Toy News Chuggington Supplement

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RIDING THE RAILS TO RETAIL IN 2010

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Brand Overview

Chuggington is an action-based, energetic and vibrant 3D CGI animated series which follows the adventures of three young trainees – Wilson, Brewster and Koko as they learn to ride the rails.

During their adventures, they interact with a host of railway friends from the oldest puffing steam engine to the latest sleek bullet train, all of whom guide and encourage the trainees as they sharpen their skills.

Chuggington has entertainment and enjoyment at its heart but embedded within each story are positive life lessons centred on personal, social

and emotional development; inspiring teamwork, confidence, independence, responsibility and learning the true meaning of friendship.

With compelling storylines, positive messages, contemporary animation and interactive entertainment, Chuggington offers a unique connection between its characters and target audience.

With a vast complex of platforms, repair sheds, roundhouses and yards for loading, fuelling and training, Chuggington offers unlimited destinations to explore and adventures from which to learn, ensuring that it never runs out of steam!

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Introduction Welcome to this dedicated Chuggington supplement. Over the next 15 pages you will be able to read all about the major consumer product launches planned for the hit series.

Worldwide reaction to Chuggington in the broadcast, licensing and retail communities has been extraordinary.

Ludorum has secured agreements with an extensive number of UK licensees, regional licensees, publishing and home entertainment partners around the world, and an infrastructure of top international agents is lined up to roll-out the brand and exploit Chuggington worldwide throughout 2010 and beyond.

Chuggington is an exciting proposition for our partners – a property which addresses powerful play values that meet the expectations of children and parents across the world and in all cultures and that also offers wide licensing, publishing and home entertainment opportunities. Our focus has been to ensure we work with leading partners in each sector and we are delighted to partner with first class licensees whose own strengths in design, retail and marketing are second to none.

2009 has seen key product launching into the UK marketplace with the first DVD and publishing titles, as well as apparel appearing at retail. The response to these initial launches has been beyond our expectations and demonstrates that there is significant consumer appetite for the Chuggington

brand and we look forward to building on this success throughout 2010.

Find out more about Chuggington in this special supplement which includes UK and international updates, success stories, style guide information, an interview with our creative talent including a sneak peak of what lies ahead for this new train based pre-school brand and much more.

Julian Day, VP UK Consumer Products

Contents Brand Overview ...........................................................................................2 Introduction .................................................................................................3 The Creation of Chuggington .................................................................4-5 Riding the Rails – The Story So Far.......................................................6-7 Character Overview ................................................................................8-9 Learning Curve Rides the Rails with Chuggington in 2010..............10-11 Introducing Chuggington Licensees ........................................................12 International Focus....................................................................................13 Style Guide: The Inside Track...................................................................14 Meet Team Chuggington............................................................................15

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The Creation of Chuggington ToyNews spoke to Don Toht, Executive Producer and Sarah Ball, Director to find out how Chuggington was created…

Don and Sarah with from left to right: Zephie: Jadie-Rose Hobson; Emery: Jordan Clarke; Wilson: Morgan Overton; Hodge: Arthur Lee; Brewster: Charlie George; Koko: Imogen Bailey.

Where did the idea for Chuggington come from?

Don: Chuggington is the result of a huge collaborative process. It started life as Project Irving, a rough concept developed by myself, Dick Rothkopf, Rob Lawes and Charlie Caminada of Ludorum. We believed that this was a project that had a lot of potential and deserved to be developed further.

A development team was assembled and a show bible and pilot script produced. To make the pilot we chose a Shanghai-based production studio in which we saw incredible potential. Sarah Ball (the director) and I spent three weeks in China working together on it. It was a very intense and challenging period of creativity and problem solving – but by the end of the trip we had a twominute pilot.

a fresh, dynamic train show for the 21st century, but with some good old-fashioned values and strong storytelling.

What was the vision? Why trains?

