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Get 'em while you can. This is from MacRumors.com ...


Sphero Discontinues Disney Products Including BB-8 and R2-D2
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Sphero, known for its popular BB-8, BB-9E, and R2-D2
iPhone-controlled droids, today confirmed that it is
discontinuing all licensed products.

In a statement provided to The Verge, Sphero CEO Paul Berberian
confirmed that Sphero is cleaning out its remaining licensed
inventory and has no plans to produce more.

Sphero will no longer make BB-8, BB-9E, R2-D2, Lightning
McQueen cars, or talking Spider-Man toys. None of the products
are available from the Sphero website anymore, with Sphero
instead selling its own Bolt, Mini, and SPRK+ products.

The licensed products are now "legacy products" no longer in
production, though App Support is set to continue for at least
two years.

Berberian said that Sphero is discontinuing its Disney
partnership because the licensed toy business "required more
resources" than it was worth, with sales waning over time after
a movie was released.

"When you launch a toy, your first year's your biggest," he says.
"Your second year's way smaller, and your third year gets really
tiny." The opposite is true of the company's non-licensed
educational robots, he says, which become more popular year after
year.

With its licensed partnerships at an end, Sphero will now focus
on expanding its educational ecosystem with the goal of getting
more products into schools.


Update: Sphero has provided a statement on its plans not to renew
its Disney licenses:

At Sphero, our goal is to keep kids learning through the
excitement of play. Through our Disney partnership, we were able
to develop robots that allowed iconic personalities to come to
life. As we develop a roadmap for the future, Sphero products
will continue to build on our successes, expand interactive play
and STEAM learning efforts, while keeping products accessible for
all ages.


In today's world, we know STEAM education is more important than
ever. There's a huge opportunity to inject our technology into
this field to teach kids crucial real-world skills, through fun,
interactive learning. Sphero robots are currently in 20,000+
schools and in many more homes; our vision is to bring coding into
every classroom and living room.

In 2019, we will not be renewing our Disney licenses. We're looking
forward to a future of many new products that continue to encourage
STEAM learning through play. Look for a new product to be announced
at CES that inspires creativity and taps into the A of STEAM
learning.


<https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/17/sphero-discontinues-disney-products/>

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