Moonbug acquires One Animation, the studio behind Emmy-nominated Oddbods

Moonbug Entertainment, a part of Candle Media, has announced the acquisition of One Animation, a Singapore-based media company and production studio. The company is best known for creating and producing the hugely popular, three-time Emmy nominated series Oddbods, an action-packed, non-dialogue animated show loved by children around the world.

Moonbug will look to expand Oddbods’ global distribution footprint and grow the brand into new formats, products and experiences.

“We continue on our strategy to find the best kids shows in the world and bring them into our portfolio,” says Renè Rechtman, Moonbug Entertainment co-founder and CEO. “One Animation’s creative storytelling and international appeal provide us with even stronger credentials as we continue on our journey to be the leading digital-first kids’ entertainment company in the world.”

“One Animation is a fantastic addition, not only for its successful franchises, but also for its capabilities and scale, and the opportunity to further enhance a dynamic Singapore-based hub for Moonbug as a rapidly growing family entertainment powerhouse,” Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, Co-Chairman and Co-CEO’s of Candle Media, said in a joint statement.

The acquisition of One Animation, the second acquisition Moonbug has made since becoming part of Candle Media, is the next step as Moonbug continues to expand globally as well as across Asia. Moonbug already has an established hub based in Singapore and is working with major partners across the region on both distribution, licensing and merchandising and live events.

“We are delighted to be part of the Moonbug family, which we see as the natural next step in growing our brands into global franchises,” says Sashim Parmanand, One Animation CEO. “Moonbug’s commitment to Singapore as its Asia hub will further bolster the industry and we look forward to collaborating with Moonbug on growth across the region.”

Founded in Singapore in 2008, One Animation is an award-winning 3D animation studio and IP owner. One Animation’s biggest hit, Oddbods, is a hilarious comedy show featuring the adventures of seven very individual and quirky friends as they survive the perils of everyday life, where ordinary situations spiral into extraordinary events.

Oddbods is a three-time Emmy nominated global phenomenon broadcast in over 180 countries around the globe. Oddbods YouTube channels have amassed a staggering 24B total views, 32M subscribers and have on average 350m monthly views. The show is also broadcast on major networks around the world including Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Netflix and Amazon. In 2018, Oddbods received its second Emmy nomination in a row, the first ever property to do so in its category.

Post-acquisition, One Animation’s team will join Moonbug, but they will remain in Singapore and continue developing and producing the shows they are currently working on.

For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.

Moonbug expands licensing and merchandise team with two senior hires

Moonbug Entertainment has announced the appointment of Janice Lam and Helen Genia as Global Hardlines Directors, Consumer Products. Helen will be based in the UK while Janice will work from Moonbug’s New York office. Both roles report to Duncan Tate, Global Head of Hardlines, Consumer Products.

In her newly created role, Helen will be responsible for overseeing all regional and global EMEA based partners, as well as identifying and driving new opportunities. She will work across all Moonbug properties, including hit brands such as CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum.

Helen has extensive experience in the lifestyle, entertainment and toy sectors and has a broad spectrum of disciplines from licensing through to product development, brand and channel management, as well as extensive knowledge of European and global markets. Prior to Moonbug she worked for Mattel for eight years, most recently holding the position of Head of Licensing UK, Europe, Middle East & Russia and Hardlines EMEA, where she was responsible for the licensing business. Prior to Mattel, Helen was at Hasbro Europe for over 18 years, where she held a variety of roles across different business segments.

Helen says: “I am extremely excited to be joining such an innovative company at the forefront of the children’s entertainment sector. I am looking forward to working with the team and our partners in order to create high quality, innovative and relevant products that will allow children across the globe to interact with their favourite characters and expand their imagination.”

Janice Lam is responsible for managing global master toy and hardlines licensing partners, predominantly based out of North America, as well as identifying and driving new opportunities. She will work across all Moonbug properties, including CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum.

