The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Scholastic have agreed to bring DAVEY AND GOLIATH to a new generation of children in the first major publishing deal for the religious, animated property.
DAVEY AND GOLIATH is a classic stop-motion animated television series that aired in the late 1960s and 1970s, starring Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath, and is a property of the ELCA. The church's mission with DAVEY AND GOLIATH is to bring "moral and religious faith-based values to a new generation of children in lively and engaging ways."
"The ELCA's agreement with Scholastic is another step in our renewed effort to bring DAVEY AND GOLIATHs message of God's love for children to 21st-century children and families. We are excited that Davey and Goliath's first major publishing agreement is with such a premier children's publishing company as Scholastic," said the Rev. Eric C. Shafer, director, ELCA department for communication.
Scholastic is a "wonderful partner, and with their commitment to quality, family-friendly content, they share our vision and will play a significant role in the current re-launch plans for the ELCA's DAVEY AND GOLIATH property," said Mark Bannon, president/ceo, Animation Content, LLC. in East Granby, Connecticut. Earlier this year the ELCA and Animation Content entered into an agreement to revitalize and relaunch the original classic animated episodes and specials for television.
"We are delighted with this development in conjunction with several other initiatives that are currently under way for the re-release of the classic animated episodes, and the release of the new modern-day DAVEY AND GOLIATH animated holiday special, DAVEY AND GOLIATH'S SNOWBOARD CHRISTMAS. These important developments, along with other licensing and merchandising efforts, will help ensure that children and families today have the opportunity to be exposed to these lovable characters and timeless value-based messages," Bannon said.
"Scholastic is thrilled to be bringing DAVEY AND GOLIATH storybooks and color/activity books to a new generation of young readers," said Craig Walker, vp/editorial director, Scholastic Children's Books, New York. "The stories and themes of the television shows are very positive and the emphasis on good family and community values makes them perfect for Scholastic," Walker said.
Initially Scholastic will publish two storybooks and two coloring/activity books, said Walker. "The storybooks are what we call 'paper-over-board' books, which means hardcover without jackets. The coloring/activity books have line-drawing coloring pages, each with an additional bound-in feature. Right now we are thinking that one coloring book will have an iron-on image for use on T-shirts and more. Another will have either four-color stickers or a decorative magnet," Walker said.
The ELCA is the fourth largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. with more than five million members across the country and Caribbean. The church produced a one-hour documentary, OH DAVEY! HISTORY OF THE DAVEY AND GOLIATH TELEVISION SERIES, that aired on the ABC television network last fall. For more information, visit www.daveyandgoliath.org.
