MALIBU, Calif., March 6, 2006 -- JAKKS Pacific, Inc. announced today a licensing agreement with J.K. Benton Design Studio to develop and market girls' art activity items based on the popular It's Happy Bunny property.
The agreement, negotiated by CopCorp Licensing, worldwide licensing agent for It's Happy Bunny, covers products marketed under JAKKS'™ Flying Colors® brands including velvet art activities, velvet posters, room dicor, lunch kits and more. The products are expected to initially ship to retailers nationwide in Spring 2007.
"It's Happy Bunny features Jim Benton's collection of adorable bunny cartoons filled with dry humor and irreverent sayings," said Tamre Sutphen, senior vice president of girls marketing, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. "The property has an ever-growing audience and we expect our line to appeal to the tween and young adult demographic."
About It's Happy Bunny
Jim Benton's It's Happy Bunny™ is a cute little bunny with a BIG attitude, winner of the 2005 Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association's (LIMA) International Licensing Excellence Award as Best Art Brand License of the Year, star of a popular illustrated book series (the first two books having been selected by the American Library Association for its prestigious 2006 Quick Picks list) from Scholastic, and one of the hottest properties in licensing today.
About J.K. Benton Design Studio
Jim Benton -- an artist, author, and animator who has enjoyed success and earned critical praise in each of those diverse fields -- has been hailed as "the most visible cartoonist in America" by People Magazine. Benton's J.K. Benton Design Studio is the source of thousands of original characters appearing in books, magazines, on television, online and on a wide variety of licensed products in America and around the world. For more information about Jim Benton and J.K. Benton Design Studio, visit www.jimbenton.com.
About CopCorp Licensing
CopCorp Licensing (www.copcorp.com), global licensing agent for Jim Benton's It's Happy Bunny is an innovative and strategic licensing/retail consulting agency that specializes in the development of brand, character, art, publishing, and entertainment based licensing opportunities for presentation and packaging to the manufacturer and retailer communities. As a multi-functional sales and marketing firm, CopCorp Licensing offers both licensors and licensees a bridge to the retail community. Led by Carole Postal, Founder and President, CopCorp Licensing develops, sells, negotiates, markets, and implements complete licensing strategies and programs for major entertainment corporations, artists, art studios, apparel brand names, among many others.
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, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, and Pet Toys and Accessories. The products are sold under various brand names including JAKKS Pacific®, Play Along®, Flying Colors®, Creative Designs International™, Road Champs®, Child Guidance®, Pentech®, Trendmasters®, Toymax®, Funnoodle®, Go Fly a Kite®, Color Workshop®, JPI™ and Plug It In & Play TV Games™. JAKKS and THQ Inc. participate in a joint venture that has worldwide rights to publish and market World Wrestling Entertainment video games. For further information, visit www.jakkspacific.com.