Moonbug Entertainment partners with Amazon Kids+ on original new content slate

Moonbug Entertainment has teamed up with Amazon Kids+ to create, produce, and distribute a whole new portfolio of entertaining and educational children’s content, starring a cast of popular characters.

The first joint project under the partnership includes an original production of Arpo Robot Babysitter, based on the hit YouTube show Arpo. The production will premiere on Amazon Kids+ alongside a new Arpo mobile game.

“Our partnership with Amazon Kids+ expands Arpo’s world and takes children on new adventures,” said Andy Yeatman, Managing Director of the Americas at Moonbug. “Arpo’s unique format makes it accessible to kids across the globe, making them laugh as they meet new characters and sharpen their problem-solving skills.”

Veronica Pickett, head of Amazon Kids+ original series, added: “The arrival of Arpo into the Amazon Kids+ offering is a joyful example of our commitment to deliver content that kids and families will love.

“The heart and humor at the core of Arpo creates so many LOL moments that are inspiring the world of entertainment we’re building with the new original series and game.”

Arpo is an animated show based on slapstick humor for children three to seven years old. Its non-dialogue format entertains kids who speak all languages. The original production coming to Amazon Kids+ takes kids on a series of adventures as Arpo faces new challenges, between caring for Danny’s adopted Korean baby sister Cookie and adjusting to a team of new robots built by Mom.

On YouTube alone, Arpo has more than 5 million subscribers, 110 million views per month, and 1.9 billion lifetime views.

In addition to the new Amazon Kids+ relationship, Moonbug has brokered partnership deals for its programs with over 100 streaming platforms on a local and global scale, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV, Sky and Tencent, and has category-leading viewership on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

Children’s publisher AMEET partners with Skybound to launch new LEGO comic book series

The children’s book publisher AMEET has detailed a new partnership with the multi-platform content company, Skybound Entertainment to launch a new series of LEGO comic books. The first in the series is slated to debut in 2022 and will be published by Image Comics and Skybound.

The exclusive English-language licensed publishing partnership will bring LEGO properties into Skybound’s vast slate of notable comic book series, that includes the likes of The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Ultramega.

“As a lifelong fan of LEGO toys and content, nothing brings me greater joy than partnering with AMEET on this iconic brand. Each title will be a portal to the endless worlds accessible in every LEGO play session, created to inspire the LEGO builders, readers, and thinkers of tomorrow,” said Sean Mackiewicz, senior vice president, editor-in-chief at Skybound Entertainment.

“Comic Books form a key component of the LEGO Books publishing strategy to bring LEGO stories to young readers everywhere,” added Eric Huang, vice president and publisher at AMEET. “Skybound is the perfect LEGO Books comics partner. They’re as passionate as we are about publishing books that encourage creativity and play.”

Skybound’s first venture into the LEGO Group’s vast library of intellectual property will be announced in the coming months.

Skybound Entertainment is a multi-platform content company that works with creators and their intellectual properties, extending their stories to platforms including comics, television, film, tabletop and video games, books, digital content, events, and more. The company is the home of notable properties including The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Super Dinosaur.

Skybound holds strategic partnerships across the entertainment industry, and has the in-house capabilities to serve as publisher, producer, and global distributor for tabletop and video games. On screen, Skybound holds a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios and a first-look movie deal with Universal.

Additional partnerships include comic book publishing with Image Comics, book publishing with Simon & Schuster, and a first-look narrative audio deal with Audible.

Children’s publisher AMEET partners with Skybound to launch new LEGO comic book series

The children’s book publisher AMEET has detailed a new partnership with the multi-platform content company, Skybound Entertainment to launch a new series of LEGO comic books. The first in the series is slated to debut in 2022 and will be published by Image Comics and Skybound.

The exclusive English-language licensed publishing partnership will bring LEGO properties into Skybound’s vast slate of notable comic book series, that includes the likes of The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Ultramega.

