Tom and Jerry, DC Super Friends and Baby Looney Tunes all fit infant sector, says firm by Samantha Loveday
DC Comics heroes are coming to rescue pre-school playtimes
WARNER BROS. Consumer Products is looking to make in-roads in the pre-school sector, with new versions of existing properties. The firm is confident it can create new pre-school executions for well-known evergreens such as Tom and Jerry, DC Super Friends and Looney Tunes. With new animation – The Tom and Jerry Show is due to air across EMEA in 2014 – and a fresh toy line from Giochi Preziosi, WBCP says there are huge opportunities for licensees to develop new products aimed at three to six year olds featuring the duo. GP hero items include Classic Chaos and Tag Team figure assortments (which include a variety of mechanisms from pull- backs to free-rollers and spring loaded figures), Madness Mayhem playhouse play-set and ‘pop up’ action games. Tom and Jerry continues to perform well outside of the toy sector, too.
Meanwhile, DC Super Friends is targeted at pre-
Sesame Street eyes bumper year
by Samantha Loveday
SESAME WORKSHOP is confident of another solid year, launching a number of new lines from master toy partner Hasbro. As well as Hasbro, other licensees on board include Gund (gift plush), Pyramid (posters, postcards, stickers, badges and magnets), Abbey Home
Entertainment (DVD), Half Moon Bay (gifting), Five Mile Press, Phidal and P.I.L (publishing), William Lamb (footwear) and Brecrest (babywear).
school boys and is billed as an entry point into the DC Comics universe. The characters all have the same powers of flight, strength, speed and leadership as their grown- up versions, but with play- sets and gadgets designed specifically for a pre-school audience.
New items are
constantly being added to Fisher-Price’s hugely successful DC Super Friends Imaginext line. It was the best selling item by value for Toys R Us in the UK in 2011, with
The firm is confident it can create new pre-school executions for well-known evergreens such as Tom and Jerry, DC Super Friends and Looney Tunes.
further Batman and Superman play-sets due in 2013. Fisher-Price has also developed new motorised vehicles, figures and play- sets, including the new Imaginext Joker’s Fun House and building sets from Trio.
Finally, the range of Baby Looney Tunes characters includes Baby Tweety, Baby Bugs, Baby Taz and Baby Sylvester and aims to attract the parents of babies and infants already familiar with them. WBCP: 020 7984 6100
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has launched an Xbox Kinect title, while Microsoft will feature Sesame Street on the new Kinect TV. Shows such as The Adventures of Bert and Ernie, Elmo’s Worldand Abby’s Flying Fairy School also add to the mix. There will also be a live theatre show at Butlin’s – Elmo Makes Music. CPLG: 020 8563 6400