VIZ Media announced that it has named Mattel as master toy licensee for ZATCH BELL! by Makoto Raiku. The announcement is the most recent development for ZATCH BELL! since VIZ Media was granted the North and South American broadcast and licensing rights in June 2004. Additionally, the company has entered into partnerships with Cartoon Network (where ZATCH BELL! premiered in March 2005 on the Toonami block) and Bandai for videogames and collectible card games in the past year.
We are pleased that Mattel will be launching toys for ZATCH BELL!, says Cynthia Money, vp of consumer products for VIZ Media. Mattel has continually impressed us with their insight and ability to capture the story and translate it into a fresh toy line that will appeal to our target audience as well as animation enthusiasts and collectors.
We are excited to be partnering with VIZ Media and are looking forward to extending the ZATCH BELL! universe with compelling toys, said Holly Stein, vp, entertainment licensing for Mattel. VIZ Media has an impressive track record of bringing great Japanese animation to the U.S. and the products we are developing will be both innovative and relevant to kids, complete with the excitement of and intrigue of the TV show."
ZATCH BELL!, an action adventure series for boys 8-14, is produced by Toei Animation Co. Ltd, one of the leading and most respected producers and developers of animation in Japan.
In the series, Kiyo is a brilliant junior high student whose inflated ego (and tendency to blow the grading curve) has made him a major target for teasing at school. So his father sends him a bizarre birthday present a strange little boy named Zatch Bell to help him make friends and reform his bad attitude. But Kiyo soon discovers that there's more to Zatch than his dad ever realized. Zatch is a creature called a mamodo, and he has magic powers that are unleashed when Kiyo reads spells from a mysterious red book. With Kiyo's help, Zatch must compete against the 99 other kids like him who are vying to become the king of the mamodo world.
Mattel Inc. (www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, including Barbie. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Hot Wheels, Matchbox, American Girl and Tyco R/C, as well as Fisher-Price brands (www.fisher-price.com), including Little People, Rescue Heroes, Power Wheels and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. With worldwide headquarters in El Sagundo, California, Mattel employs more than 25,000 people in 42 countries and sells products in more than 150 nations throughout the world.
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media Llc. (www.viz.com) is one of the leading companies in the field of manga publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japans largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co. Ltd. (ShoPro Japan), VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, videos, DVDs, audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