Prior to Moonbug, Janice was Vice President, Licensing, North America at eOne where she was integral in the strategic growth and expansion of global hit brands’ licensing business, across all toys, games and publishing. eOne was acquired by Hasbro in 2019. At Hasbro, Janice was appointed Senior Director, Licensing, and managed a team delivering year over year revenue growth across their softlines and collaborations portfolio.

Prior to her tenure at eOne and Hasbro, Janice held key licensing executive roles at the BBC, Zodiak and Chorion, with over 15 years’ licensing experience across global entertainment and lifestyle brands. Janice was a Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment 15th Annual Wonder Woman Awards finalist in the Licensing category.

Janice says: “Moonbug’s licensing and merchandise team is going from strength to strength and I am honoured to be joining the team at such a key time in their expansion. I am looking forward to working with our existing and future partners to create everlasting memories for our fans and bringing our much loved IPs to preschoolers and families across the globe through new and innovative product lines.”

“Both Helen and Janice have a wealth of relevant experience and expertise that I am confident will be invaluable for the growth of Moonbug’s Consumer Products business,” comments Duncan Tate. “Their roles will play a key part in our continued rapid expansion. I am very much looking forward to working with them both at such an exciting and important time in the Moonbug journey.”

For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.

The Point. 1888 nets Farshore for CoComelon book publishing in the UK, Eire and Poland

The hit preschool property and leading children’s series, CoComelon has bolstered its portfolio of international licensees once more, this time tapping Farshore for children’s book publishing across the UK, Eire, and Poland. The deal was brokered by Moonbug’s European licensing agent, The Point. 1888.

CoComelon is a preschool phenomenon currently dominating the digital space and, according to the firm, is set to become one of the biggest global preschool brands across all categories. It is the number one children’s and educational channel on YouTube worldwide, seeing more than 100 billion views globally.

The Moonbug series has spent the most consecutive days in Netflix’s top ten programs across both adult and children’s shows, and in 2021 it has been the most streamed Netflix show beating Bridgerton to the top spot.

Launching with two titles in October 2021, Farshore will publish CoComelon’s most watched and popular songs in bright, bold board book format for preschoolers to sing along with, followed by further publishing in 2022.

CoComelon Bath Song Board Book includes the main character JJ and his brother TomTom from the hugely popular and catchy Bath Song episode. Children can sing along to another much-loved classic with CoComelon Wheels on the Bus Board Book.

Zoe Masters, brands and licensing publisher at Farshore, said: “We are delighted to be publishing CoComelon in this joint deal with HarperCollins Poland. We are incredibly proud to bring Moonbug’s hugely successful entertaining educational content to life in our book publishing.

“At Farshore we are committed to ensuring a love of reading from an early age, and our CoComelon titles will provide fun and engaging books for children to share and enjoy time and time again. The books are launching in 2021 and we couldn’t be happier with the response from retail we have received so far.”

Katie Wilkinson, senior commercial manager at ThePoint.1888, added: “Farshore’s purpose is to make every child a proud reader so I am absolutely thrilled that we are working with them on this epic brand. Cocomelon has joined the digital kid’s entertainment space and achieved growth like no one has seen before, currently it is the most viewed You Tube channel in the world and second most subscribed.

“This lends itself to publishing perfectly and I’m excited to see the first titles later this year and then the ever growing title list rollout in 2022 and beyond.”

CoComelon Bath Song Board Book and CoComelon Wheels on the Bus Board Book publishes on 30th September 2021, for children aged one to four.

Story House Egmont acquires magazine and activity book rights to pre-school hit CoComelon

Story House Egmont – formerly Egmont Magazines – has acquired the magazine rights to the hit pre-school property CoComelon, spanning all territories in the group for magazines, as well as colouring and activity books across EEA regions.

The move follows what has been a highly successful run for CoComelon, which is not only the current number one children’s channel on YouTube, but was 2020#s most popular show on Netflix. On YouTube alone, the series garners 3.5 billion views per month, and is adding to its 107 million subscribers every day.

