Tag Archives: children’s content

Brand-Ward named UK and Ireland licensing agent for pre-school IP Pikwik Pack

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The UK-based licensing agency, Brand-Ward, has been tapped to represent Guru Studio’s latest pre-school series, Pikwik Pack across the UK and Ireland, with a focus on consumer products including toys and games.

The licensing firm already represents Guru Studio’s True and the Rainbow Kingdom and will now add Pikwik Pack to its remit as it looks to build a licensing portfolio for the IP across apparel, housewares, accessories, publishing, party decorations, and live events.

“After a successful premiere on Disney Junior in the US and Treehouse in Canada, we’re excited to partner with Brand-Ward to lead Pikwik Pack’s expansion into the UK and Ireland,” said Jonathan Abraham, VP of sales and business development at Guru Studio.

“The team at Brand-Ward are industry veterans that have brought expertise and strategic planning to the forefront of all our deals. We will be announcing our broadcast partners for the UK and Ireland shortly.”

Trudi Hayward, co-Founder of Brand-Ward Services, said: “We are delighted to be extending our relationship out with Guru Studio and to be working with them on their delightful new property Pikwik Pack. Deliveries and awaiting for those special packages has become a very big part of our lives during this last year with lockdown, so Pikwik Pack could not be more topical right now.”

Pikwik Pack debuted on Disney Junior US and Treehouse Canada late last year, with new episodes continuing to air throughout 2021. The series will be rolling out worldwide later this year with broadcasters such as Super RTL (Germany), Canal Panda (Portugal), HOP (Israel), Minimini+ (Poland), and more.

In the US, the series is represented by Licensing Street, with Playmates Toys (master toy) and Scholastic (US Publishing) already on board.

Boat Rocker Studios appoints Denise Gomez to new director of licensing for the Americas role

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The award-winning Boat Rocker Studios has appointed Denise Gomez to the role of director of licensing for the Americas. In the newly created role, Gomez will support and further drive Boat Rocker’s recent expansion in building global franchises.

Gomez will be based at the company’s New York offices where she will report to Kate Schlomann, executive vice president of brand management and content marketing.

Gomez joins Boat Rocker from WarnerMedia, where she spent 14 years in a variety of roles for Cartoon Network Enterprises – most recently as senior director of licensing, responsible for the acquisition and management of licensing partnerships, maximising growth across categories, and extending retail penetration for multiple global brands including Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10 and Rick and Morty.

Prior to Cartoon Network, she was with Nickelodeon Consumer Products where she launched the consumer electronics category, followed by a move into retail development, building and executing channel strategies for award-winning global brands including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues.

In her new role at Boat Rocker Studios, Gomez will manage licensing and promotions across all genres at Boat Rocker Studios, with heavy focus on the Kids and Family portfolio, covering the US, Canada and Latin America, as well as involvement in global deals.

January will see the launch of the “pre-westoric” animation series Dino Ranch on Disney Junior and CBC. Other current hot properties for Gomez’s immediate attention include Kingdom Force, produced in association with CBC Kids and Radio-Canada, which airs on Cartoon Network in Europe, Asia and Nat Geo in Lat Am; Remy and Boo on Universal Kids and CBC; and Love Monster on CBeebies, HBO Max and CBC.

Kate Schlomann, EVP of brand management and content marketing, Boat Rocker Studios, said: “We are delighted to welcome Denise to the Boat Rocker family. She is a highly respected and innovative senior licensing executive with expertise driving monetisation of intellectual property across all categories, and retail channels for top entertainment brands.

“Her wealth of experience will be a huge asset and complements our team as we rapidly grow our licensing business in 2021 and beyond.”

Gomez said: “I’m thrilled to join Boat Rocker at such a dynamic time for the company. It has a fantastically robust portfolio and I can’t wait to get stuck in and help to build on its recent success. I’m already saddled up for the launch of Dino Ranch and I’m really excited about exploring new licensing opportunities for that and for our many other amazing shows.”

Nickelodeon and Paramount+ offer sneak peek at Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years

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Nickelodeon and Paramount+ have released a sneak peek of the new Paramount+ Original series, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, the first SpongeBob SquarePants spin-off.

The CG animated prequel follows a ten year old SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends as they spend their summer building underwater campfires, catching wild jellyfish, and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the series is landing on Paramount+ soon.

Following the season’s run on the ViacomCBS subscription VOD service, it will air on Nickelodeon later this year.

The sneak peek was first offered during a special halftime presentation of the NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon.

Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years features Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) and Mr. Lawrence (Plankton) reprising their iconic roles. Carlos Alazraqui (The Casagrandes) and Kate Higgins (Blaze and the Monster Machines) join as new characters Nobby and Narlene, narwhal siblings who live in the woods surrounding the camp.

