WINX CLUB™ SET TO FLOURISH IN 2006 (6th January 2006)
Animated Series on Terrestrial TV Supports Extensive Licensing Programme

4Kids Entertainment International, the London-based counterpart of 4Kids Entertainment, has another popular animated series on its hands with Winx Club™. The latest addition to the 4Kids International lineup, Winx Club is an animated TV series, aimed at kids ages 6 to 11, which will air on GMTV’s Toonattik from January 2006 after an initial run on Nickelodeon UK.

Winx Club is the story of five teenage fairies in training – Bloom, Flora, Stella, Tecna and Musa – who must use their powers to battle the forces of darkness. The look is fashion-conscious, action packed, light and amusing and the show ties together the key girl themes of love, friendship, magic, fashion and music.

The show is a licensing hit elsewhere, and looks to repeat the same success in the UK. Global partners include Mattel for toys, Konami for video games, Upper Deck for trading cards and Panini for stickers. For 2006, Mattel is planning to launch a strong Spring/Summer toy lineup with TV support, Konami is set to launch the first video game in February, Upper Deck plans to release its trading card game Friends of Magix in the first quarter and the Panini sticker collection is planned for later in the year.

A large number of licensees have also been signed up for Winx Club in the UK, including nightwear and underwear from Aykroyds TDP, partworks from Eaglemoss, homewares from Vogue International, bedding and household textiles from Tex UK, socks from Roy Lowe and Sons, La Vision for apparel, MV Sports for various wheeled toys, health and beauty and creative play lines, and Bon Bon Buddies for confectionery. These products are expected to roll out across Spring/Summer 2006 and they are soon to be joined by other key categories.

There also are a number of key Winx Club marketing initiatives in place that will make these magical girls hard to miss in 2006/2007.

Winx Club will be the girls’ attraction at Thomas Cook Kidsworld Jnr Clubs in Summer 2006 and 2007. This will see Winx-themed clubrooms and activities at Thomas Cook resorts across Europe, with over a quarter of a million children expected to join in with the fun and over four million holiday brochures featuring the Winx brand. A QSR promotion is being lined up for Q1 2007 with discussions at an advanced stage.

A retailer character costume tour is also being planned for Summer 2006.

“The Winx Club are positive, fashion-conscious role models for young girls everywhere,” said Stephen Gould, SVP UK Licensing, Retail and Promotions at 4Kids Entertainment. “Girls relate to the themes of the series and identify with the characters and their lives. We are looking forward to the world of Winx taking the UK by storm in 2006 and beyond!”

The Winx Club is produced by Rainbow SpA, the leading Italian animation company, and adapted for the U.S. by 4Kids Entertainment. The series is distributed in the UK and worldwide English language speaking markets by 4Kids.

KIDZ GETS FIREMAN SAM IN NORDIC (6th January 2006)
Classic pre-school property joins strong stable

Fireman Sam has found a new home in Nordic region at Kidz Entertainment. The signing of one of HIT Entertainment’s major characters represents a key coup for Kidz.

Director Morten Geschwendtner says they are delighted to have acquired the much-loved character.

“This is a great move for us,” says Geschwendtner. “We are very excited to be working with HIT in every aspect of the management of the character; television, DVD and licensing. I think HIT saw that we have the same ideas as them in terms of integrated brand management.”

Kidz Entertainment will now put together a dedicated team to focus on developing Fireman Sam across the Nordic territories.

Says Peter Byrne, executive vice-president of HIT Entertainment Europe: “We are delighted to be working with Kidz Entertainment. We appreciate their approach to the property and I am certain they will ensure the continued success of Fireman Sam.”

Fireman Sam is the latest addition to a strong stable of characters at Kidz Entertainment which include children’s favourites such as Noddy, Babar and the entire Hasbro range of retro and new properties.

HOT FOOT HEADING FOR SOCCER SUCCESS (21st January 2006)
New MGL design line taps into World Cup fever

The country is about to gripped by World Cup fever and that’s good news for anyone who has a birthday in the next few months.

Meiklejohn Graphics has joined forces with Portico Cards to produce a new football-themed birthday card line for their popular Hot Foot range.

The Hot Foot titles have been among Clinton’s best-selling lines for several years. The new designs, which are aimed at young boys and tweens, are expected to be every bit as successful once they hit the shops in February.

Adam Meiklejohn, MGL’s Head of Licensing, says the football cards are the latest extensions to a rapidly expanding design property. Other Hot Foot cards are about to go into Marks and Spencer in a range from Tigerprint.

Says Meiklejohn: “We have all sorts of sports activity themes such as skateboarding and snowboarding so football seemed like an obvious addition to the line-up. It’s hugely popular in any event and the World Cup this summer will mean even more interest.”

The cards feature Hot Foot’s trademark exciting contemporary design and their St George colour scheme will ensure they appeal to footie fans’ patriotic instincts.

Comments Meiklejohn: “We believe the cards will be very popular and we are now in discussions to extend the football theme into apparel, stationery, and gifts.”

LUSCIOUS GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (21st January 2006)
Major deals lined up for MGL design property

2006 is shaping up to be a great year for The Luscious Girls. This funky design-led licence from Meiklejohn Graphics has been building a substantial presence over the past couple of years. Two significant deals in the early part of the year will continue to build the brand’s growing profile.

A range of Luscious Girls bicycles from Morelarge will hit the shops early in the year. This will be followed by an extensive stationery range from RMS to be launched at Spring Fair at the NEC.

Luscious Girls are three foxy and funky girls having fun! The girls have formed their own virtual R 'n' B group called Luscious. Chloe, the tall angelic blonde is the lyricist for the group. Amber is the athletic South American choreographer, then there's the confident and intelligent Jaz.

Adam Meiklejohn, MGL’s Head of Licensing, says the brand is growing in popularity all the time.

“An exclusive gift range sold in well to Tesco before Christmas and we believe the bikes and the stationery line will also do very well,” says Meiklejohn. “The Luscious Girls just want to have fun and their fans will want to do the same.”

As well as the new ranges for 2006 Luscious Girls have also appeared on apparel, cosmetics, stationery, and mugs.

Adam Meiklejohn believes the fun nature of Luscious Girls makes it an ideal property across a number of key licensing categories aimed at 7 – 14 year old girls.

Comments Meiklejohn: “We believe this is a very versatile licence and we look forward to its continued growth and success in the coming year.”

ST ANDREWS LINKS APPOINTS CPS AS COMMERCIAL RIGHTS PARTNER (10th February 2006)

Copyright Promotions Sport has added to its portfolio of blue-chip partners by working with St Andrews Links, the world-famous Home of Golf.

CPS is now putting together strategic partnerships involving official supplier relationships, promotions and product licensing.

‘St Andrews Links and the Old Course are two of the most famous and sought-after brands in the world of golf,’ said Chris Protheroe of CPS. ‘The history and heritage is unparalleled.

‘From Old Tom Morris to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, the Old Course has seen the greatest players perform at the peak of their powers. For golfers the world over, St Andrews Links is the ultimate golfing destination.’

Danny Campbell, retail and licensing manager at St Andrews Links Trust, is equally enthusiastic about the partnership.

‘St Andrews Links has a global reputation for quality and excellence and the St Andrews Links and Old Course brands allow companies and products to be associated with the very best the golf world has to offer,’ commented Mr Campbell.

‘The St Andrews Links brand is all about the pursuit of perfection and that is the benchmark we will be applying with our licensees.’

HAMMER RESURRECTED AT TOY FAIR (9th February 2006)
Movie icon launches strong range of new licenses

Coolabi’s Hammer licensing programme launched a diverse range of new products at London Toy Fair to prove that the property continues to go from strength to strength.

Giving the licence the seal of approval was Countess Dracula herself, Hammer sex symbol Ingrid Pitt.

Vampires and stakes – high or otherwise- don’t normally go together but Coolabi has launched a new range of high quality gaming chips with Bond International.

The classic horror characters feature on a range of gaming chips that will enable everyone to raise the stakes – even Dracula, Lord of the Undead. The Hammer characters and the iconic blood-red logo both appear on the chips which are aimed at the high end of the market.

“This is an unusual category,” agrees Coolabi managing director Janet Woodward. “But this category is hugely popular with young men at the moment and this is exactly the sort of age group that we see relating to the Hammer brand.

Bond is also producing collectors tins which include high-quality playing cards with images of Dracula and other Hammer icons on the back.

Says Paul Gent of Bond International: “The Hammer license has provided us with a huge wealth of brand opportunity from a wide range demographic and fanatical fan-base. There cannot be many thirty or fortysomethings, whether film buffs or not, for whom the Hammer brand does not conjure up fond affection. Moreover its historical place within the horror/gothic movie genre ensures that the Hammer legacy and brand are in the conscience of newer and younger fans.”

And you will soon be able to do more than cash in your chips with Hammer. Britannia Games has acquired the licence for a Hammer board game as well as a Hammer chess set, both of which were unveiled at the London Toy Fair.

