Tag Archives: pre-school

Moonbug Entertainment welcomes former Disney director David Levine to head of studio role

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The digital media company, Moonbug Entertainment, has named the former Disney director, David Levine as its head of studio. He joins from his previous role as VP of kids programming, Disney Channels Europe and Africa, UK and Ireland.

In his new position with Moonbug, Levine will focus on driving the company’s IP expansion by taking properties like CoComelon and Blippi to new formats, markets and platforms to support the company’s continued growth. He will report to René Rechtman, co-founder and CEO, Moonbug.

“David’s track record at Disney as a visionary executive specializing in children’s original content makes him uniquely well-suited to lead Moonbug’s creative, production and content strategies,” said Rechtman.

“This is a key position for Moonbug as we look to expand our content offerings around the world and develop more IP that delivers fun, educational and relevant programming families love.”

Levine brings more than 20 years experience in the media and entertainment industries to Moonbug. During his tenure at The Walt Disney Company, he was an integral member of the senior leadership team that built the Disney Channel Brand and led all strategic and operational aspects of kids’ programming across Disney Channels Europe and Africa.

Levine oversaw the direction of original production and developed and commissioned a number of shows including First Class Chefs, The Lodge, 101 Dalmatian Street and the Emmy-nominated TV series Evermoor. He also launched and commissioned multiple seasons of global hits PJ Masks and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

Additionally, Levine was responsible for spearheading LGBTQ+ inclusive representation in Disney’s programming, with LGBTQ+ characters and themes in commissions such as The Lodge and Best Bugs Forever.

“Kids content is playing an increasingly vital role in early childhood development, and now more than ever parents are looking for safe, inclusive, educational content they can trust. Moonbug is at the forefront of this transformation,” said Levine.

“It’s an exciting time to join the company, and I look forward to building on our strong producer and studio relationships while also increasing the diversity and representation in our content and on our creative teams.”

Prior to joining The Walt Disney Company, Levine was vice president at Ragdoll USA. He also served at The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company, supporting the billion dollar Teletubbies franchise in North America and South America.

Big Picture Licensing named UK and Eire licensing agent for Brave Bunnies as portfolio plans get underway

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Big Picture Licensing has been appointed the exclusive licensing agent for the UK and Eire, and master agent across EMEA and APAC for the animated pre-school series Brave Bunnies.

Created and developed by the Ukrainian creative production hub, Glowberry, the new series aims to blend the traditional feel of a pre-school property with modern and relevant themes of diversity and inclusivity. It follows the adventures of two brave and curious bunnies who journey through their world on the Bunny Bus in search of new friends.

52 episodes make up season one that, thanks to a partnership with Aardman as global content distributor, has already been placed with the likes of Milkshake and Nick Jr in the UK, SuperRTL in Germany, ABC in Australia, SVT in Sweden and more. The  show has already gone live in some territories, with further international roll-out scheduled during  Q1 2021.

On a global scale, Brave Bunnies has appointed a portfolio of licensing agents that includes DeAgnostini in Italy, and LaPanaderia, the master agent for the property in Latin America. Meanwhile, Big Picture Licensing has signed up a roster of leading agents in their respective regions, including CPLG for Benelux, Nordics, CEE, and Southern Europe, CLM for Africa, Centa IP in Australia and New Zealand, and Mediogen in Israel.

Brave Bunnies licensed products are set to roll out from Easter 2022, with Spin Master leading the charge as the property’s global master toy licensee. The firm will develop a range of pre-school toys based on the series. On top of this, Big Picture Licensing has signed up Penguin Random House as a strategic multi-territory licensee, joining Planeta Libra as publishing partners.

Brave Bunnies has already gone live in some territories, with further international roll-out scheduled for Q1 2021. A complimentary and comprehensive digital content plan is also in development. At MIPCOM last month, Brave Bunnies was the second most viewed show in the MIP Junior Screenings  Library (and number one in its preschool target-demo), and unsurprisingly interest is brewing in the licensing  arena. 

