ViacomCBS - Cover Story

What started as an earworm we couldn’t shake has grown into a true pop culture phenomenon.

Baby Shark launched on YouTube in November 2015 and took the world by storm, amassing more than 7 billion views and becoming the most-watched video in the platform’s history. Swimming from YouTube onto Nick Jr, Baby Shark’s Big Show! made its first debut this past holiday season with the premiere of Baby Shark’s Big Fishmas Special! The brand new animated series based on the pop culture phenomenon will officially roll-out across Nickelodeon’s preschool platforms starting with the U.S. premiere in Spring 2021. Following the U.S. launch, the series will roll out on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels internationally.

Co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and SmartStudy, the global entertainment company behind the beloved children’s brand Pinkfong, the 2D-animated series (26 half-hour episodes), will follow Baby Shark and his best friend William as they journey on fun-filled comedic adventures in their community of Carnivore Cove, meet new friends and sing original catchy tunes along the way.

The Baby Shark consumer products program has taken retail by storm under the direction of ViacomCBS Consumer Products, with Baby Shark named a top five new brand in the global market by NPD in March 2020. In 2020, master toy partner WowWee continued to expand its successful Baby Shark line using proprietary technology to inspire new ways to learn and play with everybody’s favorite shark. Their Baby Shark Dancing DJ toy exceeded all retail expectations this year. An ocean of new categories rolled out in 2020 including apparel, backpacks, mac & cheese, cereal, toothbrushes and bandaids, with additional expansion in 2021 including sippy cups, party supplies and more! Products based on the new series’ look and characters will hit retail shelves in Fall 2021 starting with an all new toy line from WowWee.

New licensing deals announced for the property in recent months include CandyRific, who announced a line of Pinkfong Baby Shark Light & Sound Wands, its first novelty item filled with Jelly Belly Candy Co. organic jelly beans. In addition, Kellogg’s launched Baby Shark Froot Loops cereal in South Africa and Sambro International Ltd announced an exciting range of children’s Arts & Craft, Novelty and Outdoor products for the iconic Baby Shark brand in the UK. Hitting shelves in spring 2021, the range will include painting sets, doughs and inflatable play products. On the apparel side, Leomil launched a new Baby Shark children’s footwear line including sneakers, slippers, and rain boots for back-toschool 2020 in Europe and the Middle East and Lexibook announced an exciting range of children’s electronics inspired by the iconic Baby Shark brand launching in France in 2021.

Baby Shark has been the recipient of numerous industry accolades, with the property named License of the Year and the Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppets by WowWee named Plush of the Year at the 2020 Toy of the Year Awards. The WowWee Song Puppet was also honored with the 2020 National Parenting Product Award. The property has once again been nominated for License of the Year in the upcoming 2021 Toy of the Year Awards.

The original “Baby Shark Dance” video is now the #1 most-watched video of all time on YouTube! With music, characters, story and dance all combined together, the song recorded a 20-week-streak on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned a viral phenomenon #BabySharkChallenge, generating over one million cover videos around the globe. Baby Shark single received RIAA Diamond certification (11x Platinums) for selling over 11 million records in the US. This recognition makes Baby Shark the only children’s song in history to be certified Diamond, and also one of the only 41 Diamond singles alongside best-selling artists such as Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga. The song also has been recognized as BRIT certified 2x Platinum. Baby Shark’s Big Fishmas Special, the holiday episode of Baby Shark’s Big Show!, premiered in the U.S. on Nickelodeon Dec. 11, 2020, and ranked as the top telecast of the week with K2-5 (excluding sports), citing data by Nielsen Media Research.

Nickelodeon’s hit preschool series Blue’s Clues & You!, which is a remake of the groundbreaking, curriculum-driven interactive series Blue’s Clues, has become a clue-finding global phenomenon as it continues to entertain and educate a new generation of preschoolers.

After seeing worldwide success with an already established licensing program, ViacomCBS Consumer Products is continuing to grow the Blue’s Clues & You! international merchandise portfolio in top markets such as Mexico, Spain, UK and Canada. The growing international consumer products program for the new series aligns with the 25th anniversary of the original series coming up in 2021.

ViacomCBS Consumer Products continues to focus its efforts on growing Blue’s Clue & You! merchandise programs in select international markets, such as Mexico, where the show is ranked #3 on Nick Jr. Mexico. Parents and their kids will be able to join in on more clue-finding fun when a new line of consumer products launches at retail in March 2021 starting with our apparel and publishing lines heading to department stores, followed by toys in April for Children’s Day.

The hit preschool series is also seeing tremendous success in Spain. Spanish retailers have shown their optimism for Blue’s Clues & You! product performance success and are putting all efforts and support around the property as we head in 2021. Retailtainment activations will kick off from May 2021. Canada continues to be a strong market for Blue’s Clues & You!, as the series continues its 8-month streak at #1 with K2-5 in its main timeslot on the Treehouse network.

