The animation studio ZAG has appointed Nelvana as the exclusive licensing and merchandising agent for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and Ghostforce in Canada.
Under the agreement, Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana will expand the Miraculous brand across Canada, securing new licensing deals and working with existing partners for all merchandise, promotions, and retail development in the territory. ZAG currently has more than 60 licensing partners for Miraculous in Canada, including Playmates Toys (distributed by Imports Dragon), Bentex, Bioworld, Isaac Morris, Jay Franco, and Zak Designs. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is available in Canada on Disney+, Tele-Quebec, Family Channel, and Netflix (seasons one through three).
Nelvana will also introduce licensing partners to the cinematic CGI adventure series Ghostforce, which follows three elementary school students who secretly form a superhero team to fight the ghosts of New York. Disney XD and Tele-Quebec are the series platform partners in Canada.
“Nelvana’s expertise across the Canadian market is unparalleled, and we are confident they are the best partners for us to expand the Miraculous brand across the region by securing new partners and expanding placement at retail,” says Angela Cortez, ZAG’s Vice President of Licensing for Latin America and Canada. “We’re also looking forward to them introducing Ghostforce to potential partners in Canada — there is great enthusiasm for the brand in Latin America where we will be launching our first products in time for Halloween, which include a toy line from our strategic partner Novabrink.”
To kick off the partnership with Nelvana, ZAG’s official Miraculous Day retailer in Canada, Toys “R” Us Canada, is hosting an exclusive promotion. On Sept. 23, 10 stores across the country will host Miraculous activities, including craft stations with mask creations, makeup artistry, activity sheets, collectible sticker giveaways, and toy demos. Super fans will also have a chance to get a photo with Ladybug. Plus, the first 20 fans to attend each event in a Miraculous costume will receive a special giveaway.
“ZAG’s Miraculous has become an international sensation with fans all over the world and Canada is no exception, with multiple miraculous growth opportunities for the franchise,” says Carly Slack, Director of Licensing, Marketing, and Retail at Nelvana. “We’re immensely proud to be launching our partnership with ZAG with an exciting Miraculous Day retail experience for fans exclusively at Toys ”R” Us Canada stores, and look forward to catapulting the brand to new heights with even more partnerships here in Canada.”
Currently in-store at Toys “R” Us Canada are the Miraculous Magic Heroez dolls from Playmates Toys and the Miraculous Chibi Mini Playsets, inspired by the viral phenomenon Miraculous Chibi Shorts on YouTube with more than 160 million views, with two new Chibi episodes launching this October. Tele-Quebec, Family Channel, and Disney will also celebrate Miraculous Day with digital campaigns.