Sergey Molchanov, CEO at Glowberry, said: “We have taken a lot of care to ensure that Brave Bunnies has received the best quality treatment from the off, and we are delighted to maintain that  standard across our key commercial partner appointments.

“We’re grateful for the support and the  broad positive response to our property, and we’re just getting started.” 

Dan Frugtniet, MD at Big Picture Licensing, added: “We’re extremely proud and excited to be  working with Glowberry on this wonderful property, and delighted, but not at all surprised at the strong start – without exception, everybody who we have showed Brave Bunnies to has been  overwhelmingly positive about it.

“As well as finalising APAC agency appointments, we’re now  looking to secure UK licensing partners in all major product categories. Please get in touch to discuss  how you can hop on the Brave Bunny Bus.”

Acamar Films eyes further digital and international growth for Bing with new chief content officer

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Acamar Films, the independent studio behind the International Emmy Award-winning pre-school series Bing, has appointed Jodie Morris to the newly created role of chief content and audiences officer with immediate effect.

Morris joined Acamar two years ago and has been instrumental in leading the organisation’s successful development and implementation of a global strategy across a range of digital platforms and content formats. Reporting to Mikael Shields, Acamar’s CEO and producer and series voice director of Bing, Morris will take on an expanded leadership role within the company, overseeing the future strategy, planning and operation of the global distribution of Bing content.

She will also be responsible for driving audience growth across all platforms.

Under Morris’ leadership, Bing has already achieved substantial digital audience growth. The last 12 months in particular have witnessed exponential rises in views across a global YouTube network, significant growth across social media channels and over 750,000 downloads of Acamar’s proprietary Bing: Watch, Play, Learn app – an on-demand and games offering, launched in September 2019 and currently available in the UK, Italy and Poland.

With a wide range of major new local language productions now underway, Acamar is committed to deepening its relationship with the global pre-school audience – with a focus on broadening its Bing content offering, building a series of strategic platform-partnerships and expanding Bing’s geographic reach.

Bing continues to deliver outstanding performances across global linear and on-demand platforms, with the BBC having confirmed over 66 million iPlayer requests for Bing within just three months in 2020. A new series of Bing is currently enjoying high ratings as it launches internationally.

As chief content and audiences officer, Morris will work closely alongside Mikael Shields, Sandra Vauthier-Cellier (chief commercial officer), Julie Fitzjohn (chief operations officer) as well as the broader Acamar leadership team to build on the organisation’s remarkable success.

Plug-in Media and Fryday Brands eye toy partners as pre-school hit Tee and Mo returns to CBeebies

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Plug-in Media is eyeing potential toy partners for its popular pre-school property, Tee and Mo, an animated monkey duo that made its return to CBeebies last month with the premiere of Big Boots Birthday: A Tee and Mo Mini Musical.

The animated property’s tenth musical special to launch on the channel, Big Boots Birthday: A Tee and Mo Mini Musical featured three new songs and once again starred the voice talent of BBC Radio 6’s Lauren Laverne.

The Tee and Mo Mini Musical launched with the aim of re-imagining the musical genre for pre-schoolers, aged two to five. The 11-minute episode is designed to help young children feel understood, and focuses on the theme of what it feels like to grow up.

Released on CBeebies and BBC iPlayer on Saturday, November 21st this year, alongside an EP of the songs it featured on Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon Music, Big Boots Birthday: A Tee and Mo Mini Musical has already been watched 160,000 times on BBC iPlayer, all within the first seven days of its launch.

The popularity of the special episode, along with previous episodes and series of Tee and Mo, has given encouragement to producers Plug-in Media, who is working with licensing stalwart Valerie Fry to build out a consumer products programme for the IP. The plans kick off with a current focus on appointing a toy partner for the brand.

Fry said: “Fryday Brands is proud to work with the fantastic and creative team at Plug-in Media to develop Tee and Mo products for its huge fan base. With over 185 million YouTube views and a 50 per cent increase in iPlayer views to over 15 million in 2020, we know from our social media engagement that fans are clamouring for products.”

