Category Archives: Highlight

VeryNeko creates magic with Fantastic Beasts collection

Posted on by

VeryNeko, “the home of all things cute and retro”,  has launched an exclusive clothing collection based on The Wizarding World. The range launches in line with the latest instalment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, which landed in cinemas at the beginning of April, and joins a host of other Wizarding-world items on the VeryNeko website.

The new range includes a range of oversized tees, a hoodie and a sweatshirt, and four reversible bucket hats that feature the colours and crests of the Hogwarts houses.

The clothing pieces have been inspired by the origins of the Wizarding World, embossed with books such as ‘Jinxes for the Jixed’, ‘Sonnet of a Sorcerer’ and ‘Extreme Incantations’. The hoodie features the crest of the ‘International Confederation of Wizards’ on its chest, whilst the Dumbledore crest is also recognisable on items in the collection.

The collection is available exclusively on VeryNeko with prices starting at £7.99.

Miraculous and Bing join tonies® lineup

Posted on by

tonies®, the leading children’s audio system, has three new releases lined up for May: Pride Tales, Bing and Miraculous.

Ladybug and Cat Noir fans will be excited for the new Miraculous Tonie (ages 6+), set to bring superhero adventures to life on the Toniebox. Find out how the pair became their city-saving superhero personas with a little help from the Kwamis, with flashbacks based on the original episodes from the hit TV show.

Bing makes his debut on top of the Toniebox this month, with a collection of stories aimed at kids aged 3 and up, featuring Bing, his carer Flop and all their friends. The new Bing Tonie features dialogue from the original episodes paired with songs from the popular series. With a running time of almost an hour, it’s guaranteed to be a hit with preschoolers.

Ahead of Pride Month in June, tonies® is launching ‘Pride Tales’ (4+), an exclusive collection of LGBTQ+ stories, poems and songs. This Tonie offers the perfect way to explain different stories of love to young children, and to encourage them to always follow their own rainbow.

For more information, visit https://tonies.com/en-gb/

MAD:BOXX to release the latest officially licensed Popeye NFT series

Posted on by

Popeye the Sailor Man is partnering with UNDONE, the world’s leading custom watch brand, and MADworld to release an NFT collection across Asia.

The POPEYE METAVERSE MADNESS tells the story of Popeye in different parallels, where the balance of time and space is broken and chaos occurs. The programme will include more than 4,000 Popeye character variations dressed in an assortment of costumes, set against a variety of backgrounds, and released in the form of algorithmically generated NFTs. The deal was brokered by MEDIALINK, Popeye brand owner King Features’ local agent in China.

The first drop of 2000 Popeye NFTs will be sold in the form of MAD:BOXX blind boxes, to help ensure random distribution of the NFTs across all three tiers and create a fair environment for buyers.

The Whitelisted Mint date will be on May 18, 2022. The Public Mint date will be on May 20, 2022. Information regarding the whitelisting campaign, minting link, and scheduling will be released in a later official announcement.

 

 

Fashion and music come together in Wrangler x Fender collection

Posted on by

American heritage brand Wrangler and Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, the world’s leading guitar manufacturer, today announced an exclusive collaboration marking 75+ years of cultural influence.

The two brands have come together to launch Wrangler x Fender, an exclusive collection of denim and graphic tees bringing to life the heritage and history of each icon. The collaboration is built around the defining black and blue lived-in denim uniform worn by guitarists for decades.

“Wrangler and Fender each have origin stories rooted in the creation of practical and functional products,” says Holly Wheeler, VP Global Marketing, Wrangler. “As denim styles have evolved over the years through fits, finishes and function, the driving role guitar-driven music has played in fashion is undeniable. We’re excited to have these two American icons join together to launch the Wrangler x Fender collection as we honour the artists and legends who have inspired us, and celebrate with the fans who have been moved by the music.”

The Wrangler x Fender launch campaign features several notable faces from the music industry, including rock ‘n’ roll progeny and acclaimed fashion model Georgia May Jagger, country artist and songwriter Orville Peck, and country artist Stephanie Quayle.

“As trends in music and fashion continue to evolve, Fender remains at the forefront of championing new soundtracks to match new styles. Through partnering with Wrangler, Fender is able to inspire musicians, creatives and fashionistas alike,” says Richard Bussey, Vice President Accessories, Lifestyle and Licensing at Fender. “At its core, both music and fashion are about expressing your truest self. The exclusive Wrangler x Fender collaboration forms a tightly woven bond between the music and fashion industries, inviting all generations of creatives to celebrate their personal flair.”

