Aurora World announces a YooHoo kids’ magazine for the Polish market

BRANDORA Redaktion - February 2020

Aurora World – a leading character and content company and the owner of the globally successful YooHoo brand – has announced plans to launch a new YooHoo kids’ magazine in the Polish market. For this launch it will partner with Media Service Zawada (MSZ), a major player in magazine publishing for children.

The magazine will include puzzles, games, crafts and colouring-in pages to help children to develop creativity and manual skills. Each issue will also include four different YooHoo 3D figurines. There will be a total of 12 collectable 3D figurines based on YooHoo characters.

Founded over 25 years ago, Media Service Zawada is an award-winning publishing company focusing on children and young people and specialising in licensed publications related to well-known brands. It aims to ensure that its books, film collections, gift magazines and other products accompany, entertain, teach and educate young children.

This partnership, and the growth of the YooHoo licensing program in Poland, is expected to benefit strongly from synergy with the multi-million-selling YooHoo plush line and the arrival of the new animated series YooHoo to the Rescue, which launched on Netflix in March 2019, and on the Polish free-to-air channel TVP ABC in September, when season one (26 x 11’) appeared. Season two (13 x 11’) arrived on TVP ABC in December.

This news comes as Aurora continues the successful rollout of a new YooHoo plush range. The original YooHoo plush range – a multi-million-selling success all over the world since its launch in 2007 – has long been the most successful range in Aurora’s portfolio and the new YooHoo line – refreshed to reflect the themes and characters of YooHoo to the Rescue – is expected to match the success of the earlier one, especially given the strong reach of the new series. The many new characters and their habitats introduced by the new series will enhance and expand the collectability of toy lines in particular.

The 3D CGI 26 x 11’ animated children’s show, YooHoo to the Rescue, launched on Netflix in March 2019 in 20 different languages in 190 countries. YooHoo to the Rescue is one of the first Asian pre-school IPs to be chosen as a Netflix Original Series. The next 13 x 11’ episodes, featuring new endangered animal friends around the world, launched successfully in October 2019, and the third season (13 x 11’) will launch this spring on the Netflix platform. The show also appears on TV channels in Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Russia (including Frisbee, Canal Panda, Clan TV and Carousel).

The new YooHoo plush toy line has already received a major launch in Japan, the UK, Spain and Russia. More launches are planned or underway around the world, building on the success of YooHoo to the Rescue. Licensing agent appointments in Brazil and Southeast Asia are being planned or announced to meet growing licensee interest in each region.

As well as the renewed plush toy line, a licensing and merchandising programme is under way across many other categories. There are several products ready for launch in territories worldwide from a number of licensees, including Panini (stickers, mini figurines, trading cards), Nuvita (baby products), Kennedy Publishing and Media Service Zawada (magazines), and Dev Games and Tap Tap Tales (digital apps). The many new characters and habitats introduced by the new series will enhance and expand the collectability of toy lines in particular.

YooHoo to the Rescue is a funny, exciting and beautifully designed animated series with strong environmental themes, in which YooHoo and his crew travel from the magical forest of YooTopia to Earth to confront threats to nature and wildlife, meet many different endangered animal species from around the world and make new friends along the way.

Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Aurora has established a varied business portfolio that includes a vast global reach in the plush market through brands like Miyoni, Sea Sparkles, Sparkle Tales and, above all, YooHoo.

Jay Noh, Director of Content Business, Aurora World, says: “The popularity of YooHoo in the Polish market is a perfect platform for the launch of a high-quality children’s magazine and Media Service Zawada is the perfect partner. We are delighted to be working with this highly respected company.”

Andrzej Przesmycki, Director of Media Service Zawada says: “YooHoo is a brand that enjoys an incredibly high level of awareness across multiple markets – and Poland is no exception. We’re thrilled to be working with Aurora World on this new magazine and we are sure it will receive an enthusiastic response from YooHoo fans throughout Poland.”