~ Former Chorion exec Eric Karp to head up Moshi Monsters Licensing for the Americas ~

One in five U.S. kids (aged 6-12) has adopted a Moshi Monster and as the global phenomenon continues to gain momentum in the American market, Mind Candy - the parent company - announces the appointment of licensing veteran Eric Karp to head up its newly formed Americas Licensing Division, based in New York. Karp takes on the role of Head of Licensing Americas, reporting into Darran Garnham, Mind Candy's Head of Global Licensing. He will be tasked with developing, expanding and rolling out an Americas licensing program for Moshi Monsters and building a U.S. based team to drive the growth of the brand within this key territory.

“Moshi Monsters currently has almost 40 million users worldwide, around a third of which are based in the U.S, making it our biggest territory” said Garnham. “The brand is rapidly gaining momentum so the time is right for a dedicated American team. We're thrilled to have Eric on board, he brings with him vast knowledge on Americas licensing and retail and transmedia kids brands.”

A large marketing drive is currently taking place throughout America to drive brand awareness and registrations to the site. A number of key licensing partners are already onboard including Spinmaster (Toy distribution partner), Scholastic (Publishing distribution partner), Topps (Trading Cards) and Basic Fun (Keychains). Books and trading cards are already on shelf in the U.S. with toys and other key lines set to launch in the summer.

Karp commented on his appointment, “I'm hugely excited about the opportunity to work on a children's brand as hot as Moshi Monsters. We've only scratched the surface on its potential, so I'm thrilled to begin the heavy lifting and bring Darran's global vision to life for kids in this hemisphere. We have some big surprises up our sleeves.”

Karp joins Mind Candy from Massiverse where he was Head of Global Licensing for transmedia boy's action property Dragons Vs Robots. He has worked with children's licensing for over 16 years and has extensive experience within senior roles at leading companies including Chorion, MGM Studios, Copyrights Ltd and Saban/Fox Family Worldwide.