The Wrangler x Fender collection of styles features details designed to fit every musical preference including vintage-inspired graphic tees, fringe and paisley prints. The collection also features patched, distressed and classic denim with built-in guitar pick sleeves.

Wrangler and Fender fans alike can also look forward to an expansion of the collection late this summer, which will include unique guitar accessories featuring authentic Wrangler denim and materials.

These co-branded accessories, including straps, cases and picks ranging from $9.99 to $249.99, will be available on Fender.com and at select dealers globally.

The Wrangler x Fender hero collection launching today is available on Wrangler.com, Fender.com and in key stores including Nordstrom, Boot Barn, Cavenders, Buckle, Urban Outfitters and Free People. Retail prices range from $35-$189.

 

LEGO Group debuts Star Wars Luke Skywalker Landspeeder set

Posted on by

The LEGO Group has announced the new LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker Landspeeder set – the latest in the LEGO Ultimate Collector Series (UCS). A faithful recreation of Luke’s battered vehicle, the new 1,890-piece model is designed to appeal to Star Wars and LEGO fans alike.

In the Star Wars universe, X-34 Landspeeders are typical civilian transports, designed to withstand the roughest terrains. The Landspeeder was first seen in Star Wars: A New Hope, where Luke used the vehicle extensively as part of his farm work, travelling across Tatooine’s harsh deserts. Accompanied by C-3PO, Luke used the Landspeeder to locate R2-D2, when he was discovered by Obi-Wan Kenobi.  It was also the vehicle they were travelling in when Obi-Wan used a Jedi mind trick to get past stormtroopers guarding entry into Mos Eisley. Eventually Luke sold the Landspeeder to pay for his transport to the planet Alderaan.

The LEGO Star Wars Luke Skywalker Landspeeder building set is 49cm long when complete and features the two-seater cockpit, the turbine engine without a cover, the iconic curved cockpit windscreen and an exclusive C-3PO minifigure (with 2K moulded legs and a side print) and Luke minifigure – complete with lightsaber.

The new set forms part of the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series sets, which also include the Millennium Falcon, the A-Wing, the Republic Gunship, and the recently released AT-AT.

The Landspeeder building set has been created by LEGO set designer César Carvalhosa Soares, who says: “It’s been an amazing adventure creating Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder in LEGO brick form. It is such an iconic vehicle in the Star Wars saga. We’ve ensured no detail has been forgotten and have even included some of the scratches.  The finished product makes an incredible display and is the perfect addition to the UCS collection.”

The LEGO Star Wars Landspeeder set is available for LEGO VIPs (LEGO.com/VIP) from 1 May 2022 and everyone from 4 May 2022 from LEGO Stores and at LEGO.com/star-wars, at the recommended retail price of $199.99 / £174.99 / € 199.99.

Baby Shark marks Earth Day with new series about climate change

Posted on by

In line with its mission to “make the world a better place with joyful content”, Baby Shark is continuing its efforts to motivate children and their parents to learn what they can do to take care of our planet.

To celebrate Earth Day 2022, The Pinkfong Company has released Earth Day with Pinkfong and Baby Shark, a brand-new playlist consisting of a climate change content series designed to inspire families to take small but significant steps to help protect the environment.

Featuring the beloved Pinkfong and Baby Shark, the 35 minute-long playlist contains 15 fun and engaging videos that educate viewers on the importance of preserving the Earth, and adopting habits to improve the environment. Through content such as The Scary Mr. Greenhouse Gas! and Buzzy Buzzy Bees, audiences will be able to learn how to reduce waste and emissions and conserve endangered species.

The full playlist will be available on Pinkfong’s YouTube channels in six languages, including English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, German, and Portuguese.

In addition to the educational playlist, The Pinkfong Company is teaming up with A Plastic Ocean Foundation (APO), a charitable organisation in Hong Kong, to support Only One Ocean Flag Day 2022, a charity event to conserve the ocean hosted by APO. As part of the collaboration, The Pinkfong Company and APO has launched a series of high-quality flag stickers and collectibles, including the Baby Shark RPET Lunchbags made from post-consumer recycled PET bottles.

