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Among the brands 4Kids will showcase is its popular trading card game, Chaotic. Chaotic is the first trading card property specifically designed to combine trading card game play with a unique online multiplayer experience. Chaotic has already attracted legions of fans and the website has over 1.6 million registered users, who have collectively uploaded more than 65 million cards. After a successful debut in the US and Canada, Chaotic was released this year in the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Poland, South Africa and Israel, where it is quickly building a strong following. Chaotic has also attracted an impressive group of licensees including Spin Master Inc., which has been appointed the exclusive worldwide license to design, develop and manufacture Chaotic toys, including action figures and collectables. A soft launch of Spin Master’s action figures is set to take place later this year, followed by a full roll-out in early 2010. Additionally, Activision is set to release the first Chaotic video game across EMEA early next year. H Grossman will also produce a range of outdoor products including tents, bicycles and skateboards, while Dracco will launch a confectionary range based on the hit brand, which will include Chocolate Eggs. Dinosaur King, one of 4Kids’ hottest international properties, will also be featured at BLE. Dinosaur King, the No. 1 show on GMTV Kids, is an animated series that chronicles the adventures of Max, Rex and Zoe, known as the ‘D Team’, who search the world for dinosaur cards that have the power to bring dinosaurs back to life. Licenses are already in place across toys, trading cards, video games, publishing, home furnishings, back-to-school and posters - and two new UK licensees have just been signed: - Aykroyd/TDP for boys’ nightwear and underwear, and Smith and Brooks for a range of apparel, including leisurewear and swimwear. According to NPD data, Dinosaur King was a Top 3 new property in the toys and games category (source: NPD, YTD June 2009), and with the introduction of new lines this autumn the success of the brand looks set to continue. 4Kids is also showcasing Yu-Gi-Oh! the global phenomenon that continues to captivate more than 6 million boys who collect and play the trading card game. The brand has generated billions of dollars in worldwide retail sales and has sold over 18 billion trading cards across the globe. Additionally, a new Konami video game for Nintendo Wii is scheduled for release in September, and an international Yu-Gi-Oh! Website, where fans will be able to interact with the franchise, is expected to launch later this year. The latest TV series, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, is rolling out internationally in the UK, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Israel, and the Middle East this year and Upper Deck will launch a range of toys this autumn in five key territories: UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. 4Kids is also introducing the exciting new pre-school property, WordWorld. Praised by critics, educators and parents alike, the multimedia preschool property playfully brings words to life through an innovative methodology that embeds words into the objects they represent, resulting in easier word recognition for children. The groundbreaking series incorporates television, learning products and interactive resources to encourage literacy in children. 4Kids intends to leverage WordWorld’s powerful combination of educational and play value to build a licensing program across a variety of product categories consistent with the property’s unique focus on word play for young children. Another 4Kids brand being introduced at BLE will be Karito Kids - this growing brand debuted in 2007 and has a portfolio of dolls and books that allow kids to experience the meaning of giving and understanding cultural diversity. Karito Kids are six 11-year-old girls who represent unique ethnic backgrounds but share the common bond of seeing the world through the eyes of a pre-teenager. Established 4Kids brands at the show include popular animal photography franchise The Dog, The Cat and The Pig from Artist Collection, which has been successful across a number of territories and features highly expressive and adorable photographs of animals, taken using a fish-eye lens. Licenses include plush, online greeting cards, mobile phone and mp3 accessories, video games, bags, wallets, nightwear, collectables, bedding, and homeware. The evergreen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, “shell-ebrating” its 25th anniversary this year, will also be featured at the show. This classic brand, which recently announced plans for a new live action movie set for release in 2011, has tremendous reach and brand identity with young kids as well as the coveted 17-30 year old market. Its retro range continues to grow in the UK with the launch of nightwear and underwear on the UK high street this year. ”We are highlighting strong and diverse properties at BLE 2009 and we expect considerable interest from prospective licensing and retail partners across a wide range of categories,” said Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, Managing Director, 4Kids Entertainment International. |
