Nickelodeon Licensing News for “Winx Club,” “VICTORiOUS” and “Team Umizoomi”
Following are three press releases from Nickelodeon regarding licensing for several of their properties:
Nickelodeon Announces JAKKS Pacific As Master Toy Licensee for Innovative Girls Brand: Winx Club
Multi-Territory Deal Includes Winx Club Dolls, Playsets, Role Play and Dress-Up Products, To Headline JAKKS’ Girls Division for 2012
LAS VEGAS, June 14, 2011 — Nickelodeon and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAKK) today announced from the Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas, NV a multi-territory master toy license agreement for JAKKS Pacific to manufacture, distribute and market a line of toys and other products based on the animated action and fantasy series, Winx Club. The JAKKS Pacific Winx Club product line is scheduled to launch in Fall 2012 to coincide with the premiere of the brand new CGI episodes of Winx Club on Nickelodeon and will span multiple categories, including dolls and playsets, role play, dress-up and Halloween costumes.
“The Winx Club is a great opportunity for us to bring engaging entertainment to our young girl audience,” said Leigh Anne Brodsky, President, Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “The JAKKS Pacific product line will reflect the guiding principles of the Winx Club that appeal to girls: self-expression, friendship, adventure, magic and fashion.”
Stephen Berman, President and CEO of JAKKS Pacific states, “We are thrilled to be the master toy partner for Nickelodeon on their innovative new brand, Winx Club. We are looking forward to bringing a comprehensive line of products to market, full of the positive messages and girl empowerment that Winx Club epitomizes. Winx Club is an exciting new initiative for JAKKS for 2012.”
Winx Club is an international billion-dollar franchise, and this new agreement makes JAKKS Pacific the master toy licensee for Winx Club in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
JAKKS Pacific has a long, successful history and strong partnership with Nickelodeon, producing toys and other products based on top Nickelodeon properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Diego, Blue’s Clues, SLIME, and more. Winx Club is an animated action and fantasy series set in the mystical dimension of Magix, where three schools educate modern fairies, witches and supernatural warriors from all over the universe. Bloom, a young fairy in training from Earth, and five of her schoolmates form the Winx Club to combat their arch enemies. Winx Club first debuted in Italy six years ago and quickly became an international hit and even gave rise to a CG feature film.
Winx Club features positive role models for girls featuring strong heroines that girls can aspire and relate to. The Winx Club characters embody themes of girl empowerment by using their strengths, smarts and magical powers to defeat evil while focusing on the importance of friendship and teamwork.
Nickelodeon is scheduled to begin airing Winx Club in the U.S. in June 2011. Winx Club is a co-production with Rainbow S.p.A. and Nickelodeon, and it is produced in Italy.
Nickelodeon Launches Victorious Product Line Exclusively at Walmart
Victorious-Themed Apparel, Accessories and More to be Featured in Walmart’s Back-to-School Program July – September 2011
LAS VEGAS, June 14, 2011 — Nickelodeon today announced the launch of the first products from Victorious, Nickelodeon’s latest hit live-action comedy series, exclusively at most Walmart stores in the U.S. and Canada. More than 250 Victorious-themed products, including apparel, accessories, entertainment, and school supplies, will be available at most Walmart stores during a special back-to-school window from July to September 2011.
“We’re introducing a line of Victorious products that match the fun, energy and humor that fans have come to expect from the show,” said Ron Johnson, Senior Vice President, Retail Development, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group. “By working with Walmart on this exclusive launch, we’re ensuring this dynamic Victorious-themed product line that includes apparel, school supplies and toys will be available to millions of kids, tweens and teens across the country.”
Currently in its second season, Victorious follows teenager Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) who attends the prestigious performing arts high school, Hollywood Arts. The series, a co-production with Sony Music, features original songs performed by Justice and the ensemble cast. Since its launch last April, Victorious has been the number-one program in its timeslot on all TV with kids 6-11, tweens 9-14, and teens 12-17, reaching 14.4 million kids, 15.1 million tweens, and 11.4 million teens each quarter.
As part of their special back-to-school event, Walmart will present a special “Soundcheck” concert, starring Victoria Justice and the cast of Victorious, on their in-store SmartNetwork TV August 6 and on walmart.com after the SmartNetwork debut. Walmart will also carry the Victorious: Season One, Volume One DVD beginning July 5, as well as the Victorious CD soundtrack and a special Nickelodeon CD featuring live-action stars from Nick’s popular shows, which will be available exclusively at Walmart. Both CDs will be released on August 2.
Nickelodeon to Launch Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits Exclusively at Toys”R”Us Stores in July
First Consumer Products from Team Umizoomi Emphasize Hit Preschool Show’s Math Curriculum
LAS VEGAS, June 13, 2011 — Nickelodeon today announced the consumer products line for Team Umizoomi, the first preschool series to focus entirely on math, will launch with the Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits. Offered exclusively at Toys”R”Us stores nationwide beginning in July, the kits will provide a hands-on, interactive way for preschoolers to experience math with their parents and incorporate math into everyday life. The Team Umizoomi Math Kits can be purchased online from Nickelodeon in mid-July.
“Team Umizoomi has become a big hit with preschoolers who enjoy learning about math through the superhero characters and the entertaining storylines,” said Leigh Anne Brodsky, President, Nickelodeon Consumer Products. “We wanted the first consumer products based on the series to extend the show’s unique math curriculum experience. Like the series, the Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits provide interactive entertainment and show kids how to solve real-life problems using math skills.”
Nickelodeon worked with a team of educational consultants to develop the Team Umizoomi Preschool Math Kits, which cover the nine areas of math preschoolers need to know before starting kindergarten: numbers, counting, patterns, shapes, measuring, positioning, sorting, classification and reasoning. The Kits reinforce the idea that math is all around us and are based on three popular Team Umizoomi episodes – “Playground Heroes,” “Carnival,” and “Aquarium Fix-It.”
The Team Umizoomi Math Kits include:
- 48-page workbook that amplifies the curriculum covered in each episode, setting up problems and providing opportunities for practice and repetition
- 24-page storybook that invites kids to join Team Umizoomi on a math adventure
- 24 Mighty Math Mission Cards – portable cards that provide math-based challenges for kids
- 48-page activity book that reinforces math skills through simple games and activities
- Team Umizoomi episode on DVD
“From the first time we saw a preview of Team Umizoomi, we knew the program would be a hit with the preschool set,” said Richard Barry, Vice President, General Merchandise Manager, Learning and Electronics and Entertainment, Toys”R”Us, Inc. “We’ve been working with Nickelodeon ever since to bring this brand to life in our stores, and we are excited that Toys”R”Us is the first place parents can find Team Umizoomi products.”
Team Umizoomi is currently in its second season and has been one of the top preschool shows on TV since its launch in January 2010. It is a top-five preschool show on all television and is consistently number-one in its time period every day. Created by Blue’s Clues alumni, Team Umizoomi features a tiny team of superheroes who use their mighty math powers to help little kids solve big problems. The series combines action-adventure missions with an interactive math curriculum designed to help kids develop self-confidence in their math abilities and appreciate the many ways in which math shapes their world.
Nickelodeon is the number-one destination for preschoolers on commercial TV with four of the top five preschool shows on all TV – Dora the Explorer, Bubble Guppies, Team Umizoomi, and Max & Ruby. The network provides preschoolers with highly engaging programming and products that promote social and cognitive development by teaching thinking skills in a playful way.
About Nickelodeon Consumer Products
Nickelodeon Consumer Products manages the world’s number-one TV-based licensing business, representing leading properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and managing merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.
Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
SOURCE Nickelodeon