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Purple Turtle now airing on Discovery Kids in the Middle East & North Africa

India-based-IP-development company Aadarsh Technosoft Pvt. Ltd (India), Telegael (Ireland) and leading animated entertainment company, Cyber Group Studios (France, USA) are pleased to announce that their coproduction of Purple Turtle, the 52×7 minutes 2D HD-preschool animated series is now airing its 1st season with great success on DISCOVERY Kids in Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA). The series which has premiered on April 6th, 2020 with two episodes is currently airing with 10 episodes a day. Other key international broadcasters are soon to be announced.

 

 

Purple Turtle (52×7’ 2D-HD) has been developed by Aadarsh Technosoft Pvt. Ltd (India) and coproduced by Manish Rajoria, Ankita Shrivastava from Aadarsh Technosoft Pvt. Ltd (India), Paul Cummins from Telegael (Ireland) and Pierre Sissmann from Cyber Group Studios (France). Handling the worldwide distribution of the series, Cyber Group Studios is also managing the Licensing, Merchandising and Publishing outside of India.

 

Purple Turtle, the 2D HD animated series directed by Swati Rajoria follows the adventures of the eponymous heroes and his friends: Roxy the Chameleon, Zing the Rabbit, Melody the Bird & Tadley the Bear. And together they love having fun while figuring things out as a team. Written by Emmy Awards winning authors, such as : Karl Geurs(Disney’s Jungle Book II, Winnie the Pooh, Strawberry Shortcake, Little People, My Little Pony), Dev Ross (Rainbow Ruby, Little People, Jakers!, Clifford the Big Red Dog), Carter Crocker (Disney, Warner Brothers, Penguin), Paul Parkes (CBeebies, MondoTV, Cartoon Network and Phil Harnage (Universal, FOX, Nickelodean, Saban Brands), the series encourage kids to explore, make choices, learn from their mistakes and make necessary decisions along the way, promoting self-determination and fostering independence..

Manish Rajoria, Director of Aadarsh Technosoft Pvt. Ltd, says: “We are very excited with the response the show has received across Middle East and Northern Africa with Discovery Kids. We are now launching Purple Turtle’s edutainment app worldwide and have already sold over tens of thousands of books featuring our hero and his friends!”

Pierre Sissmann, Chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios adds: “Purple Turtle is a very sweet series full of values that fit very well with Cyber Group’s preschool DNA. I am particularly pleased of having joined the copro team and having Cyber as a global distributor of the series.”

 Purple Turtle (52×7’ 2D HD) is inspired by one the of the world’s leading preschool IPs of the same name that first appeared in Frankfurt Book Fair in 2012. Within a couple of years, it received amazing response and the books encountered a huge success with several million copies published worldwide in multiple languages to date in more than 25 countries including Russia, China, USA, UK and many more. This brand of international appeal has been commercialized in print and digital formats including animations, picture books, board books, story books, smart books with interactive features, talking books with point-and-read magic pen, apps, games etc. In addition, Aadarsh Technosoft Pvt. Ltd (India) is about to launch its OTT Platform as well that will be a compilation of games, learning videos, online curriculum videos, eBooks and worksheets at one place to make education interactive, fun and available to all.

CONTACTS:

Cyber Group Studios – Sales contact:

RAPHAELLE MATHIEU, Senior Vice-President Sales, Acquisitions & New Media

Mail : rmathieu@cybergroupstudios.com – Direct: +33 1 555 63 210 _ Cell: +33 6 88 06 28 73

Cyber Group Studios – Press contact:

Eve Cohen – International Sales, Marketing and Communication Coordinator 

Mail : ecohen@cybergroupstudios.com – T: +33 (0)1 55 56 32 13 _ Cell : +33 7 71 69 79 85

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Endemol Shine’s Mr Bean partners with Black White Orange in India

Endemol Shine has signed a new brand licensing partnership of the long-running IP, Mr Bean, with the one of India’s leading brand licensing companies – Black White Orange Brands Pvt. Ltd.

The deal marks the first agency appointment for the iconic brand in India and will see the two companies work hand-in-hand to bring brand extension, creative ideation and merchandise to life.

Mr Bean, a series that has been celebrated for delivering some of the most iconic moments in TV history with a broad and diverse audience across 200 territories, also marks its 30-year anniversary in 2020. The brand continues to entertain new audiences all around the world with success across global digital platforms, hitting a combined digital reach of more than 137 million fans.