Since its launch July 17, 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has reigned as the number-one animated series on TV for the last 18 years, while generating a universe of beloved characters, pop culture catchphrases and memes, theatrical releases, consumer products, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and a global fan base.

SpongeBob SquarePants is the most widely distributed property in ViacomCBS Networks International history, seen in more than 170 countries and territories, translated into more than 30 languages, and averaging more than 100 million total viewers every month.

Cats vs Pickles sets paws down in UK to mirror US success through plush and licensing plans

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Cats vs. Pickles, an international children’s IP that has rocketed to fame on YouTube, is looking to mirror its US success as it prepares to set all four paws down on the UK’s shores this year.

Made available to the UK market through Paul Fogarty’s TWO IN 1 Direct, Cats vs Pickles will introduce its eclectic range that spans more than 100 different styles of Cat and Pickles collectable plushies, Kitty Condo Habi-cats, themed special editions, Jumbo Plush, character pillows, and more.

It follows a soft launch for the brand here in the UK that, through a limited roll-out of the collectable plush range before Christmas, was met with ‘an impressive response,’ and reports of retailers selling 1,500 units within just a few weeks.

In the US, the demand for Cats vs Pickles has been driven by a large volume of bespoke online content created by Cepia. Short form video content on YouTube has generated more than 110 million views from a global audience, with more than 16 million views in the UK alone.

According to Fogarty, average sales of the Cats vs Pickles range have hit over 30 units sold per week, with many major outlets hitting as high as 50 units per store, per week.

Fogarty said: “Cats vs. Pickles is a long-term brand with much more to come from the range later in the year, including licensing. Cepia will be supporting the collection with a comprehensive and heavy marketing schedule, including TV, pre-roll and influencer activity. It’s going to be big.”

Animaccord lands new Amazon Prime Video partnership for Masha and the Bear

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Animaccord has struck up a new deal with Amazon Prime Video to bring its flagship Masha and the Bear seasons one to three, as well as its spin-offs Masha’s Spooky Stories and Masha’s Tales to audiences across a number of territories.

In a multi-territory partnership, Prime Video has acquired the rights to seasons one and two in multiple languages to launch the show across Europe, including in Spain, Italy, and France.

An update to the deal will see Animaccord deliver Masha and the Bear seasons one to three – and its spin offs – with local dubbing to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The Masha’s Spooky Stories spin-off is available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, while the Masha’s Tales spin-off will be available in France, Italy, and Spain.

Masha and the Bear consumer products are widely represented on Amazon. The first official brand store was launched across the USA, UK, Germany, and India starting in 2018, selling Masha and the Bear themed t-shirts, hoodies, pop sockets and other items.

As of today, there are brand stores in eight countries: the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the USA, Mexico, and India.

Global animation studio Snipple launches UK-based division Snipple Originals

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The global animation studio, Snipple, is to launch a new, UK-based internationally-focused division and team devoted to the development of long-form animated content for audiences around the globe.

Called Snipple Originals, the launch coincides with news that Snipple has secured a £6million investment from BGF – the UK’s most active investor – that will see it take a minority share in the business as it fuels its global growth.

Under the leadership of London-based CEO, Kaine Patel along with co- founders, studio director Jonathan Tinsay and creative director Romy Gacia, Philippines-based Snipple Animation has worked with some of the biggest broadcast networks globally, including the likes of Warner Bros., Disney, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, and more.

Its portfolio of animation work boasts some of the world’s best loved evergreens such as Where’s Waldo? Dora And Friends: Into the City! Animaniacs, Green Eggs and Ham, Ducktales, Be Cool Scooby Doo, Phineas and Ferb, and more.

The company is now realising its ambition to launch an original production arm, drawing on its wealth of knowledge, talent and expertise. As well as its close relationships with global broadcasters and in-depth understanding of what they look for.

The operation will be led by award winning producer Karina Stanford-Smith, appointed as animation development director. Karina’s 30 years’ experience includes working with industry giants Disney, Nickelodeon, Amazon, CBBC, CITV, Zodiak Kids, Milkshake and The Jim Henson Company. She will report directly to Kaine Patel.

Meanwhile, the award-winning Vincent James has been appointed as creative director. His experience includes BBC, Nickelodeon, ITV, Children’s TV Workshop and Dreamworks. Simon Godfrey joins as Creative Development Producer, having worked with companies including Amazon, Coolabi, The Jim Henson company and Zodiak Kids.

Snipple Originals is open for business and ready to present its first content slate of five shows to potential broadcasters, streamers and IP partners.

The slate kicks off with Peeled Prawn & Shaved Sheep, a comedy action adventure series aimed at six to 12 year olds starring a sheep and prawn combo who join forces to fight crime. It is joined by Snö, a magical adventure series for four to seven-year-olds set in the far far North.

