Hunter Leisure 50th Anniversary Supplement

CONGRATULATIONS HUNTER LEISURE 50

From time to time we have the opportunity to produce a special edition for various special occasions. In this case, this special publication is a celebration of a milestone achievement in the toy business, namely Hunter Leisure's 50th Anniversary.

Croner Trading made its first mark on the Australian toy scene when its doors opened for the first time in January 1973, and now 50 years later, Hunter Leisure is going strong as a staple of the Australian Toy Industry.

These sorts of milestones don’t happen all that often and John Hunter and his business have stood the test of time in a highly competitive marketplace here in Australia for over 50 years.

John and his family have been intrinsically connected to toys for a lifetime and this story is about John Hunter and his 50-year journey in the toy industry in Australia.

The story begins with the formation of Len Hunter Trading, who founded the Rack Toy Business in Australia, and

Managing Director — Tony Bugg

tony@buggsolutions.com.au

Editor & Designer — Matthew Bugg matt@buggsolutions.com.au

Published by Bugg Marketing Solutions info@buggsolutions.com.au

PO BOX 491, Berwick VIC 3806

of how things happened and how they influenced the direction of the Hunter businesses over the years.

You will also get to see a timeline of the journey, quotes from key industry figures, photos, interviews and tributes from some of John's closest friends and fiercest rivals.

The Toy Universe is proud to have been asked to report on this wonderful story and produce this 50th Anniversary celebration of Hunter Leisure and we hope that you enjoy the read.

ORIGINAL CRONER TADING OFFICE IN CROSS STREET FOOTSCRAY

HUNTER LEISURE TURNS 50 AND IS STILL GROWING

The Toy Universe had the great privilege of sitting down with John Hunter at his office in September (2023) and tracing back through the 50 years that his business has been trading in Australia.

John is now 79, in very good health, loves his golf and is so proud of his facility and warehouse in Tullamarine. We met John just after he had returned from vacation in New York. John noted that he took the time to visit the old Toy Building at 200 5th Avenue in Manhattan, which was the epicenter of the Toy Industry in the 90’s and 2000’s. As a sign of the times, it is now an upmarket apartment building!

It's a significant milestone to have survived and thrived in the highly competitive Toy Business for 50 years. Driven by trends, it takes a keen eye to have uncovered many of the hottest properties in toys for the Hunter family and this is something that John has been able to do regularly.

We sat with John and discussed the heritage of the company dating back

to the early 60’s. The Hunter family can certainly be classed as Entrepreneurs of the highest level and when they saw an opportunity, they went for it.

It all began with John’s father, Len Hunter Senior, who invented Oxford Pinoclean, Oxford Floor and Boot Polish and Hunters Lavendola. The chemical business was a big part of their early existence, and The Hunter Group was founded in 1958 as a result of the takeover of the company known as Oxford Polish, of course founded by John’s father Len Hunter senior.

John recounted that his father was a successful feather weight boxer in those days with 36 professional fights, many of them won by knockout. Perhaps best not to mess with Len Hunter Senior! There were four sons: Len Hunter Junior, Allan, John and Jeff. They were all part of the original entity, however John branched out into the Toy business early.

John Hunter was one of the first toy people to travel to the Orient to buy product. John initially travelled with

his father in 1960 and in those days the Company was known as Hunter Toys.

John was the Founder of Len Hunter Trading, which he ran with his father initially which began in about 1965. They worked in premiums and the contra business which were value added mechanisms that could upscale a product or provide a commercial outcome for the businesses they partnered with. They provided deals for shows such as The Price Is Right and Wheel of Fortune.

As the business evolved, Rack Toys became an important part of their product line and were sold to the Supermarkets. John met Fred Kort who was the principle of Imperial Toys who were the market leaders in Rack Toys and Bubbles, which was another focus for Len Hunter Trading.

I think it is important to point out that John Hunter has proven to be one of the most astute product and trend identifiers in the business. It takes a special eye and feel to understand what makes a toy appealing and John had this ability from an early age.

WE SPEAK TO JOHN HUNTER ABOUT HIS 50 YEAR JOURNEY

As things continued to evolve, John formed Croner in 1973, and then opened Children’s Palace, a chain of Retail Toy Stores. As part of the development of Croner, John was also one of the first Australian toy people to travel to New York in 1972 where he attended the Toy Fair.

Tony Lee played a major part in establishing Croner’s reputation in the early days. He was a loyal, hard working and long-standing employee who would became close friends with John.

Notably, the Hunter family have always enjoyed a strong relationship with Disney and John’s connection goes right back to Walt Granger, who was the first to represent Disney on our shores back in the 60’s. In 1975 they were given access to the entire Disney character portfolio and Croner was one of the first toy companies to TV advertise their products. In 1979 they spent $1 million on TV advertising and in those days the annual turnover of the Australian Toy Industry was around $275 million dollars.