Sarah: We felt that there was a place in the market for an animated train show that was contemporary and high tech – just like the world children are growing up in today. Our aim was to come up with

There are train properties already. What’s different about Chuggington?

Don: Ludorum identified a gap in the market for a slightly older skewed train-based property, aimed at both girls and boys. Chuggington is modern and

Don: I have always been fascinated by the magic a train holds for a child. They are big, powerful and sometimes a little bit scary. As soon as a whistle is heard, a gate comes down or a warning sounds, kids burst with anticipation of what’s coming down the tracks. Apart from a child’s attraction to trains, I also feel they are a terrific storytelling vehicle.

You can break down barriers and address diversity because trains are universal – they are found all around the world – so we could develop characters that reflect different cultures, ages, and personalities and create a series that could be globally embraced.

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We wanted the trainees to be young so we used children as the lead voices.

This was a big challenge, but also hugely rewarding. The children put a lot of themselves into the characters they play, which gives them a real authenticity and bags of personality.

up-to-date with bold, multi-layered storytelling. It’s an altogether different proposition to what has existed in the marketplace historically.

Sarah: I think what makes Chuggington different is its modern, fresh look coupled with the show’s fast pace and the high quality of the CG animation. The characters are well developed and the storylines and adventures are complex. In Chuggington every engine that was ever built is still in great working order; so you have steam engines living alongside modern electric trains. Trains are the only form of transport in Chuggington!

How did you come up with the characters and the concept of them being ‘trainees’?

Sarah: After lots of brainstorming, we settled on the idea that Chuggington would be a community.

Rather than feature one main character, the stories centre on three trainee trains, Wilson, Brewster and Koko. They are learning how to be fully-fledged engines. We wanted their experiences to echo those of our young audience, as they learn by play, example and practice.

Wilson is a bit of a scatter-train, but he’s very enthusiastic and provides a lot of comedy moments. He has a very short attention span, which often gets him into trouble. Meanwhile, Koko is daring, outgoing, adventurous and confident.

Brewster is very methodical – he’s the sensible one and the thinker of the three.

The trainees learn from the older, wiser engines (Chuggers), just as children have to learn from their parents and carers.

Can you tell us more about the interstitials you’re producing?

Don: The interstitials can be used as stand-alone shorts or packaged together with the episodes to make a longer format – as they will when Chuggington airs on Playhouse Disney in the US. Each interstitial is a ‘badge quest’. Vee assigns the trainees a task and if they complete it successfully they will earn a badge as a reward. Earning a badge is a source of great pride for a trainee but it isn’t easy. They may not achieve their badge first time round and will have to try again in some instances.

Series one has now been airing on CBeebies for 16 months; when can we expect to see series two and what can we look forward to?

Sarah: Series two is currently in production and delivery will commence over the summer. We are also working on the interstitials with delivery scheduled for spring. The new series introduces some new characters. We have two new trainees – Hoot and Toot – a brother and sister ‘push-me-pullme’ engine with distinct personalities. They bicker constantly and provide a lot of comedy. Joining the adult cast is Speedy – a grand old steam train who doesn’t do anything in a rush. Speedy will have a celebrity voiceover but we’re keeping that under wraps for now.

Don: Series two also introduces new rolling stock, including snowploughs and blowers, camera cars, and a tunnel scrubber. There will also be lots of exciting new locations. We will be adding a more urban feel with the introduction of Chuggington city, where the tracks wrap around and run through high-rise buildings. The new series expands on series one’s strong themes, adventure, humour and life lessons. The stories are action packed and we’re really raising the bar with our production values. Chuggington fans won’t be disappointed!

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Riding the Rails – The Story So Far UK FOCUS Broadcast Chuggington made its UK debut in September 2008 on BBC2 and launched on CBeebies in January 2009, where the series was quickly established as a phenomenal ratings success.

Series one of Chuggington continued to air on CBeebies throughout 2009 in the coveted 17:25 and 17:45 slots and is one of CBeebies’ top three rated shows since launching on the channel – attracting an average 500,000 viewers daily. At its peak, Chuggington was recorded as the third highest rating children’s programme of all time – securing 543,000 viewers.

