After Ugobe shut its doors and auctioned off all its assets, most assumed that the Pleo, our Pleo, was doomed forever. Not quite!
Fast forward to today: we've just gotten word from Pleo-watchers Robots Rule that John Hammond Hong Kong's Jetta Company Limited has reeanimated the Pleo with DNA extracted from an insect suspended in amber acquired IP and manufacturing rights to the Pleo, and plans to resurrect the product. Who's Jetta Company Limited, and why are they interested in the Pleo? They're the company that used to manufacture the product for Ugobe, meaning that they've already got factories fitted and employees trained to make it—now, it's just a matter of resuming operations. The announcement:
Jetta Company Limited acquires Ugobe out of receivership
Hong Kong – Jetta Company Limited acquired the assets of Ugobe and will be re-launching "Pleo" in the near future. Established in 1977, Jetta has focused on manufacturing an extended range of toy, consumer electronics, juvenile, robotic and gift products and is one of the most recognized engineering and OEM companies within the toy industry. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Jetta currently operates five production campuses in Guangdong Province which combined has over 4.5 million square feet of production floor space. At the forefront of the fast-paced toy and robotics industries, Jetta continues to strive for "excellence" and is pleased to add "Ugobe" to its operations.
