Including LEGO Star Wars series to hit TV screens in spring/summer.
A new toy line based on DreamWorks Animation’s Voltron: Legendary Defender will launch in spring 2017, with Playmates on board as master toy partner. The series is due to premiere on Netflix later on this year.
DreamWorks Animation unveiled the first wave of licensees signed for the upcoming Trolls brand. The master toy partner for the property is Hasbro, supported by Random House Children’s Books as the core publishing licensee in the US. Also on board are Hallmark, Trends International, Franco Manufacturing, H.I.S International, Editorial Planeta, Ravensburger, Clementoni and Procos. Additional global licensees are due to be announced throughout 2016.
BBC Worldwide has commissioned a second series of preschool show Hey Duggee.
The 12th Annual Wonder Women Awards Gala took place in New York. Among the winners was Joan Grasso, vp of licensing North America at eOne.
New animated TV series LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures is due to debut on Disney XD in spring/summer. This will be the first TV series for the brand, and will introduce a number of new heroes and villains, as well as familiar Star Wars characters.
Speaking of Star Wars, and Disney confirmed this week that principal photography on Episode VIII has begun at Pinewood Studios. The film is scheduled for release on December 15, 2017.
IMG has secured a multi-year deal with Ascot Racecourse to become its worldwide licensing representative. IMG will now work with the 305 year old racecourse to create a year-round licensing portfolio, including Ascot and the Royal Ascot racing festival. Products will include apparel, bags, leather goods, homewares, stationery and memorabilia.
PetSmart has teamed up with NBC Universal to offer an exclusive The Secret Life of Pets collection in its stores. The range includes pet apparel, as well as cat and dog beds, plus a list of ‘PetSmart favourites’ as picked by the main characters in the movie. The campaign will be timed to coincide with the release of the movie in the summer.
The developer of children’s virtual world Petra’s Planet, Dramaforum Oy has appointed Blonde Sheep – headed up by Natasha Dyson – to create a licensing programme in the UK and Ireland. The brand has already expanded from publishing into several categories, ranging from apps to an online virtual world and educational software designed for classrooms.
Kidscreen Summit 2016 – held last week in Miami – notched up a 5% year on year increase in registrations. The 2017 show will take place from February 13-16 at the InterContinental Hotel.
Planeta Junior has appointed Antonella Ceraso as its new country manager for Spain and Portugal.
eOne has expanded the US licensee roster for Peppa Pig. New partners include Colorforms, Fab/Starpoint, Galerie USA, Kurt Adler, Marmont Hill, Montco and Parragon. In addition, Jazwares has extended its Peppa Pig offering for 2016 with new plush, play-sets and figures.
