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Buzzfeed Strikes First-Look Content Deal with Genius Brand’s Frederator Network

Genius Brands International, Inc (NASDAQ: GNUS), through its Frederator Network subsidiary (a division of WOW! Unlimited Media), announced an exclusive content deal with BuzzFeed, a division of BuzzFeed, Inc (NASDAQ: BZFD), a premier digital media company for the most diverse, most online, and most socially engaged generation the world has ever seen. The deal provides Genius Brands’ Frederator Network the exclusive opportunity and first right to develop and produce longform series based on original digital properties created by the BuzzFeed Animation Lab. The first short-form content for series development by Frederator will be The Land of Boggs, a zany buddy comedy that currently boasts over10M followers. Other content under consideration for long-form development includes The Good Advice Cupcake, an aggressively optimistic pastry touting over 6M followers; the lowbrow sister comedy Weird Helga, with over 9M followers; and the adorable gender inclusive series, Chikn Nuggit, with over 7M followers.

Mattel Announces Barney Franchise Relaunch

Mattel, Inc has announced its relaunch of the iconic Barney franchise. Mattel’s comprehensive revitalization of the Barney brand will span television, film, and YouTube content as well as music and a full range of kids’ products including toys, books, clothing, and more. Apparel and accessories for adult fans, featuring classic Barney, are also in development. Mattel will relaunch Barney to a new generation with a brand-new animated series, set…

The Mischievous Peter Rabbit Meets MORI with an Exclusive Clothing Collaboration

MORI – the award-winning sustainable baby and toddler lifestyle brand – has launched a collaboration with the much-loved World of Peter Rabbit in a licensed deal executed by Penguin Ventures on behalf of brand owner and Beatrix Potter publisher, Frederick Warne & Co (now part of Penguin Random House). The charming keepsake collection of day and sleepwear, which is full of delightful fun and adventure for newborns up to 5 year olds, is now available and is sure to be adored by fans of Peter Rabbit, young and old!

Shashibo Introduces Holographic Series

The world’s best-selling creative fidget toy has added a new direction to its line with the introduction of the Shashibo Holographic Series. The announcement was made by Kevin Daniels, President of Fun In Motion Toys. The newest group of cubes – Polar, Solar and Vapor – features fascinating, mesmerizing holographic and ultraviolet light patterns that appear and disappear with every twist and turn, delivering an innovative dimension to creative play.

Chloe's Closet Cyber Group Studios Splash Entertainment

Cyber Group Studios Inks Exclusive Content Distribution Deal with Splash Entertainment

Cyber Group Studios, a leading producer and distributor of animated series for children and families worldwide, best known for its award-winning preschool show Gigantosaurus, has expanded its relationship with Splash Entertainment, the multi-award-winning children’s entertainment studio, to include exclusive distribution of the company’s entire catalog of shows, including original Splash series Chloe’s Closet, Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch, Norm of the North and more. Last year, Cyber Group Studios joined forces with Splash Entertainment, one of the largest and most prolific independent animation studios in North America and a leading producer of top quality, award-winning CGI and 2D animation, to form CyberSplash, a Paris-based entity, to create and produce original animated series and feature films for kids and families around the world.

Epic Story Media, Unicorn and Tencent Checks-in for Adventure with New Bubble’s Hotel Series

Unicorn Entertainment Limited, Tencent Video, along with independent IP creators and distribution company Epic Story Media Inc (ESM) are bubbling-up to launch the newest 3D animated preschool series, Bubble’s Hotel. Created by Korean native, Narae Ha (Rainbow Ruby), and written by Vancouver-based showrunner, Nancy Lees (Slugterra), the show marks the first collaboration between the companies that was supported by Creative Wealth Media, a film and television financing company and partners with BRON Studios, who owns a minority share of ESM.

Rainbow Productions Ramps Up In-Store Character Appearances

After a major boost from the return of consumers to the high street in 2022, Rainbow Productions, the UK’s official supplier of licensed children’s characters for events, has announced plans to ramp up character appearances at retail venues throughout 2023. If you’ve spotted pre-school and early years family favorites such as Bing, The Gruffalo and the Octonauts at an in-store event, chances are it’s all thanks to Rainbow Productions. As well as generating brand visibility and increased customer engagement, retail tours directly boost average sales on character-related merchandise, in some cases by as much as 200%.

Maurizio Distefano Licensing Highlights Growth of its Pre-School Properties

Maurizio Distefano Licensing, Italian agent for the hit pre-school shows Bluey, Masha and the Bear and Bing, has highlighted the growing success of all three titles on the leading Italian linear kids’ channel Rai YoYo, its on-demand service Rai Play, and numerous other platforms. In fact, Rai Yoyo has now increased Masha and The Bear’s presence to 11 episodes per day. The show also has a wide representation on many other platforms such as DeA Junior, Netflix, Prime Video and TIM Vision, while YouTube has just launched a new series of short videos in which the delightful Masha stars in never-before-seen stories.

News

Mattel Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Financial Results

Mattel saw its toy sales and earnings fall, but expects to see growth in 2023 along with the wider toy market. “Our fourth quarter results were below our expectations, as the macro-economic environment was more challenging than anticipated,” Ynon Kreiz, chairman and CEO of Mattel, said in a statement. During the fourth quarter, Mattel posted overall revenues from holiday season sales at $1.4b, down 22% from $1.79b a year-earlier. This meant the company failed to meet an analyst estimate of $1.68b revenue. CFO Anthony DiSilvestro attributed the low performance to fewer orders from retailers and higher costs to manage inventory.