Fun and Games: SDSU Alumnus Builds Successful Toy Company Through Experience and Observation
Brian Bonnett is living the dream of many children: He is the founder and CEO of his own toy company.
But he didn’t get there by playing around. A combination of hard work, keen observation and a college degree helped him to establish Bonkers Toys, whose products have brought joy to children on a global basis.
Bonnett, a San Diego native who graduated with a degree in finance (’95) from the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University, began working in the toy industry while he was still in high school. He did so, not out of interest in the industry, but out of necessity.
“I came from a single-parent home and we were far from wealthy,” said Bonnett. “I began working at Play Co. Toys while I was in high school.”
When Bonnett shared this sentiment with a high school guidance counselor, they suggested that he attend college. At the time, college was not something he’d considered, however, he realized that a business degree might provide a helpful stepping stone in his career.
After attending a local community college, Bonnett enrolled at SDSU as a finance major, following in the footsteps of his boss at the time, Tom Bonnet (‘70), owner of Play Co. Toys. “I didn’t have a lot of guidance on where to attend college, but I knew SDSU had a good business school,” said Bonnett. “Since Tom was an SDSU finance graduate, he steered me in that direction, and, looking back, it was the right major for me.”
Full-Time Manager, Full-Time Student
By the time Bonnett entered SDSU in the spring of 1993, he was continuing to work full-time as a Play Co. manager in order to support himself and pay his college expenses. “I moved into the corporate office when I offered to clean up the UPC (universal product code) system for all the inventory in the stores,” Bonnett recalled. “This allowed me to meet people within the organization and when I finished the project ahead of schedule, it helped me to get my next promotion within the company.” He would go on to establish the company’s video game rental division and ultimately be promoted to the vice president of purchasing.
Realizing His Inner Entrepreneur
Subsequent jobs and experiences led Bonnett to realize that he wanted to start his own toy manufacturing company rather than continue working on the retail side of the business, but fear kept him from pursuing his entrepreneurial leanings. “I had a fear of failure, even though I knew I would enjoy being an entrepreneur.”
To get past his fear and move forward on his desire to start his own business, Bonnett hired a business coach to instill self-confidence and to determine a path forward. That path led him to start his own San Diego-based toy manufacturing company, Bonkers, in 2016.
The company’s first break came when Bonnett, after observing his son playing a multiplayer video game called Slither.io., contacted the game developer to set up Bonkers’ first licensing agreement. “That game put us on the map,” Bonnett recalled.
Bonnett’s next steps were to study social media trends to observe the influencers that were popular with kids. This led him to Ryan’s World™, a popular YouTube channel, which inspired the design of Bonkers’ most popular toy to date, Ryan’s Giant Mystery Egg, which debuted in 2018. Other toys inspired by popular YouTube channels are LankyBox and the Aphmau collectables, and they plan to launch an expanded product line around Moriah Elizabeth in the fall of 2024.
As Bonkers continues to grow, Bonnett has both his experience and the lessons he learned at SDSU to thank for his success. “My accounting courses were really helpful and one of the best classes I ever took at SDSU was called the Economics of Finance,” said Bonnett. “I learned so many of the concepts that I’ve used in my business career including how to understand profit models, how to read financial statements and how to manage cash flow. Those skills are still useful even now.”
For today’s SDSU students who are thinking about starting their own companies, Bonnett offers this advice based on his own experience. “Your business is your people and if you have good people and if you manage them properly, you will be successful,” he pointed out. “But the most important attribute for a successful business owner is grit. Grit is the key and when things get tough, just hang in there. Things don’t stay tough forever, but if you hang in there, you’ll always find a way to make things work out.”