Mr Bean has topped 11 billion lifetime views on YouTube alone and is one of Facebook’s biggest page globally, surpassing 98 million fans on the platform. The brand has also grown from the original live action series to the new animated show, which sees Mr Bean and Teddy embark on new adventures together. Mr Bean is produced by Tiger Aspect Productions.

With continuous global distribution of content, the new deal will see Black White Orange explore new and innovative brand licensing opportunities for Mr Bean in India, to drive growth in the ever-evolving market. The deal also represents Endemol Shine’s ambition to grow the licensing business in India.

Jane Smith, Group Director, Brand Licensing & Gaming, Endemol Shine Group, says; “Mr Bean has a huge fan base in India and we are delighted to be partnering with Black White Orange to bring consumer products into this exciting new territory for the market.  Their creative approach to the brand and their knowledge and track record of delivering success in India makes them an ideal partner.”

Adds Mitali Desai, Co-Founder & COO, Black White Orange Brands Pvt. Ltd, “We are excited to have an iconic brand like Mr Bean as part of our portfolio. It continues to receive love from audiences with an enormous digital footprint. With live action as well as animation content, the brand lends itself beautifully to various categories like apparel, novelty, consumables and more. We look forward to delivering creative brand licensing opportunities in the coming months.”

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Virat Kohli’s Brand Wrogn Announces Exclusive Fashion Collection Inspired by Illumination’s Minions

WROGN, the breakaway youth fashion brand, announced the launch of a new fashion collection, MINIONS x WROGN today. This fashion collaboration brings together two of the biggest pop culture icons of today – Illumination’s larger-than-life Minions and WROGN co-creator and Captain of the Indian Cricket team, Virat Kohli. Created in partnership with Universal Brand Development and licensing agent, Black White Orange,and designed by team Wrogn, the brand-new collection offers 10 unique designs in various colors and styles and will be available across offline and online stores in India from August 2020.

Commenting on the collaboration, Virat Kohli said, “At Wrogn, we always try and work on something innovative and I’m excited that the brand, this time, has collaborated with the universal favourite – Illumination’s Minions! I believe this fashionable & fun collection will be loved by my fans. I’m eager to wear one and I’m sure these will bring a big smile on the consumers’ faces.”

Ten years after their creation, Gru and the Minions are among the most iconic animated characters of their generation. Globally recognized and beloved by fans of all ages, they have propelled Illumination’s Despicable Me into the most successful animated film franchise in history. Gru is one of the few protagonists who is also an antagonist, whose sweet and subversive qualities make him relatable to all audiences. Bright yellow, instantly unforgettable, speaking a language that no one knows but that everyone can understand, the Minions have become icons of self-expression in pop culture on every continent of the globe.

Speaking on the collaboration, Ms. Anjana Reddy, CEO Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are very excited about collaborating with the Minions franchise. We have thoroughly enjoyed designing this collection and we are confident that it well do really well as Minions is a rage, not only with kids but also adults across the globe and we are proud to bring this collection to our Wrogn customers through 250 points of sale offline and online as well. I’m sure we will see a lot of people sporting their favourite MINIONS X WROGN t-shirts soon. “

 “The WROGN x Minions collection taps into the mischevious nature of Illumination’s Minions, delivering a playful and stylish collection for fans of both brands,” said Marc Low, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Lifestyle at Universal Brand Development.

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Primed for success

Today all internet connections will most probably lead to Amazon.in to reel in some of the juicy deals on offer. Supported by a media roadblock across digital and print,

Amazon is pulling out all the stops to make this one as big if not bigger than previous Prime Days. However, unlike previous years this year due to the pandemic, a virtual room has been set up instead of a physical space to track the sale, as thousands of employees co-ordinate from the safety of their homes. Quite a few stringent protocols have been put in place for on-ground staff to ensure their health and safety, one of which requires them to wash their hands & sanitise no less than 8 times during a shift. Media reports suggest India’s prime day is Jeff Bezos’ test case for US prime day which has been shifted from July to a yet undisclosed date. That the sale is happening is testimony to how competitive the online retail industry is. “After a lot of conversations, we decided to go ahead with Prime Day,” says Akshay Sahi, head of Prime at Amazon India. “Life has to go on. Sellers have to get back on their feet.” This year 10 new fulfilment centres have been opened, 50,000 temp workers have been hired and freight capacity has been secured from local airlines IndiGo & SpiceJet Ltd.

