When Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) signed Segal Licensing as the exclusive Canadian licensing agent for the hit brand BEN 10, the agent was charged with building its presence at retail by expanding in to a series of categories.
Illustrating the strength and popularity of BEN 10, CNE and Segal today announced four new, recently-signed partners in the apparel, sleepwear and accessories categories, vastly expanding the brand's consumer products line in Canada. New products from KidQuest, Adorable Kids, X-Treme Worldwide and Midway Industries will roll out throughout 2008 and will join the existing product line that has already performed well in the region since its launch in 2007.
"Building on the strong success and momentum that BEN 10 has generated to date in the U.S. and other markets, the brand's growth in the Canadian market is a core component of our business," said Christina Miller, VP of consumer products for Cartoon Network Enterprises. "We're very pleased with the quality of new partners secured by Segal that both understand this particular market and will create quality products that fit the BEN 10 brand."
KidQuest has created a range of t-shirts and other apparel featuring Ben Tennyson and some of his most popular hero alter-egos including Heatblast, Four Arms and Diamondhead, while a range of new sleepwear and underwear from Adorable Kids will launch later this year.
Additionally, Midway Industries will introduce licensed bags, cold weather gear and headwear while X-Treme Worldwide will create a range of stickers and sticker activity sets starring the popular characters from the series. Products from these newly-signed partners will join an already successful BEN 10 program that is highlighted by toys from master toy partner Bandai America as well as home entertainment (Warner Home Video), interactive (D3 Publishers of America), footwear (SG Footwear) and sunglasses, swim and ski goggles (PanOceanic).
BEN 10, Cartoon Network's top-rated original series for boys, follows the exciting adventures of ten-year old Ben Tennyson, who discovers a strange alien device resembling a wristwatch called the Omnitrix inside a crashed meteorite. Once "the watch" permanently locks itself on his wrist, Ben discovers that he can transform into 10 different fantastic alien beings, each with unique powers and abilities -- but only for 10 minutes at a time and all the while retaining his 10-year-old mind and personality.
The BEN 10 television series is currently stripped five days a week in both English and French on Canada's Teletoon broadcast network. Additionally, Teletoon presented a BEN 10 marathon during March Break on both the English and French language networks, which featured the Canadian premiere of all 13 episodes of the series' third season followed by the premiere of the BEN 10 movie, BEN 10: SECRET OF THE OMNITRIX.
On the French network the entire event was #1 for kids ages 2-11, 2-5, and 6-11 (both boys and girls) against all competition. The movie was also the #1 movie presentation of the broadcast year to date for viewers overall (2+) and kids 2-11. On the English network the event was also successful, as the event came in at #1 for boys 2-11 and 6-11.