“As a lifelong fan of LEGO toys and content, nothing brings me greater joy than partnering with AMEET on this iconic brand. Each title will be a portal to the endless worlds accessible in every LEGO play session, created to inspire the LEGO builders, readers, and thinkers of tomorrow,” said Sean Mackiewicz, senior vice president, editor-in-chief at Skybound Entertainment.

“Comic Books form a key component of the LEGO Books publishing strategy to bring LEGO stories to young readers everywhere,” added Eric Huang, vice president and publisher at AMEET. “Skybound is the perfect LEGO Books comics partner. They’re as passionate as we are about publishing books that encourage creativity and play.”

Skybound’s first venture into the LEGO Group’s vast library of intellectual property will be announced in the coming months.

Skybound Entertainment is a multi-platform content company that works with creators and their intellectual properties, extending their stories to platforms including comics, television, film, tabletop and video games, books, digital content, events, and more. The company is the home of notable properties including The Walking Dead, Invincible, and Super Dinosaur.

Skybound holds strategic partnerships across the entertainment industry, and has the in-house capabilities to serve as publisher, producer, and global distributor for tabletop and video games. On screen, Skybound holds a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios and a first-look movie deal with Universal.

Additional partnerships include comic book publishing with Image Comics, book publishing with Simon & Schuster, and a first-look narrative audio deal with Audible.

PAW Patrol: The Movie first trailer drops as ViacomCBS cites ‘major milestone for iconic property’

The first trailer for the hotly anticipated PAW Patrol: The Movie has landed, offering a first glimpse at ‘the biggest adventure yet’ for the cast of pups as the film readies to open in cinemas on August 20th this year.

Featuring an original song from Maroon 5’s front man, Adam Levine and an all-star cast including Ian Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, and Jimmy Kimmel, the film will follow a big screen adventure as the PAW Patrol pups take on their biggest rival, Humdinger.

An official synopsis of the film reads: “The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on.

“While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty. Together, armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, the PAW Patrol fights to save the citizens of Adventure City!”

Brian Robbins, president, kids and family entertainment, ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, said: “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.

“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.”

Aconyte Books details long-planned novel series based on hit board game Pandemic

Aconyte Books, the fiction imprint of the global games group, Asmodee, has lifted the lid on its long-planned series of novels inspired by the global bestselling game, Pandemic.

The first title in the series will be Pandemic: Patient Zero, scheduled to land on shelves this September and promising to take fans of the franchise on a journey into the future, where an expert team of epidemiologists are tasked with tracking down potential outbreaks and resolving them before a pandemic breaks out.

A synopsis of the title reads: ‘In this first title, new recruit Bodhi Patel finds himself in South America, far from his comfort zone, where the clues to the source of a new mutated virus lie on land controlled by a local warlord.’

Aconyte’s publisher Marc Gascoigne, said: “To say this series has been long in the planning would be an understatement. Patient Zero was completely written and about to be announced in early Spring 2020 when… well, we all know what happened next. Even with a message as positive as the one enshrined in the game and the novels, the timing wasn’t right.

“Now updated, it truthfully and respectfully captures the courage and sacrifice of experts in the field, and shows what can be achieved when teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment are put to the test.”

The title has been written by Amanda Bridgeman, whose pair of futuristic crime thrillers, The Subjugate and The Sensation, have recently been optioned for a TV series by the team behind True Detective and Mr Robot.

The Perth, Australia-based writer has worked closely with the Aconyte and Z-Man teams, constructing a complete cast of relatable characters, and the organisation they work for, who will appear throughout the series. Two more novels are currently in development, for publication in 2022.

App game My Singing Monsters makes move to board game space with Kickstarter project

The award-winning app game, My Singing Monsters – a game in which players build a collection of singing monsters who all chime their parts in unison – is expanding into the analogue gaming sector with the launch of My Singing Monsters: The Board Game on Kickstarter.

A worker placement game designed by Sen-Foong Lim and Jay Cormier, the crowdfunding project has already surpassed its initial goal as it now surges towards £30,000 in fan backing.