Consumer Products Chuggington’s UK consumer products roll-out commenced in spring 2009 with the first DVD release from UK home entertainment partner, 2Entertain. The first title, ‘Let’s Ride the Rails’ was the biggest new preschool brand to launch in 2009 with week one sales beating all other pre-school DVD releases.

Parragon’s publishing range launched in August with four titles going on sale exclusively in Marks and Spencer followed by a wider roll-out to other leading UK retailers. The initial range of titles are proving hugely popular and have notched up significant sales to date.

A stand-alone Chuggington monthly magazine from DC Thomson also made its debut at retail in 2009 and features a mix of activities including crafts, colouring and puzzles. The Chuggington publishing range, including the magazine title, is available at all © Next Retail Limited 2009.

All Rights Reserved.

major retailers. Chuggington also features in the leading pre-school magazine title, CBeebies. For more details on the Chuggington publishing range see opposite page.

Chuggington apparel and accessories including hats, scarves, gloves, pyjamas and underwear launched exclusively in over 400 Next stores, as well as in the Next catalogue, in October 2009.

Commenting on the launch, a Next spokesperson said: “We started with a limited trial of Chuggington nightwear and t-shirts in our stores last autumn. This has been successful and well received by our customers and will certainly be included in our licensed offer for baby boys in 2010”. Next was the winner of the 2009 Retailer of Licensed Products at the Licensing Awards.

Ludorum has secured first class consumer products partners to implement the Chuggington 2010 licensing programme. It will be led by Learning Curve® Brands, global master toy licensee, which will be launching its Chuggington toy lines globally in spring 2010. Learning Curve has developed some exceptional toy concepts and Ludorum has worked closely with the firm to develop extensive lines for the 2010 launch which include die-cast and interactive ranges. Find out more on pages 10 and 11.

Ludorum has secured a strong raft of over 25 licensees across multiple categories in the UK. Other key partners include Ravensburger (puzzles), VTech (electronic learning aids), Tomy (creative play), Blues (apparel), Flair (arts and crafts), Halsall (bikes and wheeled goods), Aykroyd/TDP (nightwear/underwear) and Gemma International (greetings).

52 x 10 minute episodes available A further 26 x 10 minute episodes in production for delivery summer 2010 26 x 3 minute mini-episodes in production for delivery spring 2010

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Ludorum will be implementing a broad consumer facing PR and marketing campaign throughout 2010 to support retail and drive visibility and brand awareness both in and out of store. The campaign will target all areas of the media with a particular focus on online and digital.

Ludorum’s marketing and brand plans are complemented by its licensees, who will implement their own marketing plans which will include TV advertising for Learning Curve’s Chuggington toy lines.

The website (www.chuggington.com) continues to be an integral part of Ludorum’s Chuggington brand strategy and 2010 will see extensive ongoing development, with additional content and further updates.

Publishing Parragon has been appointed a long-term publishing partner and its initial range of seven Chuggington titles including story, sticker, colouring, novelty, sound and activity books launched at retail in August 2009. Parragon offers a broad range of formats and price points across the Chuggington range and the titles are more than just books, offering exceptional play value and interactivity across the programme.

The first four titles launched exclusively in Marks and Spencer, with the retailer expanding its range by a further four in spring 2010. The launch of the Chuggington publishing range in Marks and Spencer was closely followed by a wider roll-out with Chuggington titles on shelf in leading UK stores and e-tailers including Waterstones, WH

Smith, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Amazon and Asda from 2010.

Launching into a competitive market and up against three other significant pre-school launches, Chuggington is the clear winner at retail and it currently stands 20 per cent up on UK retail sales forecast. A further 23 titles are scheduled to roll-out throughout 2010 with a full range of marketing support and in-store theatre including FSDUs, postcards, bookmarks, posters and stickers, as well as competitions and promotions.

