MALIBU, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading U.S. toymaker JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) today announced that it has been appointed North American Master Toy Licensee for DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD, an exciting new multi-platform animated series inspired by the enduring legacy of children’s television pioneer Fred Rogers. As part of its long-term agreement with The Fred Rogers Company, owner of the property, and Out of the Blue Enterprises, licensing agency for the new show, JAKKS will manufacture, distribute and market a broad range of preschool toys based on DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD.
“JAKKS will further the entertaining and value-based lessons of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood with a broad range of fun and engaging playthings for preschoolers,” said Stephen Stanley, SVP Global Licensing, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. “We are thrilled to announce this comprehensive licensing agreement, which includes products from multiple JAKKS divisions and encompasses all of the key preschool toy categories under one license. This partnership exemplifies JAKKS’ licensing strategy that leverages our capability to create and market products across a very wide base of toy categories, making JAKKS a unique ‘one-stop toy shop’ for licensors.”
"JAKKS has a long track record of successfully translating hit entertainment properties into children’s favorite toys, and we’re confident that the new DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD toy line will deliver products and play patterns that will keep children engaged as they help make Daniel an even bigger part of their lives,” said Bill Isler, President of The Fred Rogers Company.
"We are very excited to join forces with JAKKS, which has demonstrated a strong creative vision for DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD,” said Samantha Freeman Alpert, President of Out of the Blue, the licensing agent and leading production partner for the program. “JAKKS’ upcoming lineup of fresh and original series-inspired toys will help children everywhere connect with Daniel and his friends – as well as the series’ valuable messages – in meaningful and fun ways far beyond the TV screen."
The new licensing agreement includes plush, figures, playsets, vehicles, dolls and doll accessories, ride-ons, play tents, ball pits, role play, dress up, novelty, bulk, seasonal toys, children’s furniture and Halloween costumes. JAKKS’ DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD product line targets children ages 2-4 and is slated to launch at retail throughout North America beginning spring 2014.
DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD is the first television show from The Fred Rogers Company since the beloved classic Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, PBS’ longest-running children’s series. The imaginative show invites a whole new generation of young viewers into the colorful Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and stars 4-year-old Daniel Tiger, son of the original program’s Daniel Striped Tiger from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, who invites young viewers into his world, giving them a kid’s eye view of his life. As they closely follow and share Daniel’s everyday adventures, preschoolers and their families learn fun and practical strategies and skills necessary for growing and learning.
About The Fred Rogers Company
The company was founded by Fred Rogers in 1971 as the non-profit producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood for PBS. In the years that followed, it not only created hundreds of episodes of this much-loved program, but also extended Fred’s values and approach to other efforts in promoting children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health and supporting parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals in their work with children. The Fred Rogers Company continues to build on Fred’s legacy in innovative ways through a wide variety of media, and engaging new generations of children and families with his timeless wisdom. In addition to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and other preschool programs for PBS, The Fred Rogers Company develops products for children, parents, and those who work with children. For more information about the work of The Fred Rogers Company, visit us at www.fredrogers.org.
About Out of the Blue Enterprises
Out of the Blue Enterprises is a leader in children’s educational media, with a portfolio of breakthrough, interactive and curriculum-based entertainment concepts that span a variety of viable platforms, including television, video, mobile apps and consumer products. Out of the Blue creates and produces Super WHY, the hit Emmy-nominated literacy series on PBS KIDS; Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the upcoming animated series inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood; and Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Room, and handles all licensing and merchandising activity for Super WHY and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. The company also develops top-rated mobile educational game apps, including Super WHY, Chuggington: Terrific Trainee, and Colorforms: Revolution. Led by Co-Founders Angela C. Santomero, Creator of the hit preschool entertainment franchise, Blue’s Clues; and Samantha Freeman Alpert, a former Nickelodeon and toy industry executive, Out of the Blue aims to engage kids and families with age-appropriate, entertaining, and engaging learning experiences. www.outoftheblueenterprises.com
About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products with a wide range of products that feature popular brands and children's toy licenses. JAKKS’ diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys, Ride-On Vehicles, Wagons, Inflatable Environments and Tents, and Pet Toys sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific®, Creative Designs International™, Road Champs®, Funnoodle®, JAKKS Pets™, Plug It In & Play TV Games™, Kids Only!™, Tollytots®, Disguise® and Moose Mountain®. JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Nickelodeon®, Warner Bros.®, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Hello Kitty®, Graco®, Cabbage Patch Kids® and Pokémon®. JAKKS’ Monsuno™ toy line is based on the new Monsuno™ animated television series. www.jakks.com
This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS Pacific's business based partly on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those described above, changes in demand for JAKKS' products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and difficulties with integrating acquired businesses. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS undertakes no obligation to update any of them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
© 2012 JAKKS Pacific, Inc. All rights reserved.