Global news

DISTRIBUTOR ANNOUNCED FOR NEW ZORRO SERIES

Mediawan Rights will be the international distributor of the event series, Zorro produced by Secuoya Studios, one of Spain’s leading production companies. Filming of the series began on 25 July and will run until the end of the year. This is one of the most ambitious projects ever shot in Spain. With its big comeback on television almost two decades after its last live-action adaptation, the reboot of the franchise Zorro is an event like no other. Secuoya Studios revisits the adventures of the famous masked vigilante for Prime Video (USA, Latin America and Spain). Set in the 1830’s in Los Angeles, the internationally renowned production, Zorro, is a modern adaptation of the adventures of one of the greatest heroes of all time, adapting it for a new generation. Actor Miguel Bernardeau, known for his role in the Spanish series Elite, will play the lead role, Don Diego de la Vega, joined on screen by Mexican actress Renata Notni, in the role of Lolita Marquez. Dalia Xiucoatl (Nah Lin), Emiliano Zurita (Monasterio) and Joel Bosqued (Samael) complete the cast. The series is divided into 10 episodes, directed by Javier Quintas (La Casa de Papel) and José Luis Alegría, and written by Carlos Portela (Velvet Collection). Valérie Vleeschhouwer, Mediawan Rights Managing Director: “We are proud to be the international distributor of this powerful and original new version of “Zorro,” an iconic and timeless hero. It clearly points out our ambition to support strong and high-end productions worldwide.” Sergio Pizzolante, President Secuoya Studios Commercial & Distribution said, “Throughout our creative development process for Zorro, our intention has been to create a best-in-class story of this global superhero, a premium production meant to be enjoyed by audiences around the world. To that end, we could not have asked for a better distribution partner than Mediawan Rights, a fast-growing player with a proven track record in the global distribution space who understands and values the powerful IP that is Zorro.” Zorro is a production of Secuoya Studios with John Gertz (Zorro Productions, Inc.), AndyKaplan (KC Global Media), Sergio Pizzolante (C&T Mobs), Jesús Torres and GlendaPacanins (NoStatusQuo Studios) as executives.

TOY FAIR A SELL-OUT

The British Toy & Hobby Association (BTHA) has announced that Toy Fair 2023 has sold out four months ahead of the show opening, with all exhibition spaces including the Greenhouse, now with waiting lists. The prestigious annual show, which is back for its 69th year, is taking place from the 24th-26th January 2023 at Olympia London. With 250 exhibiting companies in attendance, occupying the Grand and National halls on both levels, the toy industry is gearing up for one of the busiest shows to date! After another successful show earlier this year, the BTHA is delighted with the number of re-bookings for 2023 as well as a significant number of new applications. The show will be welcoming exhibitors from large renowned brands, through to mid-size and smaller innovative start-ups, many of which can be found in the popular Greenhouse in the Grand Hall. Names joining the ranks for Toy Fair 2023 include Hasbro, Moose Toys, LEGO, Basic Fun!, Dolu, Funko, Kidicraft, Rubies Masquerade, Rainbow Designs Ltd, Mood Bears, Juratoys UK Ltd, PLAYMOBIL, Magformers, movies inc, John Adams Leisure Limited, among many others.

BREATHE LIVE EXPLORE

Jewel Branding & Licensing has announced its global licensing representation of Breathe Live Explore, a creative brand founded in 2019 by Nigerian artist Oris Eddu. Breathe Live Explore embraces the joy of slow living through designs that stem from a place of mindfulness and active participation. Within a few short years, Breathe Live Explore has garnered the attention of customers around the world and major retailers including Target, who prominently feature Oris Eddu in their Artist Series celebrating art and culture. Other collaborations include Oasis, Crate&Kids, Sand + Fog, and PacSun. The brand has also built a loyal social media following of over 20,000 fans. Oris creates lush prints and vibrant florals through a lens of optimism. Art has always been Oris’ form of rejuvenation and meditation, and through Breathe Live Explore, she strives to transform her expressions into designs that inspire others to breathe, live and explore every day. “We are very excited to represent Breathe Live Explore by Oris Eddu, and to expand this inspiring brand into multiple new key categories, and territories around the world,” said Samira Henley, VP Brand Licensing at Jewel Branding. “Breathe Live Explore is all about sharing positivity, mindfulness, love, acceptance, adventure, and self-care through vibrant design. These are such important messages to communicate, especially now with so much stress, uncertainty and division in this world.” Breathe Live Explore is available for licensing globally in health & fitness, apparel, accessories, home décor, paper products, and other categories.