ViacomCBS has also seen strong retail success with its established merchandise programs, with the Thinking Chair and Peek-A-Blue Plush remaining wildly popular at Walmart, and the Blue’s House Playset and Dance-Along Blue Plush Exclusives as the top selling toys for the franchise at Toys “R” Us. Both retailers also featured the brand among their top toys for the holidays in 2020. 2021 will bring an extensive category rollout with a range of new products that preschoolers are sure to love debuting in the spring.

Blue’s Clues & You! has also seen continuing success in the UK with its current licensing deals. Toy partner Just Play is seeing strong sell-in for its new toy line, which includes plushes, collectible figures, playsets and more is on the way.

Melissa & Doug, the purpose-driven global toy brand, have signed a licensing partnership to deliver PAW Patrol® and Blue’s Clues & You! co-branded toy product lines for Fall 2021. The toys will be designed to educate and empower preschoolers through active engagement with a focus on problem solving and creative thinking. This global partnership with ViacomCBS is the largest licensing agreement Melissa & Doug has ever signed, marking a major milestone for the company. Through the partnership, Melissa & Doug will bring innovative and imaginative toys to retail that will span multiple categories focused on learning and education. “Melissa & Doug has been at the forefront of children’s toys for over 30 years. We are thrilled to collaborate with them to create products based on the beloved PAW Patrol and Blue’s Clues & You! IP that continue to inspire imagination and hugely impact children’s growth and learning,” said Dion Vlachos, Executive Vice President, Licensing & Retail, ViacomCBS. From its beginning, Melissa & Doug has been a purpose-driven company committed to providing a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. Recently, Melissa & Doug announced their alliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics to champion the health benefits of open-ended play and provide tools and resources for parents to make it an essential part of children’s everyday lives. “We’re excited to work with a company as iconic as Nickelodeon, one that shares in our mission to make the world a more playful place through thoughtfully researched and designed products and content,” said David Henderson, Chief Commercial Officer of Melissa & Doug. “The characters of PAW Patrol and Blue’s Clues & You! will help us introduce our hands-on, skill-building toys to an even greater number of children.”

Interview

Veronica Hart, Executive Vice President, Global Franchise Planning, ViacomCBS

Total Licensing talked to Veronica Hart to find out more about ViacomCBS’s powerhouse preschool franchises.

Could you outline some of the recent news for your key properties over the last few months?

2020 has been a year like no other, and despite the world turning upside down this year, I am thrilled to say Nickelodeon - and ViacomCBS Consumer Products - has been able to pivot with our partners and retailers. SpongeBob SquarePants had a huge year coming out of the brand’s 20th anniversary, and in advance of the upcoming The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run feature film and launch of the new series Kamp Koral. JoJo Siwa, our amazing social star, was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential people, and in Latin America we launched product with new social star Bala. Looking across the ViacomCBS portfolio, South Parkexpanded its retail presence across mass market globally, and Star Trek has been cemented as an iconic brand with new partners and products debuting as we continue to expand the franchise for a broader audience than ever before. And that’s all on top of the phenomenal year we had in the preschool space in preparation for a milestone year for PAW Patrol, Blue’s Clues & You!, and Baby Shark in 2021.

Focusing on PAW Patrol, Blue’s Clues & You! and Baby Shark, can you tell us some recent highlights for each brand?

We reignited Blue’s Clues for a whole new generation with a successful retail launch in the US, Canada and Australia with products from Just Play, VTECH and more debuting across key categories. Additionally, we will be launching the property at retail in the UK, Mexico and other key markets in 2021. Continuing in preschool, PAW Patrol continues to expand. It is the number #1 preschool TV brand in toys and we continue to build “pawsome” new collections for new distribution channels. We also launched Baby Shark products at a great time- the original Baby Sharkdance video is now the #1 most watched video of all time!

What has been the impact of Covid for you – and what positives have you noted?

As the year started, we had no idea what this year had in store for us. But we worked diligently with our partners and retailers to ensure that we adapted to the changing environment quickly. I’m incredibly proud that we donated all ViacomCBS proceeds from our reusable face mask licensing to charities around the world and expanded product offerings in response to the new back-to-school essentials for kids and families.

Do you think that there is, now more so than ever, a big shift towards streaming for preschool rather than ‘traditional’ television and how are you tapping into this trend?

Nickelodeon has a true omni-channel approach to our properties, including preschool. Linear remains important, but we have streaming partners and a strong presence on YouTube and all platforms to ensure that our content is where the kids are. Paramount + is also a key streaming partner as we expand the service as part of the rebrand from CBS All Access in the US and as Paramount + rolls out globally.

Are there any particular territories you are focusing on, for each preschool property?

We look at all of the core opportunities across our portfolio as global and build long term strategies to account for launch plans in markets around the world. As a global organization we have sales, marketing and franchise teams in our key markets and those teams develop market-by-market strategies that connect to the global roadmap. This is true of PAW Patrol, Blue’s Clues & You!, Baby Shark and much more.