Walmart-owned rival flipkart.com has also kicked off its own Big Savings day sale which will run between 6th-10th Aug. in an effort to divert some of the traffic to its site.

Ultimately what matters to the consumer are the deals on offer.

Here are some quick comparisons of deals available on Amazon vs Flipkart.

Item Amazon.in Flipkart.com
Iphone 11 (64 GB) INR 59900/- INR 68300/-
Bose – wireless headphones INR 19990/- INR 15220/-
Onida 40” Smart LED TV INR 18999/- INR 24999/-

It would seem from this quick unscientific survey that Amazon has a slight edge over Flipkart. Who will hit a home run & win the consumer, only time will tell. stay tuned.

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The bond between siblings celebrated toon-style

Every year Raksha Bandhan which is an auspicious festival symbolizing the love of the siblings for each other is celebrated on the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Sravana (July/August). On this day, sisters tie a rakhi (band) on the wrists of their brothers to protect them against evil influences, and pray for their long life and happiness.

Sisters tie a “Rakhi” on their brother’s hand and in turn receive a gift which could vary from sweets to lots of money depending on their generosity or level of preparedness. In Covid times the celebration has gone virtual for most siblings but the enthusiasm hasn’t waned a bit. Youngsters are filling in for missing relatives who might be overseas or even different parts of the city. 7 year old Keisha tied a rakhi for her 10 year old brother Ayush, and for her dad on behalf of her aunt.

Onliners like floweraura.com are offering a variety of cartoon character rakhis which tend to be very popular among kids. Unfortunately, most of these are unlicensed products. We have reached out to floweraura.com for a comment on the same and will keep you posted.

 

From all of us at IndiaLicensingPost.com, we wish you a very happy Raksha Bandhan!

 

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Virat Kohli’s apparel line WROGN joins hands with Animal Planet to creatively shine light on the cause of endangered species

USPL’s apparel line Wrogn, in association with India’s leading wildlife channel Animal Planet, is launching a new collection – Animal Planet X WROGN. The apparel range aims to shine light on the cause of endangered species in a never-before-seen-or-done manner. Conceptualised by Black White Orange, Animal Planet’s licensing arm, each style in the range portrays an endangered animal including the Tiger, Sea Turtle, Gorilla, Sumatran Elephant and Panda, amongst others.

“I’ve been associated with Wrogn since inception and we take some exciting initiatives season after season. I couldn’t be happier that Wrogn is taking a step in the direction of creating awareness around animal endangerment.” Said, Virat Kohli, the face of WROGN.

 

 

Speaking about the collaboration, Megha Tata Managing Director – South Asia, Discovery, said, “Animal Planet has been striving hard to drive attention towards the importance of saving the endangered species in impactful ways. We are confident that this innovative collaboration with WROGN for this inspirational apparel line will help in spreading the message of conservation of endangered species as well as the wildlife.”

 

Speaking about the collaboration, Anjana Reddy – CEO, Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd said, “Animal endangerment is real. It’s a pressing issue and I’m aware that it really bothers the youth all over the world. We like the essence of this collaboration with Animal Planet as it enables people to wear their cause that they feel so strongly about and spread the word at the same time. The Rorschach art design is very interesting and hard to miss.”

 

Adds Bhavik Vora, Founder & CEO, Black White Orange Brands Pvt. Ltd, “In the tough times the world is going through, it is important to build something relevant. What better way to spread awareness on endangered species among the youth of today, than collaborate with leading players in the segment – WROGN and Animal Planet. We worked closely with the Animal Planet team for almost a year, to conceptualize the art that you see on the range and it’s fantastic to see it come to life.”

 

The Animal Planet X WROGN apparel will be available in over 250 counters across retail channels like Shoppers Stop, Central, Pantaloons, WROGN’s exclusive stores, Myntra.com and on www.Wrogn.in.

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BFF’s Betty & Veronica in a global collab with Kate Spade

If you were a child of the 80’s or 90’s in India, chances are you were exchanging Archies comics with your friends during school periods.

Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Jughead & Big Moose were not fictional characters but gradually became real life friends you could go to, to get your broken heart mended or laugh out loud with. Created by Jon Goldwater & Bob Montana, they were in many ways the original F-R-I-E-N-D-S.

