VTech Holdings Limited (an abbreviation of Video Technology Limited or simply VTech) is a Hong Kong-based global supplier of electronic learning products from infancy to preschool, and the world's largest manufacturer of cordless phones.
History of VTech[]
Originally named Video Technology Limited, the company would later rename to VTech Holdings Ltd.
VTech would acquire LeapFrog Enterprises on April 4, 2016.
People of Interest[]
Gary Masching was a CEO around February 9, 1999[1]
Controversies[]
Poor Working Conditions[]
The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights claimed in a report that the working conditions of VTech's factories located in China had cruel working conditions best described as a sweatshop. VTech denied these allegations. [2]
Learning Lodge Data Breach[]
On November 14, 2015, the Learning Lodge was compromised in a data breach which gained unauthorized access to user's private info and likeness. The leaked contents included things such as a person's username, password, email address, and IP address.[3] This private info from both the parent, and the child(s) were found in the leaks. Around 5 million accounts were compromised in this attack. The hacker anonymously went out to tell the company about these security risks caused by the site using Adobe Flash and being well outdated. Despite VTech initially not listening to his pleas, after the unknown hacker told other news outlets about the risk, and what was found from the hacks[4], VTech stepped in to inform all registered users about this breach.
VTech was seen in poor light during the incident due to the company storing private info of child and adult users' voice recordings, and photos without prior knowledge. The Learning Lodge services went back online on January 23, 2016[5]. They have since shut down the Learning Lodge services to be replaced with a more secure method of service to prevent this from happening again. Due to these issues, the FTC fined the company $650,000[6] (around $0.09 per affected user).
Products[]
- List of Computers
- List of Toys
- List of Phones
License Acquisitions & Partnerships[]
The following list is organized by earliest known year acquired. Due to the obscurity of many items, info not yet confirmed fully are shown in italics.
| Name of Rights Holder | Intellectual Properties | Acquired | Years Active | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sesame Workshop | Sesame Street | ~1991 | 1991, ~2014-present | [1] | When acquired, Sesame Workshop was known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000. |
| Elfie Donnelly | Benjamin The Elephant | ~1999 | 1999 | Only in Germany | |
| Bandai | Tomagatchi | 1995 | 1995-? | For the release of the Super Color Whiz in Japan. | |
| Nintendo | Donkey Kong JR (Un-Official) | September 29, 2000 | 2000 | [1] | Was never officially endorsed by Nintendo |
| Disney |
|
|
September 2003-Present | [1][2] | Despite being mentioned, The Jungle Book ip was never used. Same with the 101 Dalmatians. |
| Marvel | Spider-Man | 2004 | 2004-? | [1][2] | |
| American Greetings | 2004 | [1] | Mentioned on page 19 at the bottom. | ||
| Brainy Baby Co. | Left & Right Brain Development Theory | February 9, 2004 | 2004-2006 | [1] | |
| Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. |
|
|
2004-2008 | [1][2][3][4] | Baby Looney Tunes had products starting in 2005. |
| Beijing San Chen Blue Cat Toy Co. Ltd | Blue Cat | May 24, 2004 | 2004-? | [1] | |
| Nickelodeon |
|
|
2005-2014 | [1][2] | |
| LearningWorks, LLC | Write & Learn | September 7, 2005 | September 2005 | [1] | |
| FUNimation Entertainment | Unknown | November 7, 2005 | 2005-? | [1] | Original page lost, not much is known |
| Elastic Rights |
|
2006 | 2006 | Only in Spain | |
| Dreamworks |
|
|
~2008-2014 | [1][2] | 2014 was when they used the Penguins of Madagascar ip. |
| Chorion Limited
Sanrio |
Mr. Men & Little Miss | ~2010 | ~2010 | [1] | Earliest mention from 2010 was when the franchise was owned by Chorion, later by Sanrio in 2011 onward. |
| Spin Master | Paw Patrol | January 7, 2014 | ~2014-present | [1] | |
| MGA Entertainment | Lalaloopsy | January 7, 2014 | 2014 | [1] | |
| Fremantle Media | unknown | 2014 | 2014 | ||
| BBC Studios | Bluey | May 16, 2022 | 2022-Present | [1] |
Trivia[]
Company[]
- In the 80s, and early to mid 90s there logo would sometimes appear inverted, like on Alphabert.
- VTech is the largest manufacturer of computers that use the Lips interpreter.[7]
- On February 8, 1999, Dr. Loretta Long (aka Susan) from Sesame Street worked with VTech to promote the benefits of there educational toys.[1]
- In season 2 episode 6 of Malcom in the Middle known as Convention when Hal goes to the convention a booth for VTech can be seen in many shots at the convention.
- This episode is from the year 2000.
- On September 5, 2008, VTech attended the 2008 Annual General Meeting located in Hong Kong, China.
- On October 7, 2008, VTech would delist the company from the London Stock Exchange.[8]
- In 2012 around 33,000 workers were employed by VTech.[2]
Site[]
- In the late 90s, early 2000s VTech had the option to download the company's logo in a .TIFF file, or a .JPG file, and was found on the download center on the bottom.[9]
- During the early 2000s they had an option to view a product in 3D even with basic interactions to show off features of the device.
- These were known as "3D Shows"
- At one point in ~2005 they had an online E-Card for Christmas [10]
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Press Releases archive (Only goes back to ~2020)
- The official site dated May 8th, 1999
- The official VTech site dated July 1st 2004, and is the earliest mention of the V.Smile
- VTech's events page from September of 2008
- VTech's Homepage (Germany, 2012)
- An article from Vtech talking about a data breach from November 30th, 2015
- The Logopedia article for Vtech, which is the source of the Vtech logos used here
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Blog post talking about Susan from Sesame Street representing VTech in 1999
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 PR Newswire article of VTech denying the poor work conditions.
- ↑ Official statement on the data breach
- ↑ Time article talking about the incident
- ↑ Learning Lodge Official FAQ
- ↑ Article talking about the FTC's actions against VTech.
- ↑ Info on various VTech computers that use the LOGO interpreter
- ↑ PDF document mentioning this delisting.
- ↑ The VTech download center from June 18th, 2004 that has the logo downloadable
- ↑ Christmas E-Card from ~2005