Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. is a major manufacturer of teddy bears and other gift products, including stuffed animals, baby gifts, soft baby toys and development toys as well as picture, candles, figurines and home fragrance products.

Founded by its namesake, Russ Berrie (1933 - 2002), the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RUS in 1984.

One of Russ Berrie's most popular stuffed animals was that of the Russ Rutherford III stuffed monkey line. These monkeys were produced from the early 80's to early 90's and featured a monkey with a plastic face, feet, and hands.

In 2003, Russ Berrie had revenue of ^*]329.7 million and net profit of US$34.7 million. For the nine months ended September 30, 2004, net sales fell 18% to US$198.4 million. Net loss totaled $12.9 million compared to income of US$25.8 million for the first nine months of 2003. According to Reuters, revenues reflect weak customer acceptance of new product releases; net loss reflects an increase in selling and administrative expenses due to unfavourable exchange rates variances.

Acquisitions

In July 2002, Russ Berrie acquired Sassy, Inc.

In December 2004, Russ Berrie acquired Kids Line LLC.

Philanthropy

The Russ Berrie Institute for Professional Sales at William Paterson University is named after Russ Berrie.

See also

• Teddy bear

External links

• Yahoo! profile
• Official homepage

Companies based in New Jersey