Cats vs. Pickles may not have dialogue, but its potential for branding and merchandising speak volumes.
The new partnership between Curiosity Ink Media and Cepia is looking to amplify the YouTube show’s potential with an original series, published content, and a collection of picture, board, and activity books and hitting shelves next year.
The Cats vs. Pickles brand has already released a huge line of collectible, bean-filled plushies, YouTube animated shorts, and an app game to boost awareness. The new partnership aims to develop Cats vs. Pickles into a recurring series with 11-minute installments. Curiosity Ink Media and Cepia will also collaborate to produce a collection of branded books for young fans to enjoy.
“Cats vs. Pickles has the elements of a franchise hit including a simple premise: loveable characters, endless storytelling possibilities, and brand extension opportunities,” says Russell Hicks, Curiosity Ink Media’s chief content officer. “Curiosity Ink Media is very excited to partner with the brilliant minds from Cepia to elevate this online sensation from cult hit to global powerhouse at a time when the world could definitely use a laugh, a smile, and a message about acceptance.”
Cats vs. Pickles is an animated YouTube shorts series reminiscent of Tom & Jerry. It chronicles the love-hate relationship between cats and pickles. The humorous conflict demonstrates that it’s silly to be afraid of something just because it may be different. Pickle characters, such as Joe Pickle and Hank Pickle, scheme to earn the cats’ friendship to no avail. Kitty characters such as Paw-Purr-Oni and Water-meow-lon don’t acknowledge the pickle pursuit and react with alarm at the attempts.
“At its core, Cats vs. Pickles is a love story that everyone can relate to because, at some point, we’ve all been pickles ourselves,” says CEO of Cepia James Russell Hornsby. “We are thrilled to team up with the exceptional storytellers at Curiosity Ink, whose rich biographies in entertainment include cultivating powerhouse franchises like SpongeBob and Dora the Explorer, to expand Cats vs. Pickles into its next nine lives!”
The Cats vs. Pickles app is free to download on Google Play and the App Store, and the show uploads content regularly on its YouTube channel.
