ZAG partners with Emoji for global licensing programme

Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has signed an exclusive agreement with Emoji Company to develop and launch a one-of-a-kind collaboration that will combine the strength of two power brands, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and emoji.  The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, ZAG, and Marco Hüsges, CEO and Founder, The Emoji Company.

This new agreement will see the magical superhero world of Miraculous and the energetic and optimistic characteristics of emoji combined to create an emoji x Miraculous brand collaboration that will offer new partners a dedicated, state-of-the-art brand style guide featuring unique emoji x Miraculous brand icons for licensing across categories such as apparel, accessories, footwear, electronics, figurines and collectibles, drinkware, fan merchandise, home goods, stationery, and more.

Since bursting onto the global stage in 2015, Miraculous has become one of the world’s favourite superhero shows, topping TV series ratings charts with leading global broadcasters, dominating across social media with over 30 billion views on YouTube, and hitting over US$1 billion in retail sales at the end of 2021.

“The emoji brand is globally known for its expressive consumer goods, events and entertainment services, and is one of the most versatile and used forms of communication and icons in the world,” says Julian Zag. “We are at the most exciting point in our Miraculous adventure to date, with a $100+ million animated feature premiering later this year, and season five rolling out this autumn following astounding season four ratings, and we look forward to creating a unique and exclusive brand collaboration for emoji and Miraculous fans the world over,”

Miraculous, featuring the beloved Ladybug and Cat Noir, has become a worldwide phenomenon with its unique stories and strong values of friendship, empowerment, and courage,” says Marco Hüsges. “With emoji ’s global brand recognition across all age groups, we will work together with ZAG to bring this new collaboration to key licensed categories with an initial focus on apparel and giftables.” 

Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir is ranked by IMDB amongst the Top 10 Best Animated Shows in the last 20 years. Available in over 120 countries, season five of the series will debut this autumn, alongside the highly anticipated $US100M+ animated feature to be supported by several yet unannounced co-branded partnerships with some of the most influential companies across the globe across numerous consumer products categories.

With a massive fan base of young adult “Miraculers”, (ages 15-25), Miraculous has become a digital planetary craze with over 30 billion views on YouTube (authorised and user-generated content); over 180 million downloads of the official app; and over 300 million+ plays on Roblox. Over 280 million products have been sold to date, and retail sales have surpassed US$1B worldwide to date.

Miraculous is the winner of 27 awards, and was a finalist for Best Licensed Brand among perennial classics in the Licensing International Excellence Awards, 2022.

ZAG to unveil Melody, a new animated musical starring Katy Perry, at Licensing Expo

Award-winning independent animation studio ZAG has partnered with Cross Creek Pictures to produce Melody, an animated musical feature created and directed by Jeremy Zag, and starring singer, songwriter and actress Katy Perry in the title role.  The announcement was made today by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO of ZAG, and Katy Perry.

Melody will be directed by Jeremy Zag, while Katy Perry will co-write and perform the songs for the film. The feature will be produced by Jeremy Zag, Cross Creek’s Tyler Thompson, Katy Perry, and Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), who also served as executive producer on the upcoming $US100 million+ animated film Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie, produced by ZAG.

Jeremy Zag is best known as the creator, director and producer of the global phenomenon Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. ZAG will debut Melody to potential licensing partners at the upcoming Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.

In this musical adventure, kind-hearted, insecure yet prodigious singer Melody must overcome the evil plans of Rose Stellar, a jealous wicked pop queen who has vowed to destroy her. Set against the backdrop of New York City, Melody will take audiences on an adventure of song, laughter and heroic quest. With Melody are her “Seven Dwarves”-like musical notes that help guide her moral compass in more ways than one.

Packed with magic, love and wonder, Melody is an uplifting and inspiring story of self-discovery that celebrates the importance of fulfilling one’s dreams by believing in oneself and, above all, that to love is stronger than to be loved.

“I’ve dreamed of making Melody for years with a vision to convey messages of empowerment in a wondrous world full of music and adventure,” commented Zag.  “As a popstar, Melody is adored by her fans, but as a young artist, she struggles with insecurity.  On this journey of self-discovery, she comes to realise that the key to fulfilment of her life dreams is that she must learn to love herself first. Katy Perry’s journey to stardom is personified in Melody and, given her passion throughout her career to be an inspiration to her fans, she is the perfect collaborator for our animated extravaganza.”

