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NEWS Lego teams with Pearl & Dean Series of exclusive Ninjago films to be screened to younger cinema audiences… by Samantha Loveday


LEGO NINJAGO has signed a content deal with Pearl & Dean which will see it take headline sponsorship at Empire Jnrs screenings.


The screenings will be rebranded as Lego Ninjago Jnrs for the duration of the campaign.


The activity will be rolled out across the other participating circuits including Showcase, where the Lego Ninjago TV series will be screened prior to family movies.


This is the first time in the UK that a dedicated ad-funded property of this scale has been commissioned to run across a number of UK cinemas. In addition, there are also plans to expand it into Eire in the near future.


“Airing our Ninjago mini films at Junior screenings is the most amazing way for children to become immersed in the brand,” Sally-Anne Weekes, senior brand manager at Lego UK, told ToyNews. “Whether the audience is already familiar with the brand or entirely new to it, the films reinforce the


fantastical world that the products portray. The cinematic event gives them a larger than life encounter with the Ninjago characters and storyline – the plan being that they then leave having had a really positive experience.” Pearl & Dean’s Mike Hope-Milne added: “This is a real first for commercial cinema on a number of different levels. We believe that this campaign will not only offer great value to Lego Ninjago, but it also enables our cinemas to offer a unique experience to their customers.” Empire Cinemas’ Jon Nutton said:


“We are proud of what we have achieved with our Empire Jnrs brand to date, and are delighted to be working with Lego Ninjago to develop this property further.” Lego: 01753 495000


Wicked puts Socker Boppers back on TV


WICKED VISION is aiming to expand the presence of the Socker Boppers brand in the UK, with two TV campaigns planned for September and December. Wicked Socker Boppers and


Wicked Power Bag launched back in February, after a strong showing at London’s Toy Fair, supported by TV ads on terrestrial and satellite channels from March to April. The second wave of ads kicked off last month and will run until mid-July. On top of the TV, the firm has also been working on a comprehensive PR drive across all media. Plans are also in place to launch two line


extensions in 2013 – Wicked Socker Swords and the Wicked Bop Buddy. The US is on track to sell 1.5 million units this year, while the UK is on target for 150,000 units with distribution partners including the likes of John Lewis, Argos, TRU, Hamleys, Harrods and The Entertainer among others.


“We have a history of generating incredible sales from our active sports toy range and we are on track to do the same for the Socker Bopper range,” Wicked Vision’s David Strang told ToyNews. “If 35 years of incredible sales in the US are anything to go by, we have a great springboard to launch this product from and are looking forward to bringing Socker Boppers to a whole new audience over here. “We will continue to develop the range to ensure it stays on the UK top seller lists, as well as for many years to come.” Wicked Vision: 020 3195 1565


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SECOND FACTS


A round up of the latest big numbers, stats and tidbits from the toy business


318m


The amount of toy tyres Lego makes each year (that’s 870,000 every day)


73,560 Unique visitors to


ToyNewsOnline in May 42


Times the name ‘Toby’ was suggested for the Toymaster puppy


299


How many of toys and games available to download on 3D printing portal Thingiverse.com


19


Stores Hamleys will have worldwide by summer 2013


2.8 million The number of Fisher-Price’s


Laugh & Learn apps downloaded to date


4GB


The amount of memory to store apps, games, music and videos on the new LeapPad2


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