| Type | Figurine |
|---|---|
| Inventor(s) | Kenner |
| Company | Kenner (Former) Hasbro (Current) Basic Fun! (Under license) |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 1992–present |
| Materials | Rubber (earlier pets were made up of plastic) |
| Slogan | How big is your Littlest Pet Shop? (2005–2012) Little Pets, BIG Personalities! (2012-2014) Who's in Your Littlest Pet Shop? (2014–2017) Unleash the Bobble! (2023-) |
| Official website | |
Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s.[1] An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.[2]
The franchise was relaunched in 2005 and there are currently over 3,000 different pet toys that have been created since. Hasbro, alongside various digital media developers, has produced video games for consoles such as the Nintendo DS, Wii and PlayStation 3. A second animated television series was produced by Hasbro Studios for Discovery Family, a U.S. cable network partially owned by Hasbro. This series premiered in 2012 and concluded in 2016 after 104 episodes.
Hasbro has created virtual pets to 'adopt' and play with online. These websites were Littlest Pet Shop VIPs, and Littlest Pet Shop Online. In 2010, Hasbro released their version of Blythe as a part of this toy line. A wide variety of Littlest Pet Shop products have been produced. The first series was created in 2005, the second release in 2008, the third release in 2012, the fourth release in 2014, and the most recent release in 2017. Around the world, they are known to have code toy numbers on either the side of them or the bottom, or otherwise have them on the box which it sometimes comes with the sticker. Hasbro made a deal with Basic Fun! to relaunch the toys in 2023,[3] but in the following year Basic Fun filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company will use bankruptcy proceedings to repay its creditors while remaining in operation.[4]