LJN Toys, Ltd. was an American toy company and video game publisher in operation from 1970 to 1995. It manufactured toy lines and released battery operated water guns and video games based on licensed properties from movies, television shows, and celebrities. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and later in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. LJN introduced the Entertech line of battery operated water guns in 1986.
Alan Amron invented and patented the first battery-operated water gun licensed to Larami and Entertech LJN in 1985. In the first year, this invention had earned him $250,000 in royalties.
Video LJN
History
Founding
LJN Toys, Ltd. was founded in 1970 by Jack Friedman, who later founded other toy companies, notably THQ and Jakks Pacific.
The name LJN came from reversing the initials of Norman J. Lewis, whose toy company (Norman J. Lewis Associates) had employed Friedman as a sales representative in the 1960s. Lewis himself initially backed LJN financially but later sold his interest to a Chinese investor.
MCA era
In 1985, MCA Inc., which had been actively acquiring companies in the mid-1980s acquired LJN for $66 or $67 million in an effort to retain more profits from the merchandising of its film properties.
LJN began publishing video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. Although this was LJN's first foray into the video game business, it was not for MCA who had previously started MCA Video Games, as a joint venture with Atari, Inc., to create coin-operated and home games and computer software based on various MCA properties.
In 1988, LJN acquired Italian toy company Al'es from the Fassi family.
In 1989, MCA decided to sell LJN after years of losses since 1987 when fallout surrounding toy guns made by LJN's Entertech division plunged MCA's profits 79.5% in the second quarter of that year. MCA finally agreed to sell to Acclaim Entertainment in March 1990 for cash and Acclaim common stock for 30 to 50 percent.
Acclaim era
During the time the company was owned by Acclaim Entertainment, LJN continued with the same licensing direction. Acclaim eliminated LJN's toy division and reorganized it exclusively as a video game publisher.
During the 8-bit gaming era, Nintendo initiated a form of quality control based on limiting the number of titles to appear on its console, the Nintendo Entertainment System. The company required each licensee company to limit the number of NES titles it published per year. As a result, companies like Acclaim created divisions such as LJN to produce more products than Nintendo would have otherwise allowed. Konami also utilized such workarounds with its division Ultra. Even after Nintendo dropped this rule in the early 1990s, Acclaim continued operating LJN, which published several titles for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. Although Acclaim distributed the video games, they were self-published and marketed by LJN.
LJN, along with the Flying Edge and Arena Entertainment labels (the latter two labels had published Acclaim's games to Sega's consoles), were folded into Acclaim in 1995.
In 2000, LJN made a return in name only when Acclaim used the brand to publish the Dreamcast port of Spirit of Speed 1937.
In 2014, CollectorVision Games acquired the LJN brand name/logo.
Maps LJN
Products
LJN produced toys and video games in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Toys
Video games
Spanning a number of video game console generations, LJN published games outsourced to external developers, gaining infamy for several titles being perceived as having poor gameplay and game mechanics. Although many of LJN's titles (particularly the pre-Acclaim ones) do not disclose the developer, there is no video game that has been developed in-house by LJN. Most of LJN's games are based on a preexisting brand such as movies.
NOTE: There's a game World War III, which was supposed to be on the NES, but it went unreleased.
See also
- Acclaim Entertainment
- LJN Video Art
- Jack Friedman
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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