John has always been an astute businessman and has always been on the lookout for opportunities to acquire companies if the time is right.

Croner purchased Hansa Toys in 1976, who were famous for the Hansa Walker Wagons and then Jumbo Toys in 1977. These were added to Croners portfolio to further strengthen the Company’s offer.

As an example of just how prominent they were in the 1970’s, Croner marketed the following high-profile toys; Jaws, Daiken Plush, Colorforms, Toybiz with Spiderman toys including the famous Spiderman Web blaster, Planet of the Apes, Holly Hobby, Sesame Street Radio and Bugs Bunny Kodak Radio. They also represented Bandai and Tomy.

John opened his 10 acre facility in Tullamarine in 1990 to meet business expansion, John reflected on the amazing growth that his company enjoyed introducing brands such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Gary Hutchins, who was John’s Sales and Marketing Director at the time, reflects on when John came into the Board Room with a VHS tape of a toy called ALF (Alien from Space)... he asked his then sales team to watch and review. They watched the tape of this ugly alien character and were all a little confused. John came in and confirmed he had signed to distribute the item in Australia from a company called Caleco and amazingly it went on to sell 300,000 pieces in Australia!

Australian Licensing Industry luminary Fred Gaffney served as Croner’s Director of Sales & Marketing in the early years and was an incredible salesman and was critical to the success of launching Sesame Street and helping introduce other licenses into Australia.

Croner then represented a number of brands in Australia around 1983, including the Power Rangers, which was the hottest toy around.

Continued next page →

JOHN HUNTER IN HIS OFFICE AT TULLAMARINE

HUNTER LEISURE WAREHOUSE

The brands also included Dino Riders, Sylvania Families, The Comedy Company, it’s a Knockout Nasta Hit Stix, Tiger Electronics handheld games and Thomas the Tank Engine. Croner also were a player in the Licensed costume and dress-up business. The hits kept rolling on!

To demonstrate just how prominent Croner were from a business standpoint, the dominant business publication of the time, Business Review Weekly (BRW), featured two stories on John and his company in 1981 and again in 1986.

As the 90’s approached John met Mark Freedman of Surge Licensing who were a partner of Playmates Toys, and as a result of once again shrewd negotiation and being able to spot a winner, Croner won the rights to Ninja Turtles toys. To top this off John also was appointed as the Licensing Agent in Australia for the brand which resulted in revenues of some $100 million dollars in 1990.

John was able to sell 1 million Ninja Turtles action figures to Kmart. This underpinned his significant commitment to this project and once again BRW approached him to write a high-profile business story on John, Croner and The Turtles!

In 1991 Croner brought Revell/ Monogram and added this to their already significant portfolio of brands. Soon after in 1993, The Hunters also acquired the famous Cyclops bike brand and the Matchbox brand.

Croner continued to dominate, and John received an approach from a global toy company Tyco International. John realised that to maintain his position in the market it was best to partner with Tyco rather than having them as a competitor.

Tyco bought into Croner in 1993 and became partners which once again strengthened John’s brand and this partnership gave them direct access to brands such as Sesame Street, R/C,

View Master, Doll ranges, Rubber Dub Doggie, Pound Puppies and Magna Doodle, just to name a few.

As the years rolled on Tyco was acquired by Mattel and John formed Hunter Toyline with his brother Jeff. Not long after, Jeff went out on his own and then in 1999 John formed what is now Hunter Leisure who had Huffy and Intex Inflatables.

As the market continued to change and evolve into the 2000’s, John was smart enough to engage in a strategy of diversification and began developing craft education and science product including licensed craft products.

He partnered with two Global Toy Companies, NSI and Canal Toys. NSI produce Wubble, ProjeX, Smithsonian and Canal’s hits were Style 4 Ever, Airbrush plush and Slime.

In 2010 John acquired Leisure Dynamics from George Kass and became a market leader in the ball business.

BRW ARTICLE FEATURING JOHN HUNTER

JOHN'S FATHER, LEN HUNTER SENIOR

Hunter Leisure now has special inflation hubs around Australia to make sure that the business remains competitive in this space.

On a more personal level, John's four children join him in the business. Anthony is the current Managing Director; Tom runs the Toy Business, Felicity heads up nursery and party goods and Beth works in product development and marketing.

As John’s diversification has evolved, Anthony has been responsible for building a significant stationery and licensed stationery business. This has helped the organisation work more efficiently and has allowed them to pool their resources across multiple categories. John’s son-in-law Matthew, and his daughter Cynthia, run their bike division called Hyper Extension.

To further highlight the sheer scale and complexity of the business, Hunter Leisure now has two other divisions, which run alongside the Toy Business in Tullamarine. New Concept is the carnival business which is run by Ed Veale, who has been with John for close to 50 years.

