HIT Entertainment highlighted several of its ongoing properties, including Bob the Builder, for which Hot Animation is creating 75 episodes of a new environmentally themed series called Project Build-It. (No broadcaster has been announced.) Playhut promoted its proprietary license Little Signz, as well as several Asian properties under the Chinamation banner. Cookie Jar Entertainment showed the properties gained in its acquisition of Cinar, including Caillou. Scholastic Entertainment focused on promoting Maya & Miguel, which goes on the air this fall on PBS. Licensed products will follow starting in 2005; so far, 14 licensees are signed. And DIC Entertainment highlighted Trollz, a tween girl fashion and entertainment brand based on the classic Danish troll dolls.

Several animation licensors were grouped in an area called the Content Zone. Animation Content displayed the classic series from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Davey & Goliath, along with other clay-animated properties, while Grace Animation highlighted its Avenging Apes of Africa. Other exhibitors in the Content Zone included Raven Entertainment, Jade Animation and videogame company Capcom.

Networks and Agents Feature Animation
Television networks, particularly on cable, often take control of licensing for the series they air, and several were at the show pitching their properties. Nickelodeon launched licensing efforts for five shows appearing on its networks, as well as promoting its ongoing licenses such as Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants. The new introductions included Avatar, Danny Phantom, Lazytown, The Backyardigans and The Barnyard. Discovery Consumer Products highlighted two Discovery Kids’ series, Tutenstein and Kenny the Shark, the latter based on the Discovery.com online icon that has been answering kids’ questions during Discovery’s “Shark Week.”

Cartoon Network and its sister company, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, were exhibiting several ongoing and future properties from the channel, including The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, an action-adventure series for girls that will debut in February 2005. It’s about an 11-year-old girl and features themes of magic and monsters. Disney Consumer Products spotlighted several programs from the Disney Channel, including JoJo’s Circus, an animated series airing during the Playhouse Disney block.

ToddWorld hopes to get the same licensing dollars that other pre-school show receive. © Mike Young Productions.

Some studios have their properties promoted by licensing agents at the show. Agency Big Tent Entertainment had two booths, one for Spellbound Entertainment’s Koala Brothers, for which products will start to come on the market in 2005, and one for Dick Bruna’s Miffy, a book-based property with an animated series airing on Noggin. L&G+ Licensing, the licensing rep for author/illustrator Todd Parr, was showcasing ToddWorld, an animated series produced by Mike Young Productions that debuts on TLC’s Ready, Set, Learn! block in the fall.

Another Mike Young production is U.K.-based Entara’s Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks, a 3D CGI series launched on PBS Kids in the fall and newly represented for U.S. licensing by United Media. Meanwhile, MGM Consumer Products represents Bing and Bong’s Tiny Planets, which comes from U.K.-based Pepper’s Ghost Productions and airs on Noggin.

The Sharpe Co. recently signed on as the worldwide master licensing agent for Bardel Entertainment’s Silverwing, the studio’s first proprietary series. Sharpe also represents Naughty Naughty Pets, an art property from Scary Stories that is being developed for animation by DECODE Entertainment. The Joy Tashjian Licensing Group announced that Playmates Toys will be the master toy licensee for Breakthrough Animation’s Atomic Betty, with toys first appearing on store shelves in January 2005.

Several international networks and agents were also present at the show, many showcasing animation. Examples include Mexico’s Televisa, Spain’s Biplano, TV France, Exim of Latin America and U.K.-based Granada Ventures.

Focus on Films
For the first time in several years, films arguably had a higher profile at the show than television series. Several films were introduced to the licensing community, many of them FX-heavy live-action features with 2005 release dates. Universal Studios presented King Kong, while Sony Pictures promoted UltraViolet, Stealth and Zathura. The last is based on a book by Chris van Allsburg, author of Jumanji, and features creatures by Stan Winston. Warner Bros. highlighted the next film in its Batman franchise, among other films, unveiling the new Batmobile on the first day of the show. Many of these live-action films plan limited licensing programs, with products such as videogames, collectible figures and publishing at the core.