DC Thomson’s stand-alone Chuggington magazine is a must have for little trainees.

Each edition of the magazine, which is published every three weeks, takes readers on a journey with their favourite characters from the show and is packed with a mix of activities to help little ones develop both cognitive and emotional skills.

Children can enjoy colouring scenes, Chugger stories, crafts and a range of fun puzzles.

Including a branded covermount with every issue, demonstrating both educational and play value, the interactive magazine focuses on ‘learning through fun’ which is supported by the Chugger pop ups which share fun facts and suggest activities. Stocked in Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsburys, Co-op, WH Smith and independent retailers throughout the UK, the Chuggington magazine is a welcome addition to the Chuggington publishing range.

The Chuggington TV series is also supported by the Chuggers inclusion in CBeebies magazine – the leading weekly pre-school magazine title from BBC Worldwide.

* All figures accurate at time of going to press * Ratings figures provided by Digital-i

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Dunbar

Irving

Hodge

Koko

Dunbar: “Let’s get those wheels to the rails”. A shunting engine

Irving: An adult chugger with a perfectionist streak.

with a strong work ethic. Teacher/mentor to the young trainees.

Responsible for the rubbish and recycling.

Vee: The warm voice of the announcer with the important role of

Koko: “Chugga Chugga CHOO CHOO!” A fearless, electric,

keeping Chuggington running to schedule. Contactable from every platform and always on hand to help.

streamlined passenger trainee built for high speed, who loves to explore and have adventures. “Traintastic!”

Hodge: A chugger pick up truck with a

Harrison: Smooth as silk and considered to be the fastest

“Seen it all” attitude.

chugger in Chuggington.

Harriso

Wilson

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Olwin

rison

lson

Old Puffer Pete

Brewster

Zephie

Wilson: “Let’s ride the rails!” A lively multifunction engine with

Old Puffer Pete: A 150 year old steam engine. The

oodles of enthusiasm. A bit of a scattertrain whose eagerness isn’t always matched by his ability to pay attention to instructions.

oldest train in Chuggington who loves to “Pull the youngsters’ pistons.”

Brewster: “Honking Horns!” A solid diesel-electric trainee

Olwin: An older, female steam engine. Always runs on time,

built for heavy loads. Dependable and can always be relied upon in a crisis.

can’t abide lateness and loves mothering her “Little chug a chugs”.

Zephie: A young scissor lift trolley, big enough to carry two people. Flighty, giggly, girly and fun.

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Chuggington Rides the Rails with Learning Curve in 2010 Learning Curve® Brands will unveil a ‘traintastic’ range of collectible die-cast engines and actionpacked playsets in 2010 based on the hit animated series, Chuggington.

An exciting new destination for pre-schoolers, the new Chuggington Die-Cast toy line was developed to deliver action-packed train play while reflecting the key destinations and core developmental messages of the CGI series. The new Chuggington toy line will offer pre-schoolers a chance to take part in the adventures of the show’s three young trainee engines: Wilson, Koko and Brewster. Directly inspired by the sights, sounds, and characters of the popular pre-school programme, Learning Curve’s new Chuggington line combines role play with time-honoured train play, to the delight of parents and children alike.

Highlights from the Chuggington Die-Cast line, debuting at retail in 2010 include: Chuggington Die-Cast Engines – The world of Chuggington comes to life with this series of diecast engines. Children will be eager to collect each of the key characters from the series, replicated in these highly-detailed, colourful die-cast engines.

Available from March 2010, Learning Curve’s Chuggington engines include heroes Wilson, Brewster and Koko alongside other favourites including Old Puffer Pete, Dunbar, Zephie, Hodge, Frostini and Action Chugger. Vehicles such as Calley's Fire & Rescue Cars, Irving's Rubbish Cars, Mtambo’s Safari Cars, Frostini's Ice Cream Cars and Hodge with Popcorn Car are all available as twin packs.

