Mega Bloks, Incorporated is a publicly traded children's toy company based in Montreal, Canada and the name of their most popular toy.  Mega Bloks, the toys, are plastic building blocks very similar to the more famous ones produced by the Danish company LEGO. Mega Bloks Inc. distributes toys worldwide but are most popular in North America. They claim to be one of the top 10 toy brands in North America.

History

In 1967, Victor Bertrand and his wife Rita founded the company as Ritvik Toys, Inc. (a portmanteau word based on a combination of Rita and Victor). Ritvik was amalgamated with Ritvik Holdings Inc. on June 30 , 1998. [1] On March 19, 2002, the name was changed from Ritvik Holdings Inc. to Mega Bloks Inc. Currently, the founders' sons Vic Bertrand Jr. and Marc Bertrand are COO and CEO, respectively.

Products

The company's building blocks come in four sizes.

1. Maxi size, introduced in 1985, is larger than Duplo but smaller than Primo.
2. Mini size, introduced in 1989, is the same size as Duplo but has slightly taller studs.
3. Micro size, introduced in 1991, is the same size as ordinary LEGO bricks.
4. Nano size, introduced in 2004, is the smallest.

Most blocks are manufactured in Canada, but some more specialized elements are made in China.

On October 12, 2004, Mega Bloks released an animated movie, Dragons: Fire & Ice, direct to DVD and video. Fire & Ice was based on the Mega Bloks "Dragons" product line, which features detailed warriors, castles, and, of course, dragons, in Micro scale. Other Micro Mega Bloks products include constructible "Blok Bot" action figures and a kit of Star Trek's Enterprise.

External links

• Official Mega Bloks Website
• Dragons: Fire & Ice IMDb entry

References

• KIRKBI AG and LEGO CANADA INC. v. RITVIK HOLDINGS INC
• Mega Bloks Prospectus This PDF file on megabloks.com contains details on the company and its products.