June 2011

Mister Maker Inks New Licensing Deals

Zodiak Kids has secured a slate of licensing and television sales deals for CBeebies’ arts and crafts show Mister Maker. In the UK, The Christy Group has acquired the rights to produce a Mister Maker kids’ dress-up range to launch in Q4 2011. Carte Blanche has acquired the rights to develop a range of Mister Maker children’s greetings cards, which will launch Q3 2011.

Exim Peru, one of Zodiak Kids’ international agents, has licensed a complete range of arts and crafts sets to Hipermercados Tottus in Peru. The range, currently in development, will include stationery sets, backpacks, and lunch boxes. Further licensees in Latin America will be announced soon.

In Israel, appointed licensing agent Hop has inked a deal with Event Pro to produce a Mister Maker-branded mall tour. Additionally, Empire, Zodiak Kids’ appointed agent in Asia, has signed a deal with EEO/Pen2Stage for Mister Maker-branded activity areas in shopping malls in Singapore.

Mister Maker and the spin-off series Mister Maker Comes to Town are produced by The Foundation, part of Zodiak Media Group. Zodiak Kids holds worldwide rights in all media for the property.

ZhuZhu Pets to Star in Animated Movies

Cepia LLC, the maker of ZhuZhu Pets, has partnered with Universal Pictures for a worldwide television rights and home entertainment deal that will see the release of two feature-length, animated films, Quest for Zhu and Power of Zhu. The films will debut exclusively on DVD this year and next year, respectively. Los Angeles-based Moonscoop (Jakers, Clifford, The Big Red Dog, and Chloe’s Closet) will produce the film, while Sean Catherine Derek (Smurfs, Spiderman, and Mortal Combat) will serve as the writer. 3-D animation studio Prana Animation Studios, Inc. (TRON: Legacy and Tinker Bell) will bring the Zhu-niverse to life in 3-D stereoscopic animation. Both movies star the four original ZhuZhu Pets characters (Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles, NumNums, and Chunk), who explore the Zhu-niverse through adventurous, heartwarming, and heroic tales.

Angelina Ballerina Premieres New App for iPad

Callaway Digital Arts and Hit Entertainment have debuted its new Angelina’s New Ballet Teacher App for iPad is now available on Apple’s App Store.

The Angelina’s New Ballet Teacher App brings the dancer to life with narration, animation, puzzles, paint, and video. Each page of the story magically transforms into a painting page or interactive puzzle with the simple tap on the screen.

The app is available for $0.99 from the App Store, rolling out in the rest of the world early this summer.

Victorious Products to Launch at Walmart for Back-to-School

Nickelodeon is gearing up for the initial launch of its Victorious products, based on the network’s live-action comedy series. The Victorious product line will be available exclusively at most Walmart stores in the U.S. and Canada during a special back-to-school window from this July to September.

The product line will include more than 250 Victorious-themed products, including apparel, accessories, entertainment, and school supplies. Walmart will also carry the Victorious: Season One, Volume One DVD, beginning July 5, as well as the Victorious CD soundtrack and a special Nickelodeon CD featuring stars from the network’s popular shows. Both CDs will be released on August 2

Paul Frank’s Julius Joins the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade is about to start monkey-ing around! Paul Frank’s Julius will premiere as a larger-than-life character balloon during Macy’s upcoming annual holiday event.

With help from Macy’s Parade Studio and Paul Frank Industries, Julius will transform into a giant helium balloon measuring more than 40 feet tall. Around 3.5 million spectators at the parade will see firsthand Julius’s inaugural flight, while an additional 50 million viewers nationwide will watch it on television.

Following his flying debut, Julius will star in his own seasonal animated special about the true meaning of Christmas. Julius fans that can’t wait for the parade can keep busy with interactive experiences at Paul Frank online.

Saban’s Samurai Power Rangers will also return to the parade and will escort the giant Earth balloon. The 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade will air on Thursday, November 24 on NBC, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m in all time zones.

