NEW YORK, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP), the world's leading television-based licensing organization, today announced plans to expand its respected portfolio with new merchandising programs created for tween hit The Naked Brothers Band; preschool smash, The Wonder Pets!; and the "stickiest" virtual community for tweens on the web, Neopets. The three brands will be spotlighted at Licensing 2007 International, June 19-21, at the Javits Center in New York City, joining a Nickelodeon- fueled roster of licensing success stories including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, Avatar, and The Backyardigans. In addition, NVCP announced a series of new domestic and international licensees and extended product lines with partners including Lego, Fisher-Price, Memcorp, Jerry Leigh, Scholastic, Skechers, and Ty, Inc.
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"We have never been more excited to talk with licensees and retailers about new Nick properties as well as introduce our newest partners. This year, our portfolio has a broader mix of brands filled with strong merchandising opportunities," said Leigh Anne Brodsky, president, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. "The Naked Brothers Band was a tween hit right out of the gate with its fresh comedic mix of real kids, celebrity and rock n' roll. The Wonder Pets! is loved by preschoolers and parents alike and the series' breakthrough animation and Broadway-inspired musical style will lend itself to deliciously creative product. Neopets has long been the most captivating virtual community for tweens on the web and the site continues to add exciting features. It's a rich, layered online experience and we are committed to bringing product to retail that's equally engaging. As the top entertainment brand for kids, licensees know that Nickelodeon characters and properties connect with consumers around the globe."
THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND
Brand new consumer products based on the hit The Naked Brothers Band series will debut at retail in late 2007, to be followed by a mass market launch in spring 2008. Initial licensees include Memcorp, who will produce innovative consumer electronics products; Scholastic, who will launch book publishing in fall 2007; and Jerry Leigh, the property's first apparel licensee. In addition, Nick Records and Sony BMG will release the band's first CD in fall 2007. Merchandising plans for The Naked Brothers Band include apparel, accessories, novelty toys, games, health and beauty, home and interactive. NVCP is looking for first-class creative partners to develop retro inspired/rock-based product across those categories.
Initial consumer offerings have been well received by fans. The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie DVD was released in April 2007 and rocketed into the Nielsen Videoscan top five the first week of its release. The band's first single, Crazy Car, broke into the Billboard Hot 100 while only available as a limited-release digital download. In addition, nearly 50 million kids have streamed The Naked Brothers Band episodes, videos and other clips on TurboNick.
Telling the story of real-life rock musicians and brothers, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, who form a band that soon becomes world-famous, The Naked Brothers Band phenomenon began in January 2007. Debuting as a television movie, the subsequent live-action weekly series became Nickelodeon's highest-rated premiere ever and the "mockumentary" style comedy is now the network's number- one rated series for tweens with more than 3.3 million weekly viewers. Created, written, and produced by the boys' mother, Polly Draper (thirtysomething), the series also features their father, celebrated jazz musician/composer, Michael Wolff, as their television dad. Nat Wolff, Alex Wolff and Michael Wolff were recently awarded a 2007 BMI Cable Award for their work on The Naked Brothers Band, making Nat and Alex the youngest award recipients ever. BMI annually honors the composers and songwriters of the music from the past year's top-grossing films, top-rated prime-time network television series and highest-ranking cable network programs. The second season of The Naked Brothers Band will begin production this summer in New York City. In addition, the series made its international premiere in May when it launched in the United Kingdom.
THE WONDER PETS!
Nick Jr., master toy licensee, Fisher-Price will launch a full The Wonder Pets! toy line at mass market retail in fall 2008. The planned preschool products will combine the property's unique mix of music, animal-rescue teamwork, "super-hero" role play and vivid animation style. Partner Ty, Inc. will produce plush products including the brand's signature Beanie Babies that will hit shelves in fall 2008. Random House and Simon & Schuster will launch book programs in Spring 2008. NVCP announced that it is looking for innovative partners to develop product across categories including: home, sportswear, sleepwear, accessories and interactive.
In April 2007, Nick Jr. released the series first The Wonder Pets! DVD as well as a music CD featuring full-length versions of the songs from season one. Both products met immediate success at retail with the CD rising to the number-two preschool best-seller position on Nielsen Soundscan Children's chart and the DVD debuting at number-one on the Videoscan Children's Non- Theatrical chart.
The Wonder Pets! premiered on Nick Jr. in March 2006 to critical acclaim and preschoolers across America shouting the show mantra, "What's going to work? Teamwork!" The show is one of the top five series on commercial television for kids 2-5. Each episode of The Wonder Pets! follows three funny, singing classroom pets - Linny the Guinea Pig, Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck - who at the end of the school day, go into "superhero" mode and travel the world helping baby animals in distress. From creator/executive producer Josh Selig of Little Airplane Productions, Inc., it is television's first mini-operetta for preschoolers, and the first preschool series to feature music from Tony Award-winning and nominated Broadway composers.