We concluded our discussion with some reflections from John throughout his 50 years, and with some of his thoughts on the industry.

We asked John, if he had his time again what type of business would he choose and he responded, "Sport and Leisure". John makes mention of the fact that they have identified the new Pickleball craze which is sweeping the globe and Hunter have sourced a version of this under their leisure umbrella and have already sold it into Kmart, Big W and Woolworths.

John reflected on some of the Buyers he remembers over the journey including Bruce Evans, who was the Toy Controller/Buyer at Coles when it had offices in the City in Bourke Street. Also, David Hendren and David Perry who were Woolworths buyers. This was during in the 70’s.

John concluded that he sees there is less loyalty in the business today and his early relationships were much more personal and fun.

We then asked John who he saw as his most significant competitor and he replied, "Play Corp, Steven Glatt and team". John is suitably very proud of what he has been able to build and achieve over 50 years and now has 14 grand children who may someday follow him into the business.

John’s considers his wife Pam as his greatest supporter and is grateful she was involved in all the big decisions in both the business and looking after the family and was a keen travel partner in John’s early overseas sourcing trips.

Finally, we did touch on the fact that John has achieved all the above and never ventured into the global markets. We spoke briefly about this, and he contends that now with his kids in the business, it is still an option for Hunter Leisure to expand overseas at some point.

John's journey, which spans 50 years, is an amazing journey from humble beginnings across many years to what is now Hunter Leisure.

CRONER TOY AWARDS

POWER RANGERS WAS ONE OF JOHN'S BIG WINS

PHOTO GALLERY

HUNTER LEISURE CELEBRATING 50 YEARS 1973 — 2023

CRONER, MARKET LEADER IN TOYS

JOHN WITH THE ORIGINAL TURTLES

HUNTER SCOOPS THE AUSTRALIAN TOY ASSOCIATION AWARDS

JOHN HUNTER AND SON ANTHONY

PAM AND JOHN HUNTER

CRONER TOYS OLYMPIC PLUSH

PHOTOS FROM 50 YEARS OF THE HUNTER BUSINESS

THE HUNTER CLAN

JOHN REFLECTING

TOM, JOHN, ANTHONY AND FELICITY

JOHN WITH HIS HUGE SUCCESS ALF

PHOTO GALLERY

HUNTER LEISURE

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS 1973 — 2023

CRONER BIG IN GAMES

HUNTER LEISURE TULLAMARINE FACILITY

OVER THE YEARS

MR. T ANOTHER HUGE SUCCESS

THE HUNTERS AT THE MELBOURNE TOYFAIR

PHOTOS FROM 50 YEARS OF THE HUNTER BUSINESS

DISNEY AWARD

THE HUNTER LEISURE TEAM CRICKET GAME FROM CRONER GAMES HUNTERS TOYLINE

CYCLOPS BIKES

CYCLOPS STILL STANDING AFTER 110 YEARS

A DIVISION OF HUNTER LEISURE

CYCLOPS BIKES

CYCLOPS STILL STANDING AFTER 110 YEARS

Cyclops Toys is one of the most famous brands in Australia. The company was established in 1913 in Leichhardt by John Heine Sheetmetal, and the Cyclops name was registered two years later.

It became known for producing pedal cars which were an enormous part of childhood in Australia for decades. The company changed its name to Cyclops Pty Ltd in 1946, though after the war, the business was acquired by a British company.

Cyclops Toys was heading towards bankruptcy in the 1970s; at this time another British company bought it. By the 1980s, its toys were manufactured overseas.

In 1992, Cyclops Toys returned to Australian ownership when Hunter Leisure Pty Ltd decided to buy the business. The Leichhardt premises are now apartments in Sydney.

The Cyclops brand currently sits with Target Australia where they sell the product both in store and online. As part of Hunter Leisure’s commitment to the brand, John has a manufacturing arrangement with sister company Hyper Extension where they produce the wheel toys and Hunter Leisure sells them.

John reflects and is very proud to have purchased the brand in 1992. He is also proud to have been able to maintain its presence in the Australian marketplace for over 30 years.

CYCLOPS TOYS

JOHN HUNTER X CYCLOPS

CYCLOPS SINCE 1913

NEW CONCEPT IMPORT SERVICES WAS FORMED IN 1976

A DIVISION OF HUNTER LEISURE

NEW CONCEPT IMPORTS

NEW CONCEPT IMPORT SERVICES WAS FORMED IN 1976

New Concept Import Services Pty. Ltd. was formed in 1976 with just two full time staff after the successful merchandising of The Disney Character Toy Range for The Disney on Parade Tour in Australia

NCI, quickly grew, establishing themselves where today they are involved in an event 365 days a year and are unquestionably Australia's largest and most successful Mobile Retailer.

