Bendon Acquires Hinkler's North American Business in Second Brightstar-Backed Add-On

ASHLAND, Ohio, September 16, 2026. Bendon LLC has acquired Hinkler's North American business. Bendon designs and distributes children's coloring, activity and educational products. It is backed by Brightstar Capital Partners. Hinkler's Australian and international operations are not part of the deal. Those units will keep operating independently under their existing ownership.

The deal adds a portfolio of established brands to Bendon's lineup. It broadens the Company's product offering across coloring and activity books, arts and crafts, stationery, toys and games. Hinkler North America is built around established franchises. They include Kaleidoscope in coloring and activity, Craft Maker in arts and crafts, and Piccadilly in stationery. The acquired portfolio consists almost entirely of proprietary brands. Bendon called it complementary to its own brands and licensed properties. Those licenses include Disney, Nickelodeon, Marvel and Universal.

"We couldn't be happier with the Hinkler North America acquisition," said Ben Ferguson, Founder and CEO of Bendon. "We have known the owners for nearly 30 years and have tremendous respect for what they have built. Hinkler brings established brands, innovative products and strong category expertise, while Bendon brings significant retail relationships, distribution and product development capabilities. We believe the combination creates substantial opportunities to offer our retail partners a deeper assortment across more categories and price points."

"Over the past three decades, Hinkler and Bendon have built a strong, collaborative relationship grounded in mutual respect, shared values, and a common commitment to delivering high-quality, engaging products for children and families," said Nadika Garber, Chief Executive Officer of Hinkler, and Stephen Ungar, Chairman of Hinkler. "We are thrilled to see Hinkler's North American business enter this next chapter with Bendon. We believe that Bendon's scale, category expertise, and deep retail partnerships will enable the Hinkler brands to flourish and reach even more consumers. This carve-out allows both businesses to sharpen their strategic focus while continuing to work together in ways designed to amplify innovation, broaden our collective offering, and create meaningful, long-term value for our partners and customers."

Bendon was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Ashland, Ohio. It partners with entertainment licensors and develops its own products for retail channels across North America. Brightstar Capital Partners is a middle-market private equity firm focused on control-oriented deals. It managed $5 billion in assets as of June 30, 2026. Brightstar invested in Bendon through its lower middle market strategy. Hinkler was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Its North American arm, now part of Bendon, spans early learning, coloring, books and stationery. It also covers puzzles, crafts, toys and games.

This is Bendon's second acquisition since Brightstar's investment in the Company. It follows Bendon's purchase of School Zone Publishing Company in July. Bendon expects to keep investing behind the platform to accelerate growth, both organically and through further acquisitions.