Eastern European Family Favorite to Make US Debut Saturday Morning in TheCW4Kids Block in 2008-’09 Television Season
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE), the diversified children’s entertainment and media organization, has been appointed licensing, marketing and promotional agent for the smash-hit Russian animated series Smeshariki in the Americas, Asia and English-speaking territories, by rights holder FunGameMedia of Munich.
Through this agreement, 4Kids Productions will also be adapting the more than 200 episodes of the Smeshariki animated series produced by Animation Studios of St. Petersburg for its US broadcast debut in TheCW4Kids Saturday block on the CW Network in the 2008-’09 television season as well for international broadcast.
4 Kids Entertainment will officially launch this property today in the U.S. at Licensing Expo ’08.
Smeshariki follows the adventures of a hilarious group of colorful, roundly-shaped characters. Since launching in Russia in 2003, nearly 5.5 million viewers tune in daily to watch the series. The popularity of the series has surged over the past five years, garnering the brand a staggering 80% recognition in the region, making it a leader in the Russian licensing market. Over 3000 Smeshariki licensed products are sold in Russia, ranging from apparel and toys to publishing and food from such world class partners as UNICEF, Aeroflot, LG, Chupa Chups and Egmont Publishing. The television series has been recognized with several entertainment honors, including the prestigious “Cartoons On The Bay” award.
Supporting the television launch of Smeshariki this fall, 4Kids Entertainment is planning a full-scale licensing program across multiple categories including toys, publishing, apparel and stationary. Building on the success of its popular daily radio show and branded gift shops throughout Russia, a Smeshariki feature film release is in pre-production and scheduled for release in 2010.
“Smeshariki is innovative and imaginative, and its unique combination of humor, and colorful palette of personality will quickly become a favorite of retailers and manufacturers in a myriad of product categories,” said Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO, 4Kids Entertainment.