Katy Perry is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 143 million records worldwide. All her studio albums released under Capitol have individually surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. She has nine U.S. number one singles, three U.S. number one albums, and has received numerous accolades including four Guinness World Records, five Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, a Brit Award, and a Juno Award.  Her critically acclaimed Super Bowl halftime show performance is the most watched in history. She is also the most followed woman on Twitter with over 100 million followers.

CAA Media Finance represents the worldwide distribution rights to Melody, with Rocket Science co-representing foreign sales.

LICENSING EXPO: Q&A with Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, ZAG

Ahead of this month’s Licensing Expo, Licensing Biz caught up with Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products at family entertainment powerhouse ZAG, to talk about the incredible global success of Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and what’s next for the smash-hit brand in the licensing space.

Can you briefly describe ZAG, and your role at the company?

ZAG is a global independent entertainment studio specialising in world-class storytelling across TV, film and digital platforms. Our foundation is rooted in creating compelling characters and developing masterful storytelling, all infused with original musical scores.

ZAG’s founder and CEO Jeremy Zag is a visionary director and composer. He initially formed ZAG in France in 2009, then expanded the company to the USA in 2012 with the Global Brand Franchise office in Santa Monica, California, and more recently, an additional head office in Miami, Florida.

Our company is home to several world-class entertainment properties under the ZAG HEROEZ label, including our flagship, globally renowned property Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, a 3D-CGI-animated superhero aspirational action-comedy series. New titles include Power Players and, most recently, Ghostforce, which just started to roll out last year.

Miraculous has taken off in a huge way, globally. Why do you think it appeals to kids so much?

Fans across the globe have fallen in love with the series protagonists, Ladybug and Cat Noir. The characters are engaging, likeable and admirable, but most importantly relatable, as family and friendships are always an important part of the storylines. At its core, Miraculous is a coming-of-age series about awkward kids learning about loving themselves and finding their true powers. Ladybug and Cat Noir are faced with discovering their own powers even if it scares them, even when it is hard to do. Core values are family, friendship, courage, love, and girl empowerment.

ZAG has taken great pride in creating breathtaking animation that draws in the audience and keeps them coming back for more. As a result, Miraculous resonates with a much broader audience than we originally anticipated. TV ratings clearly indicate that both girls and boys watch the show (55% to 45% on average). Digital data from YouTube, Tumblr, Netflix and social media from Twitter to Instagram all indicate we index high in the pop culture space with teens and young adults.

Do you have any recent viewing facts and figures/social media stats for the property?

Season four of the series debuted last year. It had its global premiere in April on TF1 in France, garnering an outstanding 47.7% market share amongst kids 4–10 years old, while in the U.S., the new season premiere on Disney Channel garnered incredible #1 ratings for girls 6–11 across all cable channels. In Germany, it achieved a 46.4% share among all kids on Disney Channel and is the #1 series. We are also ranked #1 on Disney Channal in Japan, and on Super! in Italy. Miraculous is still topping the ratings charts in Latin America, and on Gloob in Brazil, Miraculous has remained the #1 series for girls for four consecutive seasons, with the overall audience a 48/52 boy/girl split, highlighting that the show appeals widely to both boys and girls and family audiences.

Miraculous is huge across social. On YouTube, Miraculous just crossed 30 billion views!

Roughly how many licensing partners do you have for the property? I know last year it was around 300, has that number increased?

Yes, we currently have approximately 400 licensees around the globe, including several global and pan-regional partners. Global deals include Playmates for toys; Ferrero for chocolates; Swatch’s Flik Flak for watches; Epopia, which is a unique epistolary letter format that encourages children to read and write through interactive storytelling; PMI for a line of collectibles, impulse, stationery and school supplies; PEZ for candy dispensers, and Spread Group for print-on-demand.  We also recently extended our deal with Rubies for costumes across EMEA. Other pan-regional partners include Crayola and InSpirit Designs.

It’s nice to see a girl superhero for once. Is diversity and inclusion important to ZAG?

What is important to ZAG is that everyone has to be able to connect to the story, from anywhere in the world, at any age. We care about telling honest stories to help people to ”discover themselves”. Therefore, everything has to be grounded in real life, with a little touch of magic to help our heroes to jump through their reality.

