m4e AG is appointed licensing & merchandising agent in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for new property BEYBLADE: Metal Fusion.

The BEYBLADE boys action phenomenon is back with a new TV series and toy line entitled BEYBLADE: Metal Fusion, and the Grünwald-based brand management and media company m4e AG intends to play an important part in its comeback in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as it has been appointed licensing agent for those territories by Nelvana Enterprises. In the early 2000s, BEYBLADE was one of the most successful licensed toy brands in the world. In Germany, the colourful spinning-top toys achieved first place in the sales charts for best-selling toys in 2003 and, in the same year, BEYBLADE was the second most successful brand in the German licensing market. Now there will be a new generation of BEYBLADE spinning tops with a unique metal gear system which, along with the TV series, is sure to start a similar “cult” following like the one nearly a decade ago.

Nickelodeon in Germany is set to broadcast the 51 half-hour episodes of the new anime series from d-rights Inc. and Nelvana starting from 16 August 2010 at 2.15 pm. The master toy partner, Hasbro, Inc., will distribute a comprehensive toy range at about the same time, including various spinning tops that can be individualized and with which kids can compete against each other in tournaments. The core target group consists of boys between eight and twelve years of age, and there are marketing, advertising, and online promotions planned from Hasbro and Nickelodeon. A special highlight of the campaign will be the online component - a code supplied with every toy’s packaging – that enables kids to log into an MMO-Lite website and match themselves against other players from all around the world in a virtual competitive arena.

m4e will represent the rights for Germany, Austria and Switzerland and there was a very positive reaction to the property at “Tag der Lizenzen” (Licensing Day) in March in Cologne. Negotiations have already begun with new licensing partners from several categories such as textiles, home & living, publishing and toys.