W!LDBRAIN, Inc. - Press Releases

W!LDBRAIN Joins Forces With Kidrobot to Create Animation and Pop Culture Powerhouse

Deal Infuses Independent Animation Studio With New Artistic Talent and Intellectual Property

SAN FRANCISCO (February 28, 2006) – Wild Brain, a leading independent animation studio, today announced a majority stake acquisition of New York-based, limited edition art toy creator and pop-culture phenomenon, Kidrobot. Wild Brain and Kidrobot plan to develop animated television, feature film, direct-to-video and other entertainment properties, utilizing the existing popularity of Kidrobot characters and the "Kidrobot Style" to develop future projects.

"Aligning Wild Brain's award-winning animation with Kidrobot's cutting-edge art and design opens up a whole new world of possibilities," said Charles Rivkin, chief executive officer of Wild Brain. "Paul Budnitz is a creative genius and a brilliant entrepreneur. We look forward to helping him realize the enormous potential of his vision". "Wild Brain provides Kidrobot with the opportunity to extend its creative energy into the world of digital animation. This is a logical next step for Kidrobot, as much of our inspiration comes from animated media. Wild Brain is bringing cutting-edge technology and the very best production team to the mix," said Paul Budnitz, owner and founder of Kidrobot.

The collaboration reinforces Wild Brain's commitment to becoming a leading digital animation studio and a haven for the industry's most talented artists and executives. Paul Budnitz will continue as both president of Kidrobot and as an executive producer at Wild Brain Animation Studios.

"Wild Brain is a sanctuary for independent artists that value creativity and innovation," added Budnitz. "At Kidrobot, we strive to elevate toys to the level of art. Charlie and the Wild Brain team have a similar philosophy. Of all the studios that have approached us about creative partnerships, we feel that Wild Brain is the perfect home."

About Kidrobot
Kidrobot is the premier creator and retailer of limited edition art toys. The toys sold at Kidrobot feature urban street trends mixed with creative design and fine art to produce limited edition, collectible pieces of art. World-renowned artists design many Kidrobot toys with backgrounds in graffiti art, fine art, industrial design, graphic design, illustration, and music. Kidrobot operates three store-galleries, one at 126 Prince Street in SoHo, New York City, another at 1512 Haight Street in San Francisco and a third at 1407 Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Kidrobot is also online at www.kidrobot.com.

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Founded in 1994, W!LDBRAIN (www.wildbrain.com) is an award-winning entertainment company that develops and produces unique and compelling content across the media spectrum. Powered by its distinctive pool of talented animators and directors renowned for blending traditional animation methods with state-of-the-art computer graphics, the studio and its creative team have consistently won top industry awards. In film, W!LDBRAIN has garnered numerous awards including an Annie for its computer graphics short film Hubert’s Brain and currently has a number of film projects in development. In television, the studio has produced an exceptional slate of original work, including the hit series YO GABBA GABBA!, airing weekly on Nick Jr.,

Nickelodeon’s award-winning programming block for pre-schoolers and Higglytown Heroes, the top-rated and critically acclaimed animated series airing daily on the Disney Channel. As one of the nation’s foremost producers of animated commercials, W!LDBRAIN has won Clios, Addys, BDA Awards and Annies for their commercial work, reinvigorating classic brands and developing cutting-edge spots for leading companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Honda, Kraft and Nike. Additionally, W!LDBRAIN creates and distributes collectible merchandise through its subsidiary Kidrobot, planet Earth’s premier creator and retailer of limited edition toys, clothing, mini-figures, artwork and books.