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Genius Brands acquires slate of classic content for Kartoon Channel! as it promotes Jon Ollwerther to channel president

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Genius Brands International is continuing to grow its content offering with the acquisition of a slate of animated hits, including The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Trollz, Super Matio Bros., and more. The new slate lands amid a raft of deals with content partners Nelvana, WildBrain, and ABC Australia.

The move follows a period of recent developments for Genius Brands International, who has not only seen the successful premiere of Stan Lee’s Super Hero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel! but appointed a new president of the channel in the shape of Jon Ollwerther, previously Kartoon Channel’s general manager.

Ollwerther, president of Kartoon Channel, and EVP of business development of Genius Brands, said: “We are continuing to grow Kartoon Channel! each month, with more and more viewers enjoying what we believe is the very best combination of original, exclusive, and acquired content in the kid’s entertainment industry, including our hit Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

“With Lou Fazio, former executive director of programming and acquisitions at Disney Channel, leading the charge, we are excited about our content pipeline, including 240 hours of newly acquired content from partners, including WildBrain, ABC Australia, and Nelvana, which will begin to premier on Kartoon Channel! in June.”

The new content acquisitions for Kartoon Channel! include classic and new popular series and feature films. From WildBrain, Genius Brands has licensed the rights toSuper Mario Bros.,  The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Trollz, Madeline, and Liberty’s Kids.

From Nelvana, movies and series acquired for Kartoon Channel! include Donkey Kong Country, movie specials from the Franklin franchise, including Franklin and the Green Knight, Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure, A Franklin and Friends Adventure: Polar Explorer, A Franklin and Friends Adventure: Deep Sea Voyage, Franklin Back to School, and Franklin’s Magic Christmas, and lastly, The Santa Clause Brothers movie special.

ABC Australia has licensed to the Kartoon Channel! the rights to The Wiggles World, Wiggle Pop special (75 mins), among others.

BBC Studios bolsters Hey Duggee toy line up with MV Sports and new launches from HTI

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MV Sports has become the latest name in toys to sign up with the popular BBC Studio preschool property, Hey Duggee in a new deal to produce a range of branded scooters, ride-ons, and bikes.

The first wave of product will launch at retail this autumn, joining the existing toy partner portfolio comprising HTI, who itself now prepares to release a new role play range for 2022. Both deals mark a shift of gear for the Hey Duggee property in the toy space.

HTI was brought on board earlier this year to create a range of licensed Hey Duggee outdoor toys, including The Bubble Flurry, Bubble Bucket, and Patio Chairs. Other Hey Duggee categories due to launch later this year from HTI include character shaped cases, which feature a medical set and stampers of key characters, as well as a range of musical instruments.

HTI will continue to invest in its Hey Duggee role play toy range, with more tooled products set to launch in 2022 and beyond.

Devised by Studio AKA, the multiple BAFTA and Emmy award-winning preschool series Hey Duggee was the most-watched kids’ show of the year on BBC iPlayer in 2020 with over 192 million requests. Year to date in 2021, Hey Duggee continues to be a top performing children’s show on BBC iPlayer and CBeebies each month.

The official Hey Duggee YouTube channel recently surpassed one million subscribers.

Julie Kekwick, senior licensing manager at BBC Studios said: “I am thrilled to have MV Sports and HTI  on board. Their products reflect Hey Duggee’s core brand essence of encouraging imaginative play and  fun outdoor adventure and I’m in no doubt fans will love them.

“The ever increasing popularity of the show is reflected in sales of licensed consumer products. NPD recently reported Hey Duggee toy sales doubling year on year in the first three months of 2021. This success can be attributed to our Master Toy partner Golden Bear seeing UK Trade sales grow by 97 per cent in 2020 and an order book showing an increase of 70 per cent so far in 2021.”

Phil Ratcliff, joint managing director at MV Sports, added: “We are delighted to be partnering with BBC  Studios on Hey Duggee! With an exceptional time slot on CBeebies, outstanding BBC iPlayer ratings and a history of strong toy sales, Hey Duggee is showing all the signs of becoming a classic.