Wilson Carry Case – For Chuggington fun on the go, children can transport their engines in the new Wilson Carry Case. Shaped just like the series hero Wilson, the case can hold up to 17 die-cast vehicles and includes free-rolling wheels.

Launch & Go Roundhouse Playset – Sure to entertain Chuggington fans, the Launch & Go Roundhouse Playset re-creates an iconic location from the show, the trainees’ ‘home’. With its four

engine bays and a moving launcher, children can rotate the playset’s launcher to open the doors and whiz the engines out onto the circle of track when adventure calls. The playset also features a rotating turntable, lights and sounds, and includes a die-cast Koko engine.

Fix & Go Repair Shed Playset – Featuring three unique play areas, the Fix & Go Repair Shed Playset is the perfect place for children to repair broken engines. To diagnose a problem, engines are placed behind a moving chug scanner. From there, they move onto a ‘rotator’ to be tilted and fixed using a tethered tool. Finally, the engines are cleaned up as they exit through a Chug Wash. This lights and sounds playset also includes a die-cast Brewster engine.

Training Yard with Loop Playset - Available for autumn/winter, this action-packed playset offers a world of adventure for a child’s favourite chuggers. Featuring a fantastic spiral track that engines can race down before shooting around an overhead loop, the set includes a motorised launcher as well as a die-cast Wilson engine.

The Chuggington Die-Cast line launch will be supported heavily through an extensive TV campaign at key times throughout the year. This is in addition to heavyweight print press, PR and online media activity.

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Chuggington Goes Interactive in 2010 Learning Curve® Brands introduces a new dimension in train play with the Chuggington Interactive collection, launching in August 2010.

Filled with innovative sets and engines, the new line brings the adventures of our ‘trainee’ heroes to life like never before. This innovative toy line is based on the adventures of the Chuggington animated series from Ludorum, which airs on the BBC’s CBeebies channel.

A simple ‘wireless’ network between every engine and Train Stop allows each piece to ‘communicate’ to the others, providing endless play opportunities. Engines actually recognise and greet one another and acknowledge where they are on the track. As new engines and Train Stops are added to the sets, they are instantly recognised by existing engines.

Interactive product components in the new range include eight single-car engine packs featuring key characters from the series and two twin packs: Dunbar with Flatbed and Irving with Hopper Car. To further expand their interactive Chuggington universe, children can add additional Train Stop locations. Three Train Stops will debut in

2010, including Morgan’s Repair Shed, the Rock Quarry and the Chug Wash.

Beyond engines and Train Stops, the 2010 interactive product line includes two complete Chuggington train sets. Each set offers a full ‘train play plus’ experience in every box, including engines, track, buildings and more.

Each train set includes an interactive engine that recognises any other engine, reacts to any Train Stop and responds to a child’s play. Children can start their interactive experience with the Bridge & Tunnel Starter Set featuring a figure-ofeight layout, working drawbridge, tunnel and an Interactive Brewster engine. Based on 2010 series tie-ins, the All Around Chuggington Train Set incorporates a deluxe Trainee Roundhouse with Vee, three other Train Stops and an Interactive Wilson engine.

In addition, the Chuggington Interactive range can be expanded with two connectable Track Packs: Straight & Curve or Elevated.

Learning Curve Brands will be unveiling the Chuggington toy line at Toy Fair 2010 on stand F70.

■ Visit www.lcb2b.com

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Introducing a selection of Chuggington Licensees VTech: Global partner for Interactive Console and Electronic Learning Aids. A world leader of age-appropriate learning toys, VTech will be launching its Chuggington Laptop in summer 2010.

Tomy: Pan European partner for arts and crafts including the Chuggington Aquadraw which will be TV advertised. The Tomy brand is world renowned and synonymous with quality, play value and innovation. Product launch is planned for winter 2010.

Ravensbuger: Pan-European partner for puzzles and games. A world leader in puzzles and games which are fun, educational and interactive, Ravensburger will be launching a Chuggington memory game and dominoes in spring 2010.