MERCHANTWISE APPOINTED AUSTRALIAN AND NZ LICENSING SUB-AGENT FOR WILDBRAIN BRANDS

Melbourne-based Merchantwise has been appointed as the Australian and New Zealand sub-agent for WildBrain’s portfolio of brands. WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, is home to some of the world’s most loved brands, including Teletubbies, Inspector Gadget, Chip and Potato, Strawberry Shortcake and In the Night Garden. Merchantwise will work closely with WildBrain’s leading licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, to capitalise on exciting licensing partnerships across Australia and New Zealand to further build upon each brand’s unique profile and presence in Australia. Licensing opportunities will be sought and secured with partners across a variety of categories, including apparel, collectibles, homewares and promotions. “We are beyond thrilled to be representing WildBrain’s incredible portfolio across Australia and New Zealand. Known the world over for iconic brands like Strawberry Shortcake, Teletubbies, In the Night Garden and Inspector Gadget, WildBrain truly is home to some of the most loved kids and family properties. We can’t wait to create and develop strategic licensing partnerships in the two markets,” said Merchantwise’s Managing Director, Kerryn McCormack. Maarten Weck, EVP & MD, WildBrain CPLG added, “Merchantwise’s expertise and knowledge in these regions makes them an ideal partner for us to continue to grow the presence of our beloved WildBrain brands. There is significant opportunity to connect with both new and existing fans across our portfolio and we’re looking forward to building impactful consumer products partnerships”.

MOOMINS READY TO CELEBRATE

The Moomins, created by Tove Jansson, celebrates 80 years in 2025. For the anniversary year Moomin Characters have decided to turn their focus back on where it all began: 80 years ago, at the end of the Second World War when Tove Jansson’s first story about the Moomins was published. Moomin Characters and Right & Brands will be offering partners and licensees new anniversary marks and artworks as well as slogans and other communication assets. Several major projects for the anniversary year are already in the works and we look forward to adding more as we approach 2025. Additionally, at BLE, Rights & Brands will showcase a wide selection of other brands, such as the joint works of Astrid Lindgren & Ilon Wikland (The Brothers Lionheart, Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter, Lotta on Troublemaker Street and more), artist couple Carl & Karin Larsson, Norweigan brands PURENorway and Mauris of Norway, Finland’s most successful children’s books author Mauri Kunnas, and the works of iconic designer Stig Lindberg.

ZAG recently exhibited at Licensingcon Brazil (August 31 - September 1) for the first time this year to showcase its brands, including the globally popular property Miraculous™ – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a co-production with Grupo Globo. Also launching at the convention was the new animated series, Ghostforce™, which launched on Discovery Kids. ZAG shared its brand plans for the properties at an exclusive licensing summit on the first night of the event. “The Latin American region offers many opportunities to grow our brands, and Brazil in particular is an important and strategic market for ZAG,” commented Angela Cortez, VP Licensing, Latin America. “Brand awareness for Miraculous is high in Brazil at 88%, according to a recent report by Brand Trends in April 2022, that also indicates an 80% purchase intent for the brand. Our strategy is to expand the product line beyond kids to the young adult market, and to parents who watch the show and connect with the series emotionally with their children. The main categories for this segment will be clothes, fashion bags, accessories, and gifts. And Ghostforce, an original comedy-action series for kids and families about high school teens turned superheroes who defend their city from the ghastly ghouls haunting it, is a property that has been garnering exceptional ratings on Discovery Kids Brazil and across Latin America overall,” continued Cortez. “We have a good deal of enthusiasm already from licensees for this property that has broad family appeal. Our target market for consumer products is kids 6–12 years-old with a focus on key categories including toys, costumes, accessories, back-to-school products and more. Our plan is to have a soft launch of the property for Halloween 2023.” In Brazil, Miraculous has remained the #1 series for girls for four consecutive seasons with a 48/52 overall audience split of boys and girls. Co-production partner Globo leads the licensing activities for Miraculous. In Brazil alone, Miraculous sold US$120 million at retail with more than 30 licensing partners. This year, numerous new products will be available at retail, including dolls and fashion dolls, costumes, games, collectibles, fashion items, eco-luggage, health, and beauty products, and more, launched with partners Novabrink, Grow, Multikids, Xalingo, Fathers and Sons, Kameleon, View Cosmetics, and May Macarons, and many other products. Season five of Miraculous starts to roll-out this fall and the stakes have never been higher! Ghostforce premiered in Latin America on Discovery Kids on December 6th, 2021, except for Brazil, which premiered on May 6, 2022. For the period January to July, 2022, Ghostforce ranked in the top #5 on the platform in Brazil and Mexico among the kids 4-8 demographic. It is also performing well over the channel average in a variety of countries across the region. A special themed-episode of Ghostforce will air during Halloween. In Europe, the series airs on the Disney Channel and Disney+ (excluding France where is airs on TF1) and in the US on Disney XD. It is gaining spectacular ratings, especially in Germany, France, and Eastern Europe. Toys from ZAG Play and Playmates will feature action figures of the main heroes and a collection of boo capsules that will play on the collectivity of the ghosts. Licensing agreements are already signed for publishing, apparel, and costumes, among others, and specifically in Brazil, ZAG signed View Cosmetico for health and beauty, and Dermiwil for backpacks.