The Results Are In For What’s Hot With Kids Today

Justin Bieber topped the list when The NPD Group, as part of its Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS), asked “what would the kids you know say is the hottest new thing these days?” in May. Mentions included celebrities, movies, television shows, toys, games, hobby, sports, web sites, brands, and retail stores. NPD compiled 2,095 mentions for kids ages 0-14. The results were:

Justin Bieber (10 percent)
Nintendo Wii (2 percent)
Dora The Explorer (2 percent)
Xbox 360 (2 percent)
Cars: The Movie/ Cars 2 (2 percent)
iPad (2 percent)
SpongeBob SquarePants (2 percent)
Disney (2 percent)
Video games (2 percent)
Thor (1 percent)

Bieber also topped the list in the same survey conducted in February, with 14 percent. The NPD Group’s Kids Industry Data Service (KIDS) provides monthly insight into purchases made on behalf of kids ages 0-14, across product categories, with an emphasis on licenses and brands. Each month, the service asks an open-ended, unaided question designed to provide insight into what is hot with kids today.

New Pokémon TCG Includes Online Component

The release of Pokémon TCG: Black & White-Emerging Powers, coming this August, will mark a new era in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. This expansion is the first to give players full access to theme decks and booster packs in the new player-versus-player Pokémon Trading Card Game Online. Pokémon players can simply log onto the website and have the ability to battle with players from all over the world.

The decks also allow players to build customized decks for online battle with virtual cards unlocked by special in-pack codes. The expansion features only Unova-region Pokémon characters, as well as 90 cards, including brand-new Item cards to revitalize each deck. This world contains 25 never-before-seen Pokémon, including the debut of the Legendary Trio of Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion.

The two Black & White-Emerging Powers theme decks hit major retail stores nationwide on August 17, and will feature a foil card. The four booster pack designs, debuting in stores August 31, feature new Pokémon Tornadus, Cobalion, Braviary, and Darmanitan, with each booster pack also including one foil card.

Sanrio Signs Licensing Agreement with Fiesta

Sanrio, Inc. has signed a new licensing agreement with Fiesta to produce a collection of plush toys for the prize redemption market, featuring Hello Kitty and other iconic Sanrio characters. The agreement is effective immediately.

The initial offering of prize redemptionplush toys will include Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Chococat, Keroppi, My Melody, and TuxedoSam in six different sizes, ranging from 6.5 inches to 27.5 inches. These products are licensed for distribution in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and will be available in various theme parks, crane vending machines, fairs, carnivals, water parks, and arcades. Theme park distribution will include Six Flags Theme Parks, Cedar Fair Theme Parks such as Cedar Point, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Universal Studios, to name a few.

The Sanrioplush toys will be available in July and pre-booking orders are available now.

Jakks Pacific Named Master Toy Licensee for Winx Club

Jakks Pacific, Inc. and Nickelodeon have struck a deal giving Jakks Pacific a multi-territory master toy license to manufacture, distribute, and market a line of toys and other products based on the animated action and fantasy series, Winx Club. The Winx Club product line by Jakks is scheduled to launch in fall 2012 to coincide with the premiere of the new CGI episodes of Winx Club. The product lineup will span multiple categories, including dolls, play sets, role play, dress-up, and Halloween costumes. The agreement is for the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

Winx Club, a co-production by Rainbow S.p.A. and Nickelodeon, will begin airing on Nickelodeon later this month.

Hasbro Showcases Lifestyle Goods at Licensing Expo

At the International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, Hasbro, Inc. highlighted some new products, spanning several lifestyle categories, that are based on its properties. Here are some highlights:

Apps, Gaming, and Technology

Updating the concept of a family game night, Hasbro Family Game Night was released by Electronic Arts for the Wii. Families can also read a Tonka Chuck & Friends storybook app from Ruckus Mobile Media for the iPad. A new Transformers-skinned smartphone cover from Anzo U.S.A will be available for adult fans of the movie franchise.

Movie and TV Entertainment

A double-feature Transformers DVD can be a welcomed addition to family movie night. Families can also watch Hasbro’s Daytime Emmy Award-nominated programs, such as Transformers Prime, Family Game Night, and Pictureka ,on The Hub.

Youth and Tween Room Décor

Children can jazz up their bedrooms with their favorite Hasbro characters through a number of licensed products. Room accessories include My Little Pony bedding from Crown Craft (agreement reached in principle and subject to a binding contract) and Candy Land rugs from Gertmenian. The characters are also available in a number of clothing apparel options.

Wheeled Toys for the Big and Small

Transformers fans can ride the General Motors Bumblbee Camaro. Young fans can race around the neighborhood on Dynacraft’s Transformers bikes. Also for little kids, there is the Bumblebee and My Little Pony electric ride-on car from Hunter Leisure.