This week marks the third season releases of two Spin Master shows on Netflix: CG animated preschool series Mighty Express on April 13 and anime series Bakugan: Geogan Rising on April 15.
Season three of Mighty Express is delivering more action-packed missions featuring talking trains and their kid best friends. Meanwhile, Mighty Express is expanding its reach, having made its Canadian television premiere earlier this month in a broadcast and streaming partnership with Canada’s CBC Kids. New episodes will be available for free on the CBC Gem streaming service. Additionally, Canadian families will have access to a toy line later this year, with other markets to follow.
“At Spin Master Entertainment, our first priority is to develop compelling stories and engaging characters that resonate with kids,” said Jennifer Dodge, Spin Master’s President of Entertainment. “Appealing to both preschoolers and their parents through stories that promote teamwork, encourage problem-solving and celebrate accomplishments, Mighty Express is a fun place for children to laugh and learn alongside the characters in the show.”
Spin Master has forged several licensing partnerships for the franchise, including in the U.S. with Penguin Random House (publishing), Bentex Group Inc. (apparel), Franco Manufacturing Co., Inc. (home goods), Baby Boom Consumer Products (toddler bedding), DecoPac Inc (food and beverage), Leese Enterprises International Inc. (confectionary); as well as Canadian licensees, Mad Engine (apparel), Heys International (back-to-school) and Leese Enterprises International Inc. (confectionary).
Meanwhile, the first half of Bakugan: Geogan Rising — debuting April 15 — sees the introduction of new Geogan, an ancient species that come in new, non-spherical shapes and explode into powerful monsters. Spin Master’s integrated toy line offers fans a chance to collect and battle Geogan characters in new forms, each with their own pop-open transformation and extra battling power.
In addition to Spin Master’s toy line, the company continues to roll out its Bakugan licensing program that leverages the key attributes of the brand – battling, gaming, and collectability with a style guide based on anime-styled art. Consumer product partners include Isaac Morris Ltd. (children’s apparel), Ripple Junction (unisex adult and junior apparel), Funko (stylized vinyls and accessories), Franco Manufacturing Corp. (home goods), and Exclusive Candy and Novelty Distribution (confectionary), Scholastic (publishing) as well as international licenses Hachette (publishing, France) and Bensons Trading (showbags, Australia and New Zealand).
“With a strong foundation across entertainment, toy and digital, Bakugan is delivering action packed adventure to fans on multiple platforms and at multiple touchpoints,” says Dodge. “The core elements of transformation, battling and pop-open action come to life through the incredible Japanese-anime and innovative toy line bringing non-stop battling excitement to fans.”
As part of Spin Master’s multiplatform content strategy, the Mighty Express franchise includes a YouTube destination that has amassed over 80 million views, translating to more than 3.2 million watch time hours, in eight months. Spin Master is also making select full episodes of Bakugan available on its official YouTube channel, leveraging the platforms where kids are spending the most time.