They have developed into a fully national organisation with representation in all States. New Concept is undoubtedly the dominant Concession Operator in Sporting Arenas, Showgrounds, Festivals and Outdoor events.

Our product is exclusively Licensed or Event Merchandise. This product is designed, developed and sourced by our own Product Management Team. We also offer this service to other Concession Operators, developing and sourcing product on their behalf.

In 1988 as a Group, we spent more than $3.5 million in promoting our own products. Using television as the primary media platform.

Ed Veale has been the face and the driver behind this extraordinary concessions business for close to 50 years.

Ed's passion and drive to keep innovating has been unwavering over his time in the industry.

Ed joined the Hunter Group in 1971, and for five years Manager of the highly successful retail toy division — the 'Children's Palace'.

In 1976 he became the Manager of New Concept Import Services, and under his direction it quickly grew to become the Number One company in Australia for developing novelties and souvenirs.

It is the largest mobile retailing operation in the country, specialising in showbags and sporting souvenirs.

With more than 25 years in the industry, Ed is undoubtedly the most experienced and successful person in Australia in this fast-moving and dynamic business.

To this very day Ed still maintains as hands on approach making sure that the business continues to operate to his exacting standards.

Ed recalls in the very beginning when one of his first showbags — Spiderman sold more than 60,000 bags in just one year. The business has changed significantly over the years and there are many more brands to consider these days.

TIMELINE HUNTER LEISURE

50 YEAR TIMELINE OF THE HUNTER BUSINESS

1960 — 2023

1960 1970

1960 First Trip to the Orient

1960 Hunter Toys

Rack Toys

1965 Len Hunter Trading Formed

1972 New York Toy Fair 1st Trip

1973 Children's Palace Toy Stores

1973 Croner (January 1973)

First Toy Fair

Focus on Character Merchandise

1974 Bugs Bunny Talking Alarm Clock

Disney Distribution 100%

1974 Planet Of The Apes (Ape Man)

1975 Croner 100% Rights

Walt Disney Distributing Company

1975 Jaws

1975 Dakin Plush

1976 Spider-Man Web Blaster

Sesame Street Radio

Colour Forms

Bugs Bunny Kodak Camera

Flintstones Record Player

1976 Live Character Appearances

Spider-Man & Bugs Bunny

1976 Ed Veale Launches New Concept Imports Division

Sampling and Plush

Carnival/Showbags/Live Events Merchandising

1976 New Office in Racevourse Road Flemington

1976 Hansa Business Aquired

1977 Jumbo Business Aquired

Holly Hobby

Sesame Radio

1978 $1 Million Ad Spend On TV — 1978

Young Talent Time Product — 71-88

Total Australian Toy Market — $275 Million

Hulk Rage Cage

1979 Buck Rogers Launched

1979 Mego (Superman, Batman, Robin

Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Hulk)

"Created Action Figures for Boys Category" (Toltoys Distributed Mego '75-78)

1979 8 Inch Boys Action Figures Range

Smurfs

Japan Toy Fair Trip

1979 DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIPS

Janex, Imperial, Walt Disney Trading Co., Sesame Street Licensing Bandai, Tomy, Takara, Epoch and Sylvanian Families

1980

1981 BRM Article

1981 Smurfs

VFL Plush

Superheroes Range — Marvel & DC

Sesame Street Plush

C.H.I.P.S

Dukes Of Hazzard (HG Toys)

Disney Plush

Mr Men Plush

World Series Cup Cricket Game

Magna Doodle (Tyco)

1982 Rubber Dub Doggie (Ideal)

Licensed Balls & Inflatables

Dakin Plush

World Series Cricket Game

Star Trek

1983 The A Team

Boglins

1984 Australian Olympic Plush LA Games Willie

1984 Pound Puppies (Irwin Toys)

1985 Sylvanian Families

1986 ALF Plush Doll — 300,000 ($10 Million)

1986 Crash Dummies

1986 BRW Article (1986)

1988 ATA Toy Awards — Croner Sweep Awards

1988 Dino Riders

Zaks, Backwords, Sylvanian Families

1987 Thomas The Tank Engine (Tomy)

1988 Gumby

1988 Expo 88 Brisbane

1988 Comedy Company Game

It's A Knockout Game 200,000 Almost Anything Goes Game

1989 Tiger Electronics Handheld Games

DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIPS

Tyco, Playmates, Galoob and Azrak-Hamway, Tomy, Tiger Electronics, Bandai, Toy Biz, Applause, Eden, Epoch, Ideal and Illco

