Krool Toys

Krool Toys
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2020
FoundersStefan Cohen, Tia Chinai
Defunct2025
HeadquartersUnited States
ProductsVideo games, branded merchandise

Krool Toys was an American indie game studio founded by Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen.[1][2] Some of their clients included Nike,[3] McDonald's,[4][5] and Warner Music Group.[6][7] On September 2, 2025, the studio announced they would be closing.[8]

History

Krool Toys was founded in 2020 by Stefan Cohen and Tia Chinai. Originally concentrating on music marketing campaigns by creating custom video games, toys and other collectables for musicians, they have expanded to working with multinational fast food retailers, fashion brands, as well as releasing their own collection of branded merchandise.[9][10][2]

Following collaborations with Cactus Plant Flea Market,[11] Travis Scott,[12] BTS,[13] and others, on June 12, 2023, McDonald's announced its latest campaign, the Grimace Shake, in celebration of Grimace's Birthday.[4][5] McDonald's worked with Krool Toys to develop Grimace's Birthday, a platformer inspired by Game Boy Color titles.[14] In the game, the player controls Grimace as they skate through tunnels, grind on handrails, balance on telephone wires, and float over the New York City skyline to find his McDonaldland friends.[15][16][17][18] Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald's,[19] stated that "Grimace is the perfect lovable icon to have McDonald's meet our fans at the intersection of nostalgia and culture."[5] Grimace's Birthday drew widespread attention from both gaming and fast food communities.[14][18]

In 2024, Krool Toys collaborated with Air Jordan to create “Cosmic Climb,” an 8-bit video game inspired by the Air Jordan 11 Retro Low.[3][20] The game was released on the SNKRS app as part of the Air Jordan 11 Retro Low “Black/Varsity Royal” campaign, with Krool Toys founders Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen featured as playable characters. This campaign marked Air Jordan as the studio’s final major client before its closure in 2025.

On September 2, 2025, it was announced via Instagram that the studio would be closing down, with their website updated to reflect the post.[8][21] Following the closure of Krool Toys, co‑founder Stefan Cohen started Bughouse, a Brooklyn-based game and creative technology studio and experiential marketing agency that makes custom games and interactive activations for films and brands, including a collaboration with A24.

References

  1. ^ Einhorn, Joseph (September 22, 2022). "Krool Intentions". orbit. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b McLaughlin, Mike (March 17, 2022). "Krool Toys Makes Timeless Music Collectibles". one37pm.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "How The Air Jordan 11 Retro Low Got Its Own Video Game". Complex. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "McDonald's Just Released A Game That Runs On Game Boy Color". Kotaku. June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "YOU'RE INVITED: McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday with Special Meal & Shake". McDonald's. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  6. ^ Price, Joe. "Playable 'Pluto x Baby Pluto' Game Boy Color Project Created in Collaboration With Lil Uzi Vert's Team". Complex. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  7. ^ DeStefano, Mike. "Krool Toys Is Making Nostalgic Video Games Inspired By Your Favorite Albums". Complex. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "Krool Toys Drops Its First Line of Wearable Merch". Hypebeast. September 24, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "Introducing Krool Toys, The Toy Manufacturer Producing Hip-Hop Inspired Goods". ELEVATOR. June 17, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "McDonald's is selling a Happy Meal for adults. How to get Cactus Plant Flea Market box". USA TODAY. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  12. ^ "McDonald's and Iconic Global Artist Travis Scott Embark on an Unprecedented Collaborative Partnership Across Food, Fashion and Community Efforts, Launching with his Signature Order on Menus Across the U.S." McDonald's. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "BTS". McDonald's. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Alexander, Cristina (June 13, 2023). "McDonald's Released a Brand-New Game Boy Color Game for Grimace's Birthday". IGN. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  15. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (June 13, 2023). "For reasons no one can fathom, McDonald's has released a new Game Boy Color game". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  16. ^ Wallace, Anthony (June 13, 2023). "McDonald's Just Dropped A Brand New Game Boy Game In 2023". Retro Dodo. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  17. ^ WTH? McDonald's Just Made a Game Boy Game...in 2023?!, retrieved June 30, 2023 – via YouTube
  18. ^ a b "McDonald's Made A Grimace Game For Some Reason". GameSpot. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  19. ^ Howard, Billee. "A Conversation With McDonald's Tariq Hassan On 'Brand Performance' Marketing + The Future Of Consumer Empowerment". Forbes. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  20. ^ Paternostro, Emi (May 15, 2024). "Nike Promotes an Air Jordan Release with Cosmic Climb". GB Studio Central. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  21. ^ "Krool Toys - Closed". krooltoys.com. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.