Warner Bros. Consumer Products now responsible for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA)

Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) announced today an expanded partnership with VOOZ Co., Ltd., accelerating the development of the wildly popular character PUCCA in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. This latest extension follows master licensee agreements covering North America, Brazil and Mexico, and brings VOOZ Co., Ltd. and Warner Bros. Consumer Products one-step closer to establishing a global strategic partnership.

Boo Kyoung Kim, President, VOOZ Co., Ltd., said, “By expanding our partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to include the EMEA region, we are now able to form a global strategic alliance that will lead to great mutual success.”

The PUCCA product line is uniquely based on the highly successful Flash-animated shorts on the Internet created by VOOZ, a South Korean company. Merchandise that soon followed became an instant hit around the globe, with product categories including apparel, accessories, bags, home goods and stationery and paper goods, primarily for fashion-forward young adults, juniors and tweens.

“Our partnership with ‘PUCCA’ has proven very successful and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand the global footprint of this partnership into these key regions,” said Jordan Sollitto, Executive Vice President, International Licensing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “PUCCA’s popularity coupled with our experience in taking powerful entertainment brands to retail around the world makes this a perfect fit for WBCP and Vooz.”

Pilar Zulueta, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Europe, Middle East and Africa commented, “We are very proud to be able to deploy our commercial know how to expand the presence of PUCCA into new markets, product categories and retail channels. It is a perfect addition, one that complements our unique portfolio of iconic properties.”

Originally introduced online, PUCCA debuted as a series of Flash-animated shorts produced by VOOZ, and fast became a true cultural phenomenon. Known for its “silent comedy” factor, creating humor with almost no spoken words and the universal theme of love, the shorts revolve around 10-year-old PUCCA, the daughter of a Chinese restaurant owner in Korea, who is in love with Garu, a 12-year-old warrior. PUCCA 's dedicated online following led to its television debut in the U.S.

The new partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products started October 1, 2009, at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe trade show in London.