JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles announces its first-ever “Yes, KAWAII is Art” Plush Toy Drive, collecting kawaii plushie toys to support the Chase Child Life Program at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Translating to “cute” or “adorable,” the toy drive is in fitting with the kawaii movement, which fosters a sense of joy, self-love, and community.
WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, is continuing to expand its beloved franchises—Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake and In the Night Garden—with new consumer products partnerships announced ahead of Las Vegas Licensing Expo (VLE). The latest global collaborations celebrate the nostalgic appeal and enduring cross-generational fandom of these legacy properties.
King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most beloved entertainment characters, has announced a series of new partnerships and deals for Popeye and Olive Oyl in China. The deals were brokered by Medialink, King Features’ licensing agent in China and Southeast Asia, ushering in a wave of captivating collaborations and product offerings.
Pudgy Penguins, the IP and brand development company behind the series of globally recognized characters, has announced that its line of Pudgy Toys and newly licensed Lil Pudgys is now available in the collectibles aisle at Target stores nationwide. This is the second launch of Pudgy Toys in a major US retailer and is yet another milestone that demonstrates the continued success of Pudgy Penguins’ uniquely innovative retail strategy. Pudgy Toys turns the digital collectible characters, that are part of an online gaming experience powered by the zkSync blockchain, into a popular line of physical products, seamlessly blending the physical and digital worlds for consumers.
Mediawan, Europe’s premier independent production powerhouse led by Pierre-Antoine Capton, and ZAG, the innovative independent animation studio renowned for crafting original tales and IPs led by Jeremy Zag, proudly unveil the inception of Miraculous Corp. This groundbreaking joint-venture between Mediawan and ZAG reunites all facets of the globally acclaimed Miraculous franchise, under the ownership of the two partners (approximately 60% for Mediawan, 40% for ZAG). Jeremy Zag will continue his involvement as a major shareholder and Board member, while overseeing the development and creation of existing and new characters within the franchise.
In an expansion move, ZipString has named Chandler Wilkins to the new post of Director of Sales, it was announced by Co-Founders Austin Hillam and Stephen Fazio. Chandler Wilkins joins the company after most recently serving in sales management positions in the software industry. Prior to that, he earned a degree in Supply Chain Management from Brigham Young University. According to Hillam, who served with Wilkins as Latter-day Saint missionaries in Brazil and, subsequently, as students together at BYU, “no one resembles the phrase – ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way’ – better than Chandler, making him a perfect fit for a company on the way up.”
American Girl, a cornerstone in the Mattel (NASDAQ: MAT) portfolio of purposeful brands, announced the re-release of three classic historical characters — Kirsten Larson, Addy Walker, and Josefina Montoya— with special tribute collections that harken back to the brand’s roots. Kirsten, Addy, and Josefina (originally debuting in 1986, 1993, and 1997 respectively) remain fan-favorite characters that have inspired generations with their timeless stories that celebrate family and friendship, resilience in the face of change, and hope for the future. Now, these enduring characters are set to stir up a wave of nostalgia and inspire a legion of new fans with the debut of these three keepsake collections, featuring their original fashions and accessories, along with updated stories to bring the characters’ worlds to life in a fresh, relevant way.
Last week, the Midwest was ravaged by dozens of tornadoes, leaving communities destroyed. The toy industry’s year-round product donations to The Toy Bank, a key program of The Toy Foundation (TTF), allowed the team to gather warehoused product and send truckloads of toys and emergency response supplies within 48 hours to Omaha, Nebraska and Sulphur, Oklahoma to impact thousands of children and families in each location.