VIKINGS GAME LAUNCHES

NetEase Games and MGM today announced the first crossover event between NetEase Game’s mobile video game Vikingard and the studio’s hit television series Vikings. Debuting 23/August, the first in-game integration will feature thrilling content and exciting themed events related to season 1 of Vikings that allow players to experience the journey of the legendary Ragnar Lothbrok. The Vikings franchise and Vikingard have both become true global sensations and the two will meet for the first time in one of the biggest gaming events of the year. Those who have dreamed of fighting alongside heroes from the Vikings universe will finally have the chance through a series of special in-game integrations that will combine Vikings with Vikingard! The first Vikings themed integration into Vikingard will allow players to recruit and battle alongside Vikings characters Ragnar, Lagertha, Rollo, and Floki. These characters have been recreated in stunning detail through Vikingard’s art design, allowing players to admire them as they fight their way through foes. Once the first in-game integration is complete, these four Vikings characters will accompany and help players in their quests to seize territories and attack cities. Players can join and advise Ragnar on his path to become King, or they can invite Ragnar, Lagertha, Rollo, and Floki to visit their own tribes and receive insight into their respective journeys. Players can even befriend these Vikings icons and earn exclusive rewards, allowing them to treasure the memories of thejourney together. “The Vikings franchise has exploded in popularity around the world, and we look forward to bringing our dedicated fans a new and exciting way to experience epic Vikings adventures with this series of Vikingard in-game integrations,” said Robert Marick, Executive Vice President of Global Consumer Products and Experiences at MGM.

CUPHEAD CELEBRATES YEAR OF SUCCESS

Global gaming phenomenon Cuphead is celebrating a year of massive success, from debut of the acclaimed series The Cuphead Show! in February, to the June 30 release of the highly-anticipated video game expansion Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course — which has already reached at platinum status. With new international agents and a range of consumer products launches in the market, the brand continues to be a fan favorite with a continually growing social presence. Studio MDHR’s eight-time platinum-selling video game, Cuphead, has been a global sensation since its 2017 release. Cuphead, partnered for licensing and entertainment with King Features, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters, is building upon its successful, multi-territory presence with new licensing agents — DOCE in Chile and J&M Brands in Benelux — who will work alongside King Features to bring unique Cuphead offerings to more fans across the globe. New merchandise inspired by Cuphead, Mugman, their friends and foes, is also in development. Launches for The Cuphead Show! include a second curated collection of pins and tees from iam8bit, more Jade City Foods hot sauce flavors, and new apparel, home goods, and giftware from Forbidden Planet in UK/Eire. Additionally, there will be two new book titles from Random House Children’s Books based on The Cuphead Show! episodes, Sweet Temptation (Little Golden Book) and The Piano Lesson (8x8) and a special apparel collection available via Amazon. More Cuphead gameinspired merchandise is on the way as well, including a global children’s apparel program from Lefties, Grupo Erik’s collection of Cuphead accessories in including calendars, planners, folders, tote bags in Spain/Portugal and Cuphead plush figures from Tomy available worldwide. Domestically, fans will find Cupheadinspired apparel from Philcos, Nendoroid collectible figures from Good Smile Company, costumes from Fun.com, Funko’s Delicious Last Course POP!, a new line of toys and collectibles from Toynk and the latest Youtooz collectible, The Devil’s Pawn limited-edition print, dropped August 20. “The past year has been monumental for the Cuphead brand, with the debut of The Cuphead Show! on Netflix, the Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course game expansion, and many new exciting partnerships capturing the attention of people around the world,” said Carla Silva, VP/GM, global head of licensing, King Features. “It’s exciting to see the brand’s continuous growth with the help of our partners who create engaging and thrilling product experiences for fans that share the adventurous spirit of the Cuphead characters. We are looking forward to the second drop of episodes and hope fans tune in to social for the event.”

