90s Brands You Loved and Who Owns Them Now

Tamagotchi is owned by Bandai Namco Holdings, a Japanese conglomerate traded in Tokyo. Beanie Babies are still owned by Ty Warner, the same man who founded Ty Inc. in 1985. Nokia phones are now a licensed brand operated by HMD Global. The Sony Walkman is now an Android-based digital audio player. Blockbuster is one store in Bend, Oregon, owned by Dish Network, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2026.

The 1990s produced some of the most iconic brands in history. Three decades later, their ownership stories reveal a mix of family ownership, corporate acquisition, and brand transformation. Some 90s brands stayed independent. Some were absorbed by conglomerates. Some died entirely.

We tracked 90s brands you loved and traced every one to its current corporate parent. For more on how toy brands consolidate, see our toy brand ownership.

Tamagotchi: Bandai Namco Holdings

Since the debut of the palm-sized Tamagotchi toys in 1996, the small characters have shipped a total of 100 million units worldwide as of July 2025. Tamagotchi celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, with Bandai aiming to create a market on the scale of approximately 100 billion yen.

Bandai, the original manufacturer, merged with video game developer Namco in 2006 to form Bandai Namco Holdings, publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 7832. Tamagotchi is now part of a diversified entertainment conglomerate that includes video games, arcade operations, and anime production.

The 30th anniversary celebration includes a permanent store in Harajuku called TAMAGOTCHI FACTORY, a traveling exhibition called the 30th Anniversary DAI-TAMAGOTCHI-TEN, and new limited-edition product launches unveiled at New York Toy Fair. Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America handles U.S. and Canadian distribution.

Tamagotchi's journey from standalone toy to conglomerate brand is the typical 90s brand story. The brand survived, but the independent company did not. Bandai merged with Namco to survive the consolidation of the Japanese gaming and toy industry.

Beanie Babies: Ty Inc. (Still Private)

Ty, founded in 1985 by Ty Warner, is the number one brand of soft toys in the world. Ty is CEO and sole owner. The company employs 121 people and has annual revenue of approximately $240 million. Ty manufactures and sells Beanie Boos, Beanie Babies, Squish-A-Boos, Ty Puffies, and Mini Boo Clips.

The Beanie Baby craze of the 1990s was the biggest toy speculation bubble in history. People bought Beanie Babies as investments, convinced they would appreciate in value. Most did not. But the brand survived the bubble and remains a steady seller.

Ty never sold the company. Never went public. Never took institutional investment. Ty Warner owns 100 percent of Ty Inc. and answers to nobody. One of the few 90s brands that remains exactly where it started. No corporate parent. No institutional shareholders. No Wall Street pressure.

Ty's private ownership means zero public disclosure. The company does not file quarterly earnings. It does not hold earnings calls. The only person who knows Ty's full financial picture is Ty Warner. In an industry dominated by conglomerates, Ty Inc. is the last stubborn independent.

Sony Walkman: Sony Group Corporation

The Sony Walkman defined portable music in the 80s and 90s. Sony still develops Walkman. The current models are Android-based Hi-Res audio players built for local files and streaming. Sony chose to continue Walkman as a digital audio category and retire the cassette, CD, and MiniDisc mechanisms.

The original Walkman products can never be remade. The miniature motors, magnetic heads, optical pickups, and proprietary integrated circuits used by those players have gone out of production. The brand survives, but the original products are gone.

Walkman is owned by Sony Group Corporation, publicly traded on NYSE under ticker SONY and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 6758. Sony is now a diversified entertainment conglomerate that owns PlayStation, Sony Music Entertainment, and Sony Pictures. The Walkman brand is a small piece of a much larger corporate puzzle. For more on Sony's entertainment empire, see our movie studio ownership.

Nokia Phones: HMD Global (Licensed)

By 2007, Nokia controlled 49.4 percent of the global mobile phone market. Microsoft acquired Nokia's entire mobile phone division for 5.44 billion euros in 2013. Microsoft wrote down $7.6 billion, nearly what it paid for Nokia's handset division. In 2016, Microsoft sold its feature phone assets to HMD Global, a Finnish company founded by former Nokia executives.

Since 2016, the Nokia brand on any handset has belonged to HMD Global, which licenses the name. Nokia recently extended HMD's license for feature phones by another two to three years beyond 2026. Nokia's smartphone market share crashed from around 49 percent in Q2 2007 to just 3.1 percent by Q2 2013.

Nokia itself pivoted to 5G infrastructure. The company now ranks among the world's top three suppliers of 5G network equipment. The Nokia brand exists in two completely different industries: consumer phones, licensed to HMD Global, and telecommunications infrastructure, operated by Nokia Corporation.

The Nokia story is the cautionary tale of 90s brand ownership. The brand survived, but the company that built it does not make phones anymore. The name is licensed. The products are made by a different company. The original Nokia is a 5G infrastructure firm.

Pokemon: The Pokemon Company (Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures)

Pokemon launched in 1996 and became the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. The Pokemon Company is jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc. Nintendo owns a controlling stake.