Written and Directed by Plug-in Media’s creative director, Dominic Minns, Big Boots Birthday sees yet another successful collaboration with BAFTA-winning composers Ellie Wyatt and Joss Peach.

The Tee and Mo Mini Musical was produced entirely through remote-working, due to the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Plug-in’s team of exceptionally talented production staff and animators rose to the challenge of developing new workflows for efficient collaboration under unique circumstances.

Big Boots Birthday takes place on the morning of Tee’s birthday, who wakes up a whole year older and a whole inch taller. To mark the occasion, Mo has given him a brand new pair of Big Boy Boots to wear. However, a chance encounter with his old favourite Froggie Wellies gives him pause for thought. Does being big mean that he can’t be little anymore?

As ever, Mo is on hand to listen to his worry and reassure him that no matter how big he gets, she’ll always be his Mum. Cue the best birthday party ever.

Fisher-Price partners with PGS Entertainment to launch Gus – The Itsy Bitsy Knight toy line

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Mattel has entered into a multi-year global licensing agreement with PGS Entertainment to launch a full line of Fisher-Price toys based on the upcoming animated pre-school series, Gus – The Itsy Bitsy Knight.

Under the agreement, Mattel and its Fisher-Price brand will develop new figures, play-sets, plush, vehicles and more. The officially licensed toy range is tipped to launch in 2022.

Gus – The Itsy Bitsy Knight is a comedy adventure series based on a story created by Dankerleroux and Françoise de Guibert for Editions Gulf Stream. Presented in CGI animation, the show, which will initially consist of 52 11-minute episodes, will follow a small grasshopper-sized boy named Gus who wishes to become the greatest knight in all the kingdom of Karamel, a medieval setting with a modern twist.

“We are always looking for new properties that offer strong, toyetic qualities. From the moment we first saw the world of Gus – The Itsy Bitsy Knight, we were drawn to its compelling story,” said Nick Karamanos, SVP of Entertainment Partnerships, Mattel.

“We look forward to partnering with the PGS team to develop a range of preschool toys that will bring this new property to life and engage kids through play.”

Philippe Soutter, Co-Founder, PGS Entertainment, added: “We’re extremely pleased with the developments on Gus – The Itsy Bitsy Knight, and with having Mattel on board.

“With leading broadcasters already set up across the world, we’re certain that Gus will bring massive success to both broadcasters and licensees. Having a partner like Mattel to expand the Gus universe is a big milestone for the brand’s growth.”

The Oddbods are coming to a fish and chip shop near you, thanks to Keco Ltd partnership

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The cast of the popular animated pre-school series, Oddbods, will be coming to a fish and chip shop near you.

The content creation and licensing studio, One Animation, has secured a new partnership with the packaging manufacturer Keco Ltd to the launch of bespoke, sustainable, and responsibly sourced children’s meal boxes inspired by the animated pre-school series, Oddbods.

Launching this month, the premium takeaway meal boxes will be available at 7,000 fish and chip shops across the UK and will feature an Oddbods pop-out character for children to play with. The boxes will be plastic free and use only FSC sustainably sourced paperboard.

Rob Spindley, SVP commercial development USA and EMEA, One Animation, said: “As we continue to extend the global footprint of Oddbods, bringing sustainable and plastic free products to the market is very important to us. We are very much looking forward to working with the team at Keco Ltd to create an engaging and fun meal time experience in an environmentally responsible way.”

Jamie Kearns, managing director at Keco Ltd, added: “Keco is excited to be working with One Animation to showcase the globally renowned series, Oddbods. Children throughout the UK and Ireland will be able to engage with the characters as they invent their own storylines or recreate scenes from this much-loved, Emmy Award-nominated animated series.

“These takeaway branded meal boxes will perfectly capture Oddbods and children will enjoy assembling and playing with their favourite characters, safe in the knowledge that all materials used are both plastic free and sustainably sourced.”

Oddbods is a three-time Emmy Award-nominated, non-dialogue comedy featuring seven adorable, highly unique pals. Together, despite their differences, they survive the perils of everyday life, unintentionally turning ordinary situations into unexpected, extraordinary and always humorous events.

