LOS ANGELES, Feb.12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MGA Entertainment, the world's leading private toy company and parent company of Little Tikes, has partnered with the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) to offer a new line of co-branded licensed sports toys. The first items from the line, the Mini Hoop basketball set and the Dream Big basketball set, are now available for presale exclusively at Toysrus.com, and will debut in Toys"R"Us® stores nationwide in April. A donation will be made to the Foundation with each product sold.
"To this day, I still have a Little Tikes hoop sitting in my house just because of all the days I spent playing on it as a kid. It's one of the first gifts you get when you are old enough to do that," said LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers forward and founder of the LeBron James Family Foundation. "That's where I honed my skills. If it wasn't for that Little Tikes hoop, I wouldn't be who I am today."
The LeBron James Family Foundation, based in Akron, Ohio, encourages kids to stay in school, promise to graduate and to give back to their community. Last August, the Foundation announced a partnership with The University of Akron to provide qualifying students who graduate through the program a full four-year scholarship. Covering all students currently enrolled in the program, as well as the next four incoming classes, an estimated 2300 Akron inner-city students can potentially benefit. To encourage parent engagement in their child's education, the Foundation also offers a program called "I PROMISE, Too," to help the parents of LJFF students earn their GEDs.
"Our Little Tikes factory is right outside Akron, just a stone's throw from where LeBron learned to dunk on a Little Tikes hoop as a child," said Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment. "When we heard about the amazing mission of LeBron and the Foundation, we knew right away we wanted to collaborate so that we too could give back to the families in the Akron community."
The Little Tikes team is dedicated to fostering active and imaginative play with values that align directly with those of the LeBron James Family Foundation.
"We are beyond excited to partner with MGA Entertainment's Little Tikes brand to offer the first ever LeBron James Family Foundation branded line of sports equipment for kids," said Michele Campbell, executive director, LeBron James Family Foundation. "We encourage the students in our program to dream big, to be active, and to have fun, and this partnership with Little Tikes exemplifies all of that."
Little Tikes LeBron James Family Foundation toys will be available exclusively at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com, as well as LittleTikes.com this spring, just in time for the NBA playoffs. Additionally, the assortment will become available at multiple retailers this fall.
About MGA Entertainment
MGA Entertainment, Inc., a consumer entertainment products company headquartered in Van Nuys, California, manufactures innovative lines of proprietary products for the toy and consumer electronics markets. The company also licenses its products in such areas as home décor, stationery and sporting goods. The MGAE family includes award-winning brands such as Little Tikes®, Project Mc2™, Lalaloopsy™, Bratz®, Num Noms™, and Zapf Creation®.
About the LeBron James Family Foundation
Founded in 2004, the LeBron James Family Foundation's mission is to positively affect the lives of children and young adults through education and co-curricular educational initiatives. The Foundation believes that an education and living an active, healthy lifestyle is pivotal to the development of children and young adults. Staffed entirely by volunteers, including LeBron's mother Gloria, wife Savannah James, and business partner Maverick Carter, the LJFF staff is dedicated to carrying out this mission. In 2011, in partnership with the Akron Public Schools, the LeBron James Family Foundation began working on the high school dropout crisis facing the Akron community and launched "Wheels for Education." With its recent expansion into the Akron I PROMISE network, the programs are now serving more than 1,000 Akron-area students by providing them with the programs, support and mentors they need for success in school.
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SOURCE MGA Entertainment
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