As we know, the Estate has been approving licenses to a whole range of companies around the world. From Queen Studios in China to Chilli Beans in Brazil, there’s suddenly an influx of Official Michael Jackson Products, and if you’re a collector – that’s great news!
The latest product is from the Spanish company called MINIX.
MINIX is a brand under the company “Toys and Humans SL,” which is based in Spain. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing of collectible figures, known for their high-quality designs and attention to detail. These figures are typically around 12 cm in height and are packaged in premium window boxes, making them highly collectible. There are also smaller 7 cm versions available in different formats, including keychains and multi-figure packs.
MINIX figures span a wide array of popular culture themes, including famous TV shows, movies, anime, and even football players. The company has licensed characters from well-known franchises such as Stranger Things, The Witcher, Naruto, and has also created figures for top footballers like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé. The brand has been quite successful, with over 4 million units sold worldwide.
The figures are made from durable, high-quality materials, ensuring they are safe for all ages. This dedication to quality is evident in their rigorous safety and quality control processes. The company has been expanding its product lines by acquiring new licenses to create more figures. And one of them is Michael Jackson!
We have already two of them ready to collect: “Thriller” and “Smooth Criminal”.
But what is the difference between MINIX and other companies? Believe it or not, one of the owners of MINIX actually met Michael Jackson and even organised a Birthday Event for one of Michael’s children.
Before working for MINIX, Dutch born Wibo Westdijk worked in the Toy industry for over 2 decades. His love for toys started in New York in early 2000’s at the FAO Schwarz toy store (yes, the same toy store that Tom Hanks dances on a dance-on piano in the movie BIG).
As Event manager in the store, he was responsible for many events there. But one day in 2001, the King of Pop himself called to organised a sleep-over Birthday party for one of his children.
Wibo recalls, “When Michael called, he did not have many requests, one was to have all the store windows to be blocked off, which was challenging, the second was no unnecessary staff to be present and all staff present should focus on the birthday party”.
“It was a fun night but more guests turned up so I had to find at the last minutes some sleeping bags. I went to the store where we purchased the first batch but I arrived just few minutes after closing time. I banged on the door and the lady opened the door and told me to come back tomorrow. I said, it is for now, it is really important. She said “I am sure, but come back tomorrow” and I told her: “It is for a very important person, the Birthday party is tonight. I need those sleeping bags… It’s for Michael Jackson” – She open the door and let me purchase the items.”
Wibo told us that the party was a success and that Michael was really fun and childlike. Children were everywhere and at one point, Michael was missing. After asking all the staff if they’d seen Michael, Wibo found him playing alone in the storage room with marbles. “Are you ok Michael? Wibo asked, “Shall we go back to the party?” Wibo recalls that Michael was deep in his thoughts and after a moment Michael said “Oh yes! The party! Let’s go!”
“Michael was a great and cool guy, we really had fun and I am so proud I did this event for him”
Originally the idea for MINIX was to make caricature football figurines to bring the personality of the heroes to life, but due to the success the company decided to grow the portfolio with iconic figures from the past and present and they managed to get the licence for Michael Jackson.
Living now in Paris, France, Wibo told us that he wanted to do more Michael Jackson figures and hopefully we will have a full range of them soon. Having this link between MINIX and Michael is so special, especially for us the fans, there is a connection between the product and Michael directly unlike some items we saw popping in this year, like TUD (The Ugly Duck… literally).
Don’t wait too long to grab the first Michael Jackson MINIX Thriller edition—it’s a collector’s item that’s finally affordable for everyone. MINIX is listening to the fans, so get ready for a special figurine in 2025 to celebrate a unique anniversary… but I won’t reveal any more details just yet!
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