The quirky but charming Oddbods celebrate individuality in a funny, warm and unexpected way. Oddbods’ innovative app Oddbods Oddlife, designed with facial recognition technology to help kids learn healthy habits, has recently been nominated for a Kidscreen Award in the Best Game App – Original category.

Rocket Licensing named UK agency for hit pre-school series Floogals

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Rocket Licensing has been named the UK licensing agency for the BAFTA and Emmy nominated pre-school animated TV series, Floogals, with plans for a consumer products programme encompassing toys, apparel, publishing, gifting, homewares, and food.

The programme, developed by Nevision, follows the adventures of Fleeker, Flo and Boomer – three pocket-sized aliens from the Planet Floog. The trio embark on a voyage of discovery of the world and its ‘hooman’ inhabitants.

Floogals series one to three airs daily on rotation on Milkshake! where it has ranked as the number three show on the channel in 2020, with a 721,000 reach and 70,000 average audience. Series two of the show also enjoys a daily slot on Nick Jr Too, where it took the number six spot in February and March 2020.

Series one to three of the show are also available on Universal Kids and on demand on Amazon Prime and YouTube Kids, reaching a wide audience of pre-schoolers globally.

Overall, the co-production between NBCUniversal’s Sprout channel, Zodiak Kids and Nevision, offers 130 x 11” episodes over its three series and is created by a prestigious team, including Nevision’s Nigel Pickard, Matt Porter and Ceri Barnes.

To date, Floogals has reached in excess of 11.5 million viewers in the UK, and since its launch, has reached over half of households in the UK with young children and over 60 per cent of four to five year-olds. It has also been sold to broadcasters in more than 50 territories worldwide by Zodiak Kids and Universal.

The brand is supported with an engaged and active social media strategy, and Rocket will be working on marketing partnerships as part of its licensing campaign.

Nevision’s Nigel Pickard said: “We are delighted to be working with Rocket Licensing who have such a great reputation in the licensing business and have delivered so successfully for all the brands they work with.”

Rocket Licensing is planning to work its usual magic on the consumer products programme for the Floogals brand, leading with toys, apparel, publishing, gifting, homewares and food.

Charlie Donaldson, joint-MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “Floogals has a uniquely attractive blend of live action and animation and its appeal can be seen in its huge success as a broadcast programme. This success gives us great scope for developing consumer products and promotional campaigns. 

“We’re really excited to roll out products for this fun, bright, popular brand and so far, we have had an overwhelmingly positive response from both licensees and retailers alike.”

WildBrain CPLG readies a raft of new UK partners for In the Night Garden

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WildBrain CPLG has signed a raft of new UK toy partners for the popular pre-school property, In the Night Garden, including 8th Wonder, Paul Lamond Games, TOMY, Grabo Balloons and the children’s audio platform, Toniebox.

The latest slate of partners join the current product portfolio as WildBrain CPLG continues to focus on driving “even more exciting initiatives across our integrated platform of content, distribution and consumer products.”

Under the newest developments for the hit pre-school brand, 8th Wonder will develop and launch an In the Night Garden themed plush chair and range of wooden toys, while Paul Lamond Games will develop a new line of games and puzzles for pre-schoolers. Meanwhile, TOMY will apply the license to its hit Aquadoodle mats, and Grabo Balloons will launch new foil balloons.

Completing the line-up, Boxine, the firm behind the Toniebox, has signed for an Iggle Piggle figurine to be used on the audio platform. The launch will provide In the Night Garden audio content, including a narrated story and music.

WildBrain’s premium kids and family AVOD network and studio, WildBrain Spark, also manages In the Night Garden on AVOD platforms including YouTube and YouTube Kids, where it has achieved an average of 15 million monthly views this year.

The brand’s channels now have over 635,000 global subscribers, and episodes are currently available in English, Polish, Arabic, Swedish, Spanish, Norwegian, and Italian. The original In the Night Garden series is also an established fixture in CBeebies’ bedtime schedule, where characters Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, Makka Pakka and their friends are an integral part of the sleep time routines for many families.