Cassidy’s Castle is a metaphysical mystery series for six to 12-year-olds about dreams, doors and destiny, while Wise Island Woohoos is an environmental edu-tainment series aimed at three to six-year-olds. Finally, Trippin’ is an over 18s comedy series based around a high octane and extremely offensive US road trip.

Karina Stanford-Smith, said: “It is so exciting to draw on the huge talent and expertise of Snipple and to have the freedom to create and develop home grown ideas. We have the perfect team in place to produce high-quality global hits that audiences will love.

“The Snipple Originals development team have been working together for 30 years in various guises. We have a chemistry that has allowed us to hit the ground running; now bringing a varied slate of projects to the table.”

Snipple Group CEO, Kaine Patel, added: “It has been a dream for me to expand Snipple into the world of original content. It’s the perfect expression of our creativity and heritage as a studio. Animation is really having a moment right now and I can’t wait to start talking to potential broadcast partners and bring them on our journey.”

Ragdoll Productions signs CAKE as global distributor for new pre-school series B.O.T. and the Beasties

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Kids’ entertainment specialist, CAKE, has signed a deal with the award-winning production company, Ragdoll Productions, to distribute its new pre-school 2D animated series, B.O.T. and the Beasties.

B.O.T. and the Beasties has been developed by Anne Wood (creator of Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, and Twirlywoos) and will premiere on CBeebies on January 11th this year. CAKE will handle the worldwide distribution rights, excluding the UK.

Brands With Influence has already been appointed as the property’s global licensing agency.

B.O.T. and the Beasties introduces pre-schoolers to the comic adventures and misadventures of a loveable robot called B.O.T. (Beastie Observation Transmitter) as he discovers new worlds and an assortment of bizarre beasties that inhabit them. B.O.T. must collect data on the comically unpredictable beasties.

Ed Galton, CCO and managing director at CAKE, said: “Ragdoll’s reputation for producing high calibre IP’s with proven global appeal is unprecedented in the preschool space and we are thrilled to be working with them on B.O.T. and the Beasties.”

Anne Wood, founder and creative director Ragdoll Productions Limited, added: “It has been the greatest fun and privilege to work with a new young team of animators to bring to life so many comic characters. We are delighted to have CAKE as our partner to launch this new series originated by the experienced team of Joel Stewart and Steve Roberts.”

STEM and eco-focused pre-school series Briko makes international debut to ‘tremendous interest’

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Briko, a new pre-school series aimed at encouraging children into STEM-focused DIY activities has made its international debut having launched on the Turkish children’s channel MinikaCocuk. According to the teams behind the series, it has already received ‘tremendous interest’ from children, parents, and national media.

The new series is co-produced by the Istanbul-based Fauna Entertainment and Singapore’s Toonz Media Group. The show aims to lay a strong emphasis on environment conservation and recycling as it empowers children to be imaginative and take up new, creative activities.

Fauna has already kickstarted a licensing and merchandising programme for the show in Turkey that will launch with the official Briko magazine, followed by activity books and STEM based toys.

In the series Briko and his best friend Hepi, a white rabbit, find a surprise box hiding a not very exciting everyday object, which they turn into fun and exciting games or art crafts using their imagination and creativity. The animation series also includes a live action DIY tutorial to inspire viewers to take up similar crafts and activities. 

Currently being pitched to buyers by Imira Entertainment – Toonz’s own distribution arm, Briko is premiering in international markets such as Mipcom, ATF, MipCancun and soon at Kidscreen 2021.

WildBrain Spark: How kids’ viewing habits changed in 2020 (and how to prepare for 2021)

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As we quickly approach the end of a year heavily affected by Covid-19, and look optimistically toward a post-coronavirus horizon, toy companies and brands have a lot to think about in terms of their 2021 strategies, especially when it comes to advertising in kids’ entertainment. 

WildBrain Spark’s Executive VP and MD, Jon Gisby explores how this year has changed kids’ viewing habits and how to prepare for 2021. 

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As one of the largest premium kids’ and family-content publishers on AVOD platforms, the thing we get asked the most from advertisers is: Where can we make the biggest impact based on Covid viewing trends in the digital kids’ space?

Some of our latest discoveries provide telling answers. Key findings and trends from an analysis of all our WildBrain Spark content, reveal shifts that brands and advertisers would do well to note in kids’ and family viewing habits from before Covid (December 2019 – February 2020) compared to after its arrival (April – September 2020).

CTV viewing overtook mobile and tablet for the first time

One of the first trends we discovered after analysing consumption data and patterns for WildBrain Spark content since April 2020 was that connected TVs quickly outpaced all other types of devices as the primary way to watch video content for children.

