aNb Media, Author at aNb Media, Inc.

Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2023 (B&LLAs) Finalists Announced

The B&LLAs attracted a record number of entries this year, from companies large and small. All of the main product categories were judged by a panel that comprised of retail buyers from right across the spectrum including Argos, ASDA, Boots, Dunelm, FatFace, Home Bargains, John Lewis & Partners, JoJo Maman Bébé, Matalan, Moonpig, Morrisons, Mothercare, New Look, Next, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Specsavers, Tesco, TruffleShuffle, Vanilla Underground, Waitrose and WHSmith.

D&D Direct Reveals First Gameplay Trailer Featuring the Work of R.A. Salvatore in New Neverwinter Expansion, and More!

During the recent D&D Direct video presentation, Wizards of the Coast was excited to announce new partnerships that expand the breadth of the D&D brand from digital games to physical collectibles from top toy manufacturers Hasbro and WizKids. The first of these new partnerships is with Minecraft and the launch of a new Minecraft D&D DLC, available on the Minecraft Marketplace Spring 2023! “We’re incredibly excited to partner with Wizards of the Coast, to introduce a brand new, story-driven Dungeons & Dragons DLC to Minecraft! We can’t wait for the community to dive in and experience a blocky take on the world of D&D,” said Riccardo Lenzi, Senior Producer at Mojang Studios.

PlayMonster and Hasbro Announce Global Expansion

PlayMonster Group LLC, a leading international toy and game company, and Hasbro Inc, a global branded entertainment leader, have announced that PlayMonster will bring the entire Playskool brand to the company’s dynamic roster in 2024 as part of an overall global growth strategy delivering innovation and re-imagined classic play to preschoolers and their families around the world. With a clear vision, Playskool has helped generations of babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their families play together for nearly a century, representing quality, trust and memorable play experiences that help define a child’s early years.

ZAG and Build-A-Bear Workshop Partner on Make-Your-Own Miraculous Ladybug Bear

Global independent animation studio ZAG has signed with Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc (NYSE: BBW), a multi-generational global brand best known for its bear building experience and the creation of personalized “furry friends” for the first Miraculous Ladybug official plush bear. The announcement was made by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG. Just like Marinette harnesses the power of creation, children across North America and the UK will have the power to create and personalize their own Miraculous Ladybug Bear. Featuring soft grey fur, blue eyes, and ladybug paw pads, the first-ever Miraculous Ladybug Bear is all set to save Paris from evil. The bear can be personalized with costumes, outfits, and accessories to make an epic gift for any Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir fan.

Rainbow Studios Selects ChizSix Marketing & Media as Agency of Record for Winx Club

Rainbow Studios, one of the world leaders in the entertainment industry, has named ChizSix Marketing & Media as its Agency of Record (AOR) for the critically-acclaimed Winx Club brand. Some “fairy” exciting news has landed for the team at ChizSix Marketing & Media, as the Toronto-based agency begins its partnership with Italy-based Rainbow Studios and the team behind Winx Club. Known as one of the first animated series to feature a diverse cast of empowered female characters, Winx Club has been celebrated by a worldwide audience of millions since its first airing in 2004. The Winx Club intellectual property has extended its presence into the realms of apparel, beauty, stationary, and more. With an eager global fanbase, more news, announcements, and exciting campaigns on the way, ChizSix Marketing & Media is primed and ready to support the pop culture brand with reliable expertise in public relations, influencer relations, community building, and event planning.

Nickelodeon and Spin Master Celebrate 10 Years of Paw Patrol with Brand-New “All Paws on Deck” Primetime Anniversary Special

Nickelodeon and Spin Master are celebrating a milestone 10 years of the award-winning top-rated preschool series PAW Patrol with an all-new one-of-a-kind primetime special premiering Monday, April 24, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT). The half-hour anniversary special, All Paws on Deck, produced by Spin Master Entertainment, will reunite every PAW Patrol pup from the past and present, as they team up with Ryder for their biggest adventure yet. Encoring Friday, April 28, at 11 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon, All Paws on Deck, is also available to watch on Nickelodeon channels internationally and will be available on Paramount+ in select markets.

Sixteen South and Nelvana Harness a Horse Named Steve for New Animated Series

BAFTA-winning and EMMY-nominated Belfast-based studio Sixteen South has announced that together with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a worldleading international developer, producer, distributor, and licensor of children’s animated and live-action content, they have optioned and are co-developing and co-producing A Horse Named Steve, a new 2D animated series based on the acclaimed debut picture book by Toronto author-illustrator Kelly Collier. The 52 X 11 series will feature hilarious storylines while showing the importance of friendship, teamwork and appreciating one’s true self.

Rube Goldberg Institute Launches the First ‘Unreal’ Rube Goldberg Machine Contest!

Brand Central and the Rube Goldberg Institute collaborated with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine team to launch a new contest to bring the joy of building Rube Goldberg machines to students, hobbyists, game developers and creators of real-time 3D content. The contest invites users to use Epic’s Unreal Engine, to create a functioning Rube Goldberg machine as an interactive 3D experience. The contest is a perfect way for the youth to demonstrate creativity and engineering skills using Unreal Engine, the real-time 3D creation tool used by developers to build high- quality games and interactive content across virtually any platform, including PC, mobile, console, VR, and AR. Through the release of the new Unreal Learning Kit: Rube Goldberg Machines, anyone can access free lessons to learn how to build virtual contraptions in Unreal Engine. The learning kit provides an easy entry point to using Unreal Engine in a fun and engaging way, and the step-by-step activities make it easy for educators to bring Unreal Engine into their classroom. The competition will provide an opportunity for students or hobbyists to demonstrate their creativity based on the tech skills they acquire along the way.

Pokémon Reveals ‘Pokémon Horizons: The Series’ as Official Title of Next Animated Series

In “Pokémon Horizons: The Series,” dual protagonists Liko, whose partner Pokémon is Sprigatito, and Roy will encounter many characters during their journey, including a group led by Friede and Captain Pikachu called the Rising Volt Tacklers. Traveling across the Pokémon world on an airship, the Rising Volt Tacklers include Orla, who enjoys mechanical and electrical work and is accompanied by her partner Pokémon, Metagross; Murdock, who is skilled at cooking, and his partner Pokémon, Rockruff; Mollie, who specializes in healing treatments, and her partner Pokémon, Chansey; and Ludlow. Liko and Roy will also come across Amethio, who is joined by his partner Pokémon, Ceruledge, and belongs to an organization called the Explorers, as well as a popular video streamer known as Nidothing.