Purpose-driven Toy Brand Melissa & Doug and ViacomCBS Announce Landmark Global Licensing Partnership
Co-Branded Product Line Slated to Hit Retail Fall 2021
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) and Melissa & Doug, the purpose-driven global toy brand, have signed an exclusive licensing partnership to deliver PAW Patrol® and Blue's Clues & You! co-branded toy product lines for Fall 2021. The toys will be designed to educate and empower preschoolers through active engagement with a focus on problem solving and creative thinking.
This global partnership with ViacomCBS is the largest licensing agreement Melissa & Doug has ever signed, marking a major milestone for the company. Through the partnership, Melissa & Doug will bring innovative and imaginative toys to retail that will span multiple categories focused on learning and education.
"Melissa & Doug has been at the forefront of children's toys for over 30 years. We are thrilled to collaborate with them to create products based on the beloved PAW Patrol and Blue's Clues & You! IP that continue to inspire imagination and hugely impact children's growth and learning," said Dion Vlachos, Executive Vice President, Licensing & Retail, ViacomCBS.
From its beginning, Melissa & Doug has been a purpose-driven company committed to providing a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. Recently, Melissa & Doug announced their alliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics to champion the health benefits of open-ended play and provide tools and resources for parents to make it an essential part of children's everyday lives.
"We're excited to work with a company as iconic as Nickelodeon, one that shares in our mission to make the world a more playful place through thoughtfully researched and designed products and content," said David Henderson, Chief Commercial Officer of Melissa & Doug. "The characters of PAW Patrol and Blue's Clues & You! will help us introduce our hands-on, skill-building toys to an even greater number of children."
PAW Patrol is one of the most popular preschool shows on television in the U.S. The CGI-animated series, produced by Spin Master Entertainment, follows a pack of heroic rescue pups—Chase, Marshall, Rubble, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, Everest and Tracker—who are led by a tech-savvy boy named Ryder. Together, they work hard to show the people of Adventure Bay that "no job is too big, no pup is too small!" The series features a curriculum that focuses on citizenship, social skills and problem solving.
A remake of the groundbreaking, curriculum-driven interactive series Blue's Clues, Blue's Clues & You! has a new generation of preschoolers searching for clues with beloved puppy Blue, fellow pup Magenta, and new live-action host Josh (Josh Dela Cruz). The series features new CG-animation for Blue and Magenta, brand-new elements and refreshed iconic items from the original series including an updated Handy Dandy Notebook equipped with smartphone technology and the return of fan-favorite characters.
About Melissa & Doug
From classic wooden toys to crafts and pretend play, Melissa & Doug products provide a launch pad to ignite imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose. Recently, Melissa & Doug announced it is proudly partnering with the American Academy of Pediatrics to foster early brain development and to champion the health benefits of open-ended play through their joint Power of Play alliance.
About ViacomCBS Consumer Products
ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) oversees all licensing and merchandising for ViacomCBS Inc. (Nasdaq: VIACA, VIAC), a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic consumer brands, VCP's portfolio includes a diverse slate of brands and content from BET, CBS (including CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution), Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and Showtime. With properties spanning animation, live-action, preschool, youth and adult, VCP is committed to creating the highest quality product for some of the world's most beloved, iconic franchises. Additionally, VCP oversees the online direct-to-consumer business for CBS and Showtime programming merchandise, as well as standalone branded ecommerce websites for Star Trek, SpongeBob, South Park, and MTV.
About Spin Master Corp.:
Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY) is a leading global children's entertainment company creating exceptional play experiences through a diverse portfolio of innovative toys, entertainment franchises and digital toys and games. Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands PAW Patrol®, Bakugan®, Kinetic Sand®, Air Hogs®, Hatchimals® and GUND®, and is the toy licensee for other popular properties. Spin Master Entertainment creates and produces compelling multiplatform content, stories and endearing characters through its in-house studio and partnerships with outside creators, including the preschool success PAW Patrol and 10 other television series, which are distributed in more than 160 countries. The Company has an established digital presence anchored by the Toca Boca® and Sago Mini® brands, which combined have more than 25 million monthly active users. With over 1,800 employees in 28 offices globally, Spin Master distributes products in more than 100 countries. For more information visit spinmaster.com or follow on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @spinmaster.
Rachel Sandler
Rachel.Sandler@nick.com
Jennifer Halperin
jhalperin@MelissaAndDoug.com