“Loved by both parents and children alike, Hey Duggee has the perfect awareness profile for strong and sustained  wheeled and outdoor toy sales.”

Hey Duggee boasts an impressive global footprint in over 150 territories, while licensing agents and European toy partners have recently been secured for both France and Spain, with launches planned for later this year.

Gaming phenomenon Exploding Kittens makes licensing move with Universal and Illumination’s Minions

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The analogue games manufacturer, Exploding Kittens – recognised for setting the record with the most backed game on Kickstarter to date – is eyeing a new move into licensing with the launch its Exploding Minions game next month.

Developed in partnership with Universal Brand Development and Illumination, the new titles puts a Minions spin on the globally popular card game, bringing in elements from the hit franchise to the tabletop gaming phenomenon.

In an interview with ToyNews, Exploding Kittens international director of sales has hinted that this could be just the start of a new licensing endeavour from Exploding Kittens, who will be measuring the success of the licensed game as a marker for its future pursuits in the licensing space.

“We are trying a few new things as we focus on the UK market this year,” said Hoste. “One of them is that this year, for the first time, we are supplying an entertainment license to the Exploding Kittens franchise. We will have an Exploding Minions game launching this year, in June, as a fun way to reposition the game with a broader appeal.

“It will be exciting to see what that does, and if it is successful we will continue to pursue those kinds of changes within our portfolio.”

Exploding Kittens burst onto the scene in 2015 when it set records as the most backed game on the crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter to date. Six years later, the kittens’ explosion is still expanding with ten games to the company’s portfolio, 45 countries on the roster, and new headway being made in the licensing space, both inbound and out.

The outward licensing and franchise building around Exploding Kittens’ game portfolio continues to gain traction. Further products are currently in development across both the Exploding Kittens and the Throw Throw Burrito (a card game meets dodgeball) for later this year, while the company recently made the move to digital gaming.

Exploding Kittens has become one of the latest tabletop games to make the leap to the Nintendo Switch with a digital version of the game in a move that “has the potential to grow the audience size for Exploding Kittens exponentially.”

Plans are now already in place to bring more of the company’s titles to the gaming platform in the coming months and years, tapping into a strong trend to translating popular physical game titles to the digital space.

Read the full interview with Exploding Kittens’ Joeri Hoste here or in the Spring/Summer issue of ToyNews.

Aardman lines up raft of new partners including online cheese retailer Pong Cheese

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The multi-award winning independent animation studio, Aardman, has secured a raft of new licensing deals for Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, spanning a range of core categories, including an officially licensed cheese box.

The studio has lifted the lid on a new partnership with the online cheese retailer, Pong Cheese that will see the launch of a Wallace & Gromit themed cheese box, a variety box containing a selection of the pair’s favourite cheeses. It’s joined by a partnership with the online pet fashion store, Urban Pup for a raft of on trend dog items.

Meanwhile, Shaun the Sheep and the Scout Store have come together to celebrate a mutual love of adventure, creating an exciting range of apparel and accessories to be sold via the Scout Shop network. The collection will be available to purchase this summer.

Also in development is an Aardman arts and craft magazine from specialist children’s publisher Signature Publishing. The new deal will mark the first time that all of the Aardman characters will be brought together to celebrate the creativity that goes into each of Aardman’s popular film titles. The magazine will include pens, modelling clay, crafting activities and colouring pages, and launches in August, in time for the summer holidays.

Aardman continues to work with licensees on design guides and assets targeted at specific market sectors, and this clutch of new deals underpins the effectiveness of this strategy.

Ian Downes from Start Licensing said: “Taking a bespoke and focussed approach to new business development has been rewarding in our work with Aardman. We have prioritised developing new deals with licensees that can benefit from using Aardman’s characters in a way that maximises their effectiveness in the market.