Says Britannia Games sales director Ralph Patmore: " The opportunity of acquiring the license for Hammer was too good to miss, we will be able to create a game that brings to life the elements that made Hammer films so successful. The attention to detail that Britannia Games will bring to this game will ensure that it is a must have for all Hammer Fans."

Comments Woodward: “Again this is an ideal category for us. The chess set has all of the Hammer stars from the films and looks marvellous. The board game is very clever and has a strong element of interactivity about it.”

Also unveiled at Toy Fair was a range of Hammer figurines from Cards Inc which will be aimed at the top end of the market.

Says Janet Woodward: “The diversity of the product that was on show at Toy Fair illustrates how versatile the Hammer licence can be. We are looking forward to a very positive response.”

BKN INTERNATIONAL AG (7th February 2006)
BKN signs exclusive global animation license to Zorro

BKN, the Frankfurt and London listed global animation company engaged in the distribution and marketing of animated children’s television program and related consumer products, has signed an exclusive license with Zorro Productions, Inc. (“ZPI”) to produce and distribute globally animated series and films based on the classic property Zorro, it was announced today by Allen Bohbot, BKN Group CEO and John Gertz, ZPI President.

BKN will begin production immediately, budgeted at approximately US$8.4 million for the first series and direct-to-DVD film, on an all-new contemporized version of Zorro in animation tentatively entitled Zorro- Generation Z. A departure from the classic Zorro set in the early 1800’s, BKN’s high quality animated updated version sets Zorro in the present, with modern-day themed adventures in a fast paced format.

“While we all love and respect the many incarnations of Zorro we have come to know over the years, we think a timely update would be an interesting addition to the history of this most famous of legends” explains Rick Ungar, Executive Producer. “And so, our Zorro will be a young man entering his first year of University. He’ll fight for the underprivileged and the disadvantaged citizens of a mythical, modern day city resembling Los Angeles and he’ll do it on a very cool black motorcycle called the Tornado-Z. Zorro’s crime fighting tools will include a Z-Pod, a Z-phone, and other surprises befitting of a modern day hero. Expect interesting new renditions of established Zorro characters along with some new additions, including a fellow female freshman who also rides the night in a black cape. It’s new, exciting, and, above all it’s Zorro – the Fox!”

BKN will be handling all TV and DVD distribution as well as merchandising and licensing all of the elements in the project worldwide. BKN has begun discussions with global broadcast, DVD and licensing industry partners and retailers and anticipates that the company will begin signing meaningful contracts shortly leading up to the MIP Convention in April 2006 in Cannes and the International Licensing Show in NY in June 2006 where the Company has secured a large presence. BKN is planning a strong marketing and advertising campaign for the brand targeting the trade and consumers for this major launch supported in part by toys, videogames and on-line activities.

“We have chosen BKN for their proven ability and experience in producing high quality animation and for their extensive distribution network globally. Zorro is a classic character that deserves that type of commitment and we believe that this new version, which will reach kids in an exciting way, will be very successful”, stated Gertz.

”This is an unbelievable opportunity and we are honored to have been chosen by ZPI“, said Bohbot. “Subject to our contractual performance, we have secured perpetual rights to all episodes and films that we produce as well as a 15-year exclusive license to licensing and merchandising and making more episodes and films. We expect Zorro- Generation Z to positively impact fiscal 2006 and more significantly fiscal 2007. Accordingly, as our production slate is quite full, we will move the Kong-The Next Generation project to 2007 from 2006 which assures strong visibility for the business for nearly 24 months.”

The Company is planning on producing a minimum of 26 episodes for initial broadcast plus a direct-to-DVD film but if the market response continues to be positive, this commitment may be increased to a combined 39 episodes.

COUCHMAN HARRINGTON BOWL OVER NIMBUS(1st March 2006)

Couchman Harrington, the leading sports business law firm, has acted for Indian sports and media agency Nimbus Communications Limited in its spectacular $612m acquisition of global media rights to international and domestic cricket played in India until 2010 from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (“BCCI”).

Couchman Harrington, the leading sports business law firm, has acted for the Nimbus group of companies in a spate of major television rights licensing deals following Nimbus’ recent acquisition of the media rights to all international and domestic cricket played in India between 2006 and 2010 from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (“BCCI”).

With the first match in the programme starting against England on Wednesday 1st March in Nagpur, amongst major broadcasters coming on board last week were Sky in the UK, Doordarshan and Sahara One in India, GEO in Pakistan, Echostar in the US and ARY Digital in Europe. Couchman Harrington’s team of Mark Whitehead, Dan Harrington and Jon Higton worked around the clock to finalise the agreements.

Couchman Harrington Associates’ veteran Head of Broadcasting, Jon Higton, said; “This is one of those rare and seminal moments when entrepreneurs with vision, energy and guts revolutionise an element of the sports TV market. It happened with overseas sales of English football rights in the early 1990s and it is happening for cricket here. That it’s being done in only two weeks since Nimbus were announced as winners of the rights is even more amazing. It is a privilege to work with Nimbus.”

Nimbus Chairman, Harish Thawani, commented; “I am pleased to report that we have exceeded our budgets for the first Series and for Phase 1 of our global licensing programme. It is a considerable challenge to be conducting negotiations against the clock simultaneously with several major international broadcasters and we could not have achieved what we have without the 24/7 support of Mark Whitehead, Dan Harrington, Jon Higton and the team at Couchman Harrington. Phase 2 of the programme is already underway and we look forward to announcing more major partnerships shortly.”

The deal, which completed following a lengthy open tender process in which Nimbus prevailed over broadcasting giants like ESPN Star Sports and Sony Entertainment Television, saw the agency pay a staggering $612m for the rights, seen by many as the “jewel in the crown” of sports rights in Asia.

The deal is the latest in a line of projects undertaken by Couchman Harrington in Asia which acted last year in Zee Telefilms’ 10 year deal for the media and marketing rights of the All India Football Federation and in Singapore-based Nimbus Sport’s recent multi-million dollar 4 year television production deal with the BCCI.

Couchman Harrington Partner Mark Whitehead said, “This extraordinary deal builds on our experience in the region and emphasises the increasingly international nature of our practice. The passion for cricket in India has to be seen to be believed and the politics of the national sport are complex and intense. As a result, the process was a rollercoaster ride played out in the full glare of the media and it was an honour and a privilege to be involved in one of the most important and exciting sports rights deals ever done in Asia and one of the highest value sports rights deals anywhere in the world in recent times. Nimbus is now undoubtedly a major force on the world stage of sports commerce.”

Nimbus Chairman Harish Thawani commented, “Mark Whitehead has now been at my side, both of us in various roles, in the three biggest deals in the history of cricket; the World Sport Group & Nimbus alliance’s deal for the Cricket World Cup rights from ICC in 2000, Global Cricket Corporation’s sale to Sony of Cricket World Cup Rights in India from 2002-2007 which was handled by Nimbus Sport and now this deal. Mark and his team are truly valued advisors and the combination of legal strength and commercial acumen is indeed a rare one. Couchman Harrington are already helping us to develop and execute our global licensing contracts for these rights as both of our respective businesses go from strength to strength.”

CELADOR INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF LICENSING & MARKETING (1st March 2006)

Celador International today announces the appointment of Tina-Louise Phipps as Head of Licensing & Marketing. Tina-Louise has been promoted from Global Licensing Brand Manager, and will report directly to Celador International Managing Director, Adrian Woolfe.

In her new role, Tina-Louise will be responsible for the licensing, marketing and brand management of Celador International’s portfolio of properties through the development of consumer products, brand partnership promotions and live events. She will manage a team of Commercial and Brand Managers.

Tina-Louise joined Celador International in January 2001 as an International Marketing Manager. In this role, Tina-Louise has managed international off-air licensing and marketing of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Roobarb & Custard, Winning Lines and Britain’s Brainiest across multiple territories.

Previously, Tina-Louise worked for Warner Bros. Studios Stores as European Marketing Manager were she marketed retail youth brands including: Looney Tunes, Hanna Barbera, Harry Potter, Friends, and introduced third party licenses to the company’s retail division including: Pokemon, Bob the Builder and Buffy. From January 1997 Tina-Louise served as Head of Press & PR for Clarks Shopping Outlet Village and managed all press aspects, advertorials and celebrity endorsements of the company brands including Clarks, Clarks Originals and Ravel.

Adrian Woolfe, Managing Director, Celador International said: “Tina-Louise has been part of the Celador team for the past five years and has made an invaluable contribution to the company. She has helped to steer the licensing & marketing division through important stages of development, making her the ideal candidate for the role”.

CELADOR INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS PATHÉ TO DISTRIBUTE ROOBARB & CUSTARD DVDS (1st March 2006)

Celador International today announces the appointment of Pathé Distribution Ltd. to distribute the vintage episodes and a brand new series Roobarb & Custard DVDs throughout the UK and Eire. Under the terms of the agreement, Pathé will distribute a collection of DVDs containing a selection of episodes from the brand new series, ‘Roobarb & Custard Too’. The DVDs will be available from all good high street stores, independent retail outlets and websites from Summer 2006, with a recommended retail price of £12.99.

