Tag Archives: sonic the hedgehog

JAKKS Pacific extends global toy deal with SEGA for Sonic the Hedgehog

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JAKKS Pacific has renewed and expanded its global toy partnership with SEGA of America for the classic and modern versions of the hit entertainment franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Under the extended partnership, JAKKS will design, manufacture, market, and sell Sonic the Hedgehog branded toy product lines worldwide, commencing in 2022. The agreement includes the rights to produce action figures, play-sets, vehicles, plush, and collectables.

JAKKS has seen wide success with the Sonic the Hedgehog IP since its introduction to the market in 2019, with product launches spanning big box retailers in-store and online. Its four-inch figures replicating modern and classic versions of Sonic were a hit with fans of all ages.

The introduction of the 2.5-inch figures and Green Hills Zone play-set last fall brought all new ways to play and recreate the action of this iconic zone from the video games.

“Our line of Sonic the Hedgehog products consistently hit the mark with retailers and fans, and we are excited to continue to develop innovative toys with SEGA that resonate on a global scale,” said Craig Drobis, senior vice president of marketing at JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

“Our Sonic figures, play-sets and plush have seen consistent sales growth since our partnership with SEGA began. There is more great product to be introduced for this Fall and for several years to come.”

Alex Gomez, licensing director at SEGA of America, added: “JAKKS Pacific has been an integral partner in bringing our vision for unique, high-quality Sonic collectibles to market over the past two years, and we’re ecstatic to expand our partnership them as we enter the next decade of the franchise.

“The new collection is sure to bring Sonic fun to new heights with merchandise tied to upcoming projects and will feature the Blue Blur in his Classic and Modern form, with something special for Sonic fans of every generation.”

Moonpig details plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays as it bolsters its brand portfolio

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The online greeting card and gifting platform, Moonpig has detailed its plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays thanks to a new partnership with not only Nintendo but a wealth of gaming brands.

The new range is built on licensing partnerships with flagship brands such as Nintendo, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog and SEGA, Warhammer, and Marvel Gameverse to name but a few. Moonpig has stated that it is still ‘actively recruiting gaming brands to fulfill their vision of being the ultimate gifting companion.’

“Gaming represents a huge opportunity for us at Moonpig and with incredible household brands – like Nintendo – on board, we’ve only just begun the journey to become the ultimate destination for birthday presents for every gaming fan,” said David Rimmer, commercial director at Moonpig.

“Our ambition is to have a brilliant range of cards that fans can’t find anywhere else and offer matching gifts for the perfect bundle.”

Victoria Connor, licensing executive at Moonpig, added: “We know how passionate people are about gaming and we’re looking forward to extending the licensed range  for cards as well as gifting with more gaming favourite brands.”

The first elements of the gaming range launched in September with a licensed partnership with Nintendo. The bespoke cards were designed by Moonpig’s in-house team, creating a diverse, personalisable range that is not available anywhere else, featuring Super Mario, Animal Crossing and Zelda among others.

Nelson Calvinho, head of marketing for Nintendo UK, said: “Nintendo prides itself on bringing people together through its games and putting smiles on people’s faces. We hope that this new range of cards from Moonpig, featuring many familiar characters from the world of Nintendo, will put a smile on the face of anyone receiving them.”

The next stage of the gaming campaign launched in April this year, featuring bespoke site looks as well as a number of competitions and giveaways on social media, giving participants the opportunity to win prizes, including a number of personalised Nintendo Switch Lite consoles and even a personalised Xbox Series S in partnership with gaming sensation Ali A.

Moonpig details plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays as it bolsters its brand portfolio

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The online greeting card and gifting platform, Moonpig has detailed its plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays thanks to a new partnership with not only Nintendo but a wealth of gaming brands.

The new range is built on licensing partnerships with flagship brands such as Nintendo, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog and SEGA, Warhammer, and Marvel Gameverse to name but a few. Moonpig has stated that it is still ‘actively recruiting gaming brands to fulfill their vision of being the ultimate gifting companion.’

“Gaming represents a huge opportunity for us at Moonpig and with incredible household brands – like Nintendo – on board, we’ve only just begun the journey to become the ultimate destination for birthday presents for every gaming fan,” said David Rimmer, commercial director at Moonpig.

“Our ambition is to have a brilliant range of cards that fans can’t find anywhere else and offer matching gifts for the perfect bundle.”

Victoria Connor, licensing executive at Moonpig, added: “We know how passionate people are about gaming and we’re looking forward to extending the licensed range  for cards as well as gifting with more gaming favourite brands.”

