Licensing News

Fox, New York, has signed Rocket USA to produce die-cast figures for Family Guy and Solutions 2 Go for console game controllers and accessories based on The Simpsons ... Sanrio, Los Angeles, has partnered with Cherry Lane Publishing Co. to produce original music for Hello Kitty and additional characters from the Sanrio catalog... Funko, Bothell, Wash., will develop a line of bobble head dolls based on several series from Cartoon Network, including Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Samurai Jack, Cow & Chicken, I Am Weasel, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, My Gym Partner's a Monkey and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Hallmark has also signed on to produce a social expression line for the same Cartoon Network properties and D3Publisher of America plans to create a video game based on Ben 10 ... Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Culver City, Calif., has given licenses based on the animated feature Surf's Up to Fisher-Price (View-Master Reels), Jakks Pacific (plush and kites,) Nanco (amusement plush and novelty toys) and Pressman Toy (board games and puzzles).

A decade of Teletubbies

In late 1997, a BBC series featuring baby-talking characters with television screens in their tummies debuted in Europe. One year later, characters Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po were on PBS in the states and on their way to becoming favorites among pre-verbal preschoolers everywhere.

Today, the Teletubbies are still popular with preschoolers, are a nostalgia act for tweens and teens, and at times still the butt of jokes from adults, admits Lynn Godfrey, senior marketing director at New York-based Ragdoll, the production company that released the show in the U.S. But whatever the sentiment among consumers of different ages, this will be a year of building a global community around the brand through the Taketheteletubbiestest.com Web site, an international tour, and apparel and toys from Jakks Pacific (playsets) and VTech (Smartridge). Hasbro, the brand's original North American master toy partner, will launch Teletubbies Play-Doh playsets.

"We're celebrating [Teletubbies'] pop culture status," Godfrey tells Playthings. "When the series first made its debut, it was very groundbreaking. It was the first time any media was going after such a young audience of 0 to 3-year-olds, created with a young child's point of view. Because of its unique visual artistry, campiness, silliness, it speaks to the simple pleasure of love, affection—things everyone can relate to whether they are 2 or 32 years old."

Since its debut, the series has been seen by more than 1 billion children worldwide, in 44 languages and 120 countries around the world; 50 million Teletubbies plush and 33 million DVDs have contributed to more than $1 billion in global sales.

The property's 10th birthday party launches this month for everyone. Brodsky says, "It's an open invitation for all audiences to spend time with us, get engaged with the property. Whether they're familiar with it or not, they'll come away with a reaction of awe, surprise, laughter, maybe bewilderment."