Mattel Launches Playground Productions
Variety.com announced exclusively this morning that Mattel is launching Playground Productions to create original entertainment for its properties including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Max Steel, Monster High, and others. Read Variety’s exclusive piece here.
Rovio Launches Angry Birds Go!
Rovio Entertainment, the creator of the Angry Birds franchise, revealed the rollout of the all-new Angry Birds Go! franchise. In addition it announced several new strategic partnerships to expand its product range and support its global licensing business. Angry Birds Go! will invite players of all ages to join the birds as they race downhill in karts.
The Angry Birds Go! game will feature Hasbro’s Telepods, which players can use to “teleport” new karts into the game. Rovio will provide consumers an exclusive first look to the new experience via a dedicated “Countdown to Angry Birds Go!” app integrated with Telepods at the end of October.
Angry Birds Go! licensees include Fashion UK and Leomil, who will develop full lines of clothing, accessories, and footwear for Europe. In the UK, Blueprint will develop a range of stationery products. Tigerprint will create a range of greeting cards and gift-wrap available at Marks and Spencer. BIP will add Angry Birds-themed novelty confectionery to its product line across Europe. Brandon, a subsidiary of Puma, will develop bags and luggage. In Argentina, Mondelez will bring to market a line of confectionary products. Penguin Books will launch a line of sticker activity books, poster books, and the new Angry Birds Official Guide. In Russia, Hatber, will develop stationery products and Alisa will launch a line of sporting goods.
In September, Rovio Entertainment launched Angry Birds Star Wars II along with Hasbro’s Telepod toys. In addition, Rovio recently announced that its ToonsTV channel, the video entertainment platform, surpassed more than 1 billion views in its first seven months, and that during 2014, Rovio will begin airing new Angry Birds series and a range of third-party content.
Sesame, IICF Partner for New Early Learning Initiative
Sesame Workshop has partnered with the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) to launch Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day. The new bilingual digital resource includes tips, games, and activities that parents, caregivers, and volunteers can engage children with to improve their reading and writing capabilities from an early age. The resources were unveiled last week at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and are now available, for free, to parents across the country at www.sesamestreet.org/literacy.
In concert with the united insurance community, the IICF and Sesame Workshop will promote Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day at events nationwide and will work to reach as many families and volunteers as possible through both local and national programming.
The program includes materials volunteers can use to plan fun-filled literacy-based experiences for children and families. A guide for parents and caregivers features information and activities to encourage literacy development for children ages 2–5 as well as material to help form the building blocks for literacy for ages 0–2.
Video segments draw from everyday life and model ways for parents to easily engage their children in activities around vocabulary, reading, and writing. Its mobile site includes videos, games, and activities for learning on-the-go as well as an online section dedicated to Every Day is a Reading and Writing Day on sesamestreet.org.