The first elements of the gaming range launched in September with a licensed partnership with Nintendo. The bespoke cards were designed by Moonpig’s in-house team, creating a diverse, personalisable range that is not available anywhere else, featuring Super Mario, Animal Crossing and Zelda among others.

Nelson Calvinho, head of marketing for Nintendo UK, said: “Nintendo prides itself on bringing people together through its games and putting smiles on people’s faces. We hope that this new range of cards from Moonpig, featuring many familiar characters from the world of Nintendo, will put a smile on the face of anyone receiving them.”

The next stage of the gaming campaign launched in April this year, featuring bespoke site looks as well as a number of competitions and giveaways on social media, giving participants the opportunity to win prizes, including a number of personalised Nintendo Switch Lite consoles and even a personalised Xbox Series S in partnership with gaming sensation Ali A.

Steamforged Games partners with SEGA for Sonic the Card Game launch

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Steamforged Games, the tabletop gaming specialist behind hit titles like Monster Hunter, Dark Souls, and the Peaky Blinders card game, Faster Than Truth, has set tongues wagging once more, with a tease of a new card game based on SEGA’s iconic Sonic franchise.

The announcement of a new partnership between the games publisher and the video game studio, SEGA, arrived via what it being billed as a ‘stealth drop’, quietly listing the new Sonic title among a long-list of new titles to launch from Steamforged this year.

In fact, so stealthy was the announcement that details of the new title have been kept to just the title itself, as chatter among fans across the globe begins to pick up over just what Steamforged’s Sonic The Card Game will deliver to the playing space.

Fans across the scene have begun speculating what the game may entail, with drawing conclusions that given the nature of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, a racing card game can best be expected, playing into the similar vein of the family-friendly Sonic game, Sonic Crash Course that charges players with racing each other on the tabletop.

“Sonic’s the name, and speed is the game—literally! Join the beloved blue blur in a competitive card racing game where you’ll collect power-ups and rings to win,” read a short description of the game on Steamforged’s website.

Among the list of announcements, Steamforged also released reminders about is catalogue of video game inspired tabletop titles, including PacMan and its several beast-themed expansions for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game.

Sonic the Hedgehog to join TOMY’s Club Mocchi-Mocchi plush line up

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The global toy maker, TOMY International, has signed a new collaboration with SEGA of America to bring the characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog universe to retail via the toy firm’s popular collectable Club Mocchi-Mocchi line.

Developed under TOMY’s Micchi-Mocchi brand, the officially licensed range will include super soft, squeezable, and huggable plush versions of characters from the Sonic universe. The range is expected to bow ahead of the arrival of the sequel to the hit blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog movie and a new Netflix Originals animated series, Sonic Prime, next year.

Sonic the Hedgehog burst onto the gaming scene on June 23, 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the classic Sega Genesis, and quickly became known for his super-fast speed, signature attitude and readiness for all types of adventure. Since his debut, Sonic the Hedgehog has become a prominent figure in pop culture that has captivated fans around the world with an expansive franchise of iconic video games, comics, TV series and more.

“Sonic is an all-time classic video game character that has evolved into a beloved lifestyle brand and we are thrilled to bring these amazing characters to fans and collectors around the world through our unique Club Mocchi- Mocchi- brand,” said TOMY’s director of global brands, Morgan Weyl.

“The signature look and feel of our Club Mocchi- Mocchi- items will even turn Sonic’s quills in the most huggable quills ever.”

Michael Cisneros, manager of licensing at SEGA of America, added: “TOMY has a long-standing reputation for high-quality plush toys not only in the industry but is well revered with Sonic collectors as well. We’re thrilled to re-partner with them to create this unique line for Sonic the Hedgehog.

“Fans have embraced Sonic in so many different mediums, and these super-soft, Club Mocchi-Mocchi- plushies will be ones they can hug and cherish for years to come.”

JAKKS Pacific backs its Disney slate to lift toy sales following Q4 and full year 2020 declines

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JAKKS Pacific is heavily backing its Disney partnership and the boost in toy sales it expects to see over the course of the year, driven in part by the “extraordinary success of Disney+” and its new model of delivering content in the midst of the pandemic.

The toy firm highlighted its expectations to see a ‘return to more normal patterns of shopping,’ as it sets its sights on improved quarterly and full year results for the year ahead.

This week, JAKKS Pacific reported a 16 per cent drop in its fourth quarter 2020 net sales to $128.3 million, down from the $152.5 million the year prior. The decline, it says, was driven primarily by lower sales of Disney’s Frozen and Frozen II products, which were strong contributors to Q4 sales in 2019.

