Tag Archives: news

Spin Master Entertainment’s new animated series Mighty Express lands Netflix deal

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Spin Master Entertainment’s new CG-animated series Mighty Express has been picked up by Netflix to debut globally (excluding Canada) in September this year.

The 52 x 11-minute series is executive produced by Spin Master Entertainment’s EVP Jennifer Dodge and co-CEO Ronnen Harary, alongside the Canadian outfit, Atomic Cartoons, providing animation services.

Owned by Spin Master, Mighty Express is a series that follows the adventures of a group of kids who run a train station and work together with the Mighty Express train. The Netflix deal marks the first time Spin Master has launched a series straight to a streaming platform.

Spin Master will also launch a toy line and a consumer products licensing programme in 2021.

The new series joins Spin Master’s existing line-up of pre-school animated shows, which includes the hit Nick Jr series, PAW Patrol.

“Spin Master Entertainment has deep experience developing compelling stories and endearing characters for preschool audiences worldwide,” Dodge said. “We have the unique ability to take classic, beloved themes for kids, add innovation, combined with amazing storytelling and high-end animation to deliver fresh, new content.”

Disney reveals toys and consumer products line up for both Mulan and Onward

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In a double whammy for the studio, Disney has revealed the consumer products portfolio for not one but two of its upcoming blockbuster movies, detailing the toy lines and licensed products line-up for both Mulan and its new animated feature film, Onward.

Hasbro, Mattel, and Funko join the ranks of a heaving portfolio of product partners across the two movies, both slated for a cinematic release this March. The live action remake of Mulan will land on March 27th this year, while Onward will debut on March 6th.

Disney has pulled out all of the stops to deliver a consumer product programme that ticks all of the boxes this year, with ranges spanning some of the biggest names in toys and collectables, from Hasbro, Mattel, and Funko, to Rubie’s, Half Moon Bay, and more.

The Mulan programme kicks off with fashion dolls from Hasbro, Pop! Vinyl figures from Funko, and Disney Store exclusives including an enamel pin set and a Mulan dress up set. Centum Books has been tapped for a movie novelisation, while Rubie’s is delivering on the Deluxe Mulan Costume.

Pandora is releasing a line of licensed charms, while Half Moon Bay has mugs, travel mugs, and dishes covered. Bonnier is releasing storybooks, while there is still plenty more in the line-up to be discovered.

Meanwhile, Mattel well and truly has the Onward license on lock down with an expansive line up that includes role-play items such as the Onward Wizard Staff, as well as blind bag collectables, a core figure assortment, a mini vehicle assortment, feature plush, and a line up of soft toys of each of the film’s main characters.

The Disney Store has its obligatory line-up of gifts and accessory exclusives, including enamel pins, diaries, figurines, mugs and more, while Bonnier is delivering on the activity books, Phidal has a busy book and a jigsaw puzzle, and Panini completes the initial line-up with an Onward Sticker Collection.

Check out the trailers for both Mulan and Onward below:

The Emoji Company dives into swimwear with Mexico’s Mayaguana

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The Mexican swimwear brand, Mayaguana has partnered with The Emoji Company to launch a new collection branded swimwear lines for children and adults, as well as a selection of rashguards and towels.

Mayaguna mixes comfort, fast dry technology, and the appealing style of the Emoji lifestyle brand, all of which is now available at Mayaguana stores across a number of malls in Mexico, including Centro Comercial Paseo del Carmen, and La Isla Acapulco.

“This unique and colourful swimwear collection by Mayaguana is the perfect way to dress for the beach and to enjoy your summer holiday,” said Marco Hüsges, CEO and founder, The Emoji Company.

The Emoji Company now has the Emoji brand trademarked in over 130 countries across the globe, with a rapidly expanding portfolio of licensing partner to its name.

The emoji company works with over 700 renowned global partners including Sony Pictures Animation, Walmart, Fuji, Nestlé, Ferrero, Unilever, Tesco and Burger King and was ranked by the Licensing.biz Powerlist as the third most influential brand behind Lego and Coca-Cola.

Italian leather brand Furla positions itself as lifestyle brand with Timex watch partnership

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The Italian leather goods and accessories name, Furla, is looking to position itself as a wider lifestyle brand, kicking off with a new partnership with the watchmaker Timex Group.

