Coolabi Appoints The Joester Loria Group AS North American Licensing Agent for Poppy Cat

BRANDORA Editorial Staff - May 2011
 

 

Leading entertainment producer and rights management company Coolabi has appointed The Joester Loria Group, a leading full-service licensing and marketing agency, as the exclusive licensing agent for Poppy Cat for North America.

The Joester Loria Group provides innovative and strategic brand building services and will be launching an integrated licensing and merchandising programme for Poppy Cat and her colourful cast of friends, aiming at an audience of 3-5 year olds, with products inspiring adventure and fantasy play. Key licensing categories planned for North America include toys, games, and apparel.

This autumn, Poppy Cat, the lovable children’s preschool character from the book series created by Lara Jones which has sold in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide, will come to life in an animated TV series airing in the US on Sprout and in Canada on TVO, SCN and Knowledge Network.

Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV in over 50 million American households and its VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for younger children with over one billion views.

The show has just made its international debut on Nick Jr in the UK, and will be quickly followed by a global roll out across Australia, Europe, the Middle East and Far East.

Poppy Cat’s UK and international licensing programmes are also forging ahead. Golden Bear has recently been announced as master toy partner. Additional categories signed include TV tie-in publishing, magazines, sleepwear and underwear, and games and puzzles.

Anna Hewitt, Head of Licensing at Coolabi, says: “The Joester Loria Group has an incredible track record in creating innovative licensing programs for many significant brands in the North American market and we have every confidence that they will secure some fantastic partners for Poppy Cat.” Debra Joester, President & CEO of The Joester Loria Group adds “The delightful characters and graphic style of the Poppy Cat brand lends itself to multi-category merchandise opportunities and engaging play patterns. We look forward to working with Coolabi and Sprout to market Poppy Cat and bring these fanciful characters from the screen to a full assortment of products designed to encourage imaginative role play.”