Players can choose between two versions of the game, a Standard Edition, which includes all core components and the Deluxe Edition, which features nine fully painted Monster mini-figures, upgraded components, and a Kickstarter exclusive expansion starring the Werdos (a tribe of singing monsters in the app game).

In addition to the Standard and Deluxe versions of the game, three backers have the chance to back the project for the Ultimate Creator Experience offering an all-expenses paid trip to Big Blue Bubble’s studios, as well as a two-day in studio experience where backers will have the chance to create their own Monster that will appear in My Singing Monsters.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to bring the Monster World to both fans and board gamers in a brand new, physical format,” said Damir Slogar, CEO and founder of Big Blue Bubble.

“Our team is working very hard to make this a really enjoyable board game experience that you will want to play over and over again with friends and family.”

In My Singing Monsters: The Board Game, players will choose one of five Monsters to represent them as they go from Island to Island, levelling up their abilities to be the first to cross the finish line. The game will call on strategic worker placement gameplay that allows players to start easy and build up to a full-on strategy game, meaning that it can tap into the casual gamer market as much as the more experienced board game player market.

Stretch goals will continue to roll out during the campaign that comes to a close on June 21st this year.

BBC Studios adds VTech to growing global toy roster for preschool series Bluey

BBC Studios has agreed a multi-territory licensing deal with VTech to produce electronic role play toys based on its multi-award winning children’s TV property, Bluey.

Marking the latest expansion of the series’ global licensing programme, VTech’s initial Bluey range will feature popular characters from the series and lines include electronic books, role play watches and a phone.

Product is expected to launch at retail in both Australia and USA for Q3 2022, followed by future roll outs in the UK, France, Canada and New Zealand.

Andrew Barrett, director of product development and licensing at VTech, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with BBC Studios on this beautifully crafted show. Its focus on imaginative play combined with adventurous storytelling fits perfectly with our ethos of play, learn and develop.”

Julie Kekwick, senior licensing manager at BBC Studio, added: “Our new partnership with VTech symbolises a significant extension of our Bluey franchise, joining our other global partners such as Penguin Random House and complementing the highly successful Moose Toys, master toy range.”

First launched in Australia in October 2018, Bluey is fast becoming a global hit, achieving outstanding ratings and attracting a multitude of best in class partners.

In its home market, Australia, Bluey was the number one children’s programme on metro broadcast television in 2020 and is the number one series ever on ABC iview with over 480 million views across series one and two. It also won ‘Pre-School License of the Year’ for the second year in a row at the Australian Toy Association (ATA) Awards.

In the US, Bluey is the number one new license in the super plush category, and was the number two top new growth property in 2020 for the total toy industry. Across Disney Junior and Disney Channel in Q1 2021, it was the third most watched TV series with kids aged two to five years old.

Bluey is also available on CBeebies in the UK, where it has become the top programme on the channel since it launched in April. Its episodes constitute the top five most requested CBeebies episodes on BBC iPlayer. Toys from global master toy partner Moose are set to launch at retail in the UK in July.

Maroon 5’s Adam Levine lends voice talent to PAW Patrol: The Movie with original song ‘Good Mood’

The American singer, songwriter and lead vocalist from Maroon 5, Adam Levine is the latest name to lend his voice to the upcoming animated feature film, PAW Patrol: The Movie, by performing the film’s title track.

Called ‘Good Mood’, the new song was written by Shellback, Savan Kotecha, Oscar Görres and Adam Levine, and produced by Shellback from MXM Productions and Oscar Görres for Wolf Cousins Productions. The track features Levine’s characteristic falsetto on top of an upbeat and light-hearted track.

Scheduled to be unleashed in theatres on August 20, 2021, PAW Patrol: The Movie is based on the award-winning preschool series produced by Spin Master Entertainment and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The movie features an all-star voice cast includingKim Kardashian WestDax ShepardJimmy KimmelTyler Perry, Yara Shahidi, Randall ParkIain Armitage, Marsai Martin, and Will Brisbin, along with existing members of the current PAW Patrol series.

