Production commenced on Chuggington’s sixth season, and with that Herschend Entertainment Studios (HES) named Alpha Group as the global master toy partner in the multi-year collaboration.
As the global master toy partner and distributor for Chuggington, Alpha’s toy line will include a broad range of toys across vehicles, track sets, radio-control toys, plush, games, electronics, smart toys, novelty, and seasonal products are all in development.
The new season and toy line will debut in 2020. HES acquired Chuggington from Ludorum PLC in December 2018.
Chuggington celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2020. The program airs on broadcast networks and key streaming platforms in 178-plus countries. The brand has generated more than $1 billion at retail from licensed products. The toy launch spearheads the licensing and retail program for Chuggington, which will be fully coordinated with the content focus from season six, offering new and exciting creative opportunities to bring the Chuggington franchise to life.
“Following Herschend Entertainment Studios’ acquisition last year of the globally beloved property Chuggington, we are investing heavily to develop the brand as a true evergreen franchise,” said Julie Phillips, HEC’s vice-president and Chuggington’s executive producer. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with a best-in-class company like Alpha Group with their innovation, state-of-the-art design capabilities and manufacturing facilities, and a global footprint. Additionally, we have Michael Stern, an A-List preschool showrunner, and premiere media partners around the world. As we celebrate Chuggington’s tenth anniversary in 2020 and prepare to move the property into its second decade, we are perfectly aligned with our partners to ensure that we continue to refresh and grow the brand to entertain children for years to come.”
“Chuggington’s heritage as a beloved animation and strong consumer products brand was reason enough, but Herschend’s passion and vision for the global franchise is what makes this opportunity so exciting,” said Mark Slater-Hyndman, head of UK and Ireland for Alpha Group. “At Alpha, we are honored to be able to bring fans into the World of Chuggington like never before, through innovations that will surprise and delight.”
Fan engagement for Chuggington is high across digital with more than 1.5 billion watch time minutes on YouTube and 22 percent year-on-year growth. More than 45 million apps have been downloaded to date. HES has developed plans to extend the brand’s reach by leveraging both its global fan base and Herschend’s portfolio of media, themed entertainment, and experience-based businesses.