Smart TVs became the viewing device of choice for families starting in April and continue to be so, with 46 per cent of WildBrain Spark content watched on these devices even in October 2020. Connected TVs were already growing in popularity before Covid, but the pandemic has pushed families in the direction of co-viewership on larger screens.

Our recent report “Making Screen Time Family Time” in partnership with nScreenMedia, an independent digital TV analyst company, confirms this trend. Of the 3,000 US families we asked, 62 per cent of parents say the smart TV is the most popular platform for co-viewing, with 48 per cent using a connected TV device.

In the kids’ entertainment space, co-viewership on connected and smart TVs is likely to continue well into 2021 and beyond. Two-thirds of parents said they expect time spent with their kids watching TV/movies to remain the same or increase once the pandemic is over.

When preparing strategies, toy companies and brands should be sure to prepare spots optimised for larger screens, and partner with media companies that have a solid presence in the CTV market.

Viewing sessions increased on long-form content

In addition to the shift to co-viewing, we also discovered that viewing sessions on kids’ content have increased by 23 per cent since Covid began, particularly on long-form content of 10 minutes or greater in length. In fact, 57 per cent of all views since Covid began were on long-form content.

For example, the average watch time on long-form WildBrain Spark content between December 2019 and February 2020 was 3.7 times the amount of time spent on short-form content. Since April 2020, this ratio jumped 17 per cent, taking it to 4.3 times the amount of time spent on short-form videos.

This is a major shift in family viewership habits resulting from the rise of viewing on CTV during the pandemic. These trends show that kids and families are officially watching longer videos instead of shorter ones on larger screens for a more premium entertainment experience.

Toy companies and brands should keep this in mind when looking to partner with publishers: Aim to advertise against and sponsor longer-form content to help you reach a more receptive, family-friendly audience.

Media companies caught up to kids’ influencers and creators

While creators and influencers in the kids’ space often pull in billions of views a month, we saw a different viewing habit among children and families during the peak of the first lockdowns and stay-at-home measures in April 2020.

Essentially, premium content from media companies and publishers outperformed creator content, seeing a +22 per cent average view increase versus just a +3 per cent view increase for creators and influencers.

Some genres in particular saw a substantial increase in viewership. Kids’ music jumped 41 per cent from April to June 2020 compared to views garnered between December 2019 and February 2020. Kids’ animation saw a 32 per cent bump in views across these same months, while children’s TV properties came in a close third, at 30 per cent.

This increase of premium content views appears to be here to stay. The rise of premium content shows it’s important to expand advertising strategies to partner with media companies who have known favourites and premium shows that kids and families have turned to this year. This will diversify reach and improve the chances of getting in front of new audiences.

As 2021 draws near, make sure you’re ready to address this new kids’ entertainment market head on. In short, toy companies and brands should prepare their advertising strategy so it’s easily viewed on connected TVs, appears against longer-form content, and can be found alongside premium content from top media companies.

Moonbug Entertainment taps Wow! Stuff for new CoComelon pre-school toy range

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The British toy innovation company, Wow! Stuff is continuing its move into the pre-school category having signed a multi-territory licensing agreement with Moonbug Entertainment for its popular 3D animated series, CoComelon.

Launching in 2021, Wow! Stuff will unveil a new range of products based on the kids’ show, with prices ranging from £9.99 to £79.99. It will include a CoComelon activity table, puzzle blocks, night lights, and more.

Richard North, Wow! Stuff CEO, said: “Our mission is ‘to partner with tier one licensed brands and work until our brains hurt to deliver innovation that is on brand and in universe.’

“This new agreement with Moonbug allows us to expand the playful world of CoComelon with new experiences that kids and families will absolutely love.”

Head of product development and licensing, Kenny McAndrew, added: “We have been working with CoComelon for some time and have seen how the brand has captured families around the globe with its educational and engaging content. Now that it’s a Moonbug brand, we’re delighted for what’s to come from our relationship and the new ways in which we encourage play.”

Simon Philips, senior in-house advisor at Moonbug Entertainment, said: “As we look to bring new ways for fans to engage with their favourite characters, we need partners who can create toys and products that truly bring them to life.

“Wow! Stuff’s reputation in developing innovative toys is unparalleled and we look forward to bringing them kids worldwide.”

CoComelon is the world’s most-viewed YouTube channel with over 3.5 billion average monthly views and over 100 million subscribers. The show centers around the everyday experiences of Baby JJ and his siblings and helps preschoolers learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors and more.

Its upbeat videos impart positive, prosocial life lessons that provide parents with an opportunity to teach and play with their children as they watch together.

For national and international sales enquiries please contact dawn.lavalette@wowstuff.com