The first DVD release follows the successful launch of Roobarb & Custard Too on Five’s Milkshake slot last August, where the new series experienced phenomenal ratings success, matching the slot’s highest rated show, ‘Bear in the Big Blue House’. Roobarb & Custard Too has also been broadcasting on Cartoon Network’s Boomerang channel since last November, where ratings put the show firmly in the viewers’ top favourites.

Roobarb & Custard owners A&B TV, produced the new series written by original writer and creator, Grange Calveley in 2005, before appointing Celador International to handle the licensing of products, promotions and international television sales. The scripts retain the same gentle charm and edgy wit of the original series, while the new drawings and style of animation replicate the original “wobble” or “boiling effect” combined with a wonderfully vibrant and fun new look. Richard Briers has worked his magic on the character voices making the new series just as wacky and wonderful as the original.

The release of this DVD is part of Roobarb & Custard’s expanding licensing programme. Products already launched include: vintage men’s and women’s T-shirt ranges, limited edition pieces of animation art, greeting cards and wrap.

Adrian Woolfe, Managing Director, Celador International said: “The launch of Roobarb & Custard Too has proved to be a hit with both nostalgic thirty-somethings who remember the original, as well as their young children. Pathé is one of the UK’s leading independent film distributors, and is the perfect partner to distribute the Roobarb & Custard DVDs. Celador International’s licensing team continues to explore and create innovative, original consumer products that complement this iconic brand both on and off-air”.

Rachel Woodward, Head of Video at Pathé added: “We are delighted to expand on our excellent relationship with Celador by adding Roobarb & Custard to our distribution portfolio, and to bring the loveable wacky dog and sarcastic pink cat into the homes of fans both old and new”.

HEAVYWEIGHT AD INVESTMENT TO MATCH HEAVYWEIGHT PERFORMANCE FOR WWE® (14th March 2006)

Backing a buoyant UK market place, WWE will be running a national branding campaign spending a staggering $5 million on advertising between mid February and the end of April this year. Featuring their larger than life Superstars and their biggest PPV event of the year, WrestleMania® 22, the campaign will tie in with the forthcoming April European tour featuring both the Raw® and the Smackdown® brands with nine dates across the UK including a live TV show in Wembley. Media agency Carat has been appointed to manage the above the line campaign, targeting adults and children, which will include TV spots, online, radio, print and outdoor and The Outside Organisation has been appointed to handle all UK PR.

Alex Romer, WWE's Sen. Director International Consumer Products comments: "This is the first major investment of its kind outside of the US and recognizes the importance of the UK market. As a licensed global brand, WWE has over 90 licensees across 15 countries. With the support plans now in place for the UK, the long-term prospects for our brand here has never been healthier. We will be working with Copyright Promotions to replicate our success in the UK in Germany and Spain and maintain our strong position in Italy."

WWE licensed product sales are on the increase in all categories and popularity of the brand is soaring across the UK. WWE grabbed the # 1 spot for the latest release of THQ's Smackdown VS Raw 2006 game across all formats at the end of last year and became their biggest seller in 2005. Vivid Imaginations was #4 in the boys' action figures market in 2005 and this looks set to climb to #3 for this year. The 2006 WWE annual sold so well into Woolworths and ASDA that Pedigree has already started working on the 2007 version, and the new Top Trump card from Winning Moves achieved the #1 spot in Woolworths and #2 in HMV. Clearvision reported a 31% increase in their DVD sales in January and Simon and Schuster have enjoyed a 15% increase from 2004. Overall retail listings are also on the increase with new products in the apparel, bedding and nightwear categories.

The forthcoming April WrestleMania Revenge UK tour will be hitting London, Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff, Nottingham and will once again include an appearance schedule for the hugely popular WWE Superstars. Dates for the subsequent November tour are being confirmed and both tours are now firmly inked in the annual calendar, offering licensees and retail partners commercial opportunities all year round. In terms of broadcast support, long-term partner, SKY has increased their programming to include stripped programming in the mornings and a prime time evening slot at 5pm which will continue to drive the WWE audience share amongst the younger target market.

Vickie O'Malley, Managing Director Copyright Promotions UK comments, "WWE's performance across different product categories is phenomenal. The investment in the brand combined with the broadcast support is a recipe for success and will fuel even more growth in the UK market. We are looking forward to working with an increased licensee and retail base to fulfil the increased consumer demand for the brand and its products."

LAZYTOWN NAME TLC AS THE PERFECT HOME FOR UK LICENSING ACTIVITY (20th March 2006)

LazyTown Entertainment, the Iceland-based rights holder and producer, has appointed leading UK licensing agency TLC to represent its hi energy pre-school property, LazyTown.

COPYRIGHT PROMOTIONS TO REPRESENT PUBLISHING RIGHTS ON SELECTED SCHOLASTIC TITLES IN EUROPE (21st March 2006)

Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, has appointed leading European licensing agency Copyright Promotions to represent the licensing of translation and publishing rights on eight of their branded properties.

Scholastic's picture book sensation, The Ant Bully, now an animated feature film from Warner Bros. Pictures will be represented for tie-in publishing product in all territories (Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal). TROLLZ, the fantastically retro brand that is currently captivating a third generation audience, will be represented in Germany and Portugal. The series currently has 13 titles. The LEGO® book series will be represented in Germany, Italy, France, Portugal and Holland, and will include LEGO® KNIGHTS' KINGDOM(tm), LEGO® EXO-FORCE(tm) and BIONICLE®.

Jim Benton's IT'S HAPPY BUNNY, winner of the best Art License 2005, will be represented in Spain, and both IT'S HAPPY BUNNY and Benton's DEAR DUMB DIARY, an illustrated humour series for girls described as "Bridget Jones meets Captain Underpants," will be handled by the agency in Portugal Germany and France. CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, Scholastic's signature brand, with over 200 titles and 97 million books in print, will be represented in Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and with over 52 million books in Scholastic print worldwide, THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS will be represented in Spain, Italy, and Holland. Both I SPY and CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE, illustrated by New York Times' bestselling author Walter Wick, with more than 20 million copies in print, will be handled by Copyright Promotions in Holland and Portugal.

The publishing rights on all titles will include hardcover and / or paperback book publication, book club rights, serial rights for magazines and newspaper and all other publishing areas. Copyright Promotions will also be representing all of Scholastic's movie tie-in publishing product in all of its territories of representation, providing Scholastic controls such rights in these territories.

Linda Biagi, Director of International Rights Licensing for Scholastic, Inc. comments: "We are thrilled to have affiliated with Copyright Promotions for our brand and licensed publishing properties. Widely acknowledged as leaders in the field of brand licensing, Copyright Promotion brings unparalleled expertise to Scholastic's profit-oriented product - what a powerhouse team! So many children in so many markets will benefit from this union."

Katarina Dietrich, Managing Director Entertainment , Copyright Promotions comments: We are delighted to be working with Scholastic and are very proud to add these titles to our existing portfolio. Our teams are seeking to maximise the publishing opportunities for these titles, educating, entertaining and motivating children across our territories."

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT FOR THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND HAYNES PUBLISHING (21st March 2006)
Haynes Publishing and the Royal Air Force announce publishing partnership

Haynes Publishing is delighted to announce that it has entered into a long-term strategic agreement to become the official book publishing partner of the Royal Air Force. It is believed to be the first book publishing deal of its kind involving Britain’s armed services.

The agreement will see Haynes develop a wide-ranging series of titles based on the RAF aircraft and activity.

Said J. Haynes (Managing Director, UK and Europe) “This is an exciting opportunity that will enable us to combine our experience of publishing world-famous transport related titles with our extensive range of historical, military and aviation books. I am delighted that we will be working with an organisation as prestigious as the Royal Air Force.”

It is particularly appropriate that Haynes is entering into this agreement with the RAF because its Chairman, John Haynes OBE, served as a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF, seeing active service in Khormaksar in Aden. John Haynes said “I am delighted to be working with the RAF again.”

The Assistant Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Chris Moran said ‘Our goal is to present the varied roles and modern image of the RAF and enhance public recognition. When seeking out like-minded partners, we saw that Haynes clearly share the vision we have for representing the RAF’s position as making a winning contribution to joint operations in support of the United Kingdom’s Defence Mission. Haynes has an enviable reputation for quality publishing. We are delighted to have this opportunity to work together.’

Simon Philips, Managing Director of 4Kids Entertainment added ‘We are pleased to welcome Haynes Publishing to the ever-growing Royal Air Force licensing programme. We feel that their product and reputation are a perfect fit for the brand.’

Keith Ifould, Group Business Development Director of the Royal Air Force Museum was equally confident “This is a great opportunity for the Museum to showcase its huge array of archived material, much of which has never been seen by the public before.”

“VIVA PIÑATA” UNIVERSE REVEALED (15th March 2006)
Entertainment Property Brought to Life by Microsoft, Rare and 4Kids Entertainment

Microsoft Game Studios and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) today celebrate the introduction of “Viva Piñata,” a high-energy, mass-appeal entertainment property created by Rare Ltd. that brings a vibrant world of living piñata animals to video games, television and beyond. The “Viva Piñata” universe showcases an engaging cast of colorful, wild-roaming piñata animals that entertain and challenge imaginations.

