Kidz Kraze International has been appointed licensee for THE SIMPSONS' inflatable figures, in a deal with FOX Licensing. In 2003, the company plans to launch the line of inflatables, including family members Homer, Bart, Marge, Maggie and Lisa, along with townspeople such as Mr. Burns, Krusty The Clown and Comic Book Guy. Kidz Kraze will feature THE SIMPSONS' inflatable figures at the New York International Toy Fair, February 16-19, 2003 in Room 554.

Sesame Workshop and Mervyn's department stores have entered into an exclusive agreement to bring merchandise featuring characters from SAGWA, THE CHINESE SIAMESE CAT, a PBS KIDS' series, to Mervyn's 264 stores. From January to March 2003, the retailer will feature SAGWA characters on children's products such as bedding, clothing, plush and watches. A percentage of the proceeds of all SAGWA merchandise sold will support Sesame Workshop educational programs around the world.

Marvel Enterprises and video game publisher Activision, Inc. have signed a multi-year extension for their current video game licensing agreements, expanding their strategic alliance. The expanded agreements grant Activision the exclusive rights to develop and publish video game products based on Marvel's comic book franchises SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR and IRON MAN through the year 2009.

FUNimation Productions, Ltd. has awarded JAKKS Pacific, Inc. the master toy license for DRAGON BALL, DRAGON BALL Z and the forthcoming DRAGON BALL GT. JAKKS will develop, manufacture and distribute action figures, action figure accessories and vehicles based on these animated series. The company, which acquired the license after original rights holder, Irwin Toy, Ltd., announced bankruptcy in early December 2002, signed a 3-year license for the DRAGON BALL brands and expects to show new products as early as the New York International Toy Fair in February 2003.

The animated adventures of MR. BEAN is heading to Scandinavia. The 26 x 30-minute series has been sold to SVT, Sweden and YLE, Finland by Fremantle International Distribution, which distributes both the original live-action series and the animated series. SVT will start to broadcast the series on December 23, 2002 and it will run through early February. The series launch date on YLE is still to be announced. MR.

Following the Asian programming markets DICON / BCWW in South Korea and Asia Television Forum (ATF) in Singapore, Germany's EM.TV & Merchandising AG has reported strong sales of children's programming across Asia for both home video and broadcast. EM.TV’s animation portfolio proved popular in China, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. EM.TV sold television and home video rights of the second season of MAYA THE BEE and the first two seasons of TABALUGA to Kiet Tuong Advertising in Vietnam.

The Eskimo that has had a place on the tail of all Alaska Airlines aircraft for over a quarter century is stepping down from one plane to make room for some popular Disney characters. Alaska Airlines has launched the "Spirit of Disneyland" Boeing 737-400 aircraft, which features the faces of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy painted on a bright blue background.

Children's book publisher and distributor Scholastic now has rights to publish all novelizations, coloring and activity books, picture and storybooks based on DreamWorks' next five animated films, which include SHARKSLAYER and a sequel to the 2001 Oscar-winning hit SHREK.

Tokyopop Releases Two New Cine-Manga Based On Disney Series. U.S. manga publisher TOKYOPOP continues its relationship with Disney with the release of two new Cine-Manga series for Disney's original television series LIZZIE MCGUIRE and KIM POSSIBLE. Each will launch as part of TOKYOPOP's developing Cine-Manga family, which currently includes CARDCAPTORS and the forthcoming AKIRA.

Raven Moon Entertainment, a producer of children’s programming based in Orlando, Florida, is offering U.S. network affiliates and independent television stations the opportunity to telecast up to six airings of 13 episodes of its preschool series GINA D’S KIDS CLUB at no charge. In addition, Raven Moon will make participating stations profit participants in all licensing and merchandising revenue.

U.S. manga publisher Tokyopop, in association with Disney Publishing Worldwide, will bring one of TV's hottest animated series to the world of graphic novels with the publication of an authentic DIGIMON manga. The DIGIMON animated series currently airs in the U.S. on the ABC Network, and follows seven ordinary kids who gain "digivices" that transport them into the Digital World. Once there, they make companions called Digimon, and must battle evil Digimon monsters.