50 YEAR TIMELINE OF THE HUNTER BUSINESS

1990 TMNT February — Playmates

$100 Million Retail Sales Concept Licensing Division Formed BRW Article

1991 Revel Mongram Acquisition Stationery Introduced Sesame Street Toys (Illco)

1993 TYCO/Croner Merger

1993 Hunters Toyline Huffy Bikes Intex Inflatables

1993 Cyclops Business Aquired

1994 Hunter Leisure Business Name Established (17/03/94) Power Rangers Toys (Bandai)

1995 Matchbox

1995 John Sands

1996 Tickle Me Elmo Tyco Purchased by Mattel

1997 Hunter Toyline/Hunter Sportsline/Hunter Giftline Divisions

1998 South Park Plush

1999 Major Sporting Goods Focus (Spalding, NBA, Bolinger Weights)

Slinky and Presstik

Stationery

Distribution Partnerships (Toymax, Gund and Rubies Costumes)

2000 Hunter Leisure Pty Ltd Formed (18/4/00)

Stationery Outdoor Plush Balls

Craft Science

2000 Sydney Olympics Plush

Major Sporting Goods Focus

2001 Hyper Extension Shanghai HQ Opens

Licensed Stickers Program

2002 Back To School Stationery

Major Disney Program

2003 Scrapbooking Craft Trend

2004 Hyper Major Catalogue Ride Ons, Scooters, Bikes

Playground Plastic Garden/Beach Toys

Hunter Service Field Service Assembly Team Established

2008 Playworks Acquisition

2010 Stationery

Outdoor Balls

Craft Science

Licensed Arts & Craft Cyclops

Costumes

Slumber/Sleep/Playtents

2010 Leisure Dynamics Aquired

2012 Kaleidoscope Craft — Launched

2013 Cyclops 100th Anniversary

2014 Gift Playground Online Retail Launched

2016 Anthony Hunter Appointed MD — Hunter Leisure Hello Sunshine Nursery — Launched

Canal Slime — Launched

2017 Laser X Hyper Bounce Ball

2019 Educational Puzzles & Games Introduced

2020 Stationery Outdoor Balls

Craft

Licensed Arts & Craft

Seasonal Craft Cyclops

Kaleidoscope

Hello Sunshine

Bondi Aquatic

Laser X Smithsonian

Canal Toys

2020 Showbag World — Online Showbags Bluey — Launched

2021 Minecraft — First Outdoor Toys, Bikes , Sporting Goods and ProjeX

2022 Jada RC Distribution Style 4 Ever — Airbrush Plush

2023 Cyclops 110th Anniversary

HYPER EXTENTION BIKES

A DIVISION OF THE HUNTER LEISURE BUSINESS WITH MATTHEW CLARKE

HYPER EXTENSION BIKES

A DIVISION OF THE HUNTER LEISURE BUSINESS

The bike business has played an important role in shaping the Hunter business. They have been active in this space for many years now and they play in both the generic bike space and the licensed bike ranges, leisure items and helmets.

Matthew Clarke and his daughter Cynthia have been partnering with John since 2001.Their no-fuss attitude and can-do approach sees them developing and producing ranges for retailers around the world. Their operation in Shanghai has 40 support staff who all keep up with the trends and fashion directions of the time.

As part of the 50 Year celebration of Hunter Leisure, we interviewed Matthew Clarke who heads up Hyper Extention with John Hunter.

Matthew, when was Hyper Extension's first trading year and have you been with the business from its inception?

After working with firstly with Jeff Hunter and then John Hunter at Hunter Leisure I set off to China in 2001 to establish a manufacturing, sourcing and product development company, hence Hyper Extension was born. John and I formed a formidable team in the Australian and NZ markets.

We shifted the original Hunter Plastics range to China to help reduce costs, started sourcing home fitness and was only the second company in China licensed to manufacture bicycle helmets to Australian standards. The company grew quickly by changing the face of many product categories by selling direct FOB and re-

establishing prices points sometimes 50% lower than they had historically been. We began to focus more into the wheel toy business, selling anything with a wheel, bikes, scooters, skate, skateboards, go karts and worked with John in the kid’s furniture and camping segments.

John and I have partnered in Australia since the beginning and then we established factories and offices in China.

Where does Hyper play in the overall Bike business?

Always difficult to say with limited industry data and the comparison between FOB versus domestic suppliers but in terms of unit sales we have always fluctuated in the top 5 suppliers in the outdoor segment.

What are your most memorable licensed bikes from over the years?

The original Disney Frozen was probably the most memorable for me. To start from relative low expectations and end up being a three year phenomenon is hard to match.

Can you identify some of your best performing items?

No doubt we have be fortunate enough to have been involved in a lot of hot categories over the years, from the whole micro scooter craze which developed into a completely new sport of stunt scootering, to retro plastic skateboards but really our success has come from having a diverse range, of good quality, everyday product that met the trends of that period.

We have never focused on the TV lines, just stuck with the basic and made them well.

What was the business like in the early days as you remember?

It is a classic saying but only if we knew then what we know now it would have amplified our successes 10-fold. But still, there was no denying we worked hard to establish our manufacturing base in China and equally so John and his team at Hunter Leisure do a great job in sales, marketing, licensing and customer service.