“Viva Piñata” will offer a number of entertainment elements enjoyable for everyone — from kids to adults. The “Viva Piñata” world will include a Saturday morning 3-D animated television series, slated to premiere this fall on 4Kids TV™ on FOX, that is produced and created by 4Kids Entertainment, known for such powerhouse properties as Yu-Gi-Oh!®, Pokémon®, Cabbage Patch Kids® and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles®. An immersive video game developed by Rare Ltd. exclusively for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system is scheduled to debut this holiday worldwide, enabling gamers to create and customize piñata-filled adventures in their own evolving world. The 4Kids Entertainment licensing program will result in additional licensed products launching in 2007. Additional information can be found at http://www.vivapinata.com.

“With ‘Viva Piñata,’ we are introducing a revolutionary brand that will entertain, inspire and excite children, families and creative minds around the globe,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. “With Rare and 4Kids Entertainment we will best showcase the vibrant world of ‘Viva Piñata,’ enabling a mass audience to have an immersive experience via the animated television series, the Xbox 360 title and related merchandise.”

The “Viva Piñata” television series is set to air in the U.S. in fall 2006 on 4Kids TV — 4Kids Entertainment’s four hours of children’s programming broadcast Saturday mornings on FOX. In this comedy series, created by 4Kids Entertainment, a cast of piñata “friends” embark on wild adventures on Piñata Island. The appealing characters and their charming personalities are sure to entertain and stimulate the series’ audience as they accompany the piñata characters on their zany adventures.

“We are very excited about partnering with Microsoft to share the ‘Viva Piñata’ universe with the world,” said Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. “The potent combination of the Microsoft Game Studios and 4Kids will ensure that the ‘Viva Piñata’ world, including the video game, television series and merchandising program, attracts a worldwide audience.”

Set to release this holiday season worldwide, “Viva Piñata” is a customizable, social and spontaneous game that invites players of all ages and skills to explore an immersive world where they are challenged to create and maintain a living garden ecosystem that grows in real time. Beginning with a few basic tools, players build and take control of their environment to attract and host more than 60 species of wild piñata, utilizing hundreds of customizable elements to create their very own distinctively unique thriving paradise.

“Viva Piñata” gameplay continues to evolve with new content available via the Xbox Live® service and the ability to play, trade and interact with more than 2 million gamers via the online service.

Following the strategic alliance previously announced in January 2006 with Microsoft, 4Kids’ exclusive representation agreement includes all broadcast, home video, music and merchandise licensing rights on a worldwide basis for the “Viva Piñata” property.

4KIDS SHOWS INCREASING COMMITMENT TO EUROPE (28th March 2006)
Warsaw, Bologna, and Kazachok targeted as important events

4Kids International is reinforcing its European licensing programme with a strong presence at three important trade events.

The company was represented at this month’s LFCEE Fair in Warsaw and then a few days later will be at the Bologna Book Fair. 4Kids will also be attending Kazachok, the French licensing day, in May.

Says Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, SVP of International Licensing: “This was our second visit to LFCEE because we see Central and Eastern Europe as an increasingly important territory for us and we are developing our license programmes further in these markets. We are going to Bologna for the first time to develop our publishing programmes and also because the show provides an excellent showcase for our brands. Italy is one of our key markets and publishing is a sector where we anticipate a great deal of growth.

She adds: “France is also one of our most important territories and we will be looking to strengthen existing relationships and take steps to establish new ones at Kazachok.”

4Kids was represented in Warsaw by Darran Garnham , the Director of International Licensing for emerging markets and the company’s new head of publishing Helena Mansell. At Bologna Helena will be joined by Sandra Vauthier-Cellier and Catarina Wille, 4Kids Director of International Brand Management, while Vauthier-Cellier will also be at Kazachok.

These events will be an opportunity to focus not only on 4Kids’ powerhouse properties but also new brands that are being presented for the first time in 2006.

In Bologna, for example, the company is planning a special evening showcasing the 2007 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film with a sneak peek at some footage.

The trade shows also provide many European licensees with a first look at a new 4Kids property “Viva Piñata”.

“Viva Piñata,” is a high-energy, mass-appeal entertainment property that showcases an engaging cast of colourful, wild-roaming piñata animals that entertain and challenge imaginations. “Viva Piñata” will offer a number of entertainment elements enjoyable for everyone from kids to adults. The “Viva Piñata” world will include a 3-D animated television series, and an immersive video game developed by Rare Ltd. exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. This will enable gamers to create and customise piñata-filled adventures in their own evolving world.

Also making its debut will be Chaotic, a new multi media property anchored by a trading card game where no two cards are alike. Each card has a unique code that can be entered into a database that allows access and play from computers and mobile devices 24/7. Chaotic will take the Trading Cards Game to a whole new level of on line gaming and collecting. There will also be an animated TV show later in the year.

Comments Sandra Vauthier-Cellier: “The Turtles film, Viva Piñata, and Chaotic are just a few of the exciting things happening at 4Kids International this year. We believe that Artlist Collection: The Dog will grow in popularity, Yu-Gi-Oh GX will build on the original Yu-Gi-Oh! fan base, and Monster Jam is growing significantly in Europe and has a huge fan base in Italy.”

4Kids other proven performers such as Cabbage Patch Kids, Winx, The RAF, Shaman King and Mew Mew Power also provide exciting licensing opportunities.

Says Sandra Vauthier-Cellier; “At 4Kids we recognise that by increasing our presence locally we can develop stronger licensing programmes for our brands and expand these programmes into new markets.”

DR GILLIAN MCKEITH APPOINTS LAZARUS CONSULTING AS ITS EXCLUSIVE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION & LICENSING AGENT (April 2006)

Lazarus Consulting, the media business consultancy, is delighted to announce its appointment as Dr Gillian McKeith’s exclusive global distribution and licensing agent to help exploit Dr Gillian’s Personal Health Profile via newspapers, consumer magazines and online media companies.

Dr Gillian McKeith is the internationally acclaimed holistic nutritionist who has written several bestsellers and presents Channel 4’s hit TV series You Are What You Eat.

Lazarus Consulting, represented by its founder and Managing Director, Steve Lazarus, will be responsible for securing single and multi-territory distribution and licensing agreements with media partners (for both print and online) to distribute Dr Gillian’s Personal Health Profile.

Dr Gillian’s Personal Health Profile is a ground breaking and innovative personal nutritional evaluation. It creates a detailed personalised and comprehensive health report which is sent direct to a consumer’s PC after answering online a series of detailed nutrition questions.

Dr Gillian’s Personal Health Profile was launched this month. In order to bring the health profile to a wider audience, Lazarus Consulting is currently offering media partners the opportunity to conduct promotions incorporating the health profile, such as passing on discounts to their readers via the use of tokens, category exclusivity and/or the development of an exclusive co-branded health questionnaire and report.

Commenting on the appointment, Steve Lazarus said: “No-one knows better than Dr Gillian McKeith the challenges that today’s consumers face. We live in a fast paced society where health issues are higher on our agenda than ever before, but many consumers don’t know where to start. With Dr Gillian’s Personal Health Profile they can become a virtual one-to-one client and can obtain a life-changing report and consultation in their own time and in the comfort of their own homes. This has never been done before and I am delighted to be able to offer media partners the opportunity to be a part of this ground breaking innovative service.”

THE FORCE GOES URBAN (19th April 2006)
New Star Wars fashion line exclusive to Urban Outfitters

Not so long ago in a fashion store not very far away… style conscious adults have been rediscovering the fun of The Force thanks to a new line of Star Wars fashion T-shirts from Chunk, one of the country’s leading producers of stylish streetwear.

Launching exclusively at Urban Outfitters, the initial range of T-shirts takes five iconic Star Wars images - Yoda, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Jabba the Hutt, and an Imperial Stormtrooper – and gives them a fun contemporary spin.

The Darth Vader shirt is a mock advert for anger management classes, Yoda advertises his intergalactic tour as Jabba the Hutt promotes his Barry White style greatest hits album, while Chewbacca advertises Wookiee hair products.

Chunk’s managing director, Pete Crispin, said: “We had the idea some time ago and when we approached Lucasfilm Ltd. about having some fun with these classic images they were very receptive.”

“They allowed us the creative freedom to do what we wanted which is key to what we do. The designs are great and they also tap into the retro sensibility that features across many of our lines.”

Sales at Urban Outfitters have been excellent and Chunk are looking to expand the line later in the year onto polo shirts and other apparel.

TLC’s licensing manager Sarah Evans says: “We are very pleased with the collection. We approached Chunk as we knew they would be able to give the brand a fun, new spin. It has a huge amount of appeal Back to Company Press Releases menu or scroll up or down for more releases

COPYRIGHT PROMOTIONS TO LAUNCH ZOEY 101 LICENSING ACROSS EUROPE (25th April 2006)

German producer-financier ApolloMedia and Miami-based Dolphin Entertainment, international sales agent, have appointed European licensing agency Copyright Promotions to represent TV's ratings hit show, ZOEY 101.

