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News

Mattel Films, Paramount Pictures, and Temple Hill Entertainment to Develop American Girl Feature Film with Lindsey Anderson Beer

Mattel, Inc, Paramount Pictures, and Temple Hill Entertainment has announced plans to develop a live-action feature film based on the American Girl doll line. American Girl will be distributed by Paramount Pictures and produced by Mattel Films, Paramount Pictures, and Temple Hill Entertainment (Twilight, The Maze Runner, The Fault in Our Stars). Lindsey Anderson Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, Sierra Burgess is a Loser) is attached to write the screenplay and produce.

WildBrain’s Strawberry Shortcake Continues Holiday Celebrations

WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, is serving up a host of new products and experiences for fans of its beloved Strawberry Shortcake brand this holiday, with licensees lining up for new launches into 2024. The holiday activations and events align with the release of WildBrain’s brand-new CG-animated Netflix special, Strawberry Shortcake’s Perfect Holiday, which features Strawberry Shortcake and friends preparing for the “Winterswirl” holiday celebration. Additionally, to extend the fun into the new year, brand-new Strawberry Shortcake original micro-form content (60 x 15s) is set to premiere on the official Strawberry Shortcake YouTube channel from January 15, giving playful glimpses into the small and sweet moments between Strawberry’s big adventures.

Penguin Ventures Appoints Jess Houston for UK Hardlines Business

Penguin Ventures, the licensing and consumer products team within Penguin Random House Children’s UK, has appointed Jess Houston as Senior Category Manager, UK Hardlines. Houston, who is joining Penguin Ventures from Aardman Animations, will report to Commercial Director, David Sprei and will be responsible for growing the UK Hardlines business across the Penguin Ventures’ portfolio of iconic literary children’s brands, including The World of Peter Rabbit; The World of Eric Carle; The World of The Snowman; Flower Fairies and Fun with Spot.

Licensing News

University Games’ Legend of Zelda Hanayama Puzzles

Legend has it that University Games would be the company to challenge one of the most devout legions of fans with a new and different brain teaser. The company announced the nationwide availability of a set of uniquely designed cast metal Hanayama The Legend of Zelda puzzles. Craig Hendrickson, SVP Product Development at University Games, said, “The Legend of Zelda is one of the most successful franchises to ever emerge from the video game world. University Game is proud to partner with Hanayama for a trio of new Zelda challenges.”

The Kidscreen Hot50 Results for 2023 Are In

Industry votes for the 2023 Kidscreen Hot50 ranking have been cast and tallied. Kidscreen is thrilled to announce the top 50 kids entertainment companies of 2023 in broadcasting, production, distribution, licensing and digital media.

Entertainment News

APC Kids Gets Festive with New Sales for TeamTO’s Angelo, Wake Up It’s Christmas!

APC Kids, part of leading co-production and distribution group APC Studios, has secured key international sales for TeamTO’s Christmas Special Angelo, Wake Up It’s Christmas! New deals for the 1 x 60’ 3D animated special, produced by TeamTO in partnership with Canal+, France Télévisions and RTL Super, include: SX3 (TV3, Catalonia, Spain); Radio Canada (Canada); ERR (Estonia); Ceska TV (Czech Republic); RTP (Portugal); MTVA (Hungary), and RTBF (Belgium).

Licensing News

McFarlane Toys Signs Multi-Brand Licensing Agreement with Hasbro

McFarlane Toys has announced an exciting, multi-brand licensing agreement with leading toy and game company Hasbro, adding Transformers, Power Rangers, G.I. Joe and Dungeons & Dragons to their Page Punchers line-up. Kicking off with Transformers and G.I. JOE products, each Page Puncher will include a full comic book and two articulated figures. “Page Punchers is an exciting program for us because it gets comic books into people’s hands, along with a fun toy product, who might not otherwise shop at comic stores. Parents enjoy them because they encourage reading and collectors like them because they provide unique and interesting character stories. With articulated figures, plus a full comic book in each Page Punchers item, we offer incredible value with this brand,” said Todd McFarlane, founder and CEO of McFarlane Toys.

News

Hasbro Announces Layoffs of 20% of Workforce

Hasbro has announced plans to lay off 1,100 employees, citing rough sales performance persisting through the whole of 2023. This swath of layoffs will encompass a fifth of Hasbro’s workforce. CEO Chris Cocks said: “This is a lever we must pull to keep Hasbro healthy, as challenges which the company faced in the first three quarters of 2023 continued into the fourth. Market headwinds have proven to be stronger and more persistent than planned. While we’re confident in the future of Hasbro, the current environment demands that we do more, even if these choices are some of the hardest we have to make,” he wrote in an email to staff. “I know this news is especially difficult during the holiday season. We anticipated the first three quarters to be challenging, particularly in toys, where the market is coming off historic, pandemic-driven highs. While we have made some important progress across our organization, the headwinds we saw through the first nine months of the year have continued into holiday and are likely to persist into 2024.”

ZURU Opens New Flagship LA Campus

ZURU continues its long-term growth plans with the opening of a new flagship campus in LA county’s El Segundo, California. The expansion comes following a year of milestones and successful US launches including XSHOT Insanity, Rainbocorns Mermaidcorn Surprise, Snackles, and Foodie Mini Brands series 2. Officially opened by ZURU’s Global Brand Director, Aneisha Vieira, the three twostory buildings on the company’s campus house key departments including ZURU Toy, Edge and Tech with a 13,500 Sq. Ft state-of-the-art showroom complete with 267 screens to provide visitors with an immersive experience. The screens are controlled by a custom-designed app developed exclusively for the showroom, allowing presenters to choose the supporting information they require on demand.