New Agency and Movie for Kiddinx

KIDDINX SIGNS NEW AGENCY AND PREPARES FOR NEW OGGLIES MOVIE

Kiddinx Media GmbH, the owner of German evergreen properties Benjamin the Elephant and Bibi Blocksberg, and a leading distribution and marketing company for children’s audio plays and books, children’s music, animated films, and apps has announced recently that it has appointed bRAND-WARD Services, the licensing agency and consultancy founded by Jean-Philippe Randisi and Trudi Hayward, to develop and execute a strategy taking its brand Bibi & Tina to a global audience. bRANDWARD helps kids’ IP owners develop their business globally, combining brand, distribution and merchandising strategies and expertise.

Bibi & Tina started as a radio play spin-off of Bibi Blocksberg, then turned into a TV series on ZDF and a whole range of audiovisual productions. It tells the adventures of Bibi, a girl with special powers, her best friend Tina, and their horses Sabrina and Amadeus.

Fast forward 30 years, and Bibi & Tina is now a major brand in Germany: over 20 million storytellers sold (59 gold awards, 23 platinum awards), 5.6 million videos sold, a number 1 soundtrack album and 1.7 million books. The hit property has been on air with 54 episodes on TV for the last 13 years, a live action series on Amazon Prime, and four feature films. Bibi & Tina has embraced the digital age with 105 million streams per month across all major platforms.

The brand is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021, and Kiddinx launched the 100th episode of the radio play in January and believe that it is now time to introduce kids around the world to these two bright teenagers and let them discover how their friendship, their love of horses and care for nature can turn into thrilling storytelling. Holger Küchler, Managing Director at Kiddinx commented, “Internationalization has become a priority for our brands. We are pleased that we have found a committed and professional partner in Brand-Ward who will be accompanying us on this journey to bring a smile to every child’s face!”

Karl Blatz, head of international business development at Kiddinx said:

“Bibi & Tina always stood for equality and sustainability. These core values have been with the brand for thirty years and are now more important than ever before. We truly believe that Bibi & Tina provide captivating entertainment that children won’t be able to get enough of.”

Jean-Philippe Randisi, co-founder of bRAND-WARD, added: “Quietly and discreetly, Kiddinx has created over the last decades, a number of gems for children with an incredibly enduring success. Bibi & Tina is a favourite brand for kids there, and we are delighted to help Kiddinx fulfil their ambition of making it part of kids’ lives not just in Germany but around the world”.

Kiddinx Media GmbH is one of the leading distribution and marketing companies for children’s audio plays and books, children’s music, children’s animated films and mobile applications for children (apps) in Germany. Whether it be Benjamin the Elephant, Bibi Blocksberg, Bibi & Tina, Gelini or Jan Tenner – you will find our brands in just about every German kid’s room.

bRAND-WARD Services Ltd is a kids IP consultancy and UK Licensing Agency business based in London, helping IP owners/creators grow outside of their core business and monetise their IP globally. bRAND-WARD Services work with and for content producers, toy companies, digital studios, publishers, and all companies keen to expand their horizons. The company is co-owned by Jean-Philippe Randisi and Trudi Hayward, who both held senior roles at the likes of Nickelodeon, ITV, Zodiak Kids/Banijay, Saban and Disney.

On a different note, Kiddinx report increasing activity in The Ogglies with a new film set to debut in 2021.

The Ogglies are looking for a new home! The characters end up in Smelliville, a beautiful and peaceful village. Unfortunately, Smelliville has a stinky problem: The local garbage dump is spoiling the place. Something must happen! Max, son of the mayor and his ambitious wife, is a talented hobbyist who secretly hopes to solve the stinky problem with a crazy machine that he develops together with Professor Foamworthy and his niece Lotta. When Max meets the Ogglies on the rubbish dump, it becomes clear what the Ogglies might mean for Smelliville: they eat garbage! And for the Ogglies, Smelliville‘s garbage dump means nothing less than having finally found a real home. Everything would be fine if there were not the plans of the mayor’s wife and the unscrupulous construction builder Hammer. In their eyes the garbage dump must be replaced with a wellness temple! The Oggly children need to save their new home together with their friends Max and Lotta.

The 85 minute film is directed by Jens Muller and Toby Genkel who also cowrote the screenplay with John Chambers. The film is produced by WunderWerk GmbH with Verlag Frie Friedrich Oetinger GmbH, LEONINE Distribution GmbH, ZDF Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts, GRID Animation bvba. The film is being distributed by Leonine in Germany and Arri Media Services internationally.

For further information about any of Kiddinx Media’s properties, please contact Thomas Puchert, International Head of Licensing & Merchandising. puchert@kiddinx.de