Since launching in January 2005, ZOEY 101 remains the #1 tween show in the US, and has been sold to 84 territories. Hot on the heels of its ratings success in the US, Copyright Promotions will be working closely with Dolphin Entertainment and all broadcast partners to develop the licensing programme for the show across all its European territories, starting with the UK.

"Zoey 101" is the biggest selling television series in our company's 10 year history. The opportunity to expand this brand into licensing and merchandising arenas in the European markets with our partner, Copyright Promotions, is very exciting. We regard Copyright Promotions as the market leader in bringing the very best of licensed product to the European consumer, and we feel both excited and privileged to work with them on this initiative," says Bill O'Dowd, President of Dolphin Entertainment.

Katarina Dietrich, Managing Director Entertainment, Copyright Promotions comments, "The feedback we have had on ZOEY 101 from licensees has been extremely positive. An instant hit with girls, the television series has rapidly developed a solid fan base, creating a demand from the tween and teen shoppers for merchandise and products inspired by the show and its characters. "

Indeed the series has performed remarkably well on Nick UK. "ZOEY 101 is one of our highest rated shows in the UK, and I have no doubt that Jamie Lynn's popularity with our audience has added to this success," says Debbie MacDonald, VP Programming Director. Jamie Lynn Spears who plays ZOEY recently took the UK by storm, appearing in interviews on MTV and all leading teen titles, Bliss, Girl Talk, Sugar, Shout,Mizz, Go Girl and Cosmo Girl.

e ZOEY 101 apparel and accessory line inspired by the casual California looks of the show was launched in all major department stores across the US in October last year. To date, it is the # 1 tween brand at dept. stores, beating out "That's So Raven," "Polo," and "J-Lo" in the same size range. In Canada, the Zoey 101 line will be launched for back-to-school 06' and an exclusive deal has been signed with retail chain La Senza, who will for the first time ever carry a licensed line.

Starring Jamie Lynn Spears, younger sister of Britney Spears, Zoey 101 chronicles the life of teenager Zoey and her friends at Pacific Coast Academy, which for the first time since it was established in 1923, decides to accept female students. Zoey is one of the first girls to become a student at PCA. This is very exciting, but also very scary. Fitting in at a new school is hard enough, but going away to boarding school and living on your own at age 13 with new roommates can get crazy, especially when the girls are heavily outnumbered by the boys.

HAMMARY INTRODUCES DESIGN IN AMERICA™ - THE NATIONAL TRUST MOUNTAIN LODGE COLLECTION (24th April 2006)

Hammary, a La-Z-Boy company, will introduce the Mountain Lodge collection, its fourth Design in America collection of furniture, at this month’s High Point Furniture Market. Developed in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation this collection follows last year’s introduction of Traditional, Prairie and Deco collections.

The Design in America furniture collection is inspired by the many historic sites and places that the National Trust has preserved. Crafted for today’s lifestyle, this collection is as diverse as America’s design heritage. A legacy honored by the trusted brand of Hammary.

Warm, uncomplicated and livable, the Mountain Lodge collection captures the rustic spirit of the American West. Drawing inspiration from historic properties such as the Wort Hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and its infamous Silver Dollar Bar known for its 2,032 inlaid silver dollars and its authentic Old West atmosphere, Mountain Lodge updates a true American classic for today’s home.

Taking its design cues from the rugged landscape of the mountains, this collection blends stone, hammered steel and distressed leather, with a warm burnished wood in a deep, distressed Whiskey finish, creating unique pieces with a casual sophistication. Custom hardware is used throughout to further define the individualism and elegance of the presentation.

“Hammary’s Mountain Lodge collection drew much inspiration from the architecture and uniquely American style of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.” said Hammary’s President, John Labarowski. “We’ve used accents of wrought iron, distressed leather and slate on select pieces and incorporated carved wood elements reflecting Native American designs,” he added.

Hammary is targeting better department and furniture specialty stores for the Design in America collections deriving inspiration from the National Trust’s historic sites, Historic Hotels of America and other affiliated sites.

“We are excited to be working with Hammary,” noted Miriam Lenett, Director of Business Development for the National Trust. “Their vision for the Mountain Lodge collection truly celebrates an important part of America’s diverse design heritage.”

MODA International Marketing, a full-service licensing agency, brought these two strategic partners together. “With this latest Mountain Lodge collection, Hammary further establishes itself as the ‘source for American-designed furniture,’” noted Michelle Alfandari, President of MODA. “Taking inspiration from the National Trust, Hammary continues to perpetuate the legacy of American design with product relevant for today’s consumer.”

COUCHMAN HARRINGTON HELP GLOBAL SPORTS TO REACH AIM (17th May 2006)

Leading sports business law firm, Couchman Harrington Associates, acted for the owners of sports management and marketing group, Global Sports Management ("GSM"), on its successful disposal last week to another major sports management company, Essentially Group plc, for a price that could rise to £4.3m. The enlarged Essentially Group will also list on AIM at the end of the month as part of the transaction. GSM acts for a wide variety of clients in sport, particularly in rugby, including All Blacks star Dan Carter and various Premier League rugby clubs, and also manages sporting events such as Barbarians tours and secures and manages sports sponsorships.

Head of Couchman Harrington’s Sports Ventures Unit, Satish Khandke, said: "This is the latest in a string of major deals of this kind that we have advised on since we set up this dedicated Unit last year, and the value of our deals list is already well into the multi-millions. We advised on every aspect of this disposal and listing, which demonstrates once again how our unique blend of legal and industry expertise makes us the ideal firm to work with owners of sports businesses looking to take their next major step forward."

Bart Campbell, founder of GSM who is now joining the board of Essentially said: "Joining forces with a company like Essentially and listing on AIM was clearly the best way forward for our business, but taking a step like that can be daunting. However, I can now tell owners of any other private sports businesses contemplating a similar move that they need not be put off by what is involved as long as they choose the right advisers. The key for us was that Couchman Harrington knows the sports sector inside out and understood our business from the start. Their expert advice and guidance meant that the disposal and listing could be achieved without us being diverted away from the successful running of our business. That allowed us to maintain the value of our business through the whole process, which is obviously to the benefit of ourselves, Essentially and the new investors.”

CELADOR INTERNATIONAL ACQUIRES WORLDWIDE RIGHTS TO CLASSIC GAMESHOW FORMAT, MR & MRS (19th June 2006)

Celador International has acquired the worldwide television rights to the classic gameshow format, Mr & Mrs. The deal also gives Celador International worldwide merchandising and interactive rights including internet, mobile and all other platforms, with the exception of the UK/Eire board game and interactive DVD rights which remain with their current holder, games company Upstarts!

Mr & Mrs was broadcast in the Border region of ITV from 1967 before being picked up nationally in 1973 when it became a staple of the network schedule until 1988. The popular format tests how much – or how little – couples know each other, by asking one partner to answer questions on the other’s likes, dislikes, reactions and opinions, whilst their partner is sitting in a booth and unable to hear what is being said about them. On return the same questions are put to that partner, generating a lot of laughter and not a few ‘on set’ arguments, as correct answers take the couple nearer to the jackpot.

Celador International has acquired the rights from Derek Batey Enterprises Limited and Upstarts!. Derek Batey Enterprises Ltd is the company owned by Derek Batey, the host of the original Mr & Mrs throughout the 1970s and 80s who was also responsible for bringing the programme to air as a Director of Programmes and Board member at Border Television.

Celador International will develop and update the Mr & Mrs format for a modern audience for both UK and international broadcasters. It will also extend the format into a range of off-air products to sit alongside Upstarts!’ popular board game and interactive DVD.

Adrian Woolfe, Managing Director of Celador International, said: “I’m delighted to add Mr & Mrs to the Celador stable. With the current renaissance in the popularity of the gameshow, this is the perfect time to revisit and revive classic formats. I’m confident that Mr & Mrs can be refreshed and reworked into a modern day hit. “

Tom White, Managing Director of Upstarts!, said: “Our phenomenal growth last year within the games industry, especially the interactive DVD sector, will be further enhanced now that Celador International is involved with the Mr & Mrs brand. This evergreen title compliments greatly the huge success we had last year with Bullseye and Catch Phrase. We are very excited at this prospect.”

Derek Batey said: “I am delighted to be associated with a company of the stature of Celador International and to continue my successful relationship with Upstarts! Over the last 30 years that I have produced and presented Mr & Mrs, it has always been great family entertainment. I am now looking forward to using my vast experience to help Celador International create a refreshed and updated version of the show.”

LAMBORGHINI AND LASSEN – MASTERPIECE IN MOTION (17th July 2006)

In 1963 Ferruccio Lamborghini started a company that commenced the creation of countless masterpieces of luxury sports cars. Around this same time a young boy named Christian Riese Lassen was forming a passion and talent for creating his own masterpieces that would propel him to become the most influential artist of the 21st century.