“Wallace & Gromit are closely linked with cheese and the product is an integral part of the characters’ storylines. With this in mind, working with a specialist like Pong Cheese makes perfect sense.”

Spotting Wallace & Gromit’s renowned love of artisan cheese, Pong Cheese has seized the opportunity to align the duo with its own proposition of celebrating hand-made cheese and supporting artisan cheesemakers.

“This allowed Pong Cheese to amplify its marketing message whilst delivering a great new product to its consumers,” contiued Downes. “Meanwhile, Gromit is a natural fit for dog wear and accessories, as one of the UK’s most recognisable dogs.”

Elsewhere, Signature Publishing’s Aardman themed arts and craft magazine has been billed as “a natural development” for the brand, drawing on Aardman’s “tremendous archive of arts and craft material” as well as its “proven pedigree in the category.”

“Working with the Scout Store and developing a co-branded range with Shaun the Sheep makes creative sense. The two are a good match thematically,” concluded Downes.

Stateside | Panini America and Funko to launch Funko Pop! Trading Cards

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Collectables giants Funko and Panini America are witnessing their worlds collide, as the pair come together to launch a new Pop! product line, Funko Pop! Trading Card collection that will span multiple sports.

Launching later this year, the initial series will feature six NBA players and six NFL players, hitting retailers across the US in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The introduction of Funko Pop! Trading Card will incorporate Panini’s popular Prizm trading card brand for both the NBA and NFL. Similar to the popular Pop! Albums and Pop! Comic Covers, Pop! Trading Card will feature the Panini Prizm trading card art packaged together in a protective case that can be hung on a wall.

The Pop! Vinyl figure will replicate the poses from the player imagery from their respective Prizm trading cards.

“We are excited to enter into this collaboration with Funko, the success of our Panini trading cards in the collectible space along with the success that Funko is experiencing in the vinyl figure collectibles space, makes this the ideal collaboration for sports fans and consumers,” said Jason Howarth, vice president of marketing of Panini America.

Funko’s manager of brand licensing, Matt Lattier, added: “This is the perfect union of two amazing collector bases. The strength of what Panini is doing in the trading card space and Funko’s passionate fan base provides trading card and Pop! collectors the opportunity to display their fandom in a unique way.”

Popular preschool property Tractor Ted rolls into Signature Publishing’s Adventures With partnership

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Tractor Ted, the popular YouTube preschool series, is rolling into the magazine aisles from next month, becoming the focus of the latest Adventures With magazine from Signature Publishing.

Adventures With Tractor Ted will feature the popular little green tractor that continues to gain momentum in the preschool space with its hit series centered on exploring the farm, teaching children about animals, the country, nature, seasons, food, and farm machinery.

Tractor Ted boasts its own YouTube channel, toy range, books and live appearances, and has become a hit with children across the UK with famous fans including Clare Balding and Ben Fogle.

The Adventures With Tractor Ted magazine will bring the series’ farming fun and discovery to its pages with stories, cooking, puzzles, colouring activities, crafts, facts, and more. The magazine supports Hungry Little Minds, the Department for Education’s drive to improve the communication, literacy and language skills of preschool children, while all activities in the magazine are created to support and develop early years learning.

The issue will also come with an interactive sticker sheet and a toy fruit play-set.

“We are big fans of Tractor Ted, so we’re so excited to be publishing a magazine that’s dedicated to him,” said Amanda Clifford, Signature Publishing’s editorial director. “It’s got everything that young children love – funny stories, loads and loads to do, things to make, cute animals and lots of awesome tractors and farm machines. In the words of Tractor Ted, the magazine is Teducational and totally Tedtastic.”

Alexandra Heard, Tractor Ted’s co-founder and creative director, added: “Producing a dedicated Tractor Ted magazine is crazily exciting and we just love the opportunities that this will bring. The whole ethos of Tractor Ted is to introduce young children to real life farming in a fun, gentle and engaging way.

