DIC Consumer Products has significantly expanded its licensing/merchandising programs across Europe, Latin America, Australia, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East to gear up for the international launches of kid’s entertainment brands, including STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, MADELINE and SUPER DUPER SUMOS.

Sternworld Creative Management, a new management firm described by its founder as the "William Morris" of creative services," has opened in Venice, California to represents a broad array of clients, including entertainment marketing, advertising, promotion and design firms. Sternworld also represents international marketing specialists, music composers and producers, and a visual effects and specialty production company.

Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. has agreed to acquire Artisan Entertainment Inc. for $160 million cash, plus the assumption of $40 million in debt, thus creating a company with more than 8,000 entertainment titles.

A Lions Gate spokesman said the acquisition includes the assumption of about $40 million in debt, putting the total value of the deal at slightly above $200 million, plus performance-based compensation.

ADRtists will premiere PLAY IT AGAIN, MOM!, a CD collection of radio plays for children 4-8, at the October Women In Animation (WIA) L.A. General Meeting. Receiving volunteers from WIA writers and voice artists, the project was originally designed to create the CD for entertaining seriously ill and bedridden children. Some of the initial costs were covered by various individuals and the WIA Los Angeles Chapter. To cover the final cost of production and distribution, the CDs will be sold to the public.

Carlton International announced it would oversee the development of a range of licensed products to coincide with the recently announced remake of the popular 1960s Supermarionation show, CAPTAIN SCARLET. Licensing activity will focus around the revamped cast of characters and vehicles. The Carlton Consumer Division will be handling all video/DVD opportunities as well as a full cross-category range of merchandise led by an interactive deal to be commissioned by show creator Gerry Anderson.

Toronto-based Comet Ent. has opened Vitamin Cartoons Inc., an animation services division to provide high quality pre- and post-production services. Vitamin draws upon the skills and experience of some of Canada's most talented artists, Flash animators and directors to offers character, background and prop design, special effects design, stock breakdown planning, storyboards, slugging; X-sheets, color styling, s-reel and pre-layout.

4Kids Entertainment and Playmates Toys will be presenting the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Training Event on Saturday, October 25, 2003 at Wal-Mart stores across the U.S., giving kids the opportunity to role-play one of their favorite heroes. Kids will be able to train with motion-activated toys that resemble Leonardo's sword, Michelangelo's nunchaku, Donatello's bo staff or Raphael's sai. Upon completing their training, students will be declared an "official" Ninja Warrior and the first 250 participants at each store will receive a certificate proclaiming them a member of Team Green.

London-based Target Ent. Ltd. has moved into the kids and animation market with a new division, which launched its new catalog at this year’s MIPCOM Junior 2003. In addition to international sales across its portfolio of high quality drama and formats, Target’s licensing and merchandising division is flourishing (started October 2002) and the company has firmly established itself in the competitive U.S. market with the opening of its New York office in January 2003.

Mel Blanc, the master of multiple animated stars such as Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig is being honored, along with his son, in a limited-edition lithograph featuring Warner Bros. characters that Blanc helped make famous.

The poster-size "Passing the Baton: A Tribute to Mel and Noel Blanc" lithographs are numbered, signed and will be personalized by his son, Noel Blanc, who continues his father’s legacy. Produced by Warner Bros. for Great American Ink, the lithos cost $495 (www.cartoongallery.com).

Personal Products Co. and 4Kids Ent. have struck a licensing deal to bring the YU-GI-OH! characters to REACH brand toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products has awarded the Master Toy License for MUCHA LUCHA! to JAKKS Pacific Inc, which plans to develop products including action figures, play sets, role play and plush. JAKKS expects to present the initial line at the Fall Mass Market Expo in New York in October 2003, with shipping to begin spring 2004.

With declining profits this year in entertainment and electronics, Sony Corp. has ordered Sony Pictures Entertainment to layoff as many as 300 employees throughout its key business groups at the Culver City, California-based studio, including Sony Pictures, both domestic and international TV units and Sony Pictures Digital, the LOS ANGELES TIMES reported. The layoffs, which have already begun, could save as much as $75 million a year. Last week, Sony Pictures’ 73-year-old chairman John Calley announced his retirement.

Kids' WB! has announced its support for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) VERB campaign, which encourages youth, ages 9-13, to get physically active. Kids' WB! will lend characters from its body-based TV series, OZZY & DRIX. The Warner Bros. Animation-produced series follows the adventures of white blood cell cop Ozzy and his partner, over-the-counter cold pill Drix, as they defend the City of Hector -- the body of a 13-year-old boy.

Make it eight. Eight law firms that is. Law firm Jones Day, which represent the Slesinger family in their case against Disney over Winnie the Pooh right, have stepped down, reported DAILY VARIETY. In papers filed, the law firm stepped down because the Slesinger family informed them they could no longer afford the firm’s services. The family has not appointed new attorneys yet. The law firm has only been involved in the 12-year long lawsuit since June. On Oct. 8, 2003, the case was moved over to a new judge, Charles W. McCoy, who is L.A.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2003, NBC and Vivendi Universal made official the merger of their entertainment businesses. Newly named NBC Universal joins the ranks of Time Warner, Disney and Viacom. The new mega-conglom will control a broadcast network (NBC), various cable entities (USA, CNBC, Bravo, MSNBC, Telemundo, SCI-FI and Trio), a film and television studio (Universal Pictures and Television) and theme parks (Universal Studios Hollywood and Orlando).

Disney president Robert Iger divulged on Wednesday that he has come up with a compromise to stay in partnership with Pixar Animation Studios. In a video conference with business analysts, Iger said he has offered to revise the terms of the current 50/50 profit split with Pixar in the hopes of forging a contract renewal. Disney would provide an ownership stake and greater share of the profits on Pixar's next two computer-animated features, THE INCREDIBLES and CARS, in exchange for a greater distribution fee, as reported in THE NEW YORK TIMES.

The buzz coming out of MIPCOM has CINAR Corp. close to a sale of the company’s assets to Michael Hirsh and Toper Taylor, former Nelvana co-founder/ceo and president of international distribution, marketing and consumer products respectively. Because Hirsh is Canadian the deal would ensure that CINAR could continue to receive Canadian tax credits.

Antefilms Production has announced that it has acquired France Animation, which was previously a Wanadoo subsidiary. Each company will retain its individual identity, but the deal will allow France Animation to ramp up its production line and merges two of Europe’s largest animation libraries of more than 1,600 half-hours. As part of the deal, Antefilms gains France Animation’s established marketing and licensing prowess.

Characters from ShoPro Entertainment's series HAMTARO will be featured as Halloween toys at Burger King restaurants. The toys will be available in North America from Oct. 6 to Nov. 2, 2003. This promotion will coincide with a special Halloween episode of the series airing in the U.S. on Cartoon Network Oct. 21 at 8:00 pm and Oct. 30, 2003 at 8:30 pm.

Lombard, Illinois-based Big Idea Prods has announced that the company will go up for auction on October 28, 2003. As AWN reported on September 4, 2003, two days after Big Idea filed for bankruptcy, the company had announced that it had reached a definitive agreement with Classic Media LLC to purchase the company’s assets for $7.5 million.