KIDZ ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES RECORD YEAR (27th July 2006)
Company on the move after excellent figures

Kidz Entertainment has announced record figures for its most recent year of trading.

In the year just ended the company reported turnover of $6.6 million, which is an increase of 7% on 2004. And, more significantly, profit doubled in the same period. The pre-tax profit for 2005 was $1.2 million which is a 100% increase on 2004.

Welcoming the figures Kidz Entertainment director Morten Geschwendtner says: “ I think this proves the wisdom of our decision to expand into other areas and broaden our base from our traditional pre-school properties.”

In the past year Kidz Entertainment has acquired an interest in the Scandinavian dubbing house Dubberman as well as setting up DreamChild, a joint-venture to produce an integrated marketing consultancy 100% focused on the children’s market.

Says Geschwendtner: “Both Dubberman and DreamChild increase the range of services we can offer to clients and we expect them to make significant contributions to the bottom line in years to come.”

Kidz Entertainment is also planning a literal expansion by moving to new premises. The company will still be based in Copenhagen but the new offices are much larger.

“We need the extra space to cope with the work and the staff we are bringing in,” says Geschwendtner. “But we have tried to go for more of a campus feel in the new offices. Our properties are about having fun and we believe that should be reflected in our workplace.”

RECKITT BENCKISER APPOINTS THE LICENSING COMPANY TO EXTEND THEIR BRANDS (19th June 2006)

The Licensing Company (TLC) has been appointed by Reckitt Benckiser to license new products for their brands Airwick, Vanish and Woolite, in a pioneering new European extension programme.

Reckitt Benckiser, the world’s Number 1 in household cleaning products (excluding laundry), also has a major presence in health and personal care. A truly global company, Reckitt Benckiser has sales in 180 countries and employs more than 20,000 people around the world. The Company has over 60 operating companies and 40 manufacturing facilities worldwide. With a market capitalization of c.£14.5bn, it ranks among the top 30 UK listed companies. Reckitt Benckiser had net revenues of £4.18bn in 2005.

Angela Farrugia, Managing Director, TLC said: “The potential of working for this stable of blue chip brands is enormous. This is a rare licensing opportunity for companies to develop business in tandem with a world leader.”

Diane McGrath, Reckitt Benckiser’s Global Head of Licensing said: “Innovation and creativity are key to successful brand extension which is why we appointed TLC to develop this new programme. We passionately believe in delivering better solutions in household cleaning and personal care and are confident that TLC can develop exciting new avenues for these powerful brands, in product categories that will build our brand equity.”

TLC specialises in creating long-term brand extension programmes for some of the world’s leading brands. TLC was founded in London in 1996 by Angela Farrugia and Melvin Thomas, and has a reputation of creating the most innovative, effective and successful brand extensions in the world. With offices in New York, Tokyo and Paris, TLC boasts over 2,000 live contracts worldwide, $1bn retail sales in 2005, 32,000 product lines and access to over 70% of the world’s consumer marketplace. TLC’s portfolio includes well-established brands such as Michelin, Cosmopolitan, Bratz, Jelly Belly and The Food Doctor.

Reckitt Benckiser, fresh from its most recent accolade as 2005/2006 Global Innovation Leader in Household Products (see www.innovaro.com) is now launching the RB-Idealink programme, a new initiative to strengthen its already outstanding track record in innovation.

RB-Idealink aims to increase the innovation Reckitt Benckiser sources from outside the company. The company already has strong technology links, and is seeking to complement this by sourcing products close to market (“ready to go”) and building its new brand licensing programme.

With around 40% of sales coming from products launched in the last three years, Reckitt Benckiser is already good at innovation. It recognises that it can’t rest on its laurels, and needs to strengthen its efforts in this area. As Rakesh Kapoor, EVP for Category Development says, “We are entrepreneurs, and we are looking for the same kind of people outside the company to work with us. We have some great creative minds within Reckitt Benckiser, but that doesn’t mean we have all the solutions we need, we know we don’t!”

The RB-Idealink programme has several parts. “The core of RB-Idealink is our new website, www.rb-idealink.com,” says Kevin McFarthing, Global Director of Strategic Alliances. “It goes into quite some detail about the technologies and products we’re looking for, and provides inventors and potential alliance partners with a simple process for submitting information to the company”. RB-Idealink aims to link inventors with the end product, so the phrase “your idea in a consumer’s hands” is used to communicate the benefit to inventors.

Reckitt Benckiser has a reputation for fast action. That’s why they commit to responding within 3 months. “It’s important that we don’t keep people hanging on forever, for their sake and ours”, says McFarthing.

The RB-Idealink website contains a downloadable brochure that will also be used to spread the message at trade conferences and inventor forums. “In addition to building new contacts, we’re also planning to optimise the extensive network we already have”, says McFarthing.

The RB-Idealink programme will also include other initiatives and publicity which will be rolled out in the coming months, primarily aimed at spreading the word about Reckitt Benckiser’s drive to strengthen its new product pipeline using externally-accessed innovation.

“Ultimately it’s about meeting consumer needs,” says Kapoor. “We’re looking to the RB-Idealink programme to give us many more options for great products to do just that”.

THE OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD CUP (31st July 2006)
New Cool Series The Likeaballs debuts on BBC

The Likeaballs are a team of ball-shaped aliens who are ready to take football and teamwork to an astronomical level. Unless their enemies can stop them.

This cool new football-based children’s animation series made its debut this month on the BBC. The series is airing at 4pm every day on the CBBC Channel throughout July.

Created by Jim Quick, The Likeaballs are a race of ball-shaped aliens, whose passion is sport and in particular football. Through teamwork, they find ways of overcoming a number of obstacles both on and off the pitch.

After their planet is destroyed by a group of Likeaballs-gone-bad called The Dislikeaballs, both sides are forced to flee into space and end up on planet Earth, arriving the day-after-tomorrow.

Team Likeaball find themselves in many fantastic adventures playing against a number of weird, alien teams including rock creatures, blobs, weedy geeks and even a giant’s fingers.

Led by their industrious captain Kickaball, Team Likeaball is famous all over the universe for its skills, friendliness and funky alien looks.

4Kids International has acquired worldwide licensing rights for The Likeaballs in a deal which also gives the company worldwide broadcasting rights outside the UK.

The Likeaballs made their triumphant U.S. debut at The Licensing Show in New York in June. A Likeaballs-themed screening of the crucial World Cup match between England and Sweden was arranged by 4Kids for potential clients at the show and drew a huge crowd.

Plans for licensing include products in a number of key sectors. Deals with two major companies for licenses for toys and sports merchandise are in the final stages of negotiations.

“I’m delighted that 4Kids’ will be joining Team Likeaball, said Jim Quick. “I’m very impressed with 4Kids’ enthusiasm for the show and their vast and successful experience in international licensing and merchandising” he said.

The 26 x 10 minute series was produced for AAP by the world-famous animation house Cosgrove House Films. The first 13 episodes premiered on CBBC every day at 4pm throughout July and the CBBC will show the full series in Q4 of 2006.

Says Simon Philips, managing director of 4Kids Entertainment International: “The Likeaballs is a great signing for us. We believe that The Likeaballs can stress positive messages of teamwork and fair play as well as being hugely entertaining for the 5 - 9 year old target market.”

The FA Premier League has agreed an exclusive deal to work with animation property ‘The Likeaballs’, a new cartoon that kicked off on the CBBC Channel last month.

The cartoon is aimed at five to nine-year-olds and involves a team of football-shaped aliens, the Likeaballs, who do battle with their adversaries, the Dislikeaballs. The 10 minute episodes show the Likeaballs using positive attitudes such as teamwork and fair play to get through a series of challenging situations.

This is the first time the FAPL has agreed any association with a children’s TV property. The Likeaballs is a 26-part series produced for AAP by the world-famous animation house Cosgrove Hall Films. The first 13 episodes appeared on CBBC every day at 4pm throughout July and the CBBC will show the full series in Q4 of 2006.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "Although the Premier League is involved in a number of football-based community initiatives that are aimed at young people, we have never come across a property with the kind of potential that ‘The Likeaballs’ has to communicate with children on a level like this.

“The Likeaballs has the right kind of attitude and is able to get across positive messages in a fun and interesting way that youngsters can understand and relate to.

“I am delighted that we have found this innovative new way to use football in a positive fashion.”

Likeaballs creator Jim Quick added: "All of us down here at Likeaballs' Headquarters are very excited that the Premier League has decided that the Likeaballs represent the same values and principles that the FAPL hold. Together we will deliver the motto of the Likeaballs..."Let the Fun and Games Begin"’.

HAYNES WINS TOP GIFT AWARD (2nd August 2006)
Award success validates strategic licensing development

Haynes Publishing is celebrating after a licensed gift line from Half Moon Bay won the Licensed Gift category at this year’s Giftwear Association annual awards held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on July 27.

Half Moon Bay has produced a wide variety of gift products based on the iconic cutaway artwork, featured on the famous Haynes manuals. Initial plans are for a range of stationery aimed at the student market and older as well as wallets, canvas bags and belts.