NEOPETS
NVCP will be launching a range of tween-focused products in Fall 2008 that will bring the Neopets virtual world to the real world at mass retail. New product will be designed around a '360' product-to-web experience that will deepen the already engaging relationship that the Neopets community has with the site's characters and interactive features. Together with the recently announced Neopets innovations such as dynamic pet customization, Mini-Shows on Nickelodeon and online global gaming events like this month's Altador Cup, these new products will further extend Neopets brand and super-serve its fans. Neopets publishing partner is Harper-Collins, who will create five titles that bring the rich Neopian stories and characters to book form, starring favorite characters as well as puzzle and activity books. NVCP will be adding partners to develop lines including: plush, apparel, accessories, toys, electronics, video games and stationary.
With more than 40 million global memberships registered, Neopets is the largest global youth-focused virtual world. On Neopets, players create a Neopet to be their companion that they can dress and take care of while exploring the fantasy world of Neopia, rich with 54 species of pets, 16 lands and hundreds of characters, stories and plotlines. With over 200 games, an active virtual economy based on Neopoints, daily and weekly creativity contests, Neovision video player, discussion boards, quests and thousands of virtual items to collect, Neopets offers its audience an almost endless array of engaging activities. Neopets is a global community, available in 11 languages, reaching nearly 12 million monthly unique visitors and logs nearly 300 million monthly gameplays. Neopets has nearly 70 percent awareness among kids 7-13, creating a dedicated network of fans and a ready-made market for a variety of consumer products.
In addition to the three new property availabilities, NVCP also announced new additions to its domestic roster of licensees:
-- Rubies Costumes will produce a new line of pet costumes and accessories
including characters from The Backyardigans, SpongeBob SquarePants,
Dora the Explorer, and Blue's Clues
-- Skechers has signed on to create a footwear line tied to Dora the
Explorer
-- Take Two will create both handheld and console video games based on a
range of Nick Jr. programming
-- Sport Obermeyer will be launching a line of Obermeyer branded ski
outerwear featuring both Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.
The line will be available at specialty ski shops beginning in Fall
2007.
Internationally, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products has grown Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants from U.S. hit franchises to multi-billion dollar global phenomenon. SpongeBob SquarePants consumer products are now available in 50 markets, with seven new markets launching in 2007. In France, Dora the Explorer has been the number-one licensed property for 19 consecutive months and the most successful property in Fisher Price history. In the UK, Dora is the number-one girl's pre-school license and number-four overall.
New international property launches include Go, Diego, Go! which will launch in the UK this Fall across toys, home entertainment, interactive and publishing. Neopets' first major international retail promotion will take place in Benelux this Summer with partner Kruidvat. The Backyardigans, Avatar, and Go, Diego, Go! will start to roll out to retailers in Latin America for the first time beginning in Fall 2007. The Naked Brothers Band and The Wonder Pets! will also be represented with consumer products in Canada in 2008.
NVCP will continue to build on the tremendous global success of Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants by increasing presence in existing markets and expanding into additional regions. In Europe, for the first time, Lego will launch a SpongeBob SquarePants line in France, Holland and the UK. An exclusive eyewear line from Opal in July 2007 will debut a new category for Dora the Explorer in France. Dora licensed product will launch in Israel for the first time with a toy line from Fisher Price customized entirely in Hebrew. NVCP will also launch complementary lines from Nickelodeon's hit portfolio including Avatar, Go, Diego, Go!, The Backyardigans and Blue's Clues.
NVCP's limited edition Hello Kitty and Blue's Clues line from Sanrio will debut in September 2007 in Japan. This exclusive line brings together Nickelodeon's beloved puppy Blue from the hit pre-school series Blue's Clues and global superstar Hello Kitty across multiple categories including apparel, toys, stationary, gifts and accessories.
About Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products
Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the world's third largest licensing business, representing leading properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and managing merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.
Nickelodeon, now in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 92 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for 12 years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
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Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products
CONTACT: Jonathan Finn, +1-212-846-4082, jonathan.finn@nick.com, or
Danny Diaz, +1-212-846-5961, danny.diaz@nick.com, both of Nickelodeon; or Adam
Fenton, adam_fenton@bhimpact.com, or Lauren McCabe,
Lauren_mccabe@bhimpact.com, +1-212-689-6360, both of Bender, Helper Impact
Web site: http://www.nick.com/