Net sales on the toys and consumer products segment were down 19 per cent globally, but were up 13 per cent with the exclusion of its Frozen merchandise.

Somewhat surprisingly, despite the restriction imposed by lockdowns across its major markets, fourth quarter net sales of Disguise Halloween costumes increased 91 per cent.

According to JAKKS Pacific’s chairman and CEO, Stephen Berman, fourth quarter results exceeded expectations for sales, gross margin, operating income and adjusted EBITDA.

In a statement issued this week, he cited “strong sales increases in Disney Princess, Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Disguise costumes.”

“Since JAKKS was founded over 26 years ago, we have focused on proven play patterns and working with license partners with highly recognisable brands, and we believe this focus served us well in 2020 as parents of kids spending so much more at home were looking for products they knew and brands they trust,” Berman continued.

“Our efforts during the quarter, as they were all year, were directed at managing costs, ending 2020 with clean inventory, and preserving cash. This discipline allowed us to post the highest full year gross margin rate since 2016, and the highest fourth quarter gross margin rate in ten years.”

Looking at the year ahead, and JAKKS Pacific remains optimistic that results will improve as the world begins to emerge from the pandemic. The firm is also heavily backing its partnership with Disney and a slate of licensed releases this year, including Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, and Encanto.

“In addition, we believe that the extraordinary success of Disney+ has given families all over the world year-round access to Disney content, which will help keep kids connected to the characters they love and to cherish the toys we make based on those characters,” said Berman.

“We expect 2021 to see a return of more normal patterns of shopping, gift-giving, and celebrating Halloween. We believe our continued emphasis on core products, margin improvement and cash preservation will lead to improved results for 2021.”

JAKKS Pacific extends SEGA deal for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie toys and dress up

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JAKKS Pacific has secured the global toy rights for the upcoming Paramount Pictures’ feature film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in a deal that will see the toy maker design, manufacture, market, and sell branded toy lines scheduled for 2022.

The agreement between JAKKS and SEGA of America will include the rights to produce new action figures, play-sets, vehicles, plush toys, and other collectables. Meanwhile, the toy maker’s costume division, Disguise, will be designing and manufacturing costumes and accessories inspired by the sequel film.

The new line of merchandise is an extension of the multi-year, global toy licensing deal forged between SEGA of America and JAKKS Pacific back in 2019, which featured top-selling collectables based on the Sonic the Hedgehog film released last year.

Items based on the first film included the Talking Sonic Plush, Sonic Baby Plush, and Spin Dash Sonic play-set.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is sure to be a runaway hit in 2022. Given the success of the first movie and performance of our current Sonic the Hedgehog product line, we are excited to continue to develop toys that follow along with Sonic’s next great movie adventure,” said Craig Drobis, senior vice president of marketing at JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

“JAKKS brings decades of innovative product development experience to the table and will continue to bring to life these iconic characters in a wide variety of new and unique ways for kids and fans alike.”

Alex gomez, licensing director at SEGA of America, added: “We’ve seen such a great response from fans to the Sonic the Hedgehog products created by JAKKS Pacific, and we’re thrilled to continue working with them to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

“We hope that fans of the Blue Blur will see the collection as a testament of our appreciation and create memorable Sonic experiences with the products for years to come.”

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of toys and consumer products sold throughout the world, headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Meanwhile, Disguise is recognised as a leading name in the design and development of Halloween costumes and accessories with distribution across the world. With a dedication to quality and detail, Disguise continues to own the licensed costume space with additional lines rolling out each year.

LEGO and SEGA partner to bring Sonic the Hedgehog to brick form

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The LEGO Group has detailed a new partnership with SEGA to bring Sonic the Hedgehog into brick form, thanks to a concept design submitted to the Danish toy maker’s invention platform, LEGO Ideas.

Created by a 24-year-old LEGO superfan, Viv Grannell, the design was inspired by SEGA’s critically acclaimed 2017 platformer experience Sonic Mania and features iconic characters and environments from the game’s Green Hill Zone level.

The design achieved its pre-requisite 10,000 votes from LEGO fans worldwide and has now been given the green light to enter production through a partnership between LEGO and SEGA.

Talking about the winning idea, Viv Grannell, said: “I’ve been invested in the world of Sonic for almost my entire life, and it’s such a perfect fit for the LEGO system that I spent about a year rallying support for it to happen.

“Having 10,000 people back my design was overwhelming enough, even with friends and family behind me, but having it be selected for further development was the most exciting secret I have ever had to keep.”

The Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone LEGO Ideas design will now go into the product development phase, in partnership with SEGA and once finalised will be available worldwide.

