The showbag pavilion at the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane is one of the busiest places busting with beaming kids eyes, dragging their loot through the crowds.

For many, it’s the heart of the show.

And at the centre of it all is Samantha Atkinson – the third-generation CEO of Showbags.com.au, the company behind some of Australia’s most iconic showbags.

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WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Behind-the-scenes in the Showbag alley at the Ekka

Her family’s business isn’t just big, it’s historic.

Bensons Trading Company, the original name behind the brand, has been shaping the industry for nearly 80 years.

Samantha originally never wanted to take over the family business.

“It wasn’t the career path I saw coming, I was a flight attendant with Virgin,” she told www.20304050.best.

“But once I got involved, I was hooked.”

From handcrafted rocking horses to Barbie and Bluey

To understand Samantha’s world, you need to go back – way back – to 1947, when William ‘Benson’ Atkinson returned from WWII with a Military Cross and a vision.

What started as a handcrafted toy business soon evolved into a showbag empire.

Through decades of innovation, hard work, and even a Shakespearean romance between rival showbag dynasties, Bensons carved out a legacy.

“My auntie was from one showbag family, and my uncle was from another,” Samantha explained

“They ended up getting married and we eventually took over their brands, including Cadbury.”

It wasn’t swords and soliloquies, but the merger was just as dramatic in the tight-knit world of Australian showbags.

“If you can’t beat them, marry them,” she laughed.

A family business

“My grandparents started it, then my dad and his brothers carried it on. Now I’m here, helping lead it into a new era,” Samantha tells www.20304050.best.

Besides nostalgia fueling the brand, it’s deep industry knowledge, clever licensing deals, and a sharp eye on global trends, she explained.

Samantha regularly travels to Europe and the US to attend licensing expos, always hunting for the next big thing.

“We knew about the Wednesday Addams revival and Garfield comeback years ago,” she said.

“We’ve got to work eight to nine months to a year out just to produce one showbag.

“It is a long process, but a fun one.”

Long-standing relationships with major brands are the backbone of the business.

“We’ve worked with Cadburys for around 40 years, and others like Mattel with Barbie and Hot Wheels and Pokemon — we’ve been a long term partner of those for about 30 years,” she explained.

“So for us it’s really important we’re doing the right thing. All of our products are licence-approved and safety tested.”

Packing joy in bags

While most showgoers only see the hundreds of colourful bags piled high with chocolates, toys and treats, Samantha sees the logistics.

With over 370 different bags on offer during the Ekka season, the warehouse operation comes close to Amazon’s.

“Every showbag is hand-packed,” Samantha revealed.

“We start four to five months out, just for the Ekka. It’s hundreds of thousands of bags across the country, packed item by item.

“At the beginning of the show, we already have a prediction of what we feel is going to be the top sellers and what’s not.”

Trucks from their four warehouses run every night to keep up with demand.

“We’ve got plenty of trucks that come up and down, hopefully each day without too many hiccups, so we can restock everything and have it all here.”

The scale is huge.

“A lot of the locations have up to maybe 150 different showbags.

“There’d be hundreds of thousands of bags sold at this show.

“Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of staff working hard to make sure those cartons show up.”

Samantha has employed around 270 people to work for her in the showbag pavilion alone this year.

From the classic Freddo and Cadbury Dairy Milk bags to trending hits like Bluey and the surprise smash Capybara bag this year, each one is carefully curated by Samantha and her team.

“We aim for about eight to ten items per bag, and we work hard to make sure you’re getting value.”

“There’s nothing better than being on the counter, handing out a bag and seeing the smile it brings,” she said.

“As a child, I only ever was allowed one showbag from my dad!”

Now a mum of two, she said she is spoiling her own kids.

“They’re allowed two, sometimes three if I’ve been away,” she said.

Although an an Australian icon, showbags never became a hit globally.

“The concept has been tried overseas but never quite taken off,” she said.

“Maybe one day. I’d love to take the Aussie showbag to the world.”