Razor
Razor is the worldwide leader in scooters and personal mobility products. Since 2000, the company has sold over 50 million scooters globally, including 15 million electric models, pioneering micro-mobility and making scooters a global phenomenon.
The Story
Razor launched in 2000 when JD Corporation, working with Micro Mobility Systems, introduced a folding kick scooter that would redefine outdoor play. Headquartered in Cerritos, California, the company sold over 5 million units in its first six months and earned the Spring/Summer Toy of the Year title. The scooter became a global staple almost immediately, showing up in backpacks, under bus seats, and on skate park ramps around the world.
Over the following decades, Razor turned that single hit into a broad family of rideables. The brand added electric scooters, dirt bikes, skateboards, and hover-style products, all built around the same portable, approachable design. Expansion was steady rather than sudden, with each new category chosen to match the original scooter's emphasis on simplicity and durability. That slow, consistent growth kept the brand relevant as competing toy and recreation trends came and went.
Today, Razor remains a dominant name in the outdoor recreation and toy industries. The original folding kick scooter is still sold alongside newer electric and off-road models, and the company continues to focus on products that make movement easy and accessible. Whether it shows up on a neighborhood sidewalk or a college campus, the brand still reflects its founding goal: build reliable, fun rideables that anyone can pick up and use without a steep learning curve.
Key Facts & Metrics
Company Timeline
2000 — Razor Scooter Launch
The original Razor folding kick scooter was introduced, developed by Micro Mobility Systems and manufactured by JD Corporation. It became an instant cultural phenomenon.
2000 — Toy of the Year
The Razor scooter was named Spring/Summer Toy of the Year after selling over 5 million units in just six months, cementing its status as a must-have product.
2003 — Electric Razor Scooter
Razor released its first electric scooter, expanding the brand beyond manual rideables into powered personal transportation for kids and teens.
Episodes Featuring Razor
Advice Line with Carlton Calvin of Razor
Carlton Calvin returns to the Advice Line to help early-stage founders work through real business bottlenecks. Sean Barasa asks how to grow his party game Eulogy beyond 1,000 units, Shereen Tippett wants to escape Etsy saturation and build a direct-to-consumer stationery brand, and Mark Ganter needs a strategy for his premium espresso martini when the market is racing toward canned convenience. Guy Raz moderates as Carlton shares practical guidance on licensing, social presence, product focus, and trend timing.
Carlton Calvin: Razor. The wild rise, collapse, and reinvention of a mobile toy empire.
Carlton Calvin turned a simple scooter idea into a cultural phenomenon, then weathered its collapse, and emerged with a reinvention that defied expectations. In this episode, he reveals how recognizing fleeting trends while building lasting brand equity became Razor's secret weapon. You'll learn why the same product that sparked a global craze also nearly sank the company, and how Carlton's pivot into new mobility categories saved the empire. This is a masterclass in riding hype cycles without being crushed by them.
