varadi, soon after graduation from The University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business.   The three founders have led and established Spin Master’s presence in the toy, game, entertainment franchise, and digital toy space. Fresh out of university, the entrepreneurs' first product was the Earth Buddy, funded with their own $10,000 investment. This initial success served as the springboard for Spin Master's entry into the toy business, receiving immediate success in big box retailers. Since then, the three have become a name stay in the industry, successfully bringing over 2,700 toys to market, resulting in over 110 Toy of the Year nominations.   The three founder's complementary skills have allowed for Spin Master's great and rapid success.    Ronnen’s focus is on children’s entertainment, leading to the production of unrivaled programming and global brands like PAW Patrol and Bakugan. As a leader of Spin Master’s entertainment division, Ronnen plays an integral role in developing new entertainment properties such as Abby Hatcher and the soon to launch, Mighty Express. Ronnen is passionate about forming partnerships and building relationships with domestic and international broadcasters to bring the magic of Spin Master to kids around the world. His latest venture includes bringing the famed PAW Patrol series to the big screen in 2021.   Anton’s entrepreneurial drive helped create the iconic Spin Master rapid paced culture. Anton's contagious passion for his employees has allowed for the development of an efficient powerhouse operation. In recent years, Anton has spearheaded the company’s global expansion with the establishment of international offices in more than 20 countries. He plays a foundational role in Spin Master acquisitions, with more than 20 completed to date, including Tech Deck, Cardinal, GUND and most recently Orbeez.   Ben's focus has been on the merchandise, creating widely popular and trending products. Ben has pushed products from acquisition to launch at lightning speed, selling record numbers of product and winning countless awards. To this day, Ben’s creative approach and out-of-the-box brainstorming sessions remain influential to Spin Master’s product selection and development process.   The founders each have a strong sense of social responsibility and are passionate about giving back to enrich the lives of children. In 2013, they founded the Toy Movement, a global initiative that provides toys to children in need, giving them the opportunity to experience the joy of play. Since its inception, Spin Master has led missions to over 12 countries, including Kenya, Iraq, Israel, Mexico and South Africa, delivering more than 450,000 toys to disadvantaged or displaced children. Together, the partners have created and fostered Spin Master’s DNA, focused on innovation, meticulous attention to detail and most importantly delivering the joy of play to children and families.   Testimonial from <a href="https://www.toyassociation.org/App_Themes/toyassociation_resp/downloads/events/hof/hof2022-bios.pdf?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=bios&utm_campaign=hof-ballot-072621" target="_blank">Hall of Fame webpage</a>: "Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie and Ben Varadi are the Co-Founders of leading global children’s entertainment company, Spin Master. Since its inception in 1994, they have led and established Spin Master’s presence in the toy, game, entertainment franchise and digital toy space.   Fresh out of university, the nascent entrepreneurs' first product was the Earth Buddy, funded with their own $10,000 investment. This initial success served as the springboard for Spin Master's entry into the toy business. Since then, the three have become a name stay in the industry, successfully bringing over 2,700 toys to market, resulting in over 110 Toy of the Year nominations.   Ronnen’s expertise and passion for children’s entertainment has led to the creation of award-winning programming and global franchises including Bakugan and preschool powerhouse PAW Patrol, which has touched the lives of children in more than 160 countries. As a leader of Spin Master’s entertainment division, Ronnen plays an integral role in developing new entertainment properties such as Abby Hatcher and the soon to launch, Mighty Express. Ronnen is passionate about forming partnerships and building relationships with domestic and international broadcasters to bring the magic of Spin Master to kids around the world. His latest venture includes bringing the famed PAW Patrol series to the big screen in 2021.   Anton’s fearless entrepreneurial mindset was instrumental in the early years of Spin Master, helping to create a culture of risk-taking and acceptance of failure. Described as an “energy force” by his colleagues, Anton is passionate about people, promoting the company’s culture and inspiring employees. In recent years, Anton has spearheaded the company’s global expansion with the establishment of international offices in more than 20 countries. He plays a foundational role in Spin Master acquisitions, with more than 20 completed to date, including Tech Deck, Cardinal, GUND and most recently Orbeez.   From the beginning, Ben has played an active role in product design and development with a keen instinct for ideas. An early demonstration of Ben’s intuition for sensing the next successful product, Spin Master purchased novelty item Catch-A-Bubble on the spot in a Hong Kong hotel room, signing the back of an envelope. The product was launched at lightning speed at the annual New York Toy Fair, where it sold a remarkable 4 million orders and won the 2003 TOTY Outdoor Toy of the Year Award. To this day, Ben’s creative approach and out-of-the-box brainstorming sessions remain influential to Spin Master’s product selection and development process.   The founders each have a strong sense of social responsibility and are passionate about giving back to enrich the lives of children. In 2013, they founded the Toy Movement, a global initiative that provides toys to children in need, giving them the opportunity to experience the joy of play. Since its inception, Spin Master has led missions to over 12 countries, including Kenya, Iraq, Israel, Mexico and South Africa, delivering more than 450,000 toys to disadvantaged or displaced children. Together, the partners have created and fostered Spin Master’s DNA, focused Toy Industry Hall of Fame Nominations for Induction in 2021 Page 8 of 20 on innovation, meticulous attention to detail and most importantly delivering the joy of play to children and families."