The 90s' biggest franchise is controlled by a company whose largest outside investor is Saudi Arabia's PIF. PIF holds approximately 8.58 percent of Nintendo, making it the largest external shareholder. The Master Trust Bank of Japan is the largest overall shareholder at 16.2 percent.

Pokemon's ownership structure is unique. Nintendo does not own Pokemon outright. The Pokemon Company is a joint venture between three companies. But Nintendo's controlling stake and its hardware platform give it effective control over the franchise's direction. For more on Nintendo's ownership, see our companies behind your favourite video games.

Blockbuster: Dish Network (Then Bankruptcy)

Blockbuster had 9,094 stores worldwide in 2004. By 2014, it had effectively zero. Dish Network won the bankruptcy auction and acquired Blockbuster. Between November 6, 2013, and January 12, 2014, Dish Network closed all 300 remaining corporate-owned Blockbuster stores.

On June 30, 2026, Dish DBS filed for prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy. One Blockbuster store survives in Bend, Oregon, as a tourist destination. The Blockbuster brand is owned by Dish Network, which is itself in bankruptcy proceedings.

Reed Hastings offered to sell Netflix to Blockbuster for $50 million. Blockbuster declined. The decision is one of the most famous missed opportunities in business history. Blockbuster's failure to acquire Netflix is now taught in business schools as a case study in strategic myopia.

The 90s Brand Ownership Map

Source: Bandai Namco IR, Ty Inc. company profile, Sony Group annual report, HMD Global press releases, Nintendo annual report, Dish Network SEC filings. All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology.

The 90s brands are now scattered across public corporations, private companies, and bankruptcy courts. Some stayed independent (Ty Inc.). Some were acquired by larger corporations (Bandai Namco, Hasbro). Some licensed their name to new operators (Nokia/HMD). Some died entirely (Blockbuster).

What This Means for Brand Ownership

The brands you loved in the 90s have had wildly different ownership journeys. The ones that survived either adapted to new ownership (Tamagotchi under Bandai Namco) or stayed stubbornly independent (Ty Inc.). The ones that died ignored the shift to digital (Blockbuster, Nokia phones).

The brands have never been more numerous. The companies behind them have never been fewer. Use WhoBrands.com to discover what happened to the brands of your childhood. For more on 80s brands that survived, see our 80s brands that still exist.

FAQ

Who owns Tamagotchi? Tamagotchi is owned by Bandai Namco Holdings, formed by the merger of Bandai and Namco in 2006. Bandai Namco is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under ticker 7832. Tamagotchi shipped 100 million units worldwide as of July 2025 and celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026.

Are Beanie Babies still made by the same company? Yes. Beanie Babies are still made by Ty Inc., founded in 1985 by Ty Warner. Warner is CEO and sole owner. The company never sold, never went public, and never took institutional investment. Ty Inc. is one of the few 90s brands that remains exactly where it started.

What happened to Nokia phones? Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile phone division for 5.44 billion euros in 2013, then wrote down $7.6 billion. In 2016, Microsoft sold its feature phone assets to HMD Global, a Finnish company founded by former Nokia executives that licenses the Nokia name. Nokia itself pivoted to 5G infrastructure and ranks among the world's top three suppliers.

Who owns Pokemon? Pokemon is owned by The Pokemon Company, a joint venture between Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc. Nintendo holds a controlling stake. The franchise launched in 1996 and is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time. Saudi Arabia's PIF is Nintendo's largest outside investor at approximately 8.58 percent.

Explore Related Brands

• Tamagotchi - Digital pet brand, owned by Bandai Namco Holdings (Tokyo: 7832)
• Beanie Babies - Plush toy brand, owned by Ty Inc. (private, Ty Warner)
• Sony Walkman - Portable audio brand, owned by Sony Group (NYSE: SONY)
• Nokia - Mobile phone brand, licensed to HMD Global
• Pokemon - Media franchise, owned by The Pokemon Company (Nintendo controlling)
• Blockbuster - Video rental brand, owned by Dish Network (Chapter 11)

Browse all entertainment brands

Also read: 80s Brands That Still Exist and Who Owns Them - the decade before the 90s, with its own ownership transformations.

Sources

1. Bandai Namco Holdings: Newsletter No.82 Special Feature -- https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/en/ir/library/newsletter82_special.html 2. PRNewswire: Tamagotchi Marks 30 Years -- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tamagotchi-marks-30-years-with-anniversary-launches-new-partnerships-and-a-national-celebration-302688178.html 3. Ty Inc. company profile -- https://www.ty.com/ 4. Obsolete Sony: Why Sony Can't Bring Back Its Classic Walkman Models -- https://www.obsoletesony.com/ 5. IEEE Spectrum: How Nokia's Feature Phones Lost to the Smartphone Era -- https://spectrum.ieee.org/ 6. Wikipedia: Blockbuster (retailer) -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(retailer) 7. Nintendo: Annual Report 2026 -- https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: September 2026.

About WhoBrands

WhoBrands.com provides accurate, comprehensive brand ownership information through extensive research of SEC filings, corporate press releases, and official company documents. Our database covers thousands of brands across dozens of industries. Learn about our methodology.