Alliance Entertainment’s Handmade by Robots Enters Anime Market with Launch of My Hero Academia Collectibles
- Entry into the $22 billion anime merchandise market with significant growth potential
- Partnership with successful My Hero Academia franchise (100M+ manga copies sold)
- Planned expansion with major entertainment franchises including DC Comics, Disney, and Harry Potter
- None.
Insights
Alliance's entry into $22B anime collectibles market with My Hero Academia figures represents strategic diversification with growth potential.
Alliance Entertainment's expansion of their Handmade by Robots division into the anime collectibles market represents a calculated strategic move into a high-growth segment. According to the press release, the anime merchandise market reached
The company's decision to launch with My Hero Academia—a franchise with over 100 million manga copies sold worldwide—demonstrates smart IP selection, targeting an established property with proven fan appeal and global recognition. This reduces market entry risk compared to launching with lesser-known properties.
What's particularly noteworthy is the company's distinctive product differentiation. Their vinyl figures mimicking hand-knit textiles create a unique aesthetic in a crowded collectibles market dominated by standard figurines. This differentiation could command premium pricing and help establish brand identity in a competitive landscape.
The announced roadmap of upcoming releases across major franchises (DC Comics, Harry Potter, Disney, etc.) indicates a comprehensive licensing strategy rather than a one-off market test. This suggests Alliance is making a substantial commitment to building their collectibles business across multiple fandoms.
Strategically, this move leverages Alliance's core strengths as a distributor and fulfillment partner for entertainment products. Their existing relationships with retailers and distribution infrastructure should allow for efficient market penetration across both mainstream and specialty channels.
While the press release doesn't provide specific financial projections for this product line, the expansion represents positive business development by tapping into passionate fan communities known for their high collector engagement and purchasing loyalty.
Initial launch features fan-favorite heroes Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki from My Hero Academia — a top-grossing anime franchise with over 100 million manga copies sold worldwide
PLANTATION, Fla., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alliance Entertainment Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: AENT), a premier distributor and fulfillment partner of entertainment and pop culture collectibles, today announced that its Handmade by Robots™ division has officially entered the anime category with the launch of its first licensed vinyl collectibles based on the hit franchise My Hero Academia. The debut figures — featuring fan-favorite heroes Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki — represent a strategic expansion into one of the fastest-growing segments of the global collectibles market.
My Hero Academia - Izuku Midoriya “Deku” #289
My Hero Academia - Shoto Todoroki #290
This launch positions Handmade by Robots to capitalize on the surging global demand for anime merchandise — a market that reached a record
“Anime represents one of the most dynamic and influential segments in global entertainment,” said Jeff Walker, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Entertainment. “Expanding Handmade by Robots into this category is a meaningful step forward in our strategy to grow high-value, fan-driven collectibles. Launching with characters like Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki reinforces our commitment to aligning with powerful, proven franchises that resonate across cultures and generations.”
Handmade by Robots vinyl figures are known for their distinctive aesthetic — sculpted to mimic the look and texture of hand-knit plush toys, while made from high-quality, durable vinyl. The new My Hero Academia figures continue this signature approach, capturing the characters’ most recognizable features with detailed, stylized designs. With their textured finish and shelf-friendly form factor, Handmade by Robots figures offer fans a distinctive way to showcase the characters they love.
Handmade by Robots is preparing a robust slate of upcoming releases for the second half of 2025. New figures will feature beloved characters from globally recognized franchises such as DC Comics, Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Peanuts, Disney, Sonic the Hedgehog, Hello Kitty, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Star Trek. With each release, Handmade by Robots continues to expand its footprint across entertainment categories, appealing to a broad range of fans and collectors
“Our long-term vision is to make Handmade by Robots a breakout brand in the licensed collectibles space,” Walker added. “With anime joining our lineup, we’re tapping into one of the most passionate fandoms on Earth — and we’re just getting started.”
The Izuku Midoriya and Shoto Todoroki figures are available now via HandmadeByRobots.com, major retailers, and select specialty stores.
About Alliance Entertainment
Alliance Entertainment (NASDAQ: AENT) is a premier distributor and fulfillment partner for the entertainment and pop culture collectibles industry. With more than 325,000 unique in-stock SKUs — including over 57,300 exclusive titles across compact discs, vinyl LPs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and video games — Alliance offers the largest selection of physical media in the market. Our vast catalog also includes licensed merchandise, toys, retro gaming products, and collectibles, serving over 35,000 retail locations and powering e-commerce fulfillment for leading retailers. The company’s growing collectibles portfolio includes Handmade by Robots™, a stylized vinyl figure line featuring licensed characters from leading entertainment franchises. Leveraging decades of operational expertise, exclusive licensing partnerships, and a capital-light, scalable infrastructure, Alliance is a trusted partner to the world’s top entertainment brands and retailers. Our omnichannel platform connects collectors and fans to the products, franchises, and experiences they love — across formats and generations. For more information, visit www.aent.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this Press Release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial and performance metrics and projections of market opportunity. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether identified in this Press Release, and on the current expectations of Alliance’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Alliance. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including risks relating to the anticipated growth rates and market opportunities; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the ability of Alliance to execute its business model, including market acceptance of its systems and related services; Alliance’s reliance on a concentration of suppliers for its products and services; increases in Alliance’s costs, disruption of supply, or shortage of products and materials; Alliance’s dependence on a concentration of customers, and failure to add new customers or expand sales to Alliance’s existing customers; increased Alliance inventory and risk of obsolescence; Alliance’s significant amount of indebtedness; our ability to refinance our existing indebtedness; our ability to continue as a going concern absent access to sources of liquidity; risks and failure by Alliance to meet the covenant requirements of its revolving credit facility, including a fixed charge coverage ratio; risks that a breach of the revolving credit facility, including Alliance’s recent breach of the covenant requirements, could result in the lender declaring a default and that the full outstanding amount under the revolving credit facility could be immediately due in full, which would have severe adverse consequences for the Company; known or future litigation and regulatory enforcement risks, including the diversion of time and attention and the additional costs and demands on Alliance’s resources; Alliance’s business being adversely affected by increased inflation, higher interest rates and other adverse economic, business, and/or competitive factors; geopolitical risk and changes in applicable laws or regulations; risk that the COVID-19 pandemic, and local, state, and federal responses to addressing the pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business operations, as well as our financial condition and results of operations; substantial regulations, which are evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by Alliance to comply with these regulations; product liability claims, which could harm Alliance’s financial condition and liquidity if Alliance is not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims; availability of additional capital to support business growth; and the inability of Alliance to develop and maintain effective internal controls.
For investor inquiries, please contact:
Dave Gentry
RedChip Companies, Inc.
1-407-644-4256
AENT@redchip.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9bccbc22-5945-48ba-8d74-e030d6633cb8
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ce22dde-f5da-44af-9f57-525226fc1fc2
FAQ
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