Family entertainment producer and distributor Chorion has signed a raft of key European licensing deals across its extensive portfolio of properties.
French broadcaster TF1 has picked up the French licensing and merchandising rights to OLIVIA, following its pre-buy of the television series at MIPCOM last year.
ITV Global Ent. has appointed Giochi Preziosi to be the pan-European toy-partner for girls property, BELLA SARA.
The new manufacturer deal was brokered by ITV Global Entertainment's Italian agent, Teamworks on behalf of ITV Global Ent., the licensing agent for the property.
4Kids Ent. and Chaotic USA Entertainment Group have appointed Spin Master Inc. as master toy licensee for CHAOTIC, the brand that integrates a collectible trading card game (TCG) with a unique online multi-player experience and an original animated TV series.
The Jim Henson Company has appointed Hasbro as the master toy and game licensee for its SID THE SCIENCE KID property. SID THE SCIENCE KID is an educational animated television series airing daily on PBS KIDS that uses comedy to promote exploration, discovery, and science readiness among preschoolers.
The four-year license grants Hasbro the rights to introduce an array of SID THE SCIENCE KID products starting January 1, 2009. Hasbro's line of SID THE SCIENCE KID toys and games is slated to debut at retail Fall 2009.
HIT Entertainment and MV Sports have extended and renewed three licensing deals across HIT's preschool properties THOMAS & FRIENDS, BOB THE BUILDER and FIREMAN SAM.
MV Sports, a U.K.'s children's licensees, has renewed its THOMAS & FRIENDS license in the wheeled toy category. THOMAS & FRIENDS, the U.K.'s No. 1 preschool property for nine consecutive years, leads the market in wheeled toys. MV Sports will launch a new range of wheeled toys in conjunction with the release of the new THOMAS & FRIENDS in CGI, taking Thomas to new destinations at retail.
European entertainment licensing agency CPLG was appointed by licensing and syndication company United Media as the U.K. rights agency for PEANUTS.
CPLG will strategically develop the brand in the U.K. through a carefully planned licensing programme, including gifts and novelties, stationery and further exploration of fashion and accessories ranges.
One of CPLG's immediate targets is the 60th Anniversary of PEANUTS in 2010. Using the stylised look of the brand, CPLG is developing a creative direction to inspire both new and existing licensees.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have turned 25 and are ready to "Shell-ebrate" in style. To commemorate their quarter century milestone, 4Kids Ent. International kicked off the anniversary by securing a significant number of licensing partnerships across Europe.
Aardman Rights has secured a number of key new licensing partners for its new preschool property TIMMY TIME. Currently in production, the 52x10 stop-motion animated series has been pre-bought by CBeebies in the U.K. for debut in 2009 and it has been picked up by Disney Channels worldwide, including the U.S.
Asylum Ent. has been appointed as the videogame partner for publishing and broadcast phenomenon HORRID HENRY in a deal brokered by CPLG UK.
American Greetings Properties, the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings Corporation, has signed Big Time Toys as the toy licensee for SUSHI PACK.
Originally created by Studio Espinosa and optioned and developed by American Greetings Properties, SUSHI PACK is four pieces of sushi and a wad of wasabi jolted to life -- doing what's right to protect the citizens of Wharf City. The SUSHI PACK animated TV series currently airs weekends on CBS.
Martin Yaffe, Worlds Apart and David Halsall are among a number of key partners of Nickelodeon's preschool property, DORA THE EXPLORER, that have renewed their contracts for a further term.
DORA was first broadcast on Nickelodeon in the U.K. in early 2000 and has since become established as a favorite among children. The licensing program has grown and broadened and DORA has deepened her distribution into all retail channels.
Spain's Imira Ent. has scored a number of Spanish deals for ZDF Ent's live-action show H2O: JUST ADD WATER, which it represents in Spain, Portugal and Brazil.
Tuesday marks the debut of consumer products campaigns for two of Cartoon Network's top-rated original comedy series, CHOWDER and FLAPJACK, as Now and Zen Productions was named the apparel partner for both brands. This marks the first licensing deal for each brand, with product launching at specialty retailers nationwide this spring. The apparel lines from Now and Zen will include T-shirts and fleece tops for both juniors and young men and will bring the whimsical tone and humor of the shows to fans.
Starz Ent. and Sony Pictures have entered into a multi-year extension of their agreement that grants Starz the exclusive pay television rights to all Sony Pictures theatrical releases well into the next decade.
Simmons Jewelry Co. and Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products are partnering to create a fine-jewelry and watch line -- all inspired by the pop-culture phenomenon SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, which is now celebrating its 10th anniversary year.
Aardman is partnering with Weetabix to run a SHAUN THE SHEEP promotion on packs of Weetabix, Minis, bitesize and Ready brek in the U.K. and Ireland. Starting in January 2009, the promotion will run on more than 20 million packs of the cereals.
The main offer will give consumers the chance to collect two sets of exclusive SHAUN THE SHEEP books only available via this promotion. Supporting the on-pack competition, consumers will have the chance to design Shaun a woolly scarf. The best designs will win a framed still of Shaun wearing the winning scarf.
Cartoon Network Enterprises has announced the consumer electronics debut of the hit boy property BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE through a partnership with Jazwares.
Lionsgate has purchased the home entertainment rights to American Greetings Properties SUSHI PACK and has bought up further rights to AGP's CARE BEARS.
In an extension of the relationship between the companies, Lionsgate has acquired the exclusive North American home entertainment distribution rights to numerous titles based on the CARE BEARS and the home entertainment distribution rights to the CBS television series based on the all-new American Greetings Property, SUSHI PACK
HIT Ent. has appointed Fisher-Price, Inc. as the global master toy licensee for THOMAS & FRIENDS, the world's top preschool property for boys, in a multi-territory, multi-year deal.
Nordic and Eastern European licensing agency Kidz Ent./EEMC has been appointed to represent classic publishing property Miffy across that region.
Upscale retailer KappAhl started the licensing program exclusively last autumn with a range of apparel for children and young teens. The licensing program will then expand to cover categories such as toys, publishing, stationery, bags and accessories.
Cartoon Network Enterprises has partnered with Mattel as the global master toy licensee for its fantasy-adventure original series, THE SECRET SATURDAYS.
Intellectual property company Chorion is expanding its relationship with Bandai, announcing their appointment as toy distributor for NODDY in the U.K. Bandai was also recently appointed the toy distributor for the property in Spain and will be distributing products from master toy licensee NSR starting January 1, 2009.
PorchLight Ent. has partnered with Big Hug Productions on POZLES, a new 3D preschool series developed by Big Hug. Under the agreement, PorchLight will be the worldwide distributor and have licensing and merchandising rights for the 78x7 series.
American Greetings Properties, the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings Corporation, continues to expand the international footprint of CARE BEARS across the globe with a slate of new deals in key territories. Through a partnership with Spain-based retail giant Oysho, American Greetings Properties recently launched CARE BEARS classic apparel at all Oysho stores worldwide.
Castalia Content Distribution has purchased the Latin American broadcast and home video rights to animated series DELTORA QUEST from Dentsu Communications. The show is a major hit on Japanese television and is based on the children's fantasy book series.
Written by Australian author Emily Rodda (Jennifer Rowe), the DELTORA book series is the collective title for three series of books. First published in 2000, DELTORA QUEST has become a favorite with children and teachers, selling more than 10 million copies in more than 30 countries.