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Fun Facts

Spin Master was founded in 1994 by two childhood friends, Ronnen Harary and Anton Rabie, and their classmate, Ben Varadi, soon after graduation from The University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business. The three founders have led and established Spin Master’s presence in the toy, game, entertainment franchise, and digital toy space. Fresh out of university, the entrepreneurs' first product was the Earth Buddy, funded with their own $10,000 investment. This initial success served as the springboard for Spin Master's entry into the toy business, receiving immediate success in big box retailers. Since then, the three have become a name stay in the industry, successfully bringing over 2,700 toys to market, resulting in over 110 Toy of the Year nominations. The three founder's complementary skills have allowed for Spin Master's great and rapid success. Ronnen’s focus is on children’s entertainment, leading to the production of unrivaled programming and global brands like PAW Patrol and Bakugan. As a leader of Spin Master’s entertainment division, Ronnen plays an integral role in developing new entertainment properties such as Abby Hatcher and the soon to launch, Mighty Express. Ronnen is passionate about forming partnerships and building relationships with domestic and international broadcasters to bring the magic of Spin Master to kids around the world. His latest venture includes bringing the famed PAW Patrol series to the big screen in 2021. Anton’s entrepreneurial drive helped create the iconic Spin Master rapid paced culture. Anton's contagious passion for his employees has allowed for the development of an efficient powerhouse operation. In recent years, Anton has spearheaded the company’s global expansion with the establishment of international offices in more than 20 countries. He plays a foundational role in Spin Master acquisitions, with more than 20 completed to date, including Tech Deck, Cardinal, GUND and most recently Orbeez. Ben's focus has been on the merchandise, creating widely popular and trending products. Ben has pushed products from acquisition to launch at lightning speed, selling record numbers of product and winning countless awards. To this day, Ben’s creative approach and out-of-the-box brainstorming sessions remain influential to Spin Master’s product selection and development process. The founders each have a strong sense of social responsibility and are passionate about giving back to enrich the lives of children. In 2013, they founded the Toy Movement, a global initiative that provides toys to children in need, giving them the opportunity to experience the joy of play. Since its inception, Spin Master has led missions to over 12 countries, including Kenya, Iraq, Israel, Mexico and South Africa, delivering more than 450,000 toys to disadvantaged or displaced children. Together, the partners have created and fostered Spin Master’s DNA, focused on innovation, meticulous attention to detail and most importantly delivering the joy of play to children and families. Testimonial from Hall of Fame webpage: "Ronnen Harary, Anton Rabie and Ben Varadi are the Co-Founders of leading global children’s entertainment company, Spin Master. Since its inception in 1994, they have led and established Spin Master’s presence in the toy, game, entertainment franchise and digital toy space. Fresh out of university, the nascent entrepreneurs' first product was the Earth Buddy, funded with their own $10,000 investment. This initial success served as the springboard for Spin Master's entry into the toy business. Since then, the three have become a name stay in the industry, successfully bringing over 2,700 toys to market, resulting in over 110 Toy of the Year nominations. Ronnen’s expertise and passion for children’s entertainment has led to the creation of award-winning programming and global franchises including Bakugan and preschool powerhouse PAW Patrol, which has touched the lives of children in more than 160 countries. As a leader of Spin Master’s entertainment division, Ronnen plays an integral role in developing new entertainment properties such as Abby Hatcher and the soon to launch, Mighty Express. Ronnen is passionate about forming partnerships and building relationships with domestic and international broadcasters to bring the magic of Spin Master to kids around the world. His latest venture includes bringing the famed PAW Patrol series to the big screen in 2021. Anton’s fearless entrepreneurial mindset was instrumental in the early years of Spin Master, helping to create a culture of risk-taking and acceptance of failure. Described as an “energy force” by his colleagues, Anton is passionate about people, promoting the company’s culture and inspiring employees. In recent years, Anton has spearheaded the company’s global expansion with the establishment of international offices in more than 20 countries. He plays a foundational role in Spin Master acquisitions, with more than 20 completed to date, including Tech Deck, Cardinal, GUND and most recently Orbeez. From the beginning, Ben has played an active role in product design and development with a keen instinct for ideas. An early demonstration of Ben’s intuition for sensing the next successful product, Spin Master purchased novelty item Catch-A-Bubble on the spot in a Hong Kong hotel room, signing the back of an envelope. The product was launched at lightning speed at the annual New York Toy Fair, where it sold a remarkable 4 million orders and won the 2003 TOTY Outdoor Toy of the Year Award. To this day, Ben’s creative approach and out-of-the-box brainstorming sessions remain influential to Spin Master’s product selection and development process. The founders each have a strong sense of social responsibility and are passionate about giving back to enrich the lives of children. In 2013, they founded the Toy Movement, a global initiative that provides toys to children in need, giving them the opportunity to experience the joy of play. Since its inception, Spin Master has led missions to over 12 countries, including Kenya, Iraq, Israel, Mexico and South Africa, delivering more than 450,000 toys to disadvantaged or displaced children. Together, the partners have created and fostered Spin Master’s DNA, focused Toy Industry Hall of Fame Nominations for Induction in 2021 Page 8 of 20 on innovation, meticulous attention to detail and most importantly delivering the joy of play to children and families."