The soccer players are still fashionable. «The public connects with them. Not everything is digital with screens and mobiles,» says Miquel Barti, one of the founders of Banbotoys, a Spanish doll firm that grows at a time striker. In 2024, the company sold more than 540,000 units and has billed more than 3.5 million euros with the merchandising of some of the main national and international football stars. Its forecast is to exceed four million euros of income this year and reach five million in 2026. “80% of our business is out of Spain,” says Barti, also CEO of the company. Messi, Cristiano and Mbappé are the best selling: from each the firm marketed, last year, about 80,000 units. Behind is Lamine Yamal (with 50,000 units). Of each team with which they have a license (until now, 14) they usually make between three and five characters. For example, Barcelona also have Lewandowski, Pedri and Gavi; from Real Madrid, Vinicius, Bellingham, Camavinga and Brahim, and Manchester City, Haaland, Bernardo Silva and Bruyne. «We have about 50 references,» adds the entrepreneur. The objective of Banbotoys is to accumulate between 25 and 30 licenses in 2026, coinciding with the celebration of the World Cup. His bet is also in the selections that will participate in the championship. «Our audience is very defined: adult collectors, who value design and exclusivity; on the other hand, children who want to play with their idols,» explains Barti. But not everything is male dolls: the company works on the development of stars such as Aitana Bonmatí. «Women's sport is a priority. We want girls to also have figures from their referents,» he explains. The company was born on a work trip in 2013. Barti and its brother -in -law, Òscar Bosch, returned from Africa to Barcelona. A couple of children played with a figure of a football player who on his face looked more like Xabi Alonso although he actually represented Messi. «We saw that there was an opportunity in the development of a more realistic product,» he says. So they started marketing some items that bought an English firm. It was in 2017 when they launched the sale of the first dolls with the Bangoys brand. Sales were going well, but for the business to consolidate, they needed to get licenses directly with football teams. So in 2021 they took to the streets to look for investors and, after a couple of financing rounds, in 2024 they launched the market with their own product, much more realistic and articulated. Today, they also negotiate directly with clubs. «The usual thing is to sign a contract between two and three years that allows you to use the equipment logo and the images of the players,» says the founder. In the contract signed, a guaranteed payment is stipulated and, subsequently, an annual royalty based on sales. From a figurine that can cost about 25 euros, already with the VAT included, the team takes a percentage: between 7% and 10%. The firm makes direct sale through its website, marketplaces and a physical store in Barcelona, which wants franchise and take Madrid already other parts of Europe. It also operates with third parties such as El Corte Inglés, Soccer Emotion and distributors in the United States, Mexico, France, Dubai and South Africa, among other countries. «We are already in more than 500 points of sale,» says Barti. «It has cost us to consolidate, because it is not about selling once, but about having continuity.» To achieve this, the founders seek diversification.