Under the deal, Timex will produce and distribute a new line of Furla-branded watches to global retailers from this month in part of Furla’s move to diversify its offering and strengthen its name across other product categories.

“The synergy between Furla and Timex Group is evident through shared values, which include excellence in design and quality,” said Alberto Camerlengo, CEO of the Furla Group. “Timex Group is a company that fully understands and respects Furla’s aesthetics, its tradition and its ambition to be innovative and we believe will contribute to Furla’s growth and success within the watch category.”

The watch collections will be available within select watch retailers, jewellers and department stores, throughout travel retail and e-commerce sites, as well as in all Furla mono-brand boutiques.

The new assortment will be launched with an in-store preview in May 2020 at select Furla points of sale worldwide.

Tobias Reiss-Schmidt, CEO of Timex Group, added: “We are delighted to bring Timex Group’s expertise, global reach and long history as an authentic watchmaker to this new partnership with Furla.

“The Furla brand is a perfect fit within Timex Group, and we are excited to harness its rich heritage and brand vision through premium timepieces.”

Aurora World among slew of returning partners for the gifting brand Precious Moments

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The gifting and lifestyle brand, Precious Moments, has renewed a slate of long-serving licensees amid a burst of new activity for the IP that spans new partners, new themes, and growth into new product categories.

According to Spotlight Licensing, the Precious Moments brand has had a successful past 15 months, over which time is has increased its retail exposure and product placements, as well as grown into new categories.

Recent renewals for the Precious Moments brand include Aurora World, who will continue to develop plush and soft dolls, Card Corporation, who has renewed the rights to market branded prepaid credit, debit, and gift cards, and Harland Clarke, who will continue to market Precious Moments branded cheque book covers.

These are joined by further renewals from PersonalizationMall.com and its personalised gifting options, Retail Centric Marketing and its activity books, and Zazzle and its print on demand services.

“Precious Moments holds an important place in consumers’ hearts and minds and we are pleased to reaffirm these partnerships with valued licensees who have long recognised the unique appeal and value of the brand and helped get the licensing program to where we are today,” said Carole Postal, president of Spotlight Licensing and Brand Management.

Shehnaz Safiuddin, vice president, product and marketing for Precious Moments, added: “These licensees have been an integral part of building and maintaining our evergreen brand and we are thrilled to be able to continue partnering with all of them to continue creating exciting new products for Precious Moments fans to enjoy.”

Ladybird and Phidal Publishing join European-wide licensee roster for Masha and the Bear

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British publishing house, Ladybird has joined Phidal Publishing as book partners for the hit animated series, Masha and the Bear, with plans to release new titles later this year.

The pair make up just part of a Europe-wide slate of licensing partners to join the Animaccord portfolio of licensees for its hit series Masha and the Bear, now spanning clothing, storage boxes, food supplements, and more.

It’s in Italy that the textile brand Halantex will launch a full range of home textile products such as duvet/sheets sets, comforter, towels, ponchos, bathrobes, 3D shaped cushions, printed cushions, blankets and curtains. The licensed textile line will be distributed across mass markets, toy stores and online in the country.

Meanwhile, Easy Shoes, the Italian shoe manufacturer, will release its first licensed footwear collection with Masha and the Bear in the second half of 2020. The range will include sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, rain boots, slippers, flip flops, sandals and more.

For the UK, Phidal Publishing will launch new kids-focused consumer products. At the end of 2019, Animaccord and Phidal closed a deal for the production of Masha and the Bear books in English, including a novelty format book and a magnetic drawing book with Masha and the Bear. It is already available online, in airport shops, at Costco and some other grocery stores.

This is supplemented by a deal with the British publishing company, Ladybird who has developed a Reader and Activity Book to assist with learning the English language that will be available this winter.

The production campaign will cover some important trade markets around the world.

On top of this, this winter will see Turkey’s Egemen Group launch its Masha and the Bear cardboard storage boxes. The first products will be distributed in A101, the biggest retail chain by number of stores in the country.

Still working its way across the categories and across the EMEA, Animaccord has signed a new deal with Sardas Cosmetics in Turkey via Lisans A.S for a wide range of products, including shower gel, shampoo, fragrance, body mists, and lip balm.

