MALIBU, Calif. -- June 13, 2005 -- JAKKS Pacific, Inc. has signed a licensing agreement with Nelvana Limited to develop and market products based on the Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends(TM) property for multiple categories, including stationery, art activity items, compounds and accessories, foam puzzles, velvet activities, pool floats, kites and Plug It In & Play TV Games(R).
The agreement covers products marketed under JAKKS' Flying Colors(R), Vivid Velvet(R), Go Fly A Kite(R) and TV Games(TM) brands. The products are expected to ship to retailers nationwide in Spring 2006.
"Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends is a ratings hit, ranking third among all new preschool series on commercial television in its inaugural season on Nick Jr. JAKKS is pleased to create unique and enjoyable items to further extend this top children's property at retail," said Jennifer Richmond, senior vice president of licensing and media, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. "JAKKS will use its expertise in taking an existing brand, such as Miss Spider, and creating a comprehensive merchandising program by expanding it through multiple product categories."
Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, a Nelvana/Absolute Picture co-production, airs on Nick Jr. in the U.S. and TELETOON in Canada. The show debuted on Nick Jr. in September 2004 and has since maintained the channel's highest monthly average ratings among kids two to five and girls two to five, while it remains one of the top series airing in the TELETOON's preschool block. Internationally, the series airs on Five TV in the U.K. and will debut on TF1 in France this fall.
About Nelvana Ltd.:
Nelvana Limited is one of the world's leading international producers and distributors of children's programming and products. Its current stable of franchise properties includes Emmy Award(R)-winning and globally renowned brands such as Rollie Polie Olie, Babar, Franklin and Beyblade. Nelvana is owned by Corus Entertainment, a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in both specialty TV and Radio. The company's other interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.NV.B) and New York (CJR) Exchanges. Corus' website can be found at http://www.corusentertainment.com.
About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.:
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a multi-brand company that designs and markets a broad range of toys and consumer products. The product categories include: Action Figures, Art Activity Kits, Stationery, Writing Instruments, Performance Kites, Water Toys, Sports Activity Toys, Vehicles, Infant/Pre-School, Plush, Construction Toys, Electronics and Dolls. The products are sold under various brand names including JAKKS Pacific(R), Play Along(R), Flying Colors(R), Road Champs(R), Child Guidance(R), Pentech(R), Trendmasters(R), Toymax(R), Funnoodle(R), Go Fly a Kite(R), Color Workshop(R) and Plug It In & Play TV Games(TM). The Company also participates in a joint venture with THQ Inc. that has exclusive worldwide rights to publish and market World Wrestling Entertainment(R) video games. For further information, visit http://www.jakkspacific.com or http://www.jakkstvgames.com.
MISS SPIDER'S SUNNY PATCH FRIENDS(TM) is a trademark of Callaway Arts and Entertainment. Characters from the Miss Spider series of books (C) Callaway Arts and Entertainment. Series (C) 2003-2005 Nelvana Limited/Absolute Pictures Limited. A Canada-United Kingdom co-production. All rights reserved.