The combination of on the ground sourcing in China and John’s longestablished network throughout Australia and New Zealand was a great recipe for success.

How do you see the business into the future?

In any business there will always be challenges, but if you are willing to evolve with the times then there is always a pathway to move forward and keep the business progressing in the right direction. The obvious opportunities that were in China 20+ years ago are certainly not what they were but if you are still willing to work hard enough you can still find the gems amongst the rough. We continue to remain bullish about the business and the opportunity to provide consumers with great value, high quality products.

How do you see the Cyclops brand as an Iconic pillar in the bike business?

Amazing to think an Australian brand Cyclops has been going for over 100 years and as its slogan says, it has been truly part of growing up in this great country. We hear from so many people about how they once had a Cyclops trike when they were kids, and it has been a privilege to have been a part of continuing that tradition.

Perhaps a few words about John remaining in business for 50 years and your relationship with him?

John Hunter is a remarkable person, he has a dogged, “never take no for an answer” management style which a lot of people would not have the audacity to pull off. When many would have walked away with their

tail between their legs, John would always persist and persist until he gets a satisfactory outcome. His passion for the business is only rivalled by the love for his family and of course the game of golf! His passion and ambitions remain as strong now as they ever did, you cannot be anything but in awe of his unwavering resilience and longevity in the industry. A truly inspirational figure.

REFLECTIONS

KEY INDUSTRY FIGURES

REFLECTIONS ON JOHN HUNTER

HUNTER LEISURE REFLECTIONS FROM KEY INDUSTRY FIGURES

ANDREW SKINNER

John A solid gold anniversary. Well done you!

Skins

YVONNE KING

We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Hunter Leisure many times over the past 30 years for some of the biggest brands in the market. At the heart of all their success is their passion for product and ability to make things happen. From the dizzying heights of South Park to the return of the Turtles which they brought to the market the first time it hit; we’ve enjoyed some fabulous successes. And even through the not so successes… we’ve always enjoyed a great friendship & alignment on delivering compelling programs to retail. Plus, they’ve got the biggest shed I’ve ever seen. I love sheds... We’re looking forward to many more good times ahead.

John Hunter is one of the good guys in the toy industry who is well respected by many. His years of experience ensures he knows how to pick the next best-selling product. I am very fortunate to have worked with John over the years.

What an achievement! Congratulations to John Hunter and the whole team at Hunter Leisure on their 50 years in business. Hunter Leisure has been a long time Warner Bros. Discovery licensee and this incredible milestone should be recognised fully after 50 years of hard work and dedication by many. Cheers to many more years of growth, success, and achievements in the future.

STEVE WILLIAMS

ANDREW BROMELL

JOHN HUNTER AND HUNTER LEISURE

JOHN

REDENBACH

Congratulations to John Hunter and the Hunter Leisure team on their 50th anniversary. They have always delivered for The Wiggles and have been a great partner of ours over the years.

ALEX ISHCHENKO

Congratulations on 50 magnificent years in business John, Anthony, Felicity, Tom and the Hunter Leisure team. We are proud to have been partnering with you from the very early days. Thank you for your huge contribution to the licensing industry and we look froward to seeing what's in store for the next chapter. Congratulations on this incredible achievement.

From everyone at The Walt Disney Company ANZ.

CONGRATS ON A PUP-TASTIC 50 YEARS!

FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT

HAPPY

ANNIVERSARY

to HUNTER LEISURE from all your friends at

To our incredible, long-standing partners Hunter Leisure!

Congratulations on fifty tremendous years of creating fun, innovative and memorable play moments for Australian kids and families. Hereʼs to another 50+ more to come!

Naomi, Lou, Olivia, Maddie and Georgie

Mattel Australia Licensing Team

Congratulations John Hunter

You have been a power house for so many years and you should be very proud of all your achievements.

It's fantastic to see your children following in your footsteps.

David Hendy

On the first day of my advertising career, my boss, Tony White, took me out to Croner Trading to meet my first ever client - John Hunter, and his marketing manager Gil Lockhart.

It was 1981, about the same time as this photo was taken. I'm proud to say that here we are in 2023, some 42 years later and John Hunter is still my client and my friend.

Congratulations John on a lifetime of success in the Toy Industry. Skins

BEST WISHES JOHNNY! Congratulations

I was recently surprised by call from an old friend Tony Bugg, whom I had not seen or spoken to for over 30 years. He told me that my name came up in his conversation with you, regarding whom you considered to be a nemesis, during your 50 years in the toy biz.

Well, I have to also say, that of all colourful characters in those fabulous years, when the toy business was the wild west of opportunity, Johnny Hunter was the one I had to try to out manoeuvre to get to the next big thing. Whenever there was a sniff of a new big hit, I knew I had to get on a plane to try to get the deal done before Johnny, who was either likely to be ahead of me or very close behind. I remember numerous great deals and numerous misses, all with your shadow lurking in the ether.