“We couldn’t have asked for better than to team up with Signature Publishing. To say that we’re totally thrilled would be an understatement – dare we say that we’re like pigs in clover?!”

Signature Publishing’s Adventures With is a preschool focused title with changing themes each month. Adventure With Tractor Ted is on sale from June 10th.

Barbie on a mission to grow licensing portfolio in Japan with fashion name ITOCHU

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Mattel is looking to expand the global licensing programme for its iconic fashion doll brand, Barbie, having entered into a multi-year agreement with ITOCHU for the Japanese market.

ITOCHU is a recognised leader in the region’s fashion sector with a portfolio that currently boasts over 100 well-known fashion brands, including the likes of Paul Smith, FILA, and LeSportsac. Under the partnership, Barbie will look to expand into fashion related product launches and brand collaborations across Japan.

“For more than 60 years, Barbie has proven herself as a timely and timeless fixture in pop culture globally,” said Roz Nowicki, head of global consumer products and franchise marketing, Mattel. 

“ITOCHU’s leadership in the fashion industry in Japan makes them the perfect partner for Barbie. We look forward to working with the ITOCHU team to further drive Barbie’s fashion and purposeful narratives in this important market.”

In a statement issued this week, ITOCHU said: “Barbie’s brand philosophy – about empowering the limitless potential in every girl – is highly relevant in Japan. We look forward to partnering with Mattel to promote this brand purpose and develop a range of products and programs for Japanese consumers with high fashion sensibilities, further increasing the reach of the Barbie brand in Japan.”

Barbie has always been at the intersection of fashion and pop culture, and continues to represent global diversity in the fashion doll aisle by showcasing a multi-dimensional view of beauty and fashion. Named the 2020 Top Global Toy Property of the Year, according to the NPD group, the brand engages consumers through new product innovation, cultural relevance, digital dialog, and the celebration of female role models.

BLE’s Retail Mentoring Programme sees record-breaking numbers ahead of application closure this week

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A record breaking 84 delegates from 21 retailers have already signed up to this year’s Brand Licensing Europe’s Retail Mentoring Programme, with applications still being accepted until the closing bell on Friday, May 28th.

The influx of participants in this year’s programme include eight new comers to the scene, with international retailers GameStop and Bershka among the course’s first ever European brands. The increased uptake from overseas retailers has been credited with the offering of a fully virtual as well as hybrid option for this year’s programme.

New retailers to have signed up for the free-to-attend, CPD-accredited course include not only GameStop and Bershka, by Maqio, Merlin Entertainments, RSPCA, The Hut Group, Vanilla Underground, and ZSL. The programme boasts a vast number of high calibre alumni, including the likes of Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Halfords, Ann Summers, Toymaster, and The Entertainer.

Arleene Rodríguez, licenses department coordinator and buyer at El Corte Inglés, took part in a trial run with European retailers in 2020.

She said: “I would most definitely recommend the Retail Mentoring Programme to other retailers because it’s a great experience. Not only do you get to learn very insightful and helpful things to better understand the industry and how it works, but if you already have some knowledge, you’ll get to review many concepts, see things in a different or new perspective, and of course get to meet a lot of people from the industry that also love the licensing world and can help you see the potential in your business.”

Retail Mentoring Programme delegate benefits include:

  • May: One-hour introductory meeting (virtual)
  • 17 – 18 June, over two half-days: Licensing Essentials Course delivered by Licensing International (virtual)
  • June: The option to virtually drop into Max Publishing’s Licensing Awards judging day and cast a vote
  • August-October: Spend around 2.5 hours on a personalised brand owner experience day (live and/or virtual)
  • 5 November: Half-day Licensing for Retail seminar (live/virtual)
  • 17-19 November: VIP admission to Brand Licensing Europe, where retailers can spend up to three days at Europe’s leading licensing event (live/virtual)

Anna Knight, VP of licensing, Informa Markets, said: “It is amazing that we’ve broken records and over 80 retailers will be joining us on the Retail Mentoring Programme for 2021. It’s no secret that non-essential retail has struggled throughout the pandemic, and the number of entries we have received is reflective of the difference brand licensing can make at retail and the growing trend among consumers to purchase branded product.