Where is growth coming from? E-commerce is clearly strong… In terms of markets, is there one territory that performs better than others? Are there any untapped markets you’d like to enter?

All territories are performing well and we continue to see huge growth across the board.

 In terms of untapped markets, The Middle East and Africa have become a top priority for ZAG, and the Disney/MBC broadcast combination is a perfect duo for us to reach children across the region.  Miraculous is garnering strong ratings, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where the series ranked in the #1 slot on MBC, following its launch in 2018, and has remained in the top 20 programmes ever since.  We recently appointed Carlotta Caracciolo as our first VP, Middle East and Africa, to oversee the company’s consumer products strategy in the region.

And, most recently, our consumer products programme in Japan is becoming very successful, especially now that Miraculous has become number #1 on TV on Disney Channel Japan, which is incredible since Miraculous is not a Manga property.  We see seeing increasing requests from companies wanting to join our licensing programme every day.

Are you able to give details of any licensing deals around the release of the Miraculous Awakening movie this autumn?

The movie release will be supported by a major QSR programme; an expanded toyline from ZAG Lab and Playmates which will be available online and at bricks-and-mortar stores and incorporates new characters, the first vehicle featuring a convertible scooter, a collectible line of Kwamis, a movie 2-pack, and Movie Collector Ladybug; the launch of the first Miraculous Console Game from ZAG Games, developed by Magic Pockets and published by GameMill Entertainment, to be available on XBOX, Playstation and Nintendo Switch; a new mobile puzzle game from ZAG Games, developed with Crazylab; and several co-branded partnerships with some more of the most influential companies across the globe for numerous consumer products categories, including one with one of the biggest automobile companies in the world.

What are your goals at Licensing Expo? If you have your ‘dream’ show, what would that involve?

We have so much good news to share with our partners who we haven’t seen in person for over two years, and we want to celebrate our success with them. For example, we hit over $1billion in retail sales, sold over 250 million products, and just hit 30 billion views on YouTube. We also have big plans in the works to share with partners around the launch of our Miraculous US$100+ million theatrical movie as I mentioned. We know we will have a dream show!

Do you want to talk about the latest viewing figures/licensing deals for GhostForce?

Or course! Disney Channels U.S. acquired the series and premiered it on October 4, 2021, on Disney XD. The series also launched in most European countries and is getting incredible ratings, regularly ranked among the top #3 shows. In Latin America, the series debuted on Discovery Kids in December, except for Brazil where it debuted on May 2.

Looking to the future, are you considering any new ways for kids to engage with ZAG properties, ie, through NFTs or live experiences, or via the metaverse?

We are seeing strong demand for immersive and live experiences. The Miraculous live-action stage tour from Proactiv was very popular in Spain prior to the pandemic, and we’re pleased that this will be relaunching, starting with Latin America this summer, and Europe in the autumn. We’re also close to announcing a U.S. partner to bring a new live show to North America.

Earlier this month, we launched and already sold out of tickets for Miraculous Paris – Tours of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a virtual family getaway to Paris. Led by a travel guide, families can join a virtual tour to visit real Parisian monuments, and the event includes original Miraculous content, behind-the-scenes secrets and games. We will continue the event this summer.

We’re also in negotiation with a theme park – more on that to come!

What trends are you noticing globally among kids? Do you think anxiety is a big factor after covid? 

For us, we are seeing kids wanting to interact with our brands in any way they can, and we want to deliver the very best experiences for them so that they can enjoy themselves even amidst the events of the world around us.

ZAG will be at Licensing Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, from 24-26 May 2022. 

ZAG signs over 30 new partners in Mexico for Miraculous

Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has announced that since opening its first Latin American office in Mexico City just six months ago, over 30 new licensees, retailers and various promotional partners have come on board to partner with the company’s flagship brand, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.   

The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products.

Most recently signed partners include Yuyin (shoes); Fotorama (school products including backpacks); Novelties Best Trading (stationery, novelties and kids cosmetics); Cool Things (accessories); Área Creativa (gifts) and Helados Willy (ice-cream).