And tell us about some upcoming exciting licensing news if you can share?

We are thrilled that we have entered into a global deal with Melissa & Doug for PAW Patrol and Blue’s Clues & You! to develop and launch a range of co-branded toys. The Baby Shark consumer products program is growing rapidly as we ready for the upcoming U.S. launch of Baby Shark’s Big Show on Nick Jr., with expanded offerings coming in 2021 to new categories such as party supplies, band-aids, sippy cups, and more.

Looking at PAW Patrol – this has been a phenomenal success. What do you think makes it so special and popular, and do you see equal popularity in the show and merchandise from both boys and girls?

PAW Patrol is a very special show. It is developed with such heart and the pups are characters that pre-schoolers and parents cheer on. It also really speaks to the messages of empowerment for kids and inclusivity - everyone is important, and everyone is unique- and shows that by working together we can accomplish anything, universal themes that both boys and girls both gravitate towards. We are thrilled to launch the theatrical film next summer with Spin Master and Paramount Pictures and are working with our partners to develop new ranges around the film in all markets.

Baby Shark, equally, exploded onto the scene with great popularity! How are you planning to tap into this and what are the licensing plans?

With the Nickelodeon series, the range of characters around Baby Shark and the stories we are able to tell through the content are expanding significantly, which will open the brand up to new products and categories, as we continue our amazing relationship with our partners at Pinkfong.

How are you working with each show so that inclusivity and diversity are strong mantles?

We work hand in hand with our best-in-class creative teams. All of our preschool hits are developed and produced by the amazing Nickelodeon Animation team, and it’s critical to them and Nickelodeon as a whole to develop content and a slate that represents the world around us. Inclusion is a top priority in everything we do at ViacomCBS.

PAW PATROLTM ANIMATED MOTION PICTURE

FROM SPIN MASTER AND NICKELODEON MOVIES, WITH PARAMOUNT PICTURES DISTRIBUTING. SET FOR AUGUST 2021 RELEASE

Spin Master Corp recently, announced it is taking its powerhouse franchise PAW Patrol from the small screen to the big screen. The major motion picture animated feature film, a Spin Master Entertainment production in association with Nickelodeon Movies, will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is slated to arrive in theaters in August 2021 and will be directed by animation veteran Cal Brunker (Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature; Escape From Planet Earth).

Spin Master Entertainment’s Executive Vice President, Jennifer Dodge, will produce the film and Ronnen Harary, Co-Founder and CoCEO of Spin Master, Adam Beder, Executive Vice President, Strategic Partnership & Franchise Development for Spin Master, and Peter Schlessel will executive produce. Representing a new chapter for this continually growing entertainment franchise, the feature film is based on the award-winning, hit preschool series produced by Spin Master Entertainment and broadcast globally by Nickelodeon.

“We are thrilled to partner with Paramount and Nickelodeon to bring the PAW Patrol franchise, and the characters that children love, to the big screen,” said Dodge. “This first foray into the arena of feature film marks a significant strategic expansion for Spin Master Entertainment and our properties. This demonstrates our commitment to harnessing our own internal entertainment production teams to develop and deliver IP in a motion picture format and allows us to connect our characters to fans through shared theatrical experiences.” “Expanding PAW Patrol into the world of theatricals is a major milestone for this iconic property, and we can’t wait for kids and families everywhere to experience it together,” said Brian Robbins, President, Kids & Family Entertainment,ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks.“We are incredibly excited to work with Spin Master Entertainment and our sister division Paramount Pictures on this latest title from the Nickelodeon Movies slate.”

“We are thrilled to be distributing this film and sharing the beloved PAW Patrol universe with audiences around the globe,” said Marc Weinstock, Paramount’s President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, and Mary Daily, Co- President of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution.

The PAW Patrol movie is the first of a number of feature films in the works by Spin Master’s Entertainment division.

The storyline surrounds Ryder and the pups who are called to Adventure City to stop Mayor Humdinger from turning the bustling metropolis into a state of chaos. Get ready for exciting missions, high-stake rescues, new pups and amazing new vehicles making this the biggest Paw Patrol story ever!

Kim Kardashian West, Dax Shepard (“Chips”, “Idiocracy”), Jimmy Kimmel, Tyler Perry (“The Star”), Yara Shahidi (“Black-ish”), Randall Park (“Fresh Off The Boat”, “The Interview”), Iain Armitage (“Young Sheldon”), Marsai Martin (“Black-ish”), and Will Brisbin (“Forbidden Playground”) have joined the voice cast of the film, which is currently in production with creators, artists and producers collaborating remotely.

Airing in over 160 countries, in 30 languages, PAW Patrol is consistently ranked as a top-rated preschool series. Currently in its seventh season on Nickelodeon, PAW Patrol’s universal messaging resonates with children around the world and since its launch in 2013, the franchise has won countless awards globally.