All in 1: Multi-territory partner for 3-D puzzles and activity puzzles. Range to launch spring 2010.

Flair: UK partner and master of creative play, Flair will be launching a range of imaginative play items from autumn 2010 including dough and stampers, ink stampers and a chugger which draws its own track.

© Next Retail Limited 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Halsall: The leading, specialist manufacturer of outdoor and wheeled toys will be launching its Chuggington range of bikes and wheeled sporting goods in summer 2010.

Publications International: One of America's premier publishing companies, Publications International is a multi-territory partner for electronic sound books and will be launching its range which includes a Chuggington Steering Wheel Book from spring 2010.

Blues/Aykroyd/TDP Licensing/VMC: UK partners for apparel include Blues for outerwear including t-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts.

Aykroyd/TDP Licensing is producing nightwear and underwear, while VMC is Chuggington’s UK licensee for hats, gloves, scarves, dress up and accessories. Products from all of Chuggington’s apparel ranges have launched in Next and the Next Directory.

Gemma International and Tiger Print: UK licensees for categories across greetings cards, calendars and stationery.

Other licensees: Also secured in the UK are bedding (Character World), back packs and accessories including wheelie bags (Trade Mark Collections) and Mealtime and Melamine (Zak Designs).

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International Focus Broadcast Chuggington continues to welcome aboard international partners and has now been sold to an astonishing 170 territories around the world.

Key broadcast partners include CBeebies in the UK, Disney Channel in the US for the Playhouse Disney block, Fuji Television Network in Japan, Germany’s Super RTL, TF1 in France, Australia’s ABC and Treehouse in Canada.

Elsewhere internationally, Ludorum has extended its relationship with Disney to incorporate key territories throughout Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Chuggington will also appear on Disney Playhouse in 45 countries throughout Latin America including Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as the Nordic and Baltic territories and Italy.

In the Middle East, Chuggington will debut on Al Jazeera in Arabic and will also be available in English on MBC3 and in over 50 countries throughout Africa on KTV (MNet).

Chuggington will debut in countries throughout Central and Eastern Europe including the Nordic territories, Portugal, Russia, Hungary, Greece, Romania and Poland throughout 2010.

Consumer Products Chuggington’s international consumer products roll-out will commence from spring 2010.

The global master toy licence is held by Learning Curve Brands. Other multi-territory licensing partners include: Parragon – strong sales reported at retail in Australia at Target, Kmart and Big W Ravensburger – Puzzles and games VTech – Electronic Learning Aids Tomy – Arts and crafts, bath toys Chuggington is also represented by 18 international agents with 65 licensees already on board across multiple categories. Agents have

Charlie Caminada

already been appointed in key territories and include TF1 Enterprises in France, Super RTL in Germany, Backstage in Italy, Plus Licens for the Nordic territories, Poland, Russia, Hungary and Czech Republic.

Ludorum has appointed Merchantwise in Australia and Character Licensing & Merchandising in South Africa as Chuggington’s agent. MediaLink represents Chuggington for multiple territories across South East Asia.

Charlie Caminada, COO of Ludorum, commented: “We could not have been more pleased with the broadcast launch of Chuggington throughout the world in 2009 and across such a first class group of blue chip broadcasters.

Parents and children worldwide have provided fantastic feedback and early sales of limited product so far have been excellent.

“Chuggington represents a major commitment

by Ludorum and we will continue to raise the bar in all our endeavors to support the superb line-up of partners attached to the project throughout the world.”

Chuggington Comes Highly Rated!

Chuggington has rated within the top three programmes on BBC’s CBeebies throughout 2009, is the No.1 rated children’s show across all ages on ABC in Australia, and in Germany the series has achieved an audience share of 70 per cent of pre-school children, making it the No.1 rated show on Toggolino. Broadcast partners in France, Canada and Korea, and other several other countries, also report hugely successful ratings since launch.