NEW DEALS FOR NSPCC’S PANTOSAURUS

Edutainment Licensing is delighted to announce new licensees for the NSPCC’s Pantosaurus licensing programme. Specialist apparel licensee, Poetic Brands have partnered for a wide variety of clothing, including kids daywear, nightwear and swimwear. Cause-related marketing pioneers Louis Kennedy have partnered for Pantosaurus plush with sound chip featuring the PANTS theme song for the promotional category. In the digital category the Pantosaurus and the Power of Pants ebook can now be found on Pickatale, a leading mobile audiobook and storybook app for children aged 0–12. The new Read Aloud video featuring Actor and NSPCC Ambassador for Childline Natalie Dormer, has been licensed by digital content agency Little Dot Studios for their own YouTube channel Wizz. The NSPCC’s Talk PANTS campaign, featuring friendly dinosaur Pantosaurus, helps parents have simple conversations with their children to help keep them safe from abuse. “The NSPCC have been protecting children for over 100 years and licensing provides a simple route to partner with one of the best known and loved charities in the UK. Pantosaurus provides a wonderful opportunity for licensees, retailers and their customers to help keep many more children safe - with every pound raised helping fund the fight for every childhood.” “We’re thrilled to be working with such wonderful partners for Pantosaurus” said Denise Deane of Edutainment Licensing.

JULIUS THE MONKEY COLLABORATES WITH DANISH DESIGNER

Futurity Brands’ Paul Frank is collaborating with famed Danish designer Jakob Burgsø, founder of the design company Boyhood. The collaboration sees Boyhood produce wooden Julius the Monkey design collectibles in Burgsø’s signature style, uncanny in their resemblance to the most iconic of Paul Frank characters. The partnership, which possibly will see Boyhood bringing other Paul Frank characters to life, has been brokered by Futurity Brands’ European agent Plus Licens. Paul Frank began in 1995 in a small Huntington Beach garage when Paul Frank himself began sewing custom wallets as gifts for his friends, featuring characters such as Julius and Skurvy. These characters rapidly became pop culture icons, known and loved by generations, continuing to create smiles all over the world to this day. The collection is scheduled to start launching in the fall of 2022 and will be available in the EU, UK, US, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, among other territories. Boyhood is a Danish design company, designing and producing modern design objects deriving from fantastic boyhood ingenuity. The collections are developed by designer Jakob Burgsø who creates the objects in high-quality natural materials, mainly oak and leather, from a proud Scandinavian tradition of craftsmanship. Boyhood objects not only look amazing, but they also inspire happy memories of good times and put a nostalgic smile on your lips. “Being a young man in the 90s that had followed and loved the Paul Frank universe makes this project fantastic. It was a great honor being asked to bring Julius the Monkey to life in wood. I can’t wait to show Julius to the world, it has become a masterpiece. The result is beyond my expectations and we have definitely made a classic design collectible that will bring joy to many generations”, said Jakob Burgsø, Designer and Founder of Boyhood. “Futurity Brands & the Paul Frank team are incredibly excited to partner with Boyhood. The chance to collaborate with such a talented artist like Jakob doesn’t come around often, and Julius has never looked better! The craftsmanship put into this work is astonishing, and the finished product reflects that”, says Michael Puglisi, Licensing Manager at Futurity Brands.

BOB ROSS BRANDED LATEX

Firefly Brand Management has signed with GDB International, Inc, the global leader in the paint recycling industry, to produce a new line of Bob Ross of latex interior paints and Wood deck paint stain. GBD introduced the line of Bob Ross branded latex and deck paint at this year’s consumer merchandise show, ASD Show, which took place recently in Las Vegas. “I am so excited to have this new partner for our client Bob Ross, The Joy of Painting,” noted Cynthia Modders, CEO of Firefly Brand Management. “GBD prides itself on providing sustainable solutions and is highly recognized for their accomplishments, like recycling over 118 million gallons of latex and oil paint with utmost scrutiny. Consumers can now get their Bob Ross “creativity-on’, moving their painting from the canvas to the walls!” “What makes Bob-Ross paint stand out from the pack is the exceptional coverage, ultra-rich color with outstanding resistance against scuffs, scrubs and stains,” says Sanjeev Bagaria, GDB’s CEO. With its innovative colors and richness, Bob-Ross paint can make your wall into a masterpiece painting.”