These new products will start to roll out at retail in autumn 2022. Additional current strategic partners for the territory include Union Kids and Avante Textiles (apparel); E Fashion (pajamas and sleepwear); Fantasy Ruz (costumes); 4E (health and beauty); Flying Wheel (skates, scooters tricycle, bicycles, and protective gear); Andromeda (stationary and dinnerware); Granmark (party goods); and Siglo XX1 (melamine).

Additionally, ZAG has created a unique promotion for Miraculous branded merchandise to be featured at Emoción Deportiva, a race that takes place later this year in Mexico City. Parents and children will run in pairs, and runners will receive an exclusive Miraculous bag, medal, face mask and t-shirt with options of 1, 2, 3, and 5 kilometre runs.

In Mexico, the toy line from ZAG Lab and Playmates, distributed by Bandai Mexico since 2017, has been a huge success with a 130% increase in sales over 2021 and 84% product sell-through.

The toy line includes the top-selling fashion doll alongside action figures, role-playing games, stuffed animals, collectibles and roleplay.

Toys are available throughout Mexico at mass market in supermarkets, department stores, and specialised and e-commerce stores. This autumn, the new product line will be available, including an expanded Heroez doll line with new characters and 19 Kwami collectibles.

“Mexico is a the largest and most mature market in Latin America and aspirational to Latino countries,”  says Julian Zag. “Miraculous Ladybug has 91.67% awareness in Mexico for girls ages 7–9 due to the robust content available on key platforms and everyone is excited for the upcoming animated $100M+ feature that will debut later in the year.

“We are focusing on generating the best brand experiences and products for our Miraculous Ladybug fans and are delighted to have signed with such a distinguished group of licensees. We are also in discussion with partners for collaborations that will bring location-based experiences and activities to families, retail pop-ups, and a new line of products for young adults. We can’t wait to get these new products on shelves alongside our hugely successful toy line from ZAG Lab and Playmates, distributed by Bandai.”

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir airs daily in Mexico on Televisa, which holds free-to-air rights, as well as Disney Channel and Disney+. The first three seasons of the series also stream on Netflix.

Miraculous has a huge social media fan base in Mexico with more than 3.8 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and Mexico is always amongst the top three countries with the most views of Miraculous on YouTube.

Special ‘Miraculous’ episode to highlight the issue of plastic pollution

International non-profit the Breteau Foundation – which provides quality education tools to disadvantaged children worldwide – has announced a partnership with independent animation studios ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) to collaborate on a special episode of the global hit animated series Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir to raise awareness about the global plastic crisis. 

To be released in spring 2023, the episode, which will reach millions of Miraculous fans around the globe, seeks to inspire the next generation to be sustainable changemakers in the fight against plastic.

In the special episode, Marinette, Adrien and their friends want to actively fight plastic pollution in Paris, but as a small group, the task seems just too enormous. It occurs to Marinette that they should try to fix the problem at the root, by trying to meet with the largest plastic manufacturer in person and convince him to change his habits. But the heroes are about to meet an opponent in plain clothes far more fearsome than some of the supervillains they encounter! And what if, on top of that, Monarch, the super villain, decides to akumatize the baron of plastic?

The Breteau Foundation initiated the collaboration with ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) in 2020 after searching for an entertainment partner with a strong presence among children. ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) are producing the special episode on reducing plastic, and the Breteau Foundation will work with them to enhance the script with key educational messages. Furthermore, the Breteau Foundation is developing an accompanying series of workshops that will include lesson plans, teaching resources and STEAM learning tools catered to local primary school curriculums and available to download for free.

“At the Breteau Foundation, we believe in providing opportunities for children to become engaged in real-world issues that transcend classroom walls. Partnering with Miraculous to produce a special episode on plastic was a unique opportunity for us to reach millions of children worldwide to raise awareness on the global plastic crisis and inspire them to become active change makers,” says Sebastien Breteau, Founder of the Breteau Foundation.

“We are sensitive to ecology and environmental protection through the actions we plan to launch shortly within our future foundation ZAG Forest,” adds Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG. “In this context, it seemed obvious to us to participate in the initiative of the Breteau Foundation and to put our heroes at the service of this cause. Ladybug and Cat Noir are the best ambassadors of tomorrow’s issues and will be able to accompany children in their mission to create a better world.”

