NO ORDINARY PRINCESS
NELLA THE PRINCESS KNIGHT
Launching in the UK on Nick Jr. in May, Nella the Princess Knight is Nick Jr.’s newest show for preschool girls. Nella is feminine but feisty with the series combining girl-friendly activities with heroic adventures.
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ella the Princess Knight is a new 2D animated series based on a modern-day princess – who also happens to be a knight! Nella is a mixed-race, adventurous 8 year old who is not afraid to speak her mind. She wears a special heart-shaped pendant which acts as the stimulus for her transformation into a knight; to help solve problems and save the day. As a modern princess she doesn’t need a prince to rescue her – she’ll do the rescuing, thank you very much! The show gives equal weight to Nella’s beautiful gown and sparkly tiara as it does to her sword and suit of armour. Nella lives in Castlehaven with her mum, dad and younger sister, Princess Norma. Other key characters include her unicorn, Trinket and her best friend, Sir Garrett. The first of 40 episodes of the show launched to huge
viewer numbers in the US in early February, with 1.06 million people watching the first episode. “There are a lot of princesses out there and we had to think about what would make a Nickelodeon princess unique,” says Marianne James, VP commercial partnerships, RIGHT: Nella’s loyal friend, Sir Garrett.
consumer products and experiences, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland. “Girl empowerment really is part of Nickelodeon’s DNA, from Clarissa to Dora to iCarly, so a girl who transforms into a knight to save the day is exactly in line with what we believe is our mission. Nella doesn’t have to be a princess or a knight she can be both.” Vivid Imaginations was announced as master toy partner earlier this year and will lead the way on product development. “This is really exciting for us here in the UK, as we normally follow the States when it comes to toy development,” says Marianne. “But we’ll be leading the way. And with a unique mix of play patterns featured throughout the series, including transformations, cool gadgets, tools, cute animals and great outfit changes, there’s a lot of opportunities when it comes to consumer products.” The first consumer products will come to retail in the UK in 2018.
GET READY FOR THE TOYS! Earlier this year Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products appointed Vivid Group as international master toy licensee for Nella. Catherine Scott, Brand Manager for Vivid says: “We are delighted to be partnering with Nickelodeon on such a unique and engaging preschool property. Nella is an inspiring and empowering role model to young girls, and we are working ABOVE: hard to ensure our toys encapsulate those values, as well as the Catherine Scott excitement of her adventures. Our range, launching internationally throughout 2018, will include plush, dolls, figures, playsets, puzzles and games, but the team is most excited about Nella’s very special sparkly sword! We will be supporting the launch two TV spot creatives, and will be working closely with Nickelodeon on social media and experiential opportunities.”
A SPECIAL NICKELODEON PUBLICATION
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02/05/2017 12:28