Mark Forti, the “M” in William Mark Corporation (WMC), reveals the story behind the global phenomenon, Feisty Pets. But who is William Mark? “It’s my first name!” Mark laughs, clearing up the initial mystery.
Before Feisty Pets took the world by storm, Mark was renowned for his innovative flying toys. “My first big hit was X-zylo,” he explains, “a flying cylinder that can be thrown over 200 yards. We sold millions, and that’s what launched the company.” He also mentions other successes like the Mystery UFO and Flitter Fairies, but it was the Air Swimmers – giant, remote-control flying sharks and clownfish – that truly cemented his reputation for creating international fads.
Interestingly, Mark admits, “I’m not a big plush fan either!” This makes the success of Feisty Pets even more surprising. “I’ve always been mostly into inventing flying toys, and plush had never been on my radar… So inventing a successful plush line was never in the plan! We call them the bad boys of plush; the Anti-Care Bears. Stuffed attitude!”
The concept of “Anti-Care Bears” perfectly encapsulates the appeal of Feisty Pets. They offer an edgy, irreverent humor, reminiscent of Bugs Bunny or Bart Simpson. This humor is further explored on their Feisty Films YouTube channel, which boasts over 127 episodes and 300 million views. “Our fans really respond well to that irreverence,” Mark notes.
The genesis of Feisty Pets was surprisingly simple. “I’m an artist and always have been fascinated with how a slight change in eyebrows can make a tremendous change in facial expression,” Mark shares. This fascination led him to design a mechanism that could dramatically alter a toy’s mood with minimal movement. “I tried to design a mechanism that would have the most dramatic mood change with the least amount of mechanical movement.”
Initially, the idea wasn’t even for plush toys. “At the time, I called it the ‘Jekyll and Hyde monster’, and it would’ve been a little plastic guy that would sit on your desk,” Mark clarifies. This plastic desk toy concept remained on the shelf for a few years until inspiration struck during another project.
“A while later, I was inventing a product called Sneekums… Sneekums required me to cut up a lot of stuffed animals for fur during the development – something that was traumatic for my daughter,” Mark recounts. His office became filled with plush animals, and it was amidst this plush chaos that the “Jekyll and Hyde monster” idea resurfaced. “As I was going through my invention notebook, I saw the monster idea again and looked up to see hundreds of stuffed animals looking at me. At that moment I said ‘Oh my God, this is a plush line!'” From that moment, Feisty Pets was born, focusing on transforming sweet stuffed animals with a surprisingly fierce side.
Despite Mark’s enthusiasm, the initial reception from toy buyers was disheartening. “To my dismay, the reception was terrible,” he admits. “We took it to the New York Toy Fair and pitched it to plush buyers. It turned out this was not a product plush buyers were into! The response was, ‘Why would you want to scare little kids? This is terrible!'” This reaction perplexed Mark, especially since children had consistently loved the toy during development. “It greatly perplexed me because every kid I’d ever showed it to during development laughed their heads off.”
Undeterred by the industry’s lukewarm response, Mark persevered, albeit cautiously. “It was, particularly since I already had three more expressions planned, and many new characters. I already knew that if I could have a minimum level of expression, I could story tell and have a series on YouTube that could propel the brand. This would now not be the case… I restricted the launch to four characters to minimise any financial risk that an unsuccessful launch might create.” He continued inventing other products, but his sisters remained convinced of Feisty Pets’ potential.
Mark reflects on the fine line between inventor conviction and folly. “I was initially very confident in the idea because all of the children I showed it to thought it was hysterical! That kept me going. And I’ve always had a good sense when something is just freaking awesome – even if others can’t see it at the time.” He questions the value of focus groups in toy invention, echoing Steve Jobs’ sentiment that “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
The turning point arrived unexpectedly through the power of online video. “The turning point came when I posted the commercial video on YouTube and it went viral,” Mark recalls. “It now has over 60 million views. It turns out all of the buyers were wrong and the whole world got the joke at the same time!” This viral video success instantly translated into sales. Amazon sellers, initially hesitant, rushed to order containers of Feisty Pets. “I quickly called one of my amazon sellers and said, ‘Take a look at the Google analytics.’ They said, ‘Amazing! I’ll take a 40-foot container ASAP!'”
Demand exploded further when a mother’s Facebook video of using a Feisty Pet unicorn to playfully scare her child went viral, amassing 180 million views in just two weeks. “At that point, it was a production problem not a demand problem,” Mark laughs. The initial four Feisty Pets characters quickly expanded to fourteen to meet the overwhelming demand, and the brand’s storytelling potential through various expressions was fully realized.
Mark shares his creative philosophy, emphasizing the importance of detachment from industry trends. “Being detached from the toy Industry is important. The worst way to invent something new is to walk down a toy aisle at a store and contemplate your next product…” He believes true innovation comes from looking outside the existing market, drawing inspiration from diverse sources like aquariums rather than toy store aisles. While acknowledging the risks of radical innovation, he advocates for pursuing truly original ideas.
Creativity extends beyond toy invention for Mark. “Yes – I like to draw, create music and make videos as well – that can all be like creativity cross training! So having a broad range of experience and staying hyper curious is still the best bet.” Conversely, he identifies fear of failure as the biggest creativity blocker, emphasizing the need for a playful mindset. However, he also acknowledges that fear can be a motivator, driving continuous innovation. “Fear is also one of the emotions that keeps you developing.”
When asked for advice for aspiring toy inventors, Mark offers a humorous warning: “Don’t do it! Ha! I’m only half joking… It’s a very tricky industry which requires both creative thought and business savvy that usually don’t coexist well together.” He highlights the challenging duality of the toy industry, where art and business must intertwine. “People think the idea of the toy is the invention… That’s just the price of admission. The real invention is actually devising the process by which you can produce the good idea for a price that the majority of people are willing to pay. That’s where the hard work lies.”
Looking ahead, Mark reveals plans for a new line of Feisty Pets designed for social media engagement and a feature-length movie exploring global perspectives. Finally, the most intriguing object on his desk? “A small native ax, designed by the Dani tribe in Papua to chop off fingers. True story.” A surprising and somewhat unsettling object from the mind behind the playfully terrifying Feisty Pets.