I remember you once asked me whether I was planning to go to New Zealand for their Toy Fair, commencing on the following day. At the time, we were both quietly negotiating to expand our empires by purchasing a company there. I denied that I was making the trip and so did you, but we both knew that was mutual BS to try to throw the other off the scent.

When I arrived at the Auckland terminal luggage carousel, I was instantly surrounded by customs officers and escorted into a room, where I was left to wait alone for a considerable time. I guessed I was being watched through the mirror on the wall. Eventually I was interrogated for another hour or so and told I could leave. I asked the officer in charge, why I was detained and was told they had received an anonymous tip that I was a villain and up to no good. Johnny, I have no idea whether this had anything to do with you, or our discussion on the prior day, and I donʼt really want to have this mystery solved, as it is a fun to think about it.

If there is anyone who should have the title ʻMr. Toysʼ of Australia that would be you John, for 50 years of successful trend setting leadership in the category.

Steve Glatt

Congratulations

WHAT A MILESTONE!

John, what a milestone…

50 years in the fickle business of Toys and an 80th birthday to match - well done!

Tony Lee employed me in February 1984 to be the NSW rep for Croner Trading and I vividly remember carting around samples of A Team figurines etc and wondering if I could sell any of these things and low and behold there was a market – a huge one at that. I wish I had a MIB B.A Baracus or A Team van floating around at home now.

Croner had an enormous stable of winners with the # 1 being TMNT…

But others like:

• Oopsie Daisy Doll

• Baby loves to Talk 1992

• Power Rangers 1994

• Alf Dolls - again another I thought had no chance and was #1 toy in 1987

• Crocodile Mile and Slip N Slide in 1993 – the days of water restrictions…

• Crash Dummies 1992

• And who can forget our Olympic mascot Willie Koala and other plush like Garfield and Ossie Ostrich

All to name but a few.

What in fact am I saying here - JVH had an incredible knack for picking winners as borne out by the list above. I learnt a lot at Croner over my 13 years with the company and have John, his management and staff to thank for that.

Today I still work with John as the NSW Sales agent for HUNTER LEISURE.

Congratulations Mate, you deserve the accolades.

Stephen Bodden

Congratulations

CONGRATULATIONS

TOY BUSINESS

JOHN ON YOUR 80TH BIRTHDAY AND YOUR 50TH YEAR INVOLVED IN THE

BOTH GREAT MILESTONES IN YOUR LIFE.

I commenced employment with Croner Toys in 1983 and finished in 1996.It was a great time in my life.

Through your business skills and your very keen eye for product, Croner Toys enjoyed enormous growth during that period, and became the place to be in the Australian Tov Business.

Acquiring many brands and products for distribution into the Australian Market. There are too many to name, but I can recall approximately 25.

The ones that come quickly to my mind are as follows:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - An obvious standout. (what a ride!!!!)

• Alf

• Power Rangers

• A Team

• Go Go Balls.

• Dino Riders

• The list goes on!

Brands such as Tomy, Tyco, Bandai, Imperial Toys, Disney Pressman. Games etc.

On a personal note, thank you for your guidance during my 13 year tenure at Croner.

The experience has greatly assisted me and my family in our life to this point in time.

Hope to catch up with you soon.

Terry Hanks

50 YEARS IN BUSINESS! Congratulations

John Hunter... where do I start? I could write a chapter on this but will try to keep it brief!

Iʼve known John Hunter for as long as Iʼve been in the industry (which is a long time!) and iʼve seen him merge businesses, buy businesses, de-merge and become a licensing agent!

One of my favourite memories was when I was a toy buyer at Venture stores. John had a 50th Birthday party with a ghoul theme and I dressed as Dracula and Carol dressed as a witch. He had a wax model on a slab with an apple in her mouth and down in his backyard he had tombstones carved out.

He over time bought John Sands Games Company, Hansa Toys, Jumbo toys, the Super Action Sports Works brand from Tony Pistakakas, George Kasseʼs ball businesses and A West for the Reliance brand, and of course Cyclops, which is probably the most iconic wheel toy brand in Australia. He also, with his son-in-law, developed the Hyper Extension bike/wheel toy business which has been very successful.

He is a shrewd businessman with an eye for good people and brands and he is also a dedicated family man. When Ideal Australia went into receivership, he asked Gary Hutchens to work for him. I think Gary at that time was one of the most astute product guys in Australia and helped John really get into the toy business proper with his contacts around the Globe. Together they had hit after hit with products such as A team, Magna Doodle, Dale Buggins, stunt bike, Shaper Stompers, almost anything Goes board game, just to name a few, however one of their largest successes was an Alien from Space called Alf (that ate cats) and of course the first launch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 87/88

I was at Big W at that time, and we placed it front page of our (then October) Toy catalogue. It caused a riot in some storeʼs layby queues out the front door. It was so huge it was out of control, and John started a licencing Company and became his own agent! His activities in Australia came to the notice of Tyco in the U.S and they "merged" and became Croner Tyco, however Tyco also allowed John to continue "passively" in the toy business. Big mistake! No such thing with John!

