Edutainment company Kukua struck a deal with Just Play that will see the toy maker develop a product line for the YouTube Originals series Super Sema.
Featuring talking dolls and role play sets, the Super Sema toys from Just Play are expected to debut across North America in fall 2022.
Africa’s first animated superhero series for children, Super Sema premiered March 2021 on International Women’s Day. Set in a futuristic African village, the title character Sema and her twin brother MB use their STEAM superpowers to save their village from an AI robot villain.
“We were drawn to the empowering and inspiring messages of Super Sema and its role in bringing African role models to children around the world,” said Geoffrey Greenberg, co-president of Just Play. “Sema and MB are exceptional heroes who engage their gifts of inquisitiveness and self-reliance, along with their knowledge of science and technology, to accomplish seemingly insurmountable goals. We are captivated by what Kukua has created and are looking forward to this new partnership.”
Kukua, the company behind the series, is a multidisciplinary media and technology startup, helmed by a female leadership team that includes Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o — a company shareholder as well as executive producer and voice in the series. A second season of Super Sema was greenlit by YouTube Originals for release later this year.
“I’m excited to see Super Sema come to life as dolls and dress-up role play, so that kids around the world can play out Sema’s STEAM-powered adventures at home,” said Nyong’o. “I’m deeply invested in making Black children feel confident and comfortable in their own skin, and, like the series, this will give them the opportunity to play, be creative, and invent with toys that look like them. Sema is the kind of doll I wish I had growing up.”