Talking about the collaboration, Jason Rice, director of brand licensing, SEGA Europe Ltd, said: “At SEGA, we’ve always encouraged fans to take part in the legacy of the Sonic franchise through their own creations and it’s wonderful to see the tradition continued through the LEGO Ideas program.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Viv and the LEGO Group, and hope to inspire fans to continue creating their own unique Sonic the Hedgehog experiences for generations to come.”

The Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone LEGO Ideas design is the ultimate embodiment of Sonic the Hedgehog’s past and future as the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary this June. Featuring a wide variety of elements inspired by Classic Sonic, the set will provide LEGO collectors and Sonic fans alike a truly supersonic LEGO experience.

Sonic the Hedgehog will charge onto Netflix in new animated series in 2022

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A new animated series of Sonic the Hedgehog called Sonic Prime will be tearing onto Netflix with a worldwide premiere scheduled for 2022.

The 24-episode animated adventure is the product of a triple-threat deal between Netflix, SEGA of America, and WildBrain. Aimed at kids, families, and long-time fans of the franchise, Sonic Prime promises to draw upon the keystones of the brand as it follows Sonic on a new adventure in both a race to save the universe and find redemption.

The series will be animated at WildBrain’s Vancouver studio, and SEGA and WildBrain will jointly participate across production, distribution and licensing. Man of Action Entertainment, creators of Ben 10 and the characters and team in the Academy Award-winning feature Big Hero 6, have been brought on as showrunners and executive producers for the series.

Dominique Bazay, director of original animation, Netflix, said: “Sonic is a beloved character and holds a special place in everyone’s heart including my own. I spent many hours with the blue blur as a kid and it’s a privilege to be able to bring this character everyone knows and loves on a brand new adventure with Netflix – one that a generation of loyal fans and brand new fans around the world can enjoy.”

Ivo Gerscovich, chief brand officer at SEGA, added: “Sonic the Hedgehog is a global entertainment icon that has captivated audiences since its video game debut in 1991. With over 1.14 billion game units sold and downloaded to date, an exciting feature film, a robust licensing program and more, SEGA’s iconic hedgehog continues to surprise and delight audiences worldwide.

“We’re thrilled to partner with WildBrain, Man of Action Entertainment and Netflix to speed into this new, animated chapter in the Sonic franchise.”

Josh Scherba, President, WildBrain, said:”With generations of devoted fans around the world, Sonic the Hedgehog is more popular today than ever before, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Netflix, SEGA and Man of Action to deliver all new Sonic adventures for audiences worldwide.

“This premium franchise is ideally suited to WildBrain’s capabilities and it’s already inspiring great things from our talented creative teams. We’ve witnessed first-hand the enduring popularity of this brand from the strong and steady global demand for our library of legacy Sonic series. We look forward now to bringing fresh and exciting Sonic content to fans both new and old.”

Building on the momentum generated for Sonic in 2020 – and as the brand celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2021 – Sonic Prime aims to captivate the imaginations of audiences ages six to 11, as well as legacy Sonic fans of all ages, and will match the scale and scope of the epic adventures synonymous with the Sonic franchise.

In 2020, the theatrical feature Sonic the Hedgehog, took the number one spot worldwide on opening weekend and remained on top globally for weeks while breaking domestic box office records. Producers SEGA Sammy and Paramount Pictures have announced a sequel to the feature is in development.

Genius Brands’ Kartoon Channel! acquires Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man animated series

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The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man and The Ghostly Adventures are the latest children’s series to be landing on Genius Brands’ recently launched Kartoon Channel! app. The streaming rights to the two animated series were acquired from 41 Entertainment as GBI continues to build its animated content offering.

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures features the classic video game character Pac-Man in a series that follows his daily adventures, alongside his loyal crew Cyli and Spiral. Together they protect Pac-World from a ghostly army led by the evil Betrayus.

Pac-Man was originally conceived in 1980 when the franchise rose to fame via its arcade video games. Pac-Man went on to make an array of branding and entertainment appearances, becoming one of the most recognised video game characters on the planet. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the video game franchise that can be credited with kick-starting a pop culture movement.

Meanwhile, Kartoon Channel! has also secured 26 episodes of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, a series based on the blockbuster video game series from SEGA. This light-hearted adventure series emphasizes positive themes for kids about personal safety and interpersonal relationships.

The series stars Sonic and his friend Tails as they work to thwart the machinations of Dr Robotnik and his henchmen Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts.

“Our mission in creating Kartoon Channel! has always been to deliver the best of the best in children’s entertainment, and we are excited to add these two series, featuring popular characters that are proven winners and that kids love,” said Caroline Tyre, general manager of Kartoon Channel!