Chuggington was launched on July 4th 2009 on Japan’s number one commercial network, Fuji TV, with early success and very positive reaction throughout the market. In the United States, the show will make its debut on the Disney Channel on January 18th 2010.

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Style Guide: The Inside Track ToyNews spoke to Dave Collins, Sales Director at Red Central, about the creation of the style guide for Chuggington…

How has Red Central’s previous experience helped with the development of the Chuggington style guide?

The core team within Red Central has been working within the licensing industry for over two decades. We started out as users of style guides, and often found ourselves frustrated with the lack of usability and inspiration encountered within many key guides. It was always our ambition to create style guides ourselves, and this is exactly what we went on to do.

Starting with Bob The Builder a number of years ago, we have continually evolved style guide design and production.

The Chuggington style guide is the pinnacle of our experience to date, created to not only showcase the brand, but to be as comprehensive and as user-friendly and accessible to the widest range of end users.

How have licensees reacted to it?

Licensee reaction to the style guide (from those that have had a sneak peak) has been phenomenal and Ludorum is already seeing fantastic results in its

PD submissions. The guide captures everything about the show – visually stunning, vibrant and energetic. The packaging has great shelf presence and the branding colour palette is second to none and totally unique in the pre-school environment, which will give the property great stand out against the competition.

What is unique about the Chuggington guide?

Rather than unique, we would say the reason that the style guide works is down to its construction.

We have created mini design kits for each of the three trainees, and for them as a group – this approach provides end users with a clear understanding of how to apply the graphic programs for each individual character, and for the characters combined.

This ensures that tight control of the brand is retained whilst providing inspiration and flexibility without being restrictive.

In addition, taking key elements such as phrases and icons, we’ve provided a rich and diverse range of assets allowing for the simplest applications through to the most complex.

How long did the process take – from start to finish – to create the style guide?

The process from concept to print has taken four months. The style guide has 92 pages and two DVDs of assets.

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Meet Team Chuggington Dick Rothkopf: Chairman Between 1969 and 1975, Dick Rothkopf held various positions in Europe for Mobil Oil Corp. In 1975 he was appointed International Controller for Nixdorf Computer AG, Germany until 1977 when he became President of Douglas Dunhill Inc., a position he held until 1979. Since 1980, Dick has been Chairman and owner of Rothkopf Enterprises Inc. In addition, he held the position of Executive Chairman of Learning Curve International from 1993 until its acquisition by RC2 Corporation in 2003 and was Senior Vice President and a director of RC2 Corporation until December 31, 2006.

Rob Lawes: Chief Executive Rob was company accountant at Video Arts Television before joining HIT in 1989 as its Financial Controller and Company Secretary. In 1995, he was appointed to the board of HIT as Finance Director and became its Director of Corporate Development in 1997 and Commercial Director in 1999.

From June 2001 until October 2004, Rob held the position of Chief Executive of HIT, following which, he advised Apax Partners on its successful acquisition of HIT in May 2005.

Rob was appointed an Executive Director of Ludorum on January 10, 2006.

Charlie Caminada: Chief Operating Officer Charlie Caminada was National Sales Director of Triple M Radio in Sydney, Australia from 1981 until 1986. He joined London Weekend Television in 1987 as Sales Group Manager for its new Late Night Service until 1990 when he joined HIT as Senior Sales Executive. Charlie was HIT's Head of Sales from 1993 until 1995, when he was appointed to the board as Sales Director. In 1999 he became Managing Director – Worldwide Distribution and in June 2001 became HIT's President – Global Sales and Marketing. Between June 2002 and September 2005, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer of HIT. Charlie was appointed an Executive Director of Ludorum on January 10, 2006.

Don Toht: Executive Vice President Concept and Development From 1988 to 1995, Don Toht served as Creative Director for an agency partner of McDonald’s Corporation, developing happy meal toy programs.