Tyco was later bought by Mattel, and I still remember one of his largest sellers at the time... Magna Doodle. I think at that time he then changed his name to Hunter Leisure. The Turtles financed his building in Tullamarine and whilst I'm not privy to the financials I'm sure it was paid off quickly with the revenue! Tyco was also responsible for the worst TV promoted item John distributed. Magic Potty Baby... no more than a rag doll that came with a flushing toilet with sounds and yellow liquid! One of my Big W colleagues at the time called it the "Berocca Baby." After a week of TV, I called Gary and asked him to cancel the TV activity and convert it to assisted markdowns, which he did, and we cleared it at 1/2 price!

John has built his business on distributing locally which of course has become harder over the years with Overseas Companies opening their own branches in Australia. Itʼs now difficult being a toy distributor. John decided to get into the ball business and bought George Kass's business (he was distributing the John and Mondo brands). They were basically, after the purchase doing some licenced balls and basic glossy and knobby balls. Years later when Spartan went into receivership he enlisted Tony Foster, one of the best in the business. Tony opened new opportunities such as cricket and sports and play balls. To cement his position in this category John commissioned inflation stations for sports balls and toy balls in Qld, Vic and WA. This not only saved the obvious freight costs but made him very competitive and almost unassailable.

He is the King of the ball business and sells literally millions of balls per year. John is still extremely passionate about the Toy and Wheels business and still plays an active role in the business. Some men never grow up!

John Redenbach

HUNTER LEISURE

ON REACHING 50 YEARS IN THE TOY & LEISURE INDUSTRY

As one recalls the many products and categories that have emanated from its stable, all have carried the one trademark synonymous with the brand: John Hunter.

John's enthusiasm and sharp eye for product has been one of his strengths that has driven the business over the many years.

His infectious personality, cheeky grin and knowledge of the industry both locally and globally, along with the many associates and friendships he has forged out, is testament to the success and continued longevity of Hunter Leisure.

Well done, a fantastic milestone and achievement and wishing you continued success in the years ahead.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN AND HIS TEAM ON

ACHIEVING THIS REMARKABLE MILESTONE

I worked with Croner which was an exciting and demanding job. Croner was at that time the largest toy and associated goods, marketing and distribution company in Australia.

It had a successful philosophy of diversification, flexibility and capitalising on opportunities. John had over the years developed strong ties with our licensing partners and Croner was therefore, the Australian force behind hits such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, Superheroes Alf, and Smurfs to name but a few.

It was a great ride!

Gary Hutchins

Terence McEvey

HUNTER LEISURE Congratulations

The complexity of doing business today is daunting and to have remained in business for 50 years is a milestone worth celebrating. After researching the journey of the Hunter family, and more particularly John Hunter and his businesses, it is most evident that his formula has stood the test of time.

From humble beginnings he has been able to regularly identify great toys and leisure products which have become the foundation of Hunter Leisure. Add to this his very successful carnival division managed by Ed Veale for close to 50 years, and his bike business run by his son-in-law Matthew and daughter Cynthia, and you have an operation which has become focussed on diversification.

Now with John's children, Anthony, Tom, Felicity and Beth as part of the business, it is comfortably positioned to continue for the next 50 years!

Congratulations to John and the Hunter Leisure Team for this great achievement.

Tony, Matthew and The Toy Universe

Congratulations

MR JOHN HUNTER TOY ENTREPRENEUR EXTRAORDINAIRE

John has been a stalwart of the Toy Industry in Australia and overseas for many years. He is a great judge of product with a keen eye for a sales opportunity! John is well respected by many in the toy and retail industries and has built a very successful business over the decades with his product selections such as ALF, Thomas the Tank and the inaugural launch of TMNT!

My memories of John date back to the early days of Croner Toys where he taught me some of the many vagaries in the toy industry. John was always the unassuming one in the background and was ably supported by his Marketing team (Gary Hutchens) and Sales team (Tony Lee) which made Croner and later Croner Tyco toys one of the best toy companies in Australia. They used to dominate the toy television commercials and Toy Fair toy awards in the 1980ʼs!

John took risks over the years with products and even formed his own licensing company (Concept Licensing) for TMNT. John is an astute operator who has made good in the ever-changing toy industry for over 50 years!

John is a doyen of the toy industry who has earned his place as one of the best “toy guys” around. It has been my pleasure to work with John over these last 40 years and consider him a friend.

Steve Williams