Toy line to roll out by early spring 2013 with Jazwares™
Halifax, NS – 10 April 2012 – DHX Media Ltd. (TSX ticker: DHX), a leading independent international producer, distributor and licensor of mainly children’s entertainment content is pleased to announce that its Wildbrain Entertainment subsidiary has selected Jazwares™, a leader in the licensed products marketplace, to expand the Yo Gabba Gabba! toy line. Jazwares, which joins a robust consumer products program that boasts over 40 licensees in the U.S., is the brand’s master toy license and will manufacture, market and distribute a line of preschool toys based on the award-winning television series. Yo Gabba Gabba!, created by Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz, is produced by The Magic Store and W!LDBRAIN Entertainment and airs multiple times a day, seven days a week on Nick Jr.
Jazwares’ line of engaging Yo Gabba Gabba! toys will cover a broad range of categories, including figures and accessories, plush, playsets, vehicles and musical toys. Products will be available at mass and online retailers nationwide by early spring 2013.
“Yo Gabba Gabba!, now in its fourth season, is a live-action music-driven series with a diverse and loyal fan base that keeps the demand high for imaginative new products,” said Michael Polis, president, W!LDBRAIN Entertainment and executive vice president, branded entertainment & consumer products, DHX Media. “Jazwares is a trusted brand among parents, and this is a unique opportunity for the company to create a toy line that will appeal to the preschool age fans who have followed the show since the beginning, and offer something new to our youngest fans that are just tuning in to the series,” he continued.
“We are very excited to have the opportunity to develop a Yo Gabba Gabba! line that captures the magic of the show for young children,” said Laura Zebersky, executive vice president sales, Jazwares. “The breadth of the line gives us the chance to meaningfully incorporate into the products what parents and young children enjoy most about the show – its lively characters and catchy songs.”
For more information, please contact:
DHX Media Ltd.
David A. Regan – EVP, Corporate Development & IR
+1 902-423-0260
About DHX Media
DHX Media (www.dhxmedia.com), together with its subsidiary, W!LDBRAIN Entertainment, is a leading international family entertainment rights creation and management company with three-award-winning production facilities, worldwide distribution and a global consumer products business. DHX Media has produced over 40 original television series, including world-recognized series such as Franny’s Feet, Animal Mechanicals, Kid vs. Kat, Angela Anaconda and Martha Speaks, and maintains a library of over 2,500 half-hours of animation and live-action programming. The company’s global licensing group oversees a diverse merchandising portfolio for proven properties, including the hit U.K. seriesRastamouse, airing on CBeebies. As one of the world’s foremost producers of animation, W!LDBRAIN Entertainment boasts an exceptional slate of programming, including Yo Gabba Gabba! (Nick Jr.), The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO),Higglytown Heroes (Disney), Bubble Guppies (Nick Jr.), Oki’s Oasis (Disney), The Hard Times of RJ Berger (MTV), Peanuts “Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown” (FOX) and Team Smithereen (Disney XD). DHX Media has offices in Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver, Los Angeles and London. DHX Media is listed on the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange).
About Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! is an award-winning, live-action television series and live stage show whose unconventional formula has created a triple stacked fan base, making it one of the most popular entertainment properties among preschoolers, parents and indie music lovers alike. Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered in the U.S. on Nickelodeon in August, 2007. Yo Gabba Gabba! takes preschool programming beyond the ABCs and 123s by teaching life lessons through music. The series and the live show star DJ Lance Rock (Lance Robertson) and a cast of colorful characters, including: Brobee, the little green one, Foofa, the pink flower bubble, Muno, the red Cyclops, Toodee, the blue cat-dragon and Plex, the yellow robot. Popular songs teaching important lessons such as “Don’t Bite Your Friends” have become part of a global vernacular. The unique blend of retro, animation, live-action puppets at play, guest stars like Biz Markie, Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh and propelling music from left of the dial indie darlings like the Shins, MGMT and The Flaming Lips, who remind youngsters “It’s OK, Try Again” and “You Can Be Anything,” reflects the youth culture of today’s generation of parents. Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE, the theatrical offshoot, has staged shows for thousands of fans across the globe, kicking-off with a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a performance at the White House. Yo Gabba Gabba! apparel, home entertainment, books and toys are sold in stores nationwide and online. Visitwww.yogabbagabba.com.
About Jazwares, Inc.
Headquartered in Sunrise, Florida, Jazwares, Inc. has been committed to creating ‘quality products that push the boundaries of product design’ since 1997. With its focus on innovation and function, Jazwares has established itself as a well-respected leader in the licensed products industry, delivering a diverse line of goods featuring some of the most contemporary entertainment properties in the marketplace. Today, through the expertise of their design specialists, Jazwares continues to offer a wide array of products and has expanded its line of action figures and electronics with some of today’s hottest licenses around. This includes Fanboy & Chum Chum™, Adventure Time™, Poptropica®, Star Wars™, WWE™, Ben 10™, Beyblade™, Sonic the Hedgehog™, Mortal Kombat™, Street Fighter™, “Robot Chicken,” among others. Jazwares’ goal is to invent toys and related products that are new to the marketplace, featuring the licenses that kids want at an affordable price. For more information about Jazwares, Inc., please visit www.jazwares.com.
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward looking statements with respect to the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on information currently available to the Company. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, among other things, include risks related to market factors, customer contract interpretation, application of accounting policies and principles, and production related risks, and other factors discussed in materials filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time including matters discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Company’s short form prospectus dated April 9, 2010 and in the Company’s Annual Information Form incorporated by reference therein. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.