The PAW Patrol feature film is directed by animation veteran Cal Brunker (Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature; Escape From Planet Earth). Jennifer Dodge, Spin Master Entertainment’s President, is producing the film and Ronnen Harary, Spin Master’s Chair and Co-Founder, Adam Beder, Spin Master’s Executive Vice President Strategic Partnership & Franchise Development and Peter Schlessel are executive producers.

The PAW Patrol movie is the first of several feature films in the works by Spin Master Entertainment.

Bravado and Warner Bros. Consumer Products line up expansive UK licensing partnership

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Bravado – the merchandise and brand management division of Universal Music Group – have detailed a new partnership across some of the biggest titles of the Studio’s 2021 and 2022 slate, as well as over 100 iconic movies and heritage brands.

A first of its kind partnership between the two industry giants, the agreement recognises Bravado as a key UK licensee, covering adult apparel for iconic film and entertainment brands including Space Jam, Mortal Kombat, and The Matrix, as well as franchises within the DC universe, including Aquaman, Batman, Black Adam, and Justice League.

The first lines of merchandise will hit UK retail, online and in-store, beginning Summer 2021.

‘Having developed an impressive and extensive roster of entertainment-based licenses, the Warner Bros. Consumer Products partnership reaffirms Bravado’s position as the go to licensing management company for global brands that cross into music, film, TV and sport,’ read a statement from the firm.

‘With its extensive range of partners and licenses, Bravado’s scope compliments Warner Bros.’s vast portfolio of multigenerational titles, delivering a breadth of opportunity in the retail space.’

Keith Taperell, vice president, retail and sales, Bravado UK, said: “We’re extremely excited about the creative possibilities this partnership carries. The huge offering and diversity of titles, iconic brands and the multi-generational fanbases that accompany them, delivers real scope from design stage to retail placement. We’re very much looking forward to working with the team at Warner Bros. on making this collaboration as far reaching as possible.”

The multi-collection partnership will service a broad range of partners across all areas of retail including a series of fashion led capsule collections. Product will be live across UK retail stores and eCommerce from Summer 2021.

British animated kids’ property Moley appoints Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency

The British made children’s property, Moley, has appointed Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency, marking the latest step for the new animated kids’ IP following the adventures of a fun-loving mole who lives in bustling city of MoleTown.

The character, voiced by Warwick Davis, finds himself on a series of escapades as he explores the world around him with accompanying magic, comedy and adventure.

Bulldog will be launching the brand to the licensing world at a star-studded event, including talent from the Series, at Chelsea’s Physic Garden this July. As one of the first opportunities for the industry to get together since March 2020, the event, set in a four-acre site on the bank of the River Thames, promises to be a spectacular debut for the property and an opportunity to introduce the cast of the 52-episode animation.

Alongside Warwick Davis (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Maleficent), the voice cast includes Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Paddington, Billy Elliot), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Crown), Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe, Saint Trinians), Richard E Grant (Withnail and I, Logan) and Togo Igawa (Mama Mia, Star Wars).

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We are delighted to add Moley to Bulldog Licensing’s carefully selected portfolio of brands. It’s a truly unique property that has the potential to be a global powerhouse in licensing.

“Moley has an endearing appeal which really connects with children and their families. We can’t wait to start working with partners in building a range of products that will capture the essence of this brilliant property and ensure its success everywhere.”

Creator of Moley, James Reatchlous, added: “The journey of Moley has been incredible – he has gone from a father’s bedtime stories to the star of an incredible animated show. I can’t wait for the Physic Garden event at which we will premiere a number of episodes to show the industry how Moley will reach new audiences around the world.

“With Bulldog now building the global licensing programme for Moley, I’m so excited for the next chapter of the brand.”

To find out more and catch up on all Moley news, please go to www.mastermoley.com/master-moley-news