“We are very happy to get involved with the Breteau Foundation in an absolutely essential initiative: to enable our children to be aware of current issues and to protect the future of the planet,” says Aton Soumache, Founder and President of ON kids & family. “This message will be all the more powerful as it is carried by Ladybug, a heroine as famous as she is aspirational. The DNA of our series and the values it conveys are naturally in line with the issues defended by the Breteau Foundation.”

The educational film and workshops will be accessible for free on the Breteau Foundation website in spring 2023, available initially in six languages:  English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Norwegian.

For more information, head to this link on the Breteau Foundation website.

 

ZAG appoints Rafael Baltodano as VP, North America Retail Development

Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has announced the appointment of Rafael Baltodano, formerly with The Walt Disney Company, as Vice President, North America Retail Development. The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products.

Reporting to Lisa K. Foster, Sr. Vice President, Licensing, North America, Rafael will manage strategic relationships across all tiers of retail throughout North America for the roster of properties under the ZAG Heroez label – an umbrella brand franchise that brings together the superheroes from ZAG’s animated properties, which include the global phenomenon Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Power Players, and the company’s newest property, Ghostforce. He will help further ZAG’s mission in building best-in-class licensed programmes, supporting licensees with product placement and promotion.

Rafael’s initial focus will be to work with retailers on the autumn rollout of products for ZAG’s Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, for which over 200 million products have been sold during the past three years.

“Demand continues to be extremely strong for Miraculous, with sales exceeding expectations across the board,” says Julian Zag. “Rafael will lead the charge to expand placement for our partners, as well as securing promotional space for retailers around key events surrounding the brand.”

“I have been impressed by the tremendous growth of ZAG over the past couple of years and the quality of content and merchandise the company creates,” adds Rafael. “I look forward to working with the ZAG team, retailers, and our partners, to bring a whole new range of quality products to our Miraculous fans across North America this fall and throughout 2023.”

Numerous licensed Miraculous products are rolling out this year alongside the new autumn 2022 toy line from ZAG Lab and Playmates, which includes an expanded Heroez doll line with new characters and nineteen Kwami collectibles. Toys have been rolling out in planogram at retailers Walmart, Target and Kohl’s, to name a few. Other products rolling out this year include watches from Accutime, craft and activity products from Horizon, walkie talkies from Kid Designs, healthy snacking from Crunch Pak, and fruit snacks from Ferrara.

These new products will join numerous items already at retail, including publishing from Little Brown Books for Young Readers; colour and activity books from Bendon; an expanded apparel line and sleepwear from Bentex Apparel Group, Komar and BioWorld; girl’s apparel from Jerry Leigh of California; footwear from SG Companies; underwear from Handcraft; fashion and accessories products including hair accessories and jewellery from HER; puzzles and games from TCG; stickers from Trends International; outdoor and seasonal products from What Kids Want; beverages from Good to Grow; seasonal candy from Galerie; wound care from Aso, and the Miraculous Spinbrush and Orajel toothpaste from Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

Prior to joining ZAG, Rafael served in several key licensing and retail positions for The Walt Disney Company, Pixar, and Marvel, spanning over 15 years.  Most recently he served as Director of Retail Brand Development, creating the overarching go-to-market retail strategies for the Disney and Pixar franchises.

ZAG and Burger King join forces for Miraculous QSR promotion

Animation studio ZAG has partnered with Burger King on a global QSR promotion that features collectible premiums from the pop culture hit Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir with purchase of a King Jr. Meal. 

Zag’s global promotion with Burger King first launched internationally across Europe, Latin America, MENA and Pacific Asia, on January 17, and in France on January 24. The U.S. promotion is scheduled to launch on March 24, 2022, in approximately 7,200 participating Burger King restaurants.

The promotion features six branded premium items featuring characters from Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, including two Ladybug and Cat Noir eye masks, two character light-ups featuring Tikki and Phlagg, and two keepsake boxes, featuring Marinette and Adrian.

Guests of Burger King will receive one premium item in each King Jr. Meal purchased while supplies last. Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir will be featured on packaging, POP and digital/TV ads.

“Our exclusive and first QSR program with Burger King restaurants worldwide offers a tremendous opportunity for ZAG to further the global awareness for Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and gives our young fans around the globe another chance to engage with the brand as we head into a year of major growth with new products debuting at retail, a new season of the series in production, and the debut of our US$100+ million animated feature,” says ZAG’s Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products.