CoComelon is the latest addition to Story House Egmont’s pre-school portfolio, which currently includes Thomas & Friends, Milkshake!, Ryan’s World, PAW Patrol, and more. Story House Egmont has itself seen vast success in the pre-school sector, having seen a ten per cent growth in RSV year on year.

The deal was signed by Story House Egmont Publishing Director, Laura Adnitt and includes all territories in the group for magazines, as well as Colouring & Activity book formats for EEA territories.

Adnitt said: “As a parent, I know first-hand the great appeal and value of CoComelon. As a publisher, I see the huge potential to share this blissful brand in a printed format with thousands of young families across our publishing network. CoComelon, with its mind-blowing reach and ‘of the moment’ relevance, is a wonderful addition to our publishing portfolio, where we aspire to offer something for every child. We are incredibly excited by this acquisition and can’t wait to get started on our product development with Moonbug.”

Katie Wilkinson, publishing manager at The Point.1888, said: “When Story House Egmont takes on a new brand, it fully commits to the partnership and to building the brand. The scale of CoComelon is like nothing we have seen in preschool and we cannot wait to see what this new partnership will deliver to its fans.”

Maurizio Distefano Licensing named Italian licensing agent for Moonbug’s CoComelon, Blippi, and Morphle

Maurizio Distefano Licensing has partnered with Moonbug Entertainment to become the licensing agent for CoComelon, Blippi, and My Magic Pet Morphle across the Italian market.

The move is the latest in Moonbug’s continued licensing push for a portfolio of brands that within just two years, has helped the firm become a powerhouse in the children’s programming sector. Moonbug currently boasts a librayr of more than 550 hours of content, distributed on more than 100 platforms globally.

CoComelon teaches children how to take on everyday activities and role models positive behavior with a sense of enthusiasm. Kids can easily relate to the universal themes and everyday narratives such as eating your vegetables, learning to tie your shoes and getting ready for bed.

CoComelon attracts children aged one to four to sing and dance along with Baby JJ and his siblings as they learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors and more. It is available on all major platforms including Amazon, Spotify, Apple Music, Roku and Netflix and has surpassed 100 million subscribers on YouTube and garnered nearly 100 billion views on the platform.     

Meanwhile, Blippi is an energetic and loveable character clad in orange and blue that jumps off the screen with his goofy mannerisms and friendly demeanor. He’s taught millions of kids how to count, colors, letters, and much more. In just a few years since his inception, Blippi has become a global sensation with over 11 million YouTube subscribers and 700 million views per month.

Blippi is also available on some of the largest premium streaming services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, Roku, Virgin Media and Kidoodle.

Morphle is a magical red pet who can morph himself into anything – a sweet puppy, a giant truck, a cool dinosaur or anything that his human companion Mila’s playful mind can imagine.

The series is aimed at children aged three to six and is available in 12 languages. With over 250 episodes in its library, the show teaches preschoolers the themes of friendship, problem solving and creativity, and is available on a range of digital platforms including YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV, and most recently, was part of a deal to be shown on Virgin Media platforms.

A hit with tots and their families worldwide, the Morphle YouTube channel has 9.6 million subscribers and has had over 6 billion views since it was established in 2011.

“The relatable content in these properties makes them highly accessible, involving both children and parents in their first learning phases,” said Maurizio Distefano, president of MDL. “The successes that these series have collected since their inception demonstrates their strength, and we’re excited to help fans access products that include their favorite characters.”

Jazwares met with ‘incredible demand’ for CoComelon debut toy line

Jazwares has been met with ‘incredible demand’ for its CoComelon toy line, range of plush, vehicles, figurines, and role play toys that made its debut at retail this year and marks the first toy launch for the popular pre-school 3D animated series. The toy firm has stated that it is already working with retailers to replenish stock.

Developed in partnership with Moonbug, the debut toy line features characters and items from the CoComelon series. Now available on Netflix and YouTube, CoComelon is the number one most watched channel on YouTube with over 3.5 billion monthly views.