 

Kate Spade is counting on this nostalgia to drive up sales for their special collaboration with Archie Comics Publications. However for this collection they have chosen just the ladies Betty & Veronica. “When you think of best friends, the first people that come to mind are Betty and Veronica,” says Jon Goldwater, chief executive officer and publisher, Archie Comics. “Having the chance to partner with Kate Spade for this amazing collaboration is a dream, and Betty and Veronica are a perfect match for the Kate Spade New York brand.” The collection includes classic tote bags, hand bags, laptop accessories. We are not sure about delivery to India, but we are sure die hard Betty & Veronica fans will find friends in New York to score them some of the booty. Check out katespade.com

 

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Sign Up for [Virtual] Camp!

This time last year, most parents were prepping their kids to attend their favorite sleepaway camp or planning a family vacation. But with COVID-19, most summer plans have been scrapped and while the quarantine boredom-busting activities of the spring – such as baking and board games – were fine to fill up the time between Zoom classes… there’s only so much banana bread one can make.

Depending on where you live, sleepaway and day camps are running with a focus on small groups and social distancing. However, more broadly, virtual camps are now in session. Here are a handful of companies hosting virtual camps for pre-K and preteens.

  • This week, Camp by Walmart launched its free virtual camp with interactive video platform Eko. Activity videos featuring celebrity councilors such as actors Neil Patrick Harris, Idina Menzel, Drew Barrymore, and athlete LeBron James are uploaded to the platform every week.
  • On Monday, July 14, The Wiggles and Rascal + Friends will host a two-week virtual summer camp for toddlers and their parents. Hosted by Emma Wiggle and Captain Feathersword, the program includes arts, crafts, singing, dancing and prizes.
  • Camp PBS Kids now offer the preschool set free, downloadable activity books and reading lists, as well as how-to videos ranging from art to science featuring PBS Kids characters Daniel Tiger, Dinosaur Train and more.
  • The activities at Girl Scouts Adventures at Home marketplace change weekly, but topics include STEM, cooking and wildlife, grouped by grade level. Campers can do several Girl Scout-approved activities off-screen and outside (with supervision). While the virtual camp marketplace has a weekly membership fee for the courses, there are free activities available on the Girl Scouts’ website.

Inevitably, kids are going to complain about having “nothing to do” as summer goes on. Yet, in this unprecedented year, parents now have these new projects in their arsenal to combat kids’ boredom – from home.

And for parents, how will they spend their newfound freetime while the kids are at virtual camp? Well, there’s always Club Quarantine.

Source: https://www.licenseglobal.com/live-events/sign-virtual-camp

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Champion gets its groove on with MTV

LicenseSource.Net reports on a groovy retro collab between youth culture brands, Champion (HanesBrands) and MTV to celebrate the 90’s.

The range includes crew necks shirts, tanks and jackets for men and women’s bodycon and onesies in bright colors and retro prints.

Sharing his views on the collab, David Robertson, director of global brand marketing at Champion said, “In partnering with MTV, the ambition was to create a dynamic collection that embraces the authenticity of our brands and our mutual respect and admiration for hip-hop culture. We felt it made perfect sense for these two brands to partner on a nostalgic collection that highlights the intersection of fashion and music.”

Both companies decided to rope in rapper Jadakiss to front the collab.

David added: “Both Champion and MTV defined a generation with key influences on street style, and we wanted to pay homage to that while continuing to influence a new generation of consumers.

“We designed the collection to pay tribute to both Champion and MTV with retro looks, bright colors and iconic prints. We hope this partnership brings joy to those inspired by the Nineties while bringing modern looks that introduce an essential piece of fashion and music history to today’s consumer.”

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Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex launches 24th July

Mumbai: After its successful launch in India, Disney+ Hotstar is set to revolutionize the way hundreds of millions of Indians watch movies with the launch of Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex. As the nation inches towards normalcy, India’s largest video service brings the magic of Bollywood blockbusters and its biggest stars directly to millions of smartphones across the country.

Starting July 24, 2020 Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex is set to premier 7 of the most-awaited movies of 2020 featuring India’s most loved actors, including Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani in Laxmmi Bomb, Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Sanjay Dutt in Bhuj: The Pride of India, late Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi and Saif Ali Khan in Dil Bechara, Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Pooja Bhatt in Sadak 2, Abhishek Bachchan in The Big Bull, Vidyut Jammwal in Khuda Haafiz and Kunal Kemmu and Rasika Dugal in Lootcase amongst others.

Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex will usher in a new re-imagined ‘first-day first-show’ for Bollywood fans, by treating them to the most anticipated movies of superstars like Akshay Kumar & Ajay Devgn being delivered directly to their mobiles; truly experiencing ‘First Day First Show ki home delivery’. Existing subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar Premium and Disney+ Hotstar VIP can enjoy these blockbuster movies at no additional cost to their existing subscription. Non-subscribers can simply purchase an annual membership of Disney+ Hotstar VIP at INR 399/- to catch all these movies, and also enjoy exclusive Hotstar Specials, the world’s biggest Super Hero movies & kids favourite characters in Hindi, Tamil & Telugu, unlimited LIVE sports and much more – making it the best entertainment service in the country!

The first movie of Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex will be Dil Bechara, starring late Sushant Singh Rajput; and to commemorate his invaluable contribution to Hindi cinema, this movie will be available to all subscribers and non-subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar.

Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar

Uday Shankar – President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India, said “At Disney+ Hotstar, we firmly believe in pushing boundaries to achieve the unexpected. A few years ago, we took an audacious step of bringing sports closer to people by streaming it LIVE on mobile devices – a move that forever changed the course of LIVE sports in India. Today as we launch Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex, we find ourselves yet again at the cusp of making a revolutionary change by bringing the biggest Bollywood movies directly to millions across the country. We are happy to partner with the best directors and most talented actors; and provide them with a platform to present their masterpieces.”

Speaking about this initiative and its effect on the overall industry, he further added, “Theatres are a special experience. So, they will always exist and thrive. But the potential of the industry can’t be capped by the number of release windows and theatres available. Our initiative will dramatically increase the number of films that can be made, giving film-lovers more films to enjoy and the creative community more films to make. We firmly believe that this will generate a massive momentum for more and different kinds of films to be made in India. It’s a win-win for all.”

Starting 24th July, Disney+ Hotstar VIP is set to release a gamut of movies across genres

  • Laxmmi Bomb (horror comedy) starring Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani. Directed by Raghava Lawrence, producers: Cape of Good Films, Tusshar Kapoor, Shabinaa Khan and Fox Star Studios
  • Bhuj: The Pride of India (war-action film, based on a true story) starring Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Ammy Virk, and Sharad Kelkar. The film is written & directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Ginny Khanuja, Vajir Singh and Kumar Mangat Pathak, under the banners of T-Series and Select Media Holdings LLP.
  • Sadak 2 (a love saga & sequel to the Iconic blockbuster ‘Sadak’ which released in 1991) starring Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Pooja Bhatt, Jisshu Sengupta, Makarand Deshpande, Mohan Kapoor, Gulshan Grover, Priyanka Bose and John Gardener. The film has been directed by Mahesh Bhatt, Written by Suhrita Sengupta & Mahesh Bhatt, Cinematography by Jay Patel and Produced by Mukesh Bhatt
  • The Big Bull – The man who sold dreams to India (crime drama) starring Abhishek Bachchan, Ileana D’Cruz, Nikita Dutta, Soham Shah, Ram Kapoor, Supriya Pathak and Saurabh Shukla. The film is directed by Kookie Gulati, produced by Ajay Devgn and Anand Pandit, and co-produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Vikrant Sharma.
  • Dil Bechara (remake of The Fault In Our Stars) starring late Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi, Saif Ali Khan, Saswata Chatterjee, Swastika Mukherjee and Sahil Vaid. The film is directed by Mukesh Chhabra; with Hindi adaptation by Suprotim Sengupta and Shashank Khaitan, and  Produced by Fox Star Studios.
  • Khuda Haafiz (romantic action thriller inspired by real-events) starring Vidyut Jammwal, Anuu Kapoor, Shivaleeka Oberoi, Shiv Panditt and Aahana Kumra. The film is written & directed by Faruk Kabir and produced by Kumar Mangat Pathak and Abhishek Pathak (Panorama Studios International).
  • Lootcase (comedy thriller) starring Kunal Kemmu, Rasika Dugal, Gajraj Rao, Ranvir Shorey and Vijay Raaz. The film is Directed by Rajesh Krishnan, written by Rajesh Krishnan and Kapil Sawant, Produced by Fox Star Studios and Soda Films.