Kampotu, the largest vitamin supply manufacturer in Turkey, has joined the widening pool of Masha and the Bear licensees to develop a range of Voonka products including vitamins, minerals, food supplements and fish oil in May 2020. 

HH Poland, a leader in the interactive toy market in Poland, confirmed a deal with Animaccord for a licensed collection that will include interactive toys (remote control, mobile phone toy), wooden toys (jigsaw puzzles, blocks, chalk magnetic board), outdoor toys (as bowling) and stationery as stamps, modelling clay, crayons, markers and more.

The range will be available in discount channels, wholesalers, e-commerce and traditional retail stores in Q2, 2020.

Finally, for the Polish market his winter, Consalnet will offer Masha and The Bear wallpapers, wall stickers, pictures for purchase in Eastern Europe. The new collection will be available in catalogues, discount channels, wholesalers, e-commerce, modern traditional retail stores.

Playmobil and Studio 100 bring Heidi toy partnership to the screen with CGI specials

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Studio 100 Media and the European toymaker, Playmobil, have joined forces to bring the Heidi Special: Spring is here to TV channels across Europe this spring.

Under the partnership, Heidi has been rendered to life with a CGI animated Playmobil styling, riffing off the already existing Heidi-licensed toy line from the toymaker, and dropped into the idyllic Alpine setting she is known for.

Among the channels to premiere the Heidi Special: Spring is here are Canal Panda in Portugal, Kidzone in the Baltics, Studio 100 TV in Belgium, Toggolino on Super RTL for the German-speaking territories, TVPabc in Poland, and the Rai Yoyo App in Italy.

A second Heidi Playmobil special, Heidi Special: Winter in Dörfli will follow in autumn this year, and will take audiences to a winter landscape to follow Heidi’s snowy adventures. Both specials are produced by Studio 100 Animation and distributed by Studio 100 Media.

Martin Krieger, CEO of Studio 100 Media, said: “Watching Heidi and her world come to life in Playmobil’s wonderful play-sets as well as in the new CGI animations has been a great pleasure over the last months.

“This exciting cooperation with Playmobil as a strong strategic partner both in the toys sector and on the content production side allows us to bring the Heidi brand experience to a new level.”

Studio 100 Media and Brandstätter Group have signed an extensive license deal for Heidi, covering the worldwide rights with the exception of some territories in Asia. As part of the agreement, six detailed Playmobil play-sets bring Heidi’s Swiss Alps home to any playroom including characters, locations and stories from the series.

Original details and sophisticated features allow fans of Heidi to immerse themselves fully in Swiss mountain life, as well as experience Heidi’s adventures in friendship and family.

Star Wars and Frozen II fuel Q4 sales growth for Hasbro as toy firm hits $1.43bn

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Strong sales of Star Wars and Frozen II toys have helped Hasbro enjoy a three per cent increase in revenue, hitting $1.43 billion in sales in the fourth quarter.

Despite the fallout felt from President Trump’s trade war with China, net income rose to $267.3 million in Q4, ended December 29, a stark increase from the $8.8 million it made just one year earlier.

It’s a return to form for Hasbro who was previously weighed with the threat of tariffs in the third quarter, disrupting the company’s supply chain and leading some retailers to cancel shipments. The company had been working to diversify its supply chain and reduce its reliance on sourcing in China.

On an earnings call, chief financial officer, Deborah Thomas, said that the coronavirus has since disrupted Hasbro’s supply chain and commercial operations in China, citing a ‘small impact’ to date, yet highlighting the difficulty in quantifying the potential magnitude.

The biggest increase for Hasbro in its q4 results came from its entertainment, licensing, and digital segment in which it saw revenues rise 22 per cent. The company recently completed a $4 billion, all cash purchase of the British production and distribution company, Entertainment One.

While it saw particular success in Frozen II and Star Wars toys, it was Hasbro’s Magic: The Gathering Arena and the Transformers: Bumblebee film that helped drive entertainment and licensing revenue.

For the full year, partner brands rose 24 per cent to $1.22 billion, with strong sales of Frozen II, Avengers, Spider-Man, and Star Wars lines. Hasbro currently owns the master toy license for Disney’s Marvel and Star Wars franchises.

Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said that the partnership with Disney is “very successful” and noted that “The Rise of Skywalker” and “The Mandalorian” have been big drivers of sales for the company.”

On the topic of the impact of the coronavirus on Hasbro’s business, Deb Hancock, senior vice president of investor relations for Hasbro, said: “Impact to our business today is small, but it’s challenging to quantify the potential magnitude at this time, as it will depend on how long it takes to contain the outbreak.

“If it takes a significant period of time to control, there could be a larger impact of our business.”

In games, Hasbro saw revenue fall eight per cent to $246.4 million, driven downwards by a decline in in sales of Pie Face and Speak Out. Even strong sales of Hasbro’s Dungeons and Dragons couldn’t off-set the drop.

Dungeons and Dragons revenue grow for the sixth year running, and Magic revenue increases more than 30 per cent during the year.

Pocket.watch launches first London office in move to grow EMEA operations and reach

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Pocket.watch, the home of the Ryan’s World brand alongside a roster of YouTube famous IPs, has opened its first international office on London in a move to extend its reach across Europe and EMEA.

The company’s expanded global presence will be led by Danny Spronz, who will serve as pocket.watch’s managing director EMEA, and will be responsible for all business operations, advertising sales, consumer products licensing and content sales in the region.

Prior to pocket.watch, Danny was vice president digital partnerships and influencer marketing at The Walt Disney Company EMEA.

“The rate of demand for children’s programming from the biggest stars and creators loved by generation alpha across EMEA and other western territories shows no signs of slowing down and pocket.watch is uniquely positioned to fill this need,” said Spronz.

“Pocket.watch has proven time and again to be a trailblazer in the kids’ entertainment space and I am thrilled to be joining the team to help further the company’s success and reach into new territories.”

The company’s global expansion follows on the heels of NPD reporting that pocket.watch’s Ryan’s World line of consumer products was the number one new property in the UK in 2019.

To help service the global demand for premium content, pocket.watch has also entered into a partnership with Etisalat, the largest telecom operator in the Middle East, to bring the company’s premiere slate of kids programming, including Ryan’s Mystery Playdate, HobbyKids Adventures and Ryan’s World Specials, to e-Junior, Etisalat’s top UAE kids TV channel through SVOD and Pay TV.

In addition to programming, pocket.watch plans to roll out new consumer products from the Ryan’s World, Ryan’s Mystery Playdate and HobbyKids Adventures franchises within the territory in the second half of the year.

To help the studio reach an even larger global audience, pocket.watch will also expand its roster of creator partners, with the addition of Netherlands based creator JasonVlogs.

Since launching in 2015, JasonVlogs’ popular YouTube channel has amassed over 5 billion lifetime views. Pocket.watch will replicate its successful creator-to-franchise business model by working alongside JasonVlogs to develop an animated series launching this year.

Following the launch, the partners will extend the franchise into consumer products, games and more.

On top of all of this, the company is in active discussions with distributors for its exclusive, premium slate of creator fuelled content including animated series’ EvanTube’s Dollar Toy Squad and Onyx Monster Mysteries amongst others.

Rainbow brings in former Toy Plus director Michael Block as CEO of its Witty Toys business

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The European animation house and entertainment studio, Rainbow, has brought in the former Toy Plus director and senior Hasbro executive, Michael Block as CEO of its own toy company, Witty Toys.

Block will drive the vision of the group forward, utilising his experience as an executive and entrepreneur in the management of growing brands.

“I’m really excited to join the Rainbow family and bring my expertise to Witty Toys. I look forward to exploring new opportunities and to developing new projects, while facing the challenges the competitive and dynamic toy industry offers,” commented Block.

Prior to taking up this key role at Witty Toys – established by Rainbow back in 2008 – Block has been running a consulting business, served as a director of Greenmonkey Yoga and was advisor to Real Eats.

He was previously a partner and director of Toy Plus and director of Smart Christmas Solutions. For over 14 years, Block held senior management and international sales and marketing roles at Hasbro.

Alongside his career in the entertainment industry, Block is also an active philanthropist and leader, committed to addressing issues of food insecurity, hunger, and homelessness. He currently serves on the board of directors of several nonprofits, including Voices for Children Foundation, Feeding South Florida and Swipe Out Hunger.