The 3D-CGI-animated superhero action-comedy series Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, created by ZAG and co-produced with ON kids & family, is ranked by IMDB amongst the Top 10 Best Animated Shows in the last 20 years. Season four of the Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir animated TV series started to roll out in over 120 countries across the globe during spring/summer 2021, and ZAG is currently in production on season five of the series.

With a massive fan base of young adult “Miraculers,” (ages 15-25), Miraculous has become a digital planetary craze with over 29 billion views on YouTube (authorised and user-generated content), and 200 million downloads of the official app. Over 200 million products have been sold during the past four years and retail sales have surpassed US$1B worldwide to date. Miraculous is the winner of 25 awards, including the 2018 Teen Choice Award for Choice Animated Series.

ZAG extends South American licensing programme with new office in Buenos Aires

Animation studio ZAG has established its first office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to directly spearhead merchandising and licensing activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay for the company’s portfolio of  “ZAG Heroez” brands, which includes the worldwide hit Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and Ghostforce

The new Buenos Aires office is headed by Melisa Fuhr, Director of Licensing and Retail for South America, who is also in charge of the direct operation in Chile and Peru. Fuhr reports to Angela Cortez, ZAG’s VP of Licensing and Consumer Products for Latin America.

Fuhr is tasked with further developing the company’s brands, working directly with new licensing and promotional partners to implement a strategy that will increase visibility and market share, as well bolstering relationships with retailers to enhance the brand’s visibility at retail.

“We are confident that our strategy to directly handle consumer activities in key regions is the optimal approach to building our brands,” says Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products. “2022 is a milestone year for us with the much anticipated launch of our US$100 million Miraculous animated feature release later in the year alongside a global QSR promotion, the release of a new mobile game and our first console game, amongst other initiatives. Plus, we are also receiving increasing and positive activity across our social media for Ghostforce since its debut in December 2021 on Discovery Kids, and this is the ideal time to work together with licensees across the region to build additional ways for fans to interact with the series.”

Angela Cortez adds: “We want to thank Caffaro Hnos and his team at IMC for their oversight of Miraculous over the past few years. Together with ZAG, Caffaro Hnos has paved the way for the success of this phenomenal brand in Argentina.”

“We see numerous opportunities to continue to build on the success of Miraculous across Argentina,  Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay and build strong and lasting partnerships with the best companies and retailers in the region for both Miraculous and Ghostforce,” says Melisa Fuhr. “The new toy line for Miraculous from ZAG Labs is already performing well at retail and we are eager for the Zag Lab and Playmates toy line for Ghostforce to hit retail in 2023.”

Before joining ZAG, Fuhr spent 15 years with Arcor SAIC, the largest confectionery manufacturer in Latin America. She went from her role as Events and Promotions Manager to become the company’s Director of Licensing. Fuhr oversaw licensing, partnership and promotional activities for all product categories, from candy to ice cream, cookies and chocolates. She also developed and negotiated promotions and campaigns with partners such as Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon and Fox. She was also Director of Licensing for South Latin America for El Reino Infantil, the number one Spanish-language Youtube channel for children worldwide.

 

ZAG extends South American licensing programme with new office in Buenos Aires

Animation studio ZAG has established its first office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to directly spearhead merchandising and licensing activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay for the company’s portfolio of  “ZAG Heroez” brands, which includes the worldwide hit Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir and Ghostforce

The new Buenos Aires office is headed by Melisa Fuhr, Director of Licensing and Retail for South America, who is also in charge of the direct operation in Chile and Peru. Fuhr reports to Angela Cortez, ZAG’s VP of Licensing and Consumer Products for Latin America.

Fuhr is tasked with further developing the company’s brands, working directly with new licensing and promotional partners to implement a strategy that will increase visibility and market share, as well bolstering relationships with retailers to enhance the brand’s visibility at retail.

“We are confident that our strategy to directly handle consumer activities in key regions is the optimal approach to building our brands,” says Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products. “2022 is a milestone year for us with the much anticipated launch of our US$100 million Miraculous animated feature release later in the year alongside a global QSR promotion, the release of a new mobile game and our first console game, amongst other initiatives. Plus, we are also receiving increasing and positive activity across our social media for Ghostforce since its debut in December 2021 on Discovery Kids, and this is the ideal time to work together with licensees across the region to build additional ways for fans to interact with the series.”

