Author: aNb Media

KessCo is ecstatic to announce its licensing partnership with legendary anime studio Toei Animation for the two fan-favorite franchises One Piece and Digimon, which are both celebrating their global 25th anniversaries this year. As part of this exciting collaboration, initials plans for licensed products include two upcoming tabletop titles as well as several outdoor spring/summer toys, all scheduled to release in 2024-2025. “Having the opportunity to create play experiences for One Piece and Digimon is a dream come true,” shares Alex Kessler, CEO of KessCo. “We are dedicated to finding the joys in life through play, whether it be outdoors, at the beach, or in our living rooms. Coming together to just PLAY is the ultimate goal, and bringing our favorite anime licenses into these experiences is a natural blending of two worlds that are incredibly meaningful to us.”

Mob Entertainment, a rapidly-growing transmedia entertainment company, creators of the successful Poppy Playtime franchise and Huggy Wuggy global phenomena, has announced its collaboration with Jazwares, a leading global toy company and their renowned game studio to introduce the official game “Poppy Playtime Forever” to the Roblox platform. This marks a significant milestone in expanding the immersive gaming and user-generated content experience within the beloved Poppy Playtime universe. Set to launch on February 29, Poppy Playtime Forever lets players join forces with up to 10 players to overcome challenges, survive, and escape the confines of the Playtime Co. toy store, while unlocking new environments and creating user generated content along the way. Players will encounter some familiar faces throughout the game, including Huggy Wuggy and Kissy Missy.

Fandom-forward retailer BoxLunch is honoring DreamWorks Animation in their latest collaboration, available now and in stores. Inspired by Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and Shrek, this 25-piece collection captures the joy these endearing films brought to the silver screen. Whether you’re visiting Po at the Valley of Peace, exploring the skies with Toothless, or kicking back in Shrek’s swamp, this assortment features t-shirts, woven tops, and pajamas, highlighting memorable moments across each franchise. The latest DreamWorks Animation collection from BoxLunch uniquely conveys fandoms built over the years by these adventurous, comedic and heartfelt stories. Each of these items are must-haves and with every $10 spent across the retailer’s themed product offerings, BoxLunch provides a meal to a person in need through its philanthropic partnerships, including Feeding America.

Puffin, part of Penguin Random House Children’s UK, is pleased to announce that the TV rights to its best-selling and hugely popular children’s book series Spot, have been optioned by Guru Studio, an industry leader in animated storytelling. Eric Hill’s loveable puppy Spot first appeared in 1980 in the first ever lift-the-flap storybook, Where’s Spot? and has since become a perennial best-seller with over 65 million books sold worldwide. The books have been translated into over 60 languages including braille and sign language across more than 20 formats including lift-the-flap books, board books and novelty titles with Puffin releasing new titles every year. The bestselling series has enjoyed notable recent growth throughout many key global territories including the US and Australia. In the UK, over 1 million Spot books have been sold since 2020 alone, more than double the volume sold in the prior 4 years.