The Adventures of Paddington coming to MENA

Paddington, the lovable bear who stole the show at the recent star-studded Platinum Jubilee concert in London, is coming to MENA, thanks to family entertainment media company Spacetoon.

In collaboration with STUDIOCANAL, Spacetoon will broadcast season 1 of 3D animation series The Adventures of Paddington on its Spacetoon TV Channel and Spacetoon GO online streaming service, in September this year. The series will be available with Arabic dubbing.

STUDIOCANAL’s Beatriz Campos, SVP Global Sales and Production, Financing, says: “We are delighted that Paddington, the world’s favourite bear, will be travelling to the Middle East to embark on exciting overseas adventures thanks to our friends at Spacetoon. He is adored by millions, both young and adult audiences, and we are sure his kind, optimistic and easy-going stories will charm all viewers throughout the region.”

 

Spacetoon and IMPS bring Smurfs TV series, toys and live experiences to MENA

Spacetoon, the family edutainment content provider, producer, and broadcaster, has recently partnered with IMPS to bring The Smurfs to MENA through Spacetoon TV channel, entertaining on-ground branded events and new toys.

Based on this partnership, the two parties are to work on re-introducing the show to young audiences in MENA by broadcasting the localised, Arabic dubbed version of The Smurfs in 3DCG animation style, in addition to recreating the “good old days” for those who grew up watching it in 2D years ago.

Audiences will be able to enjoy the adventures of Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy and Clumsy, along with all other inhabitants of The Smurfs Village. This step comes as part of Spacetoon’s strategy to run the most-loved kid- and family-friendly content.

As the promotional licensee of the brand in the region, Spacetoon also has plans to expand the presence of The Smurfs in MENA through various on-ground entertaining activities.

The deal also includes bringing new The Smurfs toys to MENA market, in collaboration with ToyPro, the leading toy distributor in the region. This new toy line by Jazwares, the new global master toy partner of The Smurfs, includes action figures for The Smurfs characters, in addition to toys for all family members to enjoy.

Commenting on the partnership, Kamel Weiss, Strategic Business Development Director of Spacetoon, says: “The Smurfs is a multigenerational title that has been resonating with audiences for 40 years now, and we are proud to have it back in MENA as a TV show and also as branded events. We are aiming to pull all family members together to enjoy live entertaining experiences that suit all ages.”

“We are very excited to bring The Smurfs toys to the region to deliver a full family-entertaining experience with our media partner Spacetoon TV,” says Fawaz Abidin, Managing Director of ToyPro. “The Smurfs figures – reflecting their distinctive personalities – the different playsets, vehicles and plush toys all will hit the shelves in the MENA market next year.”

 

CoCoMelon comes to Riyadh Winter Wonderland

Spacetoon Event and Moonbug Entertainment have collaborated with the Saudi General Entertainment Authority to bring a CoComelon Town to Saudi Arabia for the first-time during Riyadh Season.

For three months, kids and parents will be able to visit the CoComelon Town while at the Riyadh Winter Wonderland. This new experience, inspired by the number-one most-watched brand on YouTube – with over 3.5 billion monthly views – has been created by the Spacetoon Event team.

“Our audience has always been at the core of our work and we’re really proud to present this first-of-a-kind experience for all kids and parents of the region to enjoy,” says Ahmad Weiss, the General Manager of Spacetoon. “The CoComelon Town takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of expanding the presence of the brand in MENA through our on-the-ground family-friendly experiences.”

Adam Steel, International Licensing at Moonbug Entertainment, adds: “Our beloved CoComelon is the most-watched kids’ show in the world right now and bringing the town to life was no easy task, but the team at Spacetoon have delivered above and beyond our expectations, it’s going to blow kids’ minds! We look forward to the continued expansion of both our live entertainment and licensed goods, giving our fans across the region more chances to interact with the brand.”

The CoComelon Town will feature five locations, including: a replica of CoComelon’s famous house; Melon Patch Academy, a place where kids can learn 
about art, careers, animals and the world around them; Melon Patch Academy Playground; JJ’s Grandparent’s Farm, featuring planting, playing with sand, camping and other activities, and the CoComelon Musical Bus.

Additionally, kids will have the chance to meet JJ and take photos capturing that special moment. A range of CoComelon toys will also be available to purchase on-site.

Spacetoon and Moonbug Entertainment’s partnership goes back to the beginning of 2021, when the two parties signed a deal that named Spacetoon the master licensee of the CoComelon franchise in MENA, which resulted in the content being distributed across multiple Spacetoon platforms. Last August, they held a successful on-ground event at the Mall of Emirates in Dubai.

Spacetoon to develop consumer product programme for YouTube’s The Moshaya Family across MENA

Spacetoon, one of the MENA region’s largest family content providers, has signed a new partnership with The Moshaya Family – the top rated family friendly content creator in the Arab world – to roll out a consumer products and digital media programme that will encompass a new animated series.

Through the agreement, Spacetoon will work to transform the hit YouTube channel into a lifestyle franchise across a variety of consumer products including toys, animation series, video games, and FMCG specially designed to targeting and entertain kids and families.

In developing the consumer products programme for the channel, Spacetoon will introduce the franchise to the toy industry for the first time. The official announcement coincides with the unveiling of a new brand identity for The Moshaya Family, including a new logo reflective of the connection the family has established with its fan base across MENA.

The new brand identity is considered to be the first action towards building a strong brand positioning in the market for The Moshaya Family. As a result, this will pave the way for companies which look for partnership opportunities to boost their businesses through products for children and families.

Ahmad Weiss, commercial director of Spacetoon, said: “This is truly one of the most exciting partnerships that we have ever involved with. We’re so thrilled to be collaborating with the pioneer in the family content creation in the region to provide new experiences for kids and families throughout a variety of consumer products.

“Being in the family entertainment industry for over 20 years has made us closer to the consumers especially parents in a way that helps us win their trust. This couldn’t have been done without the massive support of our global and local partners.”

Muhammed Moshaya, the founder of The Moshaya Family YouTube channel, added: “We are so thrilled for this opportunity with Spacetoon. We have always been interested in enlarging our work throughout in many fields such as toys and licensing, but it was difficult to find the right partner. Now with this alliance we are so excited to finally see the results coming to light.”

Spacetoon has already partnered with Toy Pro, a Dubai-based company specialised in toy distribution and licensing, to launch the first toy line for The Moshaya Family brand in the markets alongside working on wide range of consumer products.