Emily French Ullah, licensing director hardlines at WildBrain CPLG, said: “In the Night Garden remains front of mind with pre-schoolers and parents alike, as demonstrated by the continued positive response from licensees and retailers, and the strong broadcast and AVOD viewership.

“We’re delighted to welcome these wonderful new partners to the UK licensee base and look forward to seeing young fans across the UK enjoy this engaging array of new products.”

Michael Riley, chief brands officer for WildBrain, said: “In the Night Garden has an eternal quality that continues to resonate with families worldwide, and these new licensees signed by WildBrain CPLG will provide UK fans with more opportunities to celebrate their love of the brand offscreen.

“In the Night Garden is a key preschool property for WildBrain, and we are highly focused on driving even more exciting initiatives across our integrated platform of content, distribution and consumer products that are sure to keep parents and young children engaged and entertained for years to come.”

Hasbro launches Peppa Pig audio stories across Amazon Prime, Apple Music, and Spotify

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Hasbro has revealed its plans to release a series of new Peppa Pig audio stories across multiple digital streaming platforms around the world, including on Amazon Prime, Apple Music, and Spotify from today (Monday, November 23rd) onwards, with plans for more to come.

Marking a new first for Peppa Pig, the ten audio stories will be narrated by the familiar voice of John Sparkes and will be based on some of the most popular stories from the animated TV series. They will be available in English language only and will launch in batches of two every two weeks.

Titles under the portfolio of audio stories include George’s New Dinosaur, Shake, Rattle & Bang, Mr Bull’s New Road, Whistling, Nursery Rhymes, Secret Club, Pirate Treasure, Grandpa Pig’s Greenhouse, Noisy Night, and Bedtime Story.

 “We want to be wherever our fans are with great content and our move into audio-first content reflects that,” said eOne’s Esra Cafer, SVP global brand management.

“What we’re really excited about is just how good these stories are. They capture all the values, storytelling and humour of our brilliant show to give our listeners a wonderfully immersive audio story experience – we can’t wait for Peppa fans to discover them.”

 The launch will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign across social and digital media including the brand’s own high reach digital channels.

This latest deal follows the huge success of the brand’s first digital music album release, Peppa Pig: My First Album, in July 2019 which has hit more than 24 million streams worldwide and inspired a licensing range for teens in Urban Outfitters this autumn in the US.

Toy maker Melissa & Doug lands ‘biggest licensing deal ever’ with PAW Patrol and Blues Clues & You

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The global toy brand Melissa and Doug, has signed an exclusive licensing partnership with ViacomCBS Consumer Products to develop and launch a range of PAW Patrol and Blue’s Clues & You co-branded toys for autumn next year.

The toys will be designed to educate and empower pre-schoolers through active engagement, with a focus on problem solving and creative thinking.

The global partnership with ViacomCBS marks a major milestone for Melissa & Doug as it is the largest licensing agreement the toy maker has ever signed. Through the partnership, Melissa & Doug will bring innovative and imaginative toys to retail that will span multiple categories focused on learning and education.

“Melissa & Doug has been at the forefront of children’s toys for over 30 years. We are thrilled to collaborate with them to create products based on the beloved PAW Patrol and Blue’s Clues & You! IP that continue to inspire imagination and hugely impact children’s growth and learning,” said Dion Vlachos, executive vice president, licensing and retail, ViacomCBS.

Melissa & Doug is a purpose-driven company committed to providing a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. Recently, Melissa & Doug announced their alliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics to champion the health benefits of open-ended play and provide tools and resources for parents to make it an essential part of children’s everyday lives.

“We’re excited to work with a company as iconic as Nickelodeon, one that shares in our mission to make the world a more playful place through thoughtfully researched and designed products and content,” said David Henderson, chief commercial officer of Melissa & Doug. “The characters of PAW Patrol and Blue’s Clues & You! will help us introduce our hands-on, skill-building toys to an even greater number of children.”