The debut toy range from Jazwares includes the Musical Yellow School Bus, the Musical Bedtime JJ Doll, the Musical doctor Checkup Set, the Family & Friends Six Packs, and an array of Mini Vehicles.

“CoComelon has captivated millions of families around the world with its relatable, entertaining and educational programming. We’re excited to bring families new ways to play and learn together with their favorite characters this holiday season,” said Andy Yeatman, head of the Americas, Moonbug.

In addition to helping pre-schoolers learn letters, numbers, animal sounds, colors, and more, the upbeat videos gently impart positive, prosocial life lessons, providing parents with an opportunity to teach and play with their children as they watch together.

“CoComelon has quickly become one of the most parent / child co-viewed brands in the world, and joyful preschoolers will be thrilled to celebrate this beloved content in toy form,” said Jeremy Padawer, EVP at Jazwares. “As a result of this significant viewership, combined with quality, musical content focused on little JJ, his family and friends, we are already seeing incredible demand for CoComelon.”

Moonbug and The Point. 1888 eye ‘evergreen retail space’ for CoComelon, Blippi, and rest of portfolio

Following on from last week’s Moonbug and MGA Entertainment partnership announcement, the global entertainment company has now turned to the brand licensing agency, The Point. 1888 to expand the Moonbug portfolio, including CoComelon, Blippi, My Magic Pet Morphle, ARPO, Supa Strikas, and T-Rex Ranch.

Under the new partnership, The Point. 1888 will look to ‘provide streamlined consumer products roll-out across EMEA’, with the ambition of owning evergreen retail space for the collection.

“As our audience continues to grow, we remain focused on widening consumer engagement touchpoints at a global level, and part of that is having a trusted partner in EMEA,” said Simon Philips, Moonbug. “We’re confident in The Point.1888 and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

Collectively, Moonbug receives over 7 billion monthly views, and will now operate the largest network of kids channels on YouTube, encompassing 235 million subscribers, and its beloved kids’ brands are available on over 100 platforms globally, including major on-demand streaming services such as Netflix, Apple TV, Sky and Hulu.

Will Stewart, founder and managing director at The Point.1888, said: “We are so excited to get started on this. It is not often that you find a unique digital IP partner like Moonbug that is ahead of the crowd producing safe and fun content, with such speed that appeals to all the family, every gender and all our diverse nations.

“The stats speak for themselves proving the success across all the properties and really offer endless opportunities for this licensing programme.”

The Point.1888’s retail-first brand extension model has been one of the biggest drivers of the agency’s growth in the last 12 months. Its team, headed up by Commercial Director Bethan Garton is rapidly expanding and is currently made up of 19 industry professionals with vast and relevant experience having previously worked with other big brands such as the Gruffalo, Star Wars, LOL Surprise, Marvel, Clangers, Mr Men, Noddy and Sesame Street.

MGA Entertainment named worldwide licensing agent for Moonbug’s Little Baby Bum

Moonbug has appointed MGA Entertainment its worldwide licensing agent for the global pre-school sensation, Little Baby Bum. Under the new partnership, MGAE will develop a consumer products programme for the brand to accelerate its availability and accessibility across the globe.

The move follows on from the success of the Little Tikes Little Baby Bum toy line released last autumn.

“Little Baby Bum’s engaging and playful nursery rhymes have resonated with millions of kids around the world, and we’re excited to bring fans new ways to deepen their connection both online and offline,” said Simon Philips, Moonbug. “It is a favourite for parents, too. During these difficult times where educational content has been in high demand from parents, Little Baby Bum has seen a huge uptick in views as parents have chosen it to entertain their kids.”

As a part of this agreement, MGAE will manage new licensees and work with both physical and digital retailers to ensure that Little Baby Bum fans of all ages can bring home a piece of their favourite characters – from apparel to bedding to fast-moving consumer goods to digital and traditional publishing.