Exploding Kittens heading for Netflix

Posted on by

Netflix is launching a mobile game and TV series from the same franchise, building on the popular Exploding Kittens card game. Exploding Kittens – The Game, an exclusive version of the popular mobile game, will launch on Netflix in May, followed by an adult animated comedy series coming in 2023, starring Tom Ellis (Rush, Lucifer), Abraham Lim (Clickbait,The Boys) and Lucy Liu (Shazam, Elementary).

In the animated series, titled Exploding Kittens, the eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell reaches epic proportions when both God and the Devil are sent to Earth – in the bodies of chunky house cats. The series comes from showrunners Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman; executive producers Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis of Bandera Entertainment; executive producers Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for the Chernin Entertainment Group; and executive producers and creators of the Exploding Kittens franchise, Elan Lee and The Oatmeal’s Inman.

Exploding Kittens – The Game retains the same classic gameplay where players draw cards aiming to avoid the Exploding Kitten. Plus, fans will enjoy two new exclusive cards: Radar, which reveals to players the position of the Exploding Kitten closest to the top of the card deck, and Flip Flop, which reverses the order of the cards in the deck.

Future cards and game mechanics will be themed around the animated series so friends and families can play with their favourite characters and bring the show to life. With both single and multiplayer options, the game will be available to Netflix members without additional fees or in-app purchases.

“The co-development of a game and animated series breaks new ground for Netflix,” says Mike Moon, Netflix Head of Adult Animation. “And we couldn’t think of a better game to build a universe around than Exploding Kittens, one of the most inventive, iconic and original games of this century. Netflix is the perfect place to explore this growing franchise and we are so fortunate to be working with this incredible team.”

“Our goal is to offer our members great entertainment they’ll love in whatever format they may enjoy – whether it be a game or an animated series,” adds Leanne Loombe, Head of External Games, Netflix. “As we expand our mobile games catalogue, we’re excited to partner with the Exploding Kittens digital team to bring this enjoyable game to all age groups, including a few exciting updates exclusively for our members.”

“Netflix is the only service that could bring Exploding Kittens to life in both a series and a game,” says Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens Chief Creative Officer and Creator of The Oatmeal. “We actually launched Exploding Kittens on Kickstarter as a weekend project, but our community has been the heart and soul of the company over the past six years. The new series and game will give our fans new ways to connect and interact with the franchise.”

Additional details about the Exploding Kittens adult animated series will be announced at a later date.

Silvergate Media announces new episodes of Octonauts: Above & Beyond

Posted on by

Silvergate Media has confirmed that a second season of Octonauts: Above & Beyond will make its global debut on Netflix on 2 May 2022. The new episodes follow the debut of this Octonauts spin-off last September where the intrepid crew proved themselves as heroes on land as well as underwater.  

In the new episodes, the Octonauts will continue to explore dynamic landscapes, experience new climates, rescue animals and protect the land they live on. Highlights include a 22-minute special, Rainforest Rescue, which sees the Octonauts embark on an adventure through the Amazon rainforest canopy to rescue a baby eaglet. Fans will also be thrilled by the introduction of three new Terra Gups to the Octonaut’s land-based vehicle fleet, based on a Giraffe Weevil, Turtle and Centipede. 

The launch of Octonauts: Above & Beyond Series 2 is perfectly timed to support the roll-out of the highly anticipated new toy range from global master toy licensee Moose Toys. Set to launch this summer, the new collection will bring the show to life with figures, vehicles, playsets, plush and more. Octonauts: Above & Beyond will feature alongside classic Octonauts lines adding depth to the growing consumer products programme.

“The expansion of the Octonauts and the broadening of the much-loved universe onto land creates a wealth of exciting new opportunities for our consumer products programme,” says Ron Allen, EVP Commercial at Silvergate Media. “We’re delighted to be continuing partnering with Netflix and are wholly committed to working with our partners, including Moose Toys, to entertain and educate young children about the wonders of the natural world.”

Moose Toys partners with Silvergate Media for new Octonauts toy line

Queer Eye and Project Makeover team up for mobile app partnership

Posted on by

Queer Eye fans will now be able to unleash their creativity in an exclusive partnership with Project Makeover, Magic Tavern’s top-downloaded mobile game.

