Award-winning global animation studio ZAG and Horst Brandstätter Group have signed a global agreement to develop and distribute a diverse PLAYMOBIL toy range for the beloved and multi-award winning Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir franchise. The announcement was made by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG, and Sibylle Gondolf, Managing Director (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) at leading licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, who represent the Miraculous brand in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and brokered the deal for ZAG.
Planned for a 2024 launch, the PLAYMOBIL range will feature Miraculous superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir alongside their team of heroes and villains. Popular scenes from the series will be presented in the PLAYMOBIL aesthetic in a wide range of playsets and seasonal toys which will be distinguished from other toy offerings by PLAYMOBIL’s iconic look and feel.
“PLAYMOBIL has become a brand synonymous with high-quality toys and a unique play principle with highly detailed figures and play worlds that stimulate imagination and creativity,” commented Helena Perheentupa, SVP, ZAG Play Toy Division. “They are the perfect partner for ZAG to expand our current offerings for Miraculous fans around the globe with toys that promote curiosity and self-expression, and that will co-exist and complement our existing partner portfolio at retail.”
Sibylle Gondolf, Managing Director for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland at WildBrain CPLG added, “PLAYMOBIL has been a trusted toy brand in many family households for decades. We are very proud and excited that through brokering this deal for ZAG that we can now bring Miraculous into the hands of kids all over the world. From our very first conversation, we could see the huge potential that PLAYMOBIL’s unique playsets could offer to the world of Ladybug and Cat Noir to really bring it to life.”
Miraculous is a global phenomenon reaching fans across all touchpoints from content to social media to consumer products, promotions, gaming, and live events. Five seasons of the TV series air in over 120 countries around the globe, often garnering #1 ratings; the adventure game Miraculous RP: Quests of Ladybug and Cat Noir scores the #1 spot for engagement in the branded games category on Roblox; and the highly anticipated US$100 million+ animated feature, Miraculous Ladybug and Cat Noir: The Movie, which launches this year, will draw in new audiences to a franchise that already has already made over US$1 billion at retail and has over 33 billion views on YouTube.
ZAG Play incorporates the activities of the licensing and merchandising, promotions, toy, and gaming groups at ZAG, headed by Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, to whom Perheentupa reports.