THE ALPHA GROUP
The Alpha Group looks to expand the Super Wings preschool property in categories including publishing, party goods, sleepwear, footwear, backto-school, headwear, hosiery, home, and sporting goods. Super Wings is a 3-D, CGI-animated series that follows a plane named Jett who travels the world delivering packages to kids. On every delivery, Jett encounters a new problem that he and his friends must work together to solve. The show focuses on creative problem solving and cultural diversity, and the characters visit 52 cities in 45 countries over the course of the series. The second season launched on Sprout in April and introduces new characters, adventures, and destinations. Super Wings is also available to watch on YouTube and Amazon Prime.
THE JIM HENSON CO.
JAZWARES
Jazwares lets creators upload their ideas for the chance to make them real with Jazwings. For more information, visit jazwings.com. MeBears Panda-a-Panda is a quirky lifestyle brand from Hong Kong that celebrates different moods and attitudes, known to fans as #pandatude. MeBears is a collectible and imaginative brand created by kids that celebrates uniqueness, differences, and friendship. CryptoTrucks is an animated series that features a motley crew of four-wheeled warriors who defend the world from the destructive power of the evil Carnage Crew. Jazwares will also highlight Blue Rabbit, Deviled Eggz, Battle Bites!, Bunnyvale, and Go! Go! Sports Girls.
The second season of Jim Henson’s Word Party debuted on Netflix last October in the U.S. and territories worldwide. The series follows four baby animals as they sing, dance, and play, and invites young viewers to help teach the baby animals new words, practice these new words themselves, and celebrate these achievements with a “Word Party!” Snaptoys Inc. is the global master toy partner (excluding China) for the brand, with a range of product categories, including plush—which is available now—figures, play sets, and electronics to debut next year. Henson seeks new partners in publishing, sleepwear, promotions, health, arts and crafts, party, home décor, and seasonal play for Word Party. Created by Jim Henson, Fraggle Rock is newly remastered in HD and premiered in December on HBO. New products debuted at retail in March, including toy and novelty items from Super Impulse, such as vinyl figurines, and 4-, 7-, and 10-inch plush. Products to debut this fall include prize redemption toys from Toy Factory and collectibles from Funko Pop! that include the five main Fraggle characters, each packaged with a Mini Pop! Doozer figure. Henson seeks new partners in apparel, promotions, stationery, and home for Fraggle Rock. New products for Dinosaur Train from global master toy partner Jazwares offer a range including figures, play sets, and plush. Licensing programs for the company’s newest series, Dot. and Splash and Bubbles, are anticipated to launch next year. Dot. follows the tech-savvy Dot as she embarks on adventures to satisfy her imagination, curiosity, and latest passion. The series is based on Randi Zuckerberg’s debut picture book of the same name. Henson seeks partners in toys, back-to-school, stickers, stationery, home décor, promotions, and apparel for Dot. Splash and Bubbles is a new animated series that debuted last fall on PBS Kids in the U.S. and other platforms worldwide. The series introduces kids to strange new marine species and ocean phenomena. Co-production partner Herschend Enterprises will support the series with broad-reaching location-based entertainment events. An app for kids will debut this summer and two new HTML5 games are available on the PBS Kids website and the PBS Kids Games app. Henson seeks partners in toys, T-shirts, accessories, promotions, health, arts and crafts, and outdoor play. Recent product launches for Labyrinth include stylized figures from Funko; Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: The Board Game from River Horse; and the Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History hardcover book from Insight Editions, which provides a definitive exploration of the classic. With a roster of licensees in place, Henson seeks partners to further expand its product offering.
102 THE TOY BOOK | MAY/JUNE 2017 | toybook.com