In Queer Eye’s first-ever mobile app partnership, the cast joins Project Makeover’s characters to help them glamorise, accessorise and revamp their clients’ looks by completing puzzles to win coins, mystery boxes, and gems to transform clients into stylish trend-setting mavens.

The partnership, which was facilitated by IMG, will see the Fab Five take over Project Makeover’s “Time Makeover.” Instead of the game’s usual characters, players get to work with the Fab Five through a series of fun tasks throughout the game. Inspired by Queer Eye’s hip tips, emotionally charged makeovers and heartfelt reveals, Project Makeover is more than clothing and makeup – homes and businesses are also part of the transformation fun.

Queer Eye, the nine-time Emmy award-winning television show from Scout Productions debuted in 2018 on Netflix. The series, which boasts hundreds of millions of fans across the globe, follows a team of professionals as they perform transformative life makeovers.

As an AppLovin partner studio, Magic Tavern launched Project Makeover in 2020 and the title shot up to the #1 grossing game in 24 countries and the #1 most downloaded game in 142 countries after leveraging AppLovin’s market-leading software solutions and creative expertise with 67+ million installs.

“For the past five years, fans have seen the Fab Five perform makeovers around the world, and for the first time, they’ll have the opportunity to create their own iconic transformations on Project Makeover,” says David Colins, CEO of Scout Productions Inc. and the creator behind Queer Eye. “We’re thrilled about this partnership with Magic Tavern and can’t wait to see what fans come up with alongside Bobby, Tan, Karamo, Jonathan, and Antoni.”

“We are thrilled to be able to team up with Queer Eye. We wanted the best for the Fab Five – we worked directly with them for their guidance, so that we could ensure that players felt they were interacting with the characters from the show, and we are excited about what we were able to achieve,” adds Mike Chera, Creative Director at Magic Tavern. “We are extremely excited to bring the real-life characters into our game – their appearance and likeness and expressions takes a lot of time and effort to get it absolutely right.”

The Queer Eye partnership and Fab Five appearances will be available to all Project Makeover players starting today for a limited time.

“We know Queer Eye fans are craving for more ways to interact with their favourite makeover team and the Fab Five is always looking for unique opportunities to flex their transformational skills,” says Van Kokeh, VP of Licensing at IMG. “It is a great fit and we are excited to bring Queer Eye into this hit game.”

Project Makeover is free for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

 

Light & Wonder partners with MGM for Stargate Megaways game

Posted on by

Scientific Games Corporation, doing business as Light & Wonder, is inviting players on an unforgettable intergalactic adventure in its latest title Stargate Megaways.

The first game to be released on OpenGaming under the new Light & Wonder name, the ambitious 6-reel slot is based on MGM’s legendary sci-fi fantasy film Stargate, boasting imagery and characters from the famous franchise, as well as innovative features and mechanics.

Stargate has become a cultural phenomenon, capturing the imaginations of sci-fi lovers and inspiring legions of fans around the world. The Stargate franchise includes three TV series, three films, an animated series and a web series.

More than 56 million Stargate DVDs have been sold as well. Living well beyond the screen Stargate has found its way into games, comic books, trading cards and more. The hit TV series, Stargate SG-1, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2022.

In Stargate Megaways, players are tasked with working their way up a Stargate trail every time they register a consecutive win, unlocking modifiers and one of three free spins rounds. When the fifth segment of the trail is reached a random modifier will be activated, which boosts their chances of triggering up to seven free spins.

Rob Procter, Vice President of Game Development at Light & Wonder, says: “Not only is Stargate Megaways Light & Wonder’s flagship release as a new brand, but it’s also set to be our most revolutionary. We’ve flipped the concept of a Megaways slot on its head; this game is nothing like you’ll have played before from a Megaways title and we think it’ll prove to be a big hit.

“Stargate has been going for almost 30 years now and there are still people of all ages that love the franchise, so we’re incredibly excited to bring it to a new medium. Light & Wonder has great ambitions to solidify itself as the leading cross-platform global game company, and releasing a slot that’s truly out of this world is the right way to go about that.”

Robert Marick, EVP Global Consumer Products at MGM, comments: “Stargate continues to resonate around the globe and through this partnership with Light & Wonder, we are able to bring this incredibly popular series to fans in a fresh and exciting way. We’re looking forward to seeing the debut of the Stargate Megaways 6 reel slot game.”