Says J. Haynes, managing director of Haynes Publishing UK and Europe: “We are obviously delighted with Half Moon Bay’s success, which has been endorsed by this award. The team at Half Moon Bay really understand the brand and have been wonderfully creative in their product development”

Mr Haynes added that the award not only showed the strength of the brand but vindicates Haynes strategic extension of an already successful licensing programme.

The Half Moon Bay licence follows the success of a range of apparel from fashion T-shirt designer Chunk, which launched a successful range featuring the classic Haynes cutaways.

Haynes’ licensing programme is now a two-way street with product licensed in and out. As well as further developing its own brand licensing programme, Haynes is also building a very successful licensed publishing range which includes The Official Formula 1 Season Review, MotoGP, the RAF, and Top Trumps.

LBD LAUNCH NEW HINCHCLIFFE & BARBER DESIGNS (2nd August 2006)

Licensing by Design is delighted to announce that they will be adding internationally acclaimed design team Hinchcliffe and Barber to their already impressive property portfolio.

Hinchcliffe and Barber started to build their reputation in the 1980’s with their unique ceramic and textile designs. Their spongeware and hand-painted wares were launched in 1983 at an exhibition in the Salisbury Arts Centre, a show that completely sold out, introducing their work to a large and influential audience who opened the way for them to retail their products in numerous stores including: Harrods, Harvey Nichols, General Trading Company and the John Lewis Partnership across the UK and Barneys, Lord and Taylor, Bloomingdales and Macy’s in America and Printemps and Isitan in Japan.

The Hinchcliffe and Barber brand has now been strengthened with a dramatic new look, which will, without doubt, take the market place by storm. A selection of new designs will be launched at Brand Licensing in October.

Fran Huxley, Managing Director of LDB said: “It’s fantastic that we will be working with Hinchcliffe and Barber, their new ranges are simply stunning and bring an exciting new dimension to our property list”

LBD LAUNCH THE FASHIONABLE GIRL DU JOUR (2nd August 2006)

Licensing by Design, one of the UK’s most respected agencies is hugely excited to be launching Girl du Jour the latest creation from the talented fashion illustrator Sam Wilson. This fashion led, contemporary lifestyle concept, with a unique illustrative style and strong brand identity is chic and sophisticated reflecting the qualities of today’s girl about town.

Sam Wilson is fast building an enviable reputation having launched her career just six years ago. After graduating, Sam started out with commissions for the illustrious fashion-led Tatler magazine, quickly progressing to similar commissions from leading girls’/women’s magazines including Elle Girl, Marie Claire, Glamour, Red, Now, Drapers Fashion, M&S, Boots Health and Beauty, Woman and Home, 17 Magazine NY, Bliss, 19, Sugar, In Style, House & Garden. Sam also accepted commissions from The Independent and currently does a weekly fashion illustration for the new weekly glossy ‘You’ Magazine.

Alongside her numerous commissions Sam was asked by Nina Cambell’s daughter, Rita Konig, to produce over 100 illustrations for her modish lifestyle guide ‘Domestic Bliss’!

Then following an invitation by leading fashion designers, J & M Davidson, to hold an exhibition in their retail premises, Sam’s gallery career was launched. Fine art publishers and gallery owners, CCA Galleries, now sell Sam’s originals and limited edition prints worldwide.

Girl du Jour is based on eight very different but equally stylish and fashion conscious girls with an international appeal, offering all the elements for a distinctive licensing opportunity. To be a part of the Girl du Jour launch, visit LBD at Brand Licensing 2006, stand 220.

BBC LAUNCHES MAYA & MIGUEL (7th August 2006)

Maya and Miguel, the new animated children’s sit com from Scholastic Entertainment has launched on CBBC One and CBBC. CPLG have been appointed as licensing agents for the UK.

Lively, colourful and uproariously funny, Maya & Miguel chronicles the funny, often outrageous lives of 10 year old twins Maya and Miguel Santos.

Set in a vibrant and diverse urban community, these two are convinced there is nothing they can’t do, fix, improve or invent. Along with their family, friends and bilingual parrot Paco, they navigate their world with comic results.

Targeted at 6 – 11-year-olds Maya & Miguel launched on CBBC in June 2006. As well as being highly entertaining the show also encourages children to value, respect and better understand a variety of cultures, perspectives, traditions, languages and experiences.

Maya & Miguel was the #1 new show on PBS Kids Go! and is one of the top 10 animated shows for kids age 6 – 8 in the US*. It has also sold to France 5 (France), Cartoon Network (Latin America), Tele-Quebec (Canada), Noga (Israel), RTP (Portugal), ABS-CBN (Philippines), Minimax (Eastern Europe), Jazeera Children’s Channel (Middle East) and Disney Asia.

Says CPLG Managing Director Vickie O’Malley: “The BBC has launched Maya and Miguel with some fantastic on-line support. We love the look and feel to the show and are looking at opportunities to bring the imaginative toy line from Toy Play to the UK as well as signing partners across key categories.”

STORMBREAKER™ MATCHES LICENSING SUCCESS AT BOX OFFICE (2nd August 2006)

Stormbreaker™, the first film to be adapted from the hugely popular Alex Rider™ series of books by best-selling British author Anthony Horowitz, is proving a hit both at the box office and in licensing terms.

Released in the UK on July 21 the film, with newcomer Alex Pettyfer starring as Alex Rider™, grossed more than £3 million on its first ten days of release on UK screens.

Stormbreaker™ also received positive coverage in UK media. "Explosive, kick-ass crowd pleaser for all ages” said The Sun, The News of the World says “It’ll blow you away”, The Sunday Mirror described Stormbreaker as “perfect entertainment” while The Times said the film has "death-defying car chases, jaw dropping gadgets and enough adrenaline to boot James Bond into a bin liner"

And the film is also delivering in licensing terms with a strong list of licensing deals brokered by CPLG, the UK and Ireland licensing agent for Stormbreaker™.

The list includes Danilo for calendars, Blues Clothing for boys clothes, rainwear, and swimwear, Flair Leisure for spy gadget kits, TDP Textiles for nightwear and underwear, Dorling Kindersley for Fun Fax, and Tex UK for bedding and towels.

With a DVD release to look forward to and creator Anthony Horowitz working on a script for Point Blanc, a proposed second Alex Rider™ film, the prospects are very encouraging for 2007 and beyond.

Says CPLG managing director Vickie O’Malley: “We expect this is just the start of a fantastic new entertainment franchise. The potential for further product and promotions is very exciting.”

A LICENSING AND MERCHANDISING AGENCY FOR THE ROYAL NAVY )9th August 2006)

Royal Navy is about to embark on a licensing and merchandising programme with the world’s largest non-character licensing agency, IMG. This initiative is being undertaken to increase awareness of the Royal Navy brand by aiming to place it firmly on the high street.

An event to mark the start of the programme was held onboard HMS ALBION, 13 July during the ship’s visit to Greenwich. The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band KCB ADC made a key note speech and the event was jointly hosted onboard by Captain Brian Warren OBE, Royal Navy, Head of Public Relations (Navy) and Simon Gresswell, Vice President, Licensing at IMG. Guests included representatives from the licensing industry and specialist press.

In an outline of the programme Simon Gresswell said that he is hugely excited about working with the Royal Navy.

“IMG believe that the Royal Navy and its broad range of sub brands, such as the Royal Marines, have a unique combination of history and heritage, on-going currency and an exciting, certain future beyond the like of most brands. The Royal Navy offers licensees, retailers and commercial partners a tremendous array of assets and design inspiration.”

IMG is the world's premier Sports, Entertainment and Media Company. IMG is a diversified global business with two major business segments: IMG Sports & Entertainment, and IMG Media. IMG employs over 2,300 people in 30 countries. Forstmann Little & Co. purchased IMG in 2004.

CONTINUED GROWTH AT CREATIVE CATALOGUES (August 2006)
More online stores, more clients, more business

Creative Catalogues Online Ltd is going from strength to strength. Set up early in 2005 as the first of its kind to offer online retailing on a licensed basis, the company is just about to launch its fourth licensed online store.

Hammer Films will join existing stores Tales of Midnight, Miffy, and The Fairly Odd Parents in a broad-based offer which is proving very successful with clients and customers alike.

Says owner Sally Dickson: “When we started eighteen months ago we carried around a dozen items. Now we have more than 350 different SKUs at our despatch warehouse.

The company builds sales and profits through multi-channel marketing using high search engine rankings, newsletters, offering promotions and sales, and traditional advertising.

Sally Dickson explains: “For the Fairly Odd Parents we worked in partnership in Nickleodeon and Nelvana to create a campaign including full colour adverts in target market publications such as Kraze Club, Toxic and Sky Kids, banners adverts on the NickleOdeon and Nicktoons websites, promotions in the NickelOdeon Newsletter and The Crunch TV show, as well as monthly themed news, promotions and competitions on the website itself.

From January to May we saw unique visitors grow from 1,100/month to over 50,000/month for the games website: www.fairlyoddparents.tv and unique visitors to the shop grow from 2,100/month to 22,159/month in the same period with similar record sales, beaten only by last years pre-Christmas rush.”

