Applause Toy Company
47+ years and still operating (founded 1979)
About Applause Toy Company
Applause specialized in licensed plush toys, dolls, and character merchandise tied to popular entertainment licenses including The Simpsons, Looney Tunes, and Disney characters, widely distributed through card and gift shops throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Applause merged with the Dakin plush business in 1995 and was absorbed into Russ Berrie in 2004; the name survives as a brand rather than an independent company.
History of Applause Toy Company
Applause grew out of Wallace Berrie & Company, a California maker of giftware and novelty figurines, and was spun into its own operation at the start of the 1980s. Its business was licensing: rather than create characters, Applause secured the plush and figurine rights to characters the public already knew, and executed them well enough that the licensors kept renewing.
The roster over two decades covered Garfield, the Muppets, Disney, Looney Tunes, Peanuts, Sesame Street and a long list of film properties, in plush, vinyl and PVC. Applause merged with the Dakin plush business in 1995 and was ultimately absorbed into Russ Berrie, and its output remains one of the more comprehensive records of which characters were commercially valuable in any given year of the 1980s and 1990s.
Timeline
- 1979Applause is established within the Wallace Berrie giftware business
- 1982The company begins trading as a distinct licensed-plush and figurine operation
- 1990Film and television licences make Applause one of the largest US licensed-plush suppliers
- 1995Applause merges with Dakin
- 2004The business is absorbed into Russ Berrie
Notable & Best-Selling Toys
- The Simpsons plush figures
- Looney Tunes stuffed toys
- Disney character plush
- Muppets plush line
- Garfield plush figures
Identifying & Dating Applause Toy Company Toys
- Plush carries a sewn-in fabric label reading "Applause" with a copyright year and the licensor's credit — the licensor line is often the more useful of the two for dating.
- Vinyl and PVC figures are marked underfoot or on the back with "Applause" and a copyright date, and frequently a country of manufacture that shifted from Korea and Taiwan to China across the period.
- Wallace Berrie-marked pieces predate the Applause-branded ones and are the earlier material.
Collector's Notes
- Value here tracks the character, not the maker. A common bear in Applause plush is worth little; a short-run figure from a strongly collected franchise can be worth a great deal.
- Hang tags are usually missing and their presence lifts value noticeably, because they identify the exact issue.
- Plush from this era was made in enormous quantities. Condition standards are correspondingly high — fading, matted pile and smoke odour are all real deductions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When was Applause Toy Company founded?
Applause Toy Company was founded in 1979, based in New York, NY.
Is Applause Toy Company still in business?
Yes. Applause Toy Company is still operating today, 47+ years after it was founded.
What is Applause Toy Company best known for?
Applause Toy Company is best known for The Simpsons plush figures, Looney Tunes stuffed toys, Disney character plush, among other toys.
Where was Applause Toy Company located?
Applause Toy Company was based in New York, NY.
What kinds of toys did Applause Toy Company make?
Applause Toy Company is categorized under dolls, plush toys, character toys.
How can you identify genuine Applause Toy Company toys?
Plush carries a sewn-in fabric label reading "Applause" with a copyright year and the licensor's credit — the licensor line is often the more useful of the two for dating. Vinyl and PVC figures are marked underfoot or on the back with "Applause" and a copyright date, and frequently a country of manufacture that shifted from Korea and Taiwan to China across the period. Wallace Berrie-marked pieces predate the Applause-branded ones and are the earlier material.
Are Applause Toy Company toys valuable?
Value here tracks the character, not the maker. A common bear in Applause plush is worth little; a short-run figure from a strongly collected franchise can be worth a great deal. Hang tags are usually missing and their presence lifts value noticeably, because they identify the exact issue. Plush from this era was made in enormous quantities. Condition standards are correspondingly high — fading, matted pile and smoke odour are all real deductions.