Alligator Books has been awarded the publishing rights to Hanna-Barbera, following a deal with Warner Bros Consumer Products.

Classic characters such as Dastardly and Muttley, Penelope Pitstop, Top Cat, Hong Kong Phooey and Yogi Bear will be featured in a range of products including colouring books, activity pads, sticker books, jumbo colouring books, mini library books, mini magic colour books, bath books, shaped board books and sound books.

"As parents increasingly seek the comfort of nostalgia brands for their children, we are confident that the product launch will have huge consumer appeal and we look forward to working with Warner Bros Consumer Products in this classic cartoon portfolio," said Andrew Rabin, publishing and sales director at Alligator.

Paul Bufton, general manager at WBCP, added: "We are delighted to be building on our successful partnership with Alligator Books, with whom we have enjoyed working with on Scooby-Doo, and hope that the launch of their Hanna-Barbera publishing programme will bring this much-loved franchise to a new generation of fans."

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