The company is planning similar campaigns for Miffy in magazines such as Disney Princess, Redan Fun to Read, and Dora, as well as banner advertising on leading mother and baby websites as well as paper promotions such as postcards and personalised bags.

The new Hammer Films shop will have the same promotional strategy to ensure fast growing initial sales, profits and royalties.

Creative Catalogues provides licensors with a new route to market at no extra cost. They design the e-retail site, link it to your website and then run the service, which includes managing the brand and staying in touch with your customers. They pay the brand owner a royalty while retaining the sales profits just as any other licensee would.

Says Sally Dickson: “We are the only company who operate on this basis and with our licensing background we are able to talk to the licensors in their own language. We are also able to provide custom-designed sites with extremely high production values.”

Picking up on new trends Creative Catalogues also builds dedicated Ebay shops to tap into Ebay’s reported 10 million UK customers, and expansion plans are already well advanced to open their first US stores with a dedicated warehouse in the United States.

Comments Sally Dickson: “I think the success we have had in our first eighteen months shows that we are able to provide a valuable service. We look forward to developing that service and adding additional licensors to our client base.”

THE NUMBERJACKS ARE ON THEIR WAY (August 2006)

BAFTA award-winning children’s producer Open Mind Productions are proud to announce the launch of their new television series – Numberjacks – with 45 x 15-minute episodes.

Commissioned by CBeebies for first transmission in October 2006, Numberjacks is an innovative series mixing full 3D CGI animation and CGI characters on location in real-world live-action sequences. It is the first CBeebies commission to focus on children’s early maths skills.

The Numberjacks are superhero numbers who live in a sofa in an ordinary home. Their agents – real-life children – alert the Numberjacks to problems in the real world, and the Numberjacks journey out into the real world to investigate problems and battle against the dastardly intentions of the Puzzler, Spooky Spoon, and the Numbertaker.

Chris Ellis, Creative Director of Open Mind Productions, says: “This is first and foremost entertainment, mixing wild comedy and superhero adventures. We want viewers to have plenty of laughs and a good few thrills, and while they are doing it develop their mathematical thinking and understanding.”

Michael Carrington, CBeebies Creative Director, says: “Numberjacks presents an engaging and entertaining introduction to numbers by combining a strong visual style with slapstick humour. It fits perfectly with the philosophy of CBeebies to inspire the audience to learn while having fun”.

Open Mind are delighted to announce that international programme distribution rights have been picked-up by Beyond Distribution for all territories outside of the United Kingdom.

Fiona Crago, General Manager of Beyond Distribution in Sydney says, "Numberjacks is first-rate entertainment programming for preschoolers – even better that it has an educational twist. This is a bright and colourful new series in our MIPCOM Junior line-up and we’re thrilled to represent it internationally.”

All other marketing rights in the Numberjacks remain with Open Mind Productions, who have begun discussions with potential licensing and merchandising partners, both in the UK and overseas. The property will makes its first formal appearance during London’s Brand & License Show in the first week of October before heading-off to Mipcom Junior with Beyond Distribution.

UNDERGROUND ERNIE BACK AGAIN (August 25th 2006)
Quick repeat confirms success of Joella pre-school property

Underground Ernie, the new pre-school show from Joella Productions, is to be repeated by the BBC only weeks after the end of its first run.

Underground Ernie was launched on CBeebies on June 5 and proved to be a huge success with its target audience. Now the BBC has announced that the show will be re-run on BBC2 and CBeebies for four weeks from September 5.

Created and produced by John Deery and Sid Rainey the Underground Ernie stories are based on the adventures of Ernie, controller of International Underground, and his exploits. Ernie is always on hand to help his friends and to see that his passengers get to their destinations safely and on time. The series features train characters – Victoria, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Circle, and the twins Hammersmith and City – as well as Ernie’s friends Millie and Mr Rails. Gary Lineker, the ex-England football captain, is the voice of Ernie.

John Deery for Joella Productions says: “Underground Ernie performed fantastically well in its original slot and achieved a fabulous audience reach and the quick repeat screening shows just how popular it has been.”

The first episode achieved a 31.8% share – a massive 15 share points up on the previous four weeks slot average. The success was sustained for the series as a whole averaging a 23% share across the campaign period – adding 6 share points across the four week slot average prior to launch. Audience share was up for the channel as a whole for the first week of the series with 4-6s showing a more pronounced peak gaining 3.5 share points. It was also the highest channel share of 4-6s of the year to date on CBeebies.

The on-air success of Underground Ernie was mirrored in its online activity. The Underground Ernie section of the CBeebies website recorded more than 5 million page impressions in its first four weeks suggesting at least 1.25 million people logged on to the site.

In addition undergroundernie.com had more then 75,000 unique visitors to the site. This is remarkable considering that the site has not been advertised and quite simply means that mum’s and dads have found undergroundernie.com through their own initiative.

With fourteen licensees signed up and more in the pipeline the ratings success of Underground Ernie is being mirrored in licensing activity coordinated by Andrew Maconie of LMI.

Those already on board include Halsall International with the master toy licence, Thumbprint Enterprises, which is part of the Fielding Group, has the clothing licence, while the master homewares licence is with Vogue International. Warner Vision International has the worldwide DVD licence and GSP has just signed a deal for an interactive PC CD-Rom package.

Joella Productions, the makers of the new hit pre-school series Underground Ernie, have signed an international TV distribution deal with NBDtv.

The leading UK independent distribution company will offer the first 26 x 12 minute episodes of the CGI animation show at MIPCPOM this year.

John Deery of Joella Productions says there has already been some preliminary interest after Underground Ernie debuted on the BBC on June 5. He believes that interest will be cemented by NBDtv at MIPCOM in October.

Joella had been looking around for a distribution agent and NBDtv were recommended by a mutual contact at Warner Vision International who are distributing the Underground Ernie DVDs.

Comments Deery; “NBDtv have a huge amount of experience and a very good reputation for their work in distributing music programmes. I think the same skills apply across the industry and if you can sell in Paul McCartney then you can sell in Underground Ernie.”,/p>

Created by John Deery and Sid Rainey, the Underground Ernie stories are based on the adventures of Ernie, controller of International Underground, and his exploits. Ernie is always on hand to help his friends and to see that his passengers get to their destinations safely and on time. The series features train characters – Victoria, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Circle, and the twins Hammersmith and City – as well as Ernie’s friends Millie and Mr Rails. Gary Lineker, the ex-England football captain, is the voice of Ernie.

NBDtv presents a unique portfolio of high quality drama, children’s, music, entertainment and documentary programming and formats. NBDtv's catalogue contains shows from top international producers/directors and independent producers and features classic and cutting-edge concert, documentary and light entertainment programmes. An independent for more than 21 years, NBDtv recently became part of production and distribution group DCD Media Plc.

NBDtv CEO Nicky Davies Williams says :” "The programming we now represent internationally is now extremely diverse and we are delighted to have such a high profile children's animation series in our catalogue to launch at MIPCOM. I am sure that MIPCOM Junior buyers will enjoy Underground Ernie as a must-have entertaining series for three to eight year boys and girls around the world and see the huge licensing and merchandising potential. "

HAPPY HOUSE MAKES BRAND LICENSING DEBUT (26th August 2006)
“Make it Fun” with hit teen fashion property

Design label Happy House and Ignition Brand Management are making a joint debut at this year’s London Brand Licensing show.

Happy House is a cutting edge Australian teen/tween fashion brand with a major international reputation. Established in 1995 it offers a complete lifestyle package for the 8-15 girl with lots of fresh ideas for fun, innovative merchandise.

Although a relative newcomer to the UK Happy House is currently distributed in more than 30 countries worldwide with annual retail sales worth more than $110 million across 1500 product skus.

In the UK, Ignition Brand Management has been appointed by Happy House and is currently implementing a strategic programme of marketing, PR, and licensing plans set for 2007 rollout.

Says Maggy Harris of Ignition: “Happy House is the best design property I have seen in a long time. It has a proven international track record and I am certain it will be the brand to make people sit up and take notice in the increasingly important teen and tween market”.

The key fashion stationery and homewares categories are already licensed through DNC and Zap with back to school stationery and bag distribution successfully established during 2006 in independent retail, Harrods, John Lewis and Dunnes Ireland.

Adds Maggy Harris: “There was a lot of interest at Happy House in New York this year and we are looking forward to building on the growing awareness in London.”

Ignition will be on stand 703 at Brand Licensing. To arrange meetings please contact Maggy Harris (maggy.harris@ignitionlicensing.com) on 01932 826280

KIDZ ENTERTAINMENT PLAYS NINTENDO (25th September 2006)
Agency Acquires Nordic rights for evergreen brands

Mario, Luigi, Zelda and a host of other characters are about to join the Kidz Entertainment family.

PEAS AND JAZZ MAKE THE PERFECT COMBINATION (29th August 2006)

Golden Goose will be appearing on stand 330 at the forthcoming brand licensing show in October with two brands prominently displayed.