Corus Entertainment's Nelvana put the wrap on MIPCOM 2002 with a number of new sales and renewals for its kids' brands and programs. BEYBLADE continued to be a popular property for the company and was snapped up by the UK's terrestrial broadcaster Five TV (formerly Channel 5), which licensed 51 episodes of the series for debut in November 2002. BEYBLADE currently airs in the UK on Cartoon Network UK. Nelvana also completed video and DVD deals for BEYBLADE and MEDABOTS in the UK with Contender Entertainment Group, which set the titles for a release date of December 2, 2002.

Latin American distribution specialist Salsa Entertainment returned from MIPCOM 2002 with a slate of program sales for the Latin American region. The Salsa Entertainment catalogue features award-winning products from well known international producers and distributors including TV-Loonland, Scholastic Entertainment, Decode Entertainment and The Jim Henson Company.

peppermint, the worldwide distribution company that has recently undergone a management buy out from Germany's Helkon Media AG, has signed a deal with Spanish production and distribution company BRB to distribute over 230 hours of programming to all Asian territories. peppermint, who will also handle Australia and New Zealand for BRB, will have exclusive distribution rights for 20 different series, each consisting of 26 x 26-minute episodes, plus 14 related features each with a running time of 75 minutes.

Cinar's library of over 2,200 half-hours of family programming will soon be traveling to new territories thanks to a distribution agreement with VGI Entertainment Ltd., a UK-based distribution company. Under the terms of the deal, VGI will distribute Cinar titles such as CAILLOU, ARTHUR, MONA THE VAMPIRE and THE BUSY WORLD OF RICHARD SCARY in sub-Saharan Africa. "We are very pleased to add VGI's expertise and knowledge to the Cinar team," said Louis Fournier, head of distribution for Cinar. "We are confident that our fascinating cast of characters will find a welcome home in Africa.

4Kids Entertainment has signed an agreement with DreamWorks Records to release an album based upon the music in the YU-GI-OH! animated television series. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the album, titled YU-GI-OH!: MUSIC TO DUEL BY, will be available at retail on October 29, 2002. The album will contain the YU-GI-OH! theme songs as well as orchestral passages and other songs from the television series. Also on the album will be some new music scheduled to be included in future episodes of YU-GI-OH!

Buena Vista International Television has licensed its 'Classic Treasures' package to a number of key broadcasters across the Asia Pacific region for telecast on terrestrial television for the first time. The collection, which includes A BUG'S LIFE, MULAN, POCAHONTAS, TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2 will air on the Seven Network in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand and on the Media Corp-owned Channel 5 in Singapore.

Nickelodeon has agreed to license several of its popular cartoon properties to niche-market peripheral company KidzMouse. Several new KidzMouse computer mouse designs, sold under the "Nickelodeon by KidzMouse" name and based on Nick cartoon series, will debut in time for the holiday 2002 retail season. KidzMouse, is a "Kid-Friendly Computer Mouse" about half the size of a regular computer mouse with a squeezable "head" that replaces normal mouse buttons. The product is designed to make computers accessible and enjoyable for young computer users.

Egmont Imagination has signed an exclusive worldwide direct marketing agreement with Reader’s Digest to distribute THE FAIRYTALER on video and DVD. Launched this week at MIPCOM Jr., THE FAIRYTALER is a 26 x half-hour animated series that newly illustrates Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tales, which include THE UGLY DUCKLING, THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES, THUMBELINA and THE LITTLE MERMAID. The series is a co-production between Magma Film, Egmont Imagination and fellow Danish companies A. Film and Danmarks Radio, as well as Germany's Super RTL.

The U.S. Supreme Court now has the task of determining the legality of the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA), a 1998 law that extended millions of existing copyrights by an additional 20 years. On Wednesday, October 9, 2002, the court will hear arguments in the matter of Eldred v. Ashcroft, which seeks to overturn the act on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. At the time of its enactment, the CTEA became known as the "Mickey Mouse Extension Act" because of aggressive lobbying by Disney.