Ugears, a Ukrainian manufacturer of wooden mechanical 3D puzzles, has received top honors from Warner Bros. Discovery for its Harry Potter™ series of models. The four models in the collection were jointly awarded "Best Product of the Year" at the CEE Licensing Event held by Warner Bros. Discovery in Prague on March 2, 2023.
The award recognizes the quality and unique design of Ugears' licensed Harry Potter™ products, and is all the more remarkable considering these models were released during the first year of russia's full-scale war in Ukraine.
The four models in the Ugears Harry Potter™ collection are pure mechanical magic, including the spring-powered Hogwarts™ Express train; the Flying Ford Anglia™ car with its secret ejection function; the Knight Bus™ which is able to narrow and expand itself to squeeze through traffic, changing speed when it does; and the Harry Potter™ Advent Calendar, with its 24 themed mechanical fidgets, released in time for the 2022 Christmas season.
"It is inspiring to receive such a prestigious acknowledgment from a world-renowned entertainment company like Warner Bros.," said Ugears CEO Oleksiy Lysianyi. "Ugears put in a huge effort to develop these models, and we are proud to have completed all four kits despite the brutality of the russian war in Ukraine," he said.
Ugears designs and produces wooden 3D puzzles for adults and kids. Hobbyists love assembling these DIY models, with their mesmerizing mechanical movements, and once built, instead of having a static model only suitable for display, with Ugears you have an engaging toy or functional object. Among the 100+ models in the Ugears catalogue are spring-powered cars and trains, elegant puzzle boxes, musical instruments, functional clocks, mechanical robots, automatons and creatures of all kinds.
The puzzles vary in terms of difficulty level, are made of art-quality composite wood, and are built from laser pre-cut pieces without glue or special tools; everything needed for assembly comes right in the box.
Before 2022, Ugears had been producing over a million models annually. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Horenka village (adjacent to Bucha), near Kyiv, the company had built a fanbase in 90 countries across five continents. Russia's full-scale attack on its neighbor in 2022 forced Ugears to cease operations for several months, as it now found itself on the front lines of a war. Ugears' office and manufacturing facilities were heavily damaged by russian artillery, while its warehouse, with 500 000 euros worth of product, was burnt to ashes.
Following liberation of the area by Ukrainian defense forces, Ugears returned to work, releasing over 20 new models in 2022, including the award-winning Harry Potter™ kits which have proven very popular with hobbyists. Ugears looks forward to victory and peace at home, and to releasing additional models in the Harry Potter™ series for its worldwide fans.
