Jeff Harris
08-06-2002, 11:50 PM
The sudden burst of 80s nostalgia has hit a fever pitch as of late. You got revamps of Masters of the Universe and Transformers coming to Toonami in a matter of weeks and Zoids already cemented as a part of the block, Battle of the Planets, Transformers, Masters of the Universe, Robotech, G.I. Joe, Micronauts, and Thundercats hitting comic shops, and Kinnikuman (which inspired the classic M.U.S.C.L.E. line from Mattel) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are cornerstones to the new Fox Box lineup. Now, this bit of news comes up. Sorry for the lateness. Just found it out, courtesy of the DiC Entertainment page, http://www.dicentertainment.com/ .
DIC & AMERICAN GREETINGS TO RELAUNCH STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH ALL NEW ANIMATION
BANDAI HAS SIGNED ON AS MASTER TOY LICENSEE, CHILDREN’S APPAREL NETWORK HAS SIGNED ON AS MASTER APPAREL LICENSEE
(Burbank, California---February 27, 2002) DIC Entertainment, a major producer and distributor of children’s entertainment content announced today that they are partnering with American Greetings to re-launch Strawberry Shortcake.
"We are very pleased to be working with DIC. Our partnership leverages their strengths in creating and distributing entertainment, as well as, developing and managing the merchandising program, in a completely unified manner," said Mike Brown, vice president of licensing for American Greetings.
DIC will be producing four direct-to-videos with all new animation targeted at the pre-school market for release beginning in January of 2003 A mass-merchandising program targeting children will be launched simultaneously with the release of the videos. The program will include toys and games, apparel and accessories, books, CDs and an entire line of social expression products from American Greetings.
"Strawberry Shortcake is a wonderful character. Children loved the images all over the world and the classic brand is recapturing the hearts of those kids who are now adults. Our new updated version will be just as appealing to kids as the classic was," said Andy Heyward, CEO of DIC Entertainment.
"Strawberry Shortcake is one of the most successful licenses in history. It began as a greeting card and ended up generating over $1.2 billion in retail sales, $100 million of which occurred in the first year alone," said Melissa Bomes, executive vice president of licensing and merchandising for DIC.
"The success of Strawberry Shortcake in the early ‘80s and the continued consumer interest in the property is why we’re re-launching the property today. Strawberry Shortcake has three built in audiences: today’s parents who loved the character 20 years ago, their parents, who are now grandparents, and today’s new generation of children," said Brown. "The current successful sell through of Strawberry Shortcake product in the specialty market strengthens the brand and is an indicator of the success we can have with this property."
Bandai, one of the most successful toy companies in the industry, with such properties as Power Rangers, Gundam Wing and Hello Kitty, has been signed on as the master toy licensee.
Children’s Apparel Network, which has worked on such successful licenses as Bob the Builder and Clifford, has signed on as Master Apparel licensee.
About American Greetings
American Greetings is the world’s largest publicly held creator, manufacturer and distributor of greeting cards and social expression products. Its staff of artists, designers and writers comprises one of the largest creative departments in the world and helps consumers "say it best" by supplying more than 15,000 greeting card designs to retail outlets in nearly every English-speaking country. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings drives annual sales of more than $2.5 billion. For more information on the company, visit http://www.americangreetings.com on the World Wide Web.
About DIC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment is a leading child’s entertainment company focused on developing, producing, distributing, and merchandising children’s animated programming worldwide. Since it’s founding in 1983, DIC has produced over 100 series and 3,000 episodes, averaging over 145 new half-hour episodes per year for the last ten years. DIC’s catalog is one of the largest and most valuable libraries of children’s animation television programming in the entertainment industry, boasting beloved evergreen brands such as Inspector Gadget, Madeline, Sailor Moon, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, Action Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Mario Bros. DIC’s newest shows in global distribution include, Mary-Kate & Ashley in Action, Alienators: Evolution Continues, Super Duper Sumos and Liberty’s Kids. Approximately 25 million kids in the U.S. watch DIC’s programs each week.
DIC & AMERICAN GREETINGS TO RELAUNCH STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE WITH ALL NEW ANIMATION
BANDAI HAS SIGNED ON AS MASTER TOY LICENSEE, CHILDREN’S APPAREL NETWORK HAS SIGNED ON AS MASTER APPAREL LICENSEE
(Burbank, California---February 27, 2002) DIC Entertainment, a major producer and distributor of children’s entertainment content announced today that they are partnering with American Greetings to re-launch Strawberry Shortcake.
"We are very pleased to be working with DIC. Our partnership leverages their strengths in creating and distributing entertainment, as well as, developing and managing the merchandising program, in a completely unified manner," said Mike Brown, vice president of licensing for American Greetings.
DIC will be producing four direct-to-videos with all new animation targeted at the pre-school market for release beginning in January of 2003 A mass-merchandising program targeting children will be launched simultaneously with the release of the videos. The program will include toys and games, apparel and accessories, books, CDs and an entire line of social expression products from American Greetings.
"Strawberry Shortcake is a wonderful character. Children loved the images all over the world and the classic brand is recapturing the hearts of those kids who are now adults. Our new updated version will be just as appealing to kids as the classic was," said Andy Heyward, CEO of DIC Entertainment.
"Strawberry Shortcake is one of the most successful licenses in history. It began as a greeting card and ended up generating over $1.2 billion in retail sales, $100 million of which occurred in the first year alone," said Melissa Bomes, executive vice president of licensing and merchandising for DIC.
"The success of Strawberry Shortcake in the early ‘80s and the continued consumer interest in the property is why we’re re-launching the property today. Strawberry Shortcake has three built in audiences: today’s parents who loved the character 20 years ago, their parents, who are now grandparents, and today’s new generation of children," said Brown. "The current successful sell through of Strawberry Shortcake product in the specialty market strengthens the brand and is an indicator of the success we can have with this property."
Bandai, one of the most successful toy companies in the industry, with such properties as Power Rangers, Gundam Wing and Hello Kitty, has been signed on as the master toy licensee.
Children’s Apparel Network, which has worked on such successful licenses as Bob the Builder and Clifford, has signed on as Master Apparel licensee.
About American Greetings
American Greetings is the world’s largest publicly held creator, manufacturer and distributor of greeting cards and social expression products. Its staff of artists, designers and writers comprises one of the largest creative departments in the world and helps consumers "say it best" by supplying more than 15,000 greeting card designs to retail outlets in nearly every English-speaking country. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings drives annual sales of more than $2.5 billion. For more information on the company, visit http://www.americangreetings.com on the World Wide Web.
About DIC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment is a leading child’s entertainment company focused on developing, producing, distributing, and merchandising children’s animated programming worldwide. Since it’s founding in 1983, DIC has produced over 100 series and 3,000 episodes, averaging over 145 new half-hour episodes per year for the last ten years. DIC’s catalog is one of the largest and most valuable libraries of children’s animation television programming in the entertainment industry, boasting beloved evergreen brands such as Inspector Gadget, Madeline, Sailor Moon, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?, Action Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Mario Bros. DIC’s newest shows in global distribution include, Mary-Kate & Ashley in Action, Alienators: Evolution Continues, Super Duper Sumos and Liberty’s Kids. Approximately 25 million kids in the U.S. watch DIC’s programs each week.