MOONBUG EXPANDS DEAL WITH BBC

Moonbug Entertainment Ltd, a Candle Media Company, today announced a new agreement with the BBC to share new content and IPs with its audiences. The agreement includes the relicense and new episodes of the show CoComelon as well as Digley and Dazey. It also includes new IPs to the BBC including Blippi Wonders, Little Baby Bum, Gecko’s Garage, and Lellobee City Farm which will be available on BBC iPlayer. Gecko’s Garage will also be available on CBeebies. This agreement marks the first public service partnership for Blippi Wonders in Europe. The show will be available on the BBC from September 2022. “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the world’s most respected public service broadcaster and bring more Moonbug content to families across the UK,” said Gina Costelloe, Senior Director of Distribution & Content Partnerships EMEA, Moonbug Entertainment, “Since our initial agreement last year, viewership has been strong and we look forward to seeing how our partnership continues to grow.”

PARAMOUNT APPOINT MISAN HARRIMAN FOR WEB3 BUSINESS

Paramount Consumer Products has announced that world-renowned photographer, entrepreneur, and social activist Misan Harriman will serve as creative advisor for its growing Web3 business. As an advisor, Harriman will bring his expertise as an artist and a pioneer in the creation and collection of NFTs to consult on Paramount’s established partnerships in the Web3 space with plans to curate his own collections for the company in the future. Earlier this year, Harriman founded Culture3, a platform to elevate diverse and eclectic voices to exhibit the creative vitality of Web3 artistry, the innovative and genuine use cases being developed by Web3 builders, and the meaningful communities augmented by and built on Web3. Harriman also recently curated the first Permanent Art Collection (PAC) for the Tezos Foundation, featuring Digital Art Galleries that celebrate artists that create in the Tezos ecosystem. “The Paramount family of brands have entertained the world for generations. I look forward to exploring how smart contract technology can help amplify and celebrate an extraordinary legacy of entertainment and storytelling,” said Misan Harriman. “As an NFT enthusiast and an avid supporter of emerging artists, Misan aligns with Paramount’s core values and how we want to approach Web3,” says Pam Kaufman, President and CEO, International Markets, Global Consumer Products & Experiences, Paramount. “Misan’s wealth of experience and artistic eye are incredible resources to our team as we expand our Web3 offerings to serve our audience with differentiated products.” Harriman is a world-renowned photographer, entrepreneur and social activist. From documenting historic moments in history, including the Black Lives Matter movement in London,

to photographing high profile celebrities, including Meghan Markle & Prince Harry, Jay-Z, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Rihanna and George & Amal Clooney, Misan is a photographer of extraordinary range. In 2020, Harriman became the first black man to shoot the cover of British Vogue’s September issue. In July 2021, he commenced his appointment as Chair of the Southbank Centre, London. Misan is an outspoken activist supporting Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. He is also a mental health campaigner with a keen interest in Dyslexia and Neurodiversity. Misan is currently exploring how Web3 can help democratize meritbased opportunity for disadvantaged artists on a global scale. The announcement comes as production is underway on Harriman’s Protest & Progress docuseries. Set to premiere on Paramount+ in 2023, Harriman travels around the world to uncover the stories behind some of the most powerful images and art forms that have defined a moment and a movement. Produced by Paramount’s causedriven studio, VIS Social Impact, which is a part of Content for Change, the series will aim not only to educate on the importance of protests, but inspire audiences to remember their voice matters.

MINI AND PIKACHU AT GAMESCOM

MINI was the main sponsor at this year’s gamescom in Cologne. In collaboration with Pokémon, MINI showcased the MINI Concept Aceman with the exclusive Pokémon Mode at the world’s biggest gaming event, playfully enriching the lives of MINI fans with fun and variety. MINI and Pikachu stand for a light-hearted, curious approach to challenges, which is also reflected in the vehicle concept of the MINI Concept Aceman. To celebrate gamescom, the vehicle was equipped with an exclusive “Pokémon Mode”. In it, either the iconic Pokémon Pikachu or the famous Poké Ball took over the OLED display as the new central instrument when operating the Experience Mode toggle. Through advanced projection technology, the animation extends across the dashboard, front doors and apron projection. Gamification plays an increasingly important role in MINI’s distinctive design in the future, offering customers a unique experience.