“Little Baby Bum is a worldwide favorite among kids as we’ve seen with the initial launch of our Little Tikes Little Baby Bum toys that launched last fall,” said Isaac Larian, CEO and founder of MGAE. “Our worldwide licensing team has generated much success for the L.O.L Surprise! brand and this is an exciting time to bring the Little Baby Bum digital IP into the real world for its millions of fans.”

Little Baby Bum has captivated audiences with its playful nursery rhyme storylines that help kids learn and grow through song. It has expanded exponentially both offline and online in the last year and can be found on over 40 platforms globally including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. On YouTube alone, it garners over 1.5 billion views per month and has surpassed 80 million subscribers.

MGA Entertainment named worldwide licensing agent for Moonbug’s Little Baby Bum

Moonbug has appointed MGA Entertainment its worldwide licensing agent for the global pre-school sensation, Little Baby Bum. Under the new partnership, MGAE will develop a consumer products programme for the brand to accelerate its availability and accessibility across the globe.

The move follows on from the success of the Little Tikes Little Baby Bum toy line released last autumn.

“Little Baby Bum’s engaging and playful nursery rhymes have resonated with millions of kids around the world, and we’re excited to bring fans new ways to deepen their connection both online and offline,” said Simon Philips, Moonbug. “It is a favourite for parents, too. During these difficult times where educational content has been in high demand from parents, Little Baby Bum has seen a huge uptick in views as parents have chosen it to entertain their kids.”

As a part of this agreement, MGAE will manage new licensees and work with both physical and digital retailers to ensure that Little Baby Bum fans of all ages can bring home a piece of their favourite characters – from apparel to bedding to fast-moving consumer goods to digital and traditional publishing.

“Little Baby Bum is a worldwide favorite among kids as we’ve seen with the initial launch of our Little Tikes Little Baby Bum toys that launched last fall,” said Isaac Larian, CEO and founder of MGAE. “Our worldwide licensing team has generated much success for the L.O.L Surprise! brand and this is an exciting time to bring the Little Baby Bum digital IP into the real world for its millions of fans.”

Little Baby Bum has captivated audiences with its playful nursery rhyme storylines that help kids learn and grow through song. It has expanded exponentially both offline and online in the last year and can be found on over 40 platforms globally including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. On YouTube alone, it garners over 1.5 billion views per month and has surpassed 80 million subscribers.

Moonbug continues its international expansion as it scoops Korean animated IP Arpo

More news from Moonbug’s ongoing plans for global expansions has arrived as the firm behind the success of Little Baby Bum has scooped up the popular Korean animated series Arpo.

Throughout 2020, Moonbug will produce 26 premium three to five minute episodes of the slapstick animated comedy on global OTT platforms in the US, EMEA, and APAC. Arpo currently boasts over 2 million subscribers and 100 million monthly views on YouTube.

The first 12 new episodes from Moonbug have already launched.

Arpo is a light dialogue, slapstick show that follows the relationship between Arpo, a commando robot-turned-nanny and Baby Daniel, the curious boy that he cares for. In the latest episodes being developed, Moonbug will introduce the show’s global audience to new characters and expanded worlds.

Arpo helps children aged three to six build an understanding of non-verbal communication like body language and facial expressions, and also promotes life skills such as friendship, being considerate of others and cooperation.

“As Moonbug continues to expand globally, Arpo was a program that immediately caught our eye. It is such a unique, fun show and we recognised how well it resonated with the progressive audience in Korea, as well as others around the world,” said John Robson, COO of Moonbug.

“We’ve seen a huge demand in new content from these beloved characters and are looking forward to expanding ARPO’s reach to new markets over the coming year.”

Arpo is currently available on popular streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Kidoodle.TV, Roku, YouTube and more.

It joins Moonbug’s own expanding portfolio that currently boasts the likes of Little Baby Bum, My Magic Pet Morphle, Supa Strikas, and Go Buster. Moonbug shows are available on global platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Roku, Sky, Amazon Prime Video and many more.