Twirlywoos Renews Golden Bear as Master Toy Partner
DHX Brands, the dedicated brand management and consumer products arm of DHX Media, has renewed its agreement appointing Golden Bear as the global master toy partner for its preschool brand, Twirlywoos, through 2020. Originally commissioned by CBeebies, Twirlywoos airs on more than 40 linear and streaming platforms around the world.
Since its original appointment as master toy partner for Twirlywoos in 2014, Golden Bear has launched a range of toys for the brand. In 2015, the Big Red Boat Playset was featured in the brand’s first TV marketing campaign. In 2016, Golden Bear launched the Run-along Twirlywoos line. In 2018, it introduced the Chatty Twirlywoos, an assortment of soft toys.
Epic!, National Geographic Kids Expand Multi-Year Partnership
Epic!, a leading worldwide digital library for kids, and National Geographic Kids announced an agreement to bring an additional 125 National Geographic books and 24 videos to Epic!’s digital library. Beginning immediately, more than 400 titles from Nat Geo Kids are now available to Epic! subscribers as part of its regular monthly subscription.
New titles include Ultimate Weird But True, Space Encyclopedia, Ultimate Bugopedia, and National Geographic Readers Helen Keller and Frederick Douglass. Also included is Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret, the first book in the new fact-based fiction series by National Geographic. Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret is being made available to Epic! exclusively as the only subscription service to offer the title.
Xilam Animation Inks New Publishing Deals in France
French animation studio, Xilam Animation, has secured new publishing and licensing partnerships in France for a number of its key titles. Hachette Livre, has been appointed as master publishing partner for Xilam’s kids’ properties Oggy and the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko alongside preschool brand, Paprika, while Panini is on board to introduce Oggy and the Cockroaches sticker collections and magazines into the market.
Hachette will develop chapter, story, activity, and novelty book formats in addition to stationery lines, across the trio of brands that will be available at mass, book, and toy retailers in addition to online. Oggy and the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko titles will be released from Q4 2018, with the first Paprika preschool titles following in 2019. This deal marks the launch of the first chapter books for Oggy and the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko, with titles published under Hachette’s Bibliothèque Rose brand.
Xilam’s deal with Panini with see the launch of Oggy and the Cockroaches collectible stickers, albums, and a quarterly magazine from August 2018. Available at news kiosks and mass market retailers and on Panini’s websites, the branded sticker collection and magazine will be based on the fifth series of Xilam’s flagship brand, Oggy through the Ages.
These latest partnerships boost the current Oggy and the Cockroaches French licensing program spearheaded by new master toy partner, Lansay, which launched its first line in January spanning plush, figurines, and card games. For this holiday, Lansay will introduce a new action game called Tap’Attrape.
Nickelodeon, VStar Announce New Tour Dates for North American Paw Patrol Live!
Nickelodeon and VStar Entertainment Group announced the addition of 44 dates to the 2019 winter and spring North American tour schedule for PAW Patrol Live! stage shows. Based on the animated preschool series produced by Spin Master Entertainment, the productions PAW Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue and PAW Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure, bring the characters from the series to life off-screen. Pre-sale tickets for both live stage shows are available now and will go on sale to the general public September 28.
Fans can visit www.pawpatrollive.com for tour schedules, ticket information and PAW Patrol Live! Tail Mail, where they can sign up to be among the first to receive tour updates and exclusive ticket pre-sale information for their city.