“Applications for this year’s programme will remain open until Friday 28 May – 2021 is going to be a pivotal year for retail, so I strongly recommend you don’t miss out.”

Retailers can apply for a free delegate place on the programme here. Applications will remain open until Friday 28 May.

SEGA gears up for 30 years of Sonic the Hedgehog with special virtual Sonic Central event

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SEGA is gearing up for the 30th anniversary of its most iconic Blue Blur, Sonic the Hedgehog with the launch of a special virtual event called Sonic Central on the brand’s official YouTube and Switch channels this week.

The event, taking place on Thursday, May 27th at 9am Pacific Time, will see SEGA’s own Sonic team joined by a cast of special guests to reveal a whole plethora of new partnerships, events, and upcoming projects spanning the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and beyond.

The virtual event will be just part of the celebrations surrounding the 30th anniversary of the company’s flagship character, an icon of retro video gaming that has built out a successful global franchise that over the course of its 30 years has spanned entertainment formats such as TV series, comic books, video games, films, and more.

Sonic the Hedgehog will be marking its official 30th anniversary on June 23rd this year. Ahead of the big day, SEGA has paid tribute to the brand’s legacy among a generation of fans with the launch of a new fan-appreciation video, showcasing a nostalgic look back at the franchise, as the Blue Blur ‘speeds forwards to inspire future generations.’

Developed by the creative agency Liquid+ Arcade, the Unstoppable campaign follows the experiences of several young Sonic fans throughout the decades – from the early ‘90s SEGA Genesis era to today, as Sonic ‘encourages them to reach higher, go faster and become a hero.’

Head down memory lane with Sonic and check out the new fan appreciation video below:

Jazwares takes first steps into pet toy market with Wham-O licensed toys for our furry friends

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The global player in toys and licensing, Jazwares, is making new tracks in the pets market through a partnership with Anjar & Becker Associates that will see the firm launch a range of Wham-O licensed toys for our furriest of friends.

Scheduled to launch online and at brick and mortar retailers across the US next autumn, the new line will mark Jazwares’ first entry into the Pet Toy category, as the Wham-O products join upcoming pet costumes in building out the company’s pet product offerings.

Wham-O has produced some of the most recognisable and classic American toys like Frisbee, Superball, Hula Hoop, Slip ‘N Slide, Hacky Sack, and Boogie Board for nearly 75 years. Together with Jazwares, it is now bringing its roster of brands to a playful and durable range of pet toys.

The collection will include both traditional toys like balls, discs, tug toys, and plush, as well as new innovations in the pet space.

“Wham-O toys has been at the center of active play for families across America for decades and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to help extend its iconic brands to new products for our four-legged friends,” said Michael Rinzler, executive VP/partner, Jazwares.

“As we continue to grow Jazwares offerings beyond our core toy and collectibles business, we look forward to bringing our innovative, quality approach to consumer products into the pet category.”

Jonathan Becker, president of Anjar Co, added: “We’re excited to partner with Jazwares to extend the iconic Wham-O brands into the Pet Toy category. Jazwares has a reputation of bringing creativity, innovation and quality toys to all their brands, and I’m confident that’s what they’ll do for the Wham-O brands for pet toys. This opportunity will benefit pets and their owners everywhere and encourage active play all day.”

Todd Richards, president of Wham-O, said: “Wham-O has long been associated with active play and carrying our brand over to the pet world seems like a natural extension of our brands’ image. Thanks to Anjar and Becker Associates, we at Wham-O are thrilled about this exciting partnership with Jazwares.”

This news continues Jazwares’ expansion into new product categories and follows on the heels of Jazwares’ recent announcement about its forthcoming entry into the costume segment.