Dr. Seuss Enterprises (DSE) and Random House Children’s Books (RHCB) has announced the lineup of authors and illustrators who will create the first original books inspired by Ted Geisel’s (aka Dr. Seuss) unpublished sketches and illustrations for Seuss Studios, a new line of books in the Dr. Seuss publishing program at RHCB announced in 2022. The first lineup of creators are Lala Watkins, Sarah Hwang, Jerrard K. Polk, and Avani Dwivedi. The inaugural title, HELLO, SUN! (Random House Books for Young Readers, ages 3–7, $9.99 US/$13.99 Can.) by Lala Watkins, will release on January 7, 2025, and is available for pre-order now. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches by Dr. Seuss, HELLO, SUN! tells a bright and playful story and encourages imaginative play as a worm, his friends, and the sun itself spend a day doing everything they can think of.
Zoonicorn, the global preschool property already seen in more than 100 countries worldwide, enters Licensing Expo with new licensing deals and expanded streaming content in additional territories. Zoonicorn’s seven-minute episodes are produced by Toonz Entertainment and Zoonicorn, LLC and distributed by Toonz Entertainment. Global licensing for the brand is shared by the two companies and headed by J’net Smith of All Art Licensing.
Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) invites fans to turn April Fools into ACME Fools, a celebration of the Looney Tunes, their silly shenanigans and playful antics that have inspired the young and the young at heart for decades. This year the month-long celebration kicks off April 1 with ACME Bootcamp, the newest trend in high-performance fitness training inspired by the Looney Tunes. Content will run across @LooneyTunes social accounts and the WBKids YouTube channel and includes a video series starting with the ACME Bootcamp Announcement Video. Additional content will introduce real-life elite athletes engaging in never-before attempted fitness routines that defy the laws of gravity, physics, and even logic to inspire fans to get into peak shape in the looniest way possible.
Mattel, Inc has announced that their fan-favorite animated series Barbie: A Touch of Magic is returning for a second season. Premiering April 18 on Netflix, the 13 new episodes will follow Barbie “Brooklyn” Roberts and Barbie “Malibu” Roberts as they take on a new, mysterious adventure. When a magical crystal gem goes missing, Barbie and Barbie are on the case! Balancing their teenage lives in Malibu and their trips to the magical realm of Mesmer, they encounter new fantastical friends throughout. With themes of family, friendship and fantasy, A Touch of Magic Season 2 is sure to enchant audiences globally.
The Op Games has announced its popular title Blank Slate has received Circana’s Toy Industry Award for #1 Selling Toy in the United States in the Family Word/Other Games category. The awards recognize the best-selling and top selling toys, properties, and manufacturers across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Europe, according to Circana’s Retail Tracking Service. “We are honored that Blank Slate is recognized as one of Circana’s top selling games,” said Eric Brendel, VP of Sales at The Op Games. “We recognize our retailer partners who have helped The Op Games reach this great achievement and we also appreciate all the consumers who have played and shared the fun and laughter of playing Blank Slate.”
Cloudco Entertainment, owner of the Care Bears franchise, is proud to announce six all-new animated Care Bears: Unlock the Magic specials scheduled to debut throughout 2024 on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max in the U.S. Adding to the 50 episodes previously launched to great acclaim in the U.S. on Max and elsewhere globally, the six (6) all-new “Care Bears: Unlock the Magic” animated specials and their respective launch dates are: “The Quest for The Rainbow Stone” (launched 2/2/24), “Grumpy’s Ginormous Adventure” (3/8/24), “The Star of a Thousand Wishes” (7/5/24), “The Bad Crowd Strikes Back” (9/1/24), “The Mystery of the Snickering Ghost” (10/4/24), and “The No Heart Games” (11/1/24). All of the new specials retain the look and feel of the animated TV series, but lean into bigger, more theatrical themes.