Angela Cortez adds: “We want to thank Caffaro Hnos and his team at IMC for their oversight of Miraculous over the past few years. Together with ZAG, Caffaro Hnos has paved the way for the success of this phenomenal brand in Argentina.”

“We see numerous opportunities to continue to build on the success of Miraculous across Argentina,  Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay and build strong and lasting partnerships with the best companies and retailers in the region for both Miraculous and Ghostforce,” says Melisa Fuhr. “The new toy line for Miraculous from ZAG Labs is already performing well at retail and we are eager for the Zag Lab and Playmates toy line for Ghostforce to hit retail in 2023.”

Before joining ZAG, Fuhr spent 15 years with Arcor SAIC, the largest confectionery manufacturer in Latin America. She went from her role as Events and Promotions Manager to become the company’s Director of Licensing. Fuhr oversaw licensing, partnership and promotional activities for all product categories, from candy to ice cream, cookies and chocolates. She also developed and negotiated promotions and campaigns with partners such as Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon and Fox. She was also Director of Licensing for South Latin America for El Reino Infantil, the number one Spanish-language Youtube channel for children worldwide.

 

ZAG appoints Megalicense to represent ZAG Heroez in Russia and CIS

Animation studio ZAG has signed Megalicense, the leading licensing agency across Russia and CIS, to represent its ZAG Heroez brand portfolio, headlined by the pop culture hit Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Under the terms of the agreement, Megalicense will develop the licensing and merchandising plans for Miraculous, together with Power Players and ZAG’s newest series, Ghostforce, across Russia and CIS.  The agency will work together with ZAG’s Helena Perheentupa, Vice President, Licensing, for Central, Eastern, Northern Europe and Russia & ZAG’s European Department.

“Megalicense is the premiere licensing agency across Russia and CIS, and we are delighted that they will be spearheading the consumer products activities for ZAG,” commented Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products. “This is an exciting time for Miraculous, with over 200 global licensees and retail sales achieving over $1 billion last year.

“Coming up this year is our US$100M+ animated feature supported by a global QSR programme, the season five series premiere and new mobile and console games, amongst many other initiatives. Our newest series, Ghostforce, which had its world premiere last August on TF1 in France, is already resonating with kids as we are seeing an increase in tons of activity across our social media channels. And we have Power Players, which is gaining traction in Russia where it currently airs on Karusel. We look forward to working with Megalicense to develop a robust licensing programme for these original IPs throughout the region.”

“We are so proud to start our long-term collaboration with the ZAG portfolio of brands,” says Friderico Gatti, CEO of Megalicense. “Our initial focus will be Miraculous, one of the most successful brands for the 6-12 target audience globally. Over 220 million products have been sold to date around the world and we see huge opportunity to further grow the brand across Russia with a focus on apparel – following successful collaborations with giants such as GUESS and ZARA – alongside back-to-school, footwear, outdoor, accessories, homeware, textiles and many others. We have no doubt that Miraculous will continue its success in Russia, and we look forward to introducing Ghostforce and Power Players to potential licensing partners across the region.”

Season four of Miraculous is currently available across Russia and CIS on Disney Channel, with season five set to premiere in Q3 alongside two animated TV Events: Miraculous World – Shanghai – The Legend of Lady Dragon and Miraculous World: New York – United Heroez. Toys from ZAG Lab and Playmates are performing well in the U.S. with the new line rolling out internationally. With a massive fan base of young adult “Miraculers,” (ages 15-25), Miraculous has become a digital planetary craze with over 29 billion views on YouTube (authorised and user-generated content) and 200 million downloads of the official app.

Ghostforce is currently available across Russia and CIS on Disney Channel, and a toy line for the series from ZAG Lab and Playmates will be available in 2023. Ghostforce was acquired by Disney Channel in the US and is currently available on Disney XD. The series is available across Europe, and the Middle East on Disney Channel and on Discovery Kids in Latin America, with launches planned in Japan and India this year.  The series had its world premiere in France on TF1 in August 2021 with an audience share of over 35%.

Power Players is currently available in Russia on Karusel and in Ukraine on PLUSPLUS.