In 1995 he joined Learning Curve International as Vice President of Product Development. There he managed the efforts of research and development, design, engineering and product management. In 2003, Learning Curve International was acquired by RC2 Corporation, where Don held the position of Vice President of New Products, focusing his attention on research and concept development until April 2006.

Maureen Taxter: SVP US Consumer Products Maureen Taxter served as Director of Licensing at Jim Henson Productions from 1982 – 1992. She joined Hasbro Toy as Director of Corporate Licensing to manage licensing of all Hasbro brands.

In 1995, Maureen joined Nickelodeon as Vice President/General Manager overseeing Licensing.

She spent 10 years in a series of progressive roles overseeing Brand Marketing, Nick Records, Retail & New Business Development for industry-leading brands such as Blue’s Clues, SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. She joined Ludorum in September, 2009, to oversee US commercial operations as SVP Consumer Products including licensing, retail and brand development.

Julian Day: VP UK Consumer Products Julian Day was a Sourcing Designer for ColtejerPraxis International and between 1991 and 1999 held positions in Colombia, Hong Kong and Morocco. He joined Warner Bros. Consumer Products in 1999 as Senior Category Manager and by 2003 was managing a number of licensed categories across the Warner brand of entertainment properties as Group Category manager. In 2004, Julian joined Marvel International Entertainment as Licensing Director leaving in 2007 as Vice President of Licensing.

Julian was appointed VP UK Consumer Products on April 17 2008.

Katie Rollings: Global Brand Consultant Katie joined the Ludorum team as Global Brand Consultant in January 2009 and is responsible for the strategic planning and marketing of Chuggington. Prior to this, Katie spent seven years at HIT Entertainment where she held various positions, most notably as the Vice President of Consumer Products and Brand Marketing for the HIT portfolio of including Thomas & Friends and Bob the Builder.

Prior to joining HIT, Katie spent five years at BBC Worldwide, three of which were spent brand managing Teletubbies.

Natalie Setton: International Sales and Licensing Manager Natalie joined Ludorum in October 2008 and is responsible for broadcast sales and licensing across Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Natalie previously spent two years at TV Loonland as Sales Executive responsible for sales across Asia working with children’s brands including Little Princess. Natalie has also worked in Japan and as an account manager for Japanese travel agencies while in living in Tokyo. She has a degree in Japanese Studies.

Dawn Bushnell: Product Development and Approvals Manager Dawn joined Ludorum in October 2009 from HIT Entertainment. Dawn has built up six years’ experience in product development, three of which were spent at HIT working across pre-school brands including Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Barney, Pingu, Angelina Ballerina and others as Product Development Manager for both soft and hard goods. Dawn was also winner of the Daily Mail Ideal Home Show Concept Product Award which saw her daylight stimulation product design awarded first place out of 1,000 designs.

Danielle Cook: Business Manager (US Office) Danielle joined Ludorum in October 2009 as Business Manager, Ludorum US, responsible for Operations and Licensing. Danielle has ten years’ consumer products experience having previously worked for international fashion house, Emenegildo Zegna, and spent six years with Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products in retail and new business development.

Clara Wooller: VP International Sales Clara joined Ludorum in October 2009 following three years in a sales role at Marvel working across brands including Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk 2, Spiderman 3 and other classic Marvel brands.

Clara has extensive experience in licensing across EMEA and Asia Pacific territories and has previously held roles at SpinVox Ltd and The Sunday Times.

Ludorum London - Head Office 2B River Court • 27 Brewhouse Lane • Putney Wharf • London SW15 2JX Tel: +44 (0) 20 8246 4010 • Fax: +44 (0) 20 8246 4022 General email enquiries: info@ludorum.com

Ludorum US - Head Office 360 Lexington Avenue • 11th Floor • (bet. 40th & 41st) New York, NY 10017 • Tel: 914-721-6088 General email enquiries: info@ludorum.com

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Ludorum plc 2b River Court 27 Brewhouse Lane Putney Wharf London SW15 2JX Tel: +44 (0)20 8246 4010 www.ludorum.com Š Ludorum plc 2009