Zodiak Kids Announces More Waybuloo Licensing Deals

Zodiak Kids, Zodiak Media Group’s children’s production and distribution arm, is delighted to announce that its hugely successful pre-school brand Waybuloo, has continued to hold onto the number one licensed feature plush position in Q1 2011. (*Source: NPD March 2011 YTD Top Feature Plush Licenses.) Zodiak Kids has also inked two new Waybuloo licensing deals. Walltastic has been appointed as the 3D wallpaper mural licensee, adding Waybuloo to its extensive licensed portfolio which boasts Dora the Explorer, Barbie, Ben 10, In The Night Garden, Peppa Pig and Fifi and the Flowertots. While More For Your Store has acquired the rights to produce Waybuloo money tins.

Jane Kennedy, Senior Licensing Manager, Zodiak Kids comments: “Waybuloo has had a great start to the year: new episodes premiered earlier this year on CBeebies and it has held onto the number one licensed feature plush position again in Q1 2011. We are delighted that there is a continued appetite for the brand; we will have many more exciting partnerships to announce in the coming months.”

Waybuloo has been a huge hit in the UK it is the number one show among 4-6 year olds across all of its time slots (*January-March 2011) and has increased its audience share by 60% year-on-year (*January-March 2011 versus January - March 2010). *Source: BARB

Independent research found that Waybuloo was in the top five brands targeted at boys and girls and over 50% of those sampled wanted to see more Waybuloo merchandise.(Source: Brand Trends, KidzBlobal, February 2011 Girls and boys 0-2.)

Internationally, Waybuloo has also had phenomenal success; it currently airs in over 80 countries worldwide. Licensing programmes have launched in Australia, New Zealand and Canada with Middle East launching later this year. Additional key markets, including Italy and Portugal will roll out in 2012.

Waybuloo launched on CBeebies, the BBC’s UK Children’s digital channel, in May 2009. It quickly became a hit with pre-schoolers ranking as one of the highest rating show launches of 2009 and resulted in the BBC commissioning another 50 episodes, bringing the total number to 150. The series went into the popular CBeebies Bedtime Hour slot in September 2009, where it consistently rates well.

Online fans can log onto the dedicated website Waybuloo.com, launched by Zodiak Rights.

Waybuloo is produced by The Foundation, part of Zodiak Kids and Decode Entertainment for the BBC.

Zodiak Rights holds worldwide rights in all media for the property, with the exception of Canada where Decode Enterprises handles broadcast and home entertainment rights, and DHX Licensing represents consumer products rights. Both Decode Enterprises and DHX Licensing are subsidiaries of DHX Media.