Maxx Marketing Group subsidiary YuMe Toys has bolstered its leadership team by hiring two senior executives to spearhead the Chinese toyco’s expansion into North and South America. 

Veteran toy executive Paul Fish has joined the collectibles manufacturer as head of the Americas, where he will lean on more than 30 years of industry experience to oversee marketing, sales and product development. Fish has worked in senior roles at Spin Master, Bandai and Mattel, but for the last 10 years he’s been focused on brand and business development for various toy and electronics startups at Pablo Pescado Brand Management. 

Fish will work alongside Ben Ibarra (sales director for the Americas), who joined YuMe last year to manage its major retail channel partnerships with Walmart and Amazon. 

Meanwhile, the toyco’s marketing campaigns will be executed by its new director of global marketing, Michelle Phillips Jones. She’s coming off a one-year run as an international marketing director at Jazwares, having previously worked as a senior marketing manager for MGA Entertainment (2021 to 2023). 

This expansion is a major shift for YuMe. For the past two years, the company has focused primarily on expanding its licensed collectible lines in the EMEA region, switching from working with distributors to a direct-to-retail model in order to better support retailers in the busy market’s 115-plus territories. YuMe also operates year-long showrooms in LA, Hong Kong, London and Paris to attract new buyers and showcase its upcoming products. 

YuMe’s toy lines include DZNR plush (pictured), Bobble Hero figures, Surprise Capsule blind boxes and Hero Box statues. The toyco has licensing partnerships in place with Disney (Marvel, Lilo & Stitch), Sanrio (Hello Kitty and Friends), Toei Animation (Dragon Ball), Hasbro (Transformers) and Crunchyroll (Jujutsu Kaisen)