Thunderbird Brands and tokidoki Announce Jazwares as Global Master Toy Licensee for Mermicorno: Starfall
Thunderbird Brands — the consumer products arm of Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company”) — is delighted to announce the appointment of renowned toymaker Jazwares as global master toy licensee for Mermicorno: Starfall.
Thunderbird Brands — the consumer products arm of Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company”) — is delighted to announce the appointment of renowned toymaker Jazwares as global master toy licensee for Mermicorno: Starfall. The licensing program for the new original Thunderbird-owned-IP (intellectual property) created and being produced by Atomic Cartoons, in partnership with design tastemaker tokidoki, is being co-managed by Thunderbird Brands and tokidoki. The pair will team up with Jazwares on a multi-category toy line.
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Jazwares has secured the exclusive global rights to produce figures, dolls, playsets, vehicles, plush, Squishmallows, Halloween costumes, pet costumes and accessories, everyday dress-up, role play, musical instruments, and novelty items based on the animated series Mermicorno: Starfall for all distribution channels, including mass-market, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer platforms.
The concept of Mermicorno: Starfall is drawn from tokidoki’s hit Mermicorno characters. The first Mermicorno debuted in 2015 and the Mermicorno character family launched worldwide with collectibles, apparel, accessories and more in 2016.
The initial Mermicorno: Starfall toy line is set to launch with a limited product assortment in spring 2025, followed by a larger rollout in fall 2025.
“We could not have hoped for a better partner than Jazwares for this exciting property,” said Thunderbird President of Global Distribution & Consumer Products, Richard Goldsmith. “Jazwares is an innovator in the toy business and thoroughly understands not only the DNA of Mermicorno: Starfall, but also the huge opportunity it presents to launch this brand into the mass market with fun and cool products for the underserved girls five to nine demo.”
“Collaborating with Thunderbird and tokidoki on Mermicorno: Starfall is a prime example of Jazwares’ unparalleled ability to bring new entertainment properties to life like nobody else can,” said Jeremy Padawer, Chief Brand Officer, Jazwares. “Our lineup will bring epic new ways for kids to play, collect, and connect with their favourite Mermicorno characters.”
“It’s my honour and joy to work with a company as unique and impressive as Jazwares,” said Simone Legno, tokidoki co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. “I have designed collectibles for almost 20 years, but I feel that thanks to Jazwares’ experience in the market, I will be able to bring my toy designs and knowledge to the next level.”
“The opportunity to work with Jazwares and their incredibly talented team is a dream come true for us. We waited so long to align ourselves with the perfect partners,” said tokidoki co-founder and CEO, Pooneh Mohajer.
Warner Bros. Discovery has secured exclusive rights to the series in the U.S., now in production at Thunderbird’s Atomic Cartoons, which will debut on Max in early 2025. Additional international sales of the series will be announced over the coming months.
The new animated series is a smart and fun adventure-comedy that takes place in a fantastical and magical undersea world, where a team of Mermicornos (enchanting half-unicorn/half-mermaid creatures) join together to save the ocean from an evil threat. During their epic mission, our heroes unlock the magic of creative self-expression, discover new depths of friendship, and find the best bowl of ramen in the sea.
Thunderbird Brands, in consultation with tokidoki, is currently focused on building out the licensee roster for Mermicorno: Starfall, targeting publishing, interactive and apparel partners to join the burgeoning program.
ABOUT THUNDERBIRD ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global award-winning, full-service multiplatform production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual, and scripted content through its various content arms, including Thunderbird Kids and Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Unscripted (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird Scripted. Productions under the Thunderbird umbrella include The Last Kids on Earth, Molly of Denali, Highway Thru Hell, Kim’s Convenience, Reginald the Vampire and Boot Camp. Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands manage global media and consumer products rights, respectively, for the Company and select third parties. Thunderbird is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: www.thunderbird.tv.
ABOUT TOKIDOKI
tokidoki, which translates to “sometimes” in Japanese, is an internationally recognized and iconic lifestyle brand based on the vision of Italian artist Simone Legno and his partners, serial entrepreneurs Pooneh Mohajer and Ivan Arnold. Since debuting in 2005, tokidoki has amassed a cult-like following for its larger-than-life characters and emerged as a sought-after global lifestyle brand. tokidoki offers an extensive range of products which include apparel, handbags, cosmetics, accessories, toys and more. Simone Legno, tokidoki’s Chief Creative Officer, was born in Rome, Italy, and from a very young age developed a deep love of Japan and a fascination with world cultures. Combining Legno’s unique talent and creativity with Mohajer’s business acumen, tokidoki has grown exponentially. As an innovative company, tokidoki is known not only for its eye-popping aesthetic and criminally cute characters but also its megawatt partnerships. tokidoki is on Facebook and Twitter at @tokidoki and on Instagram at @tokidokibrand. For more information visit: www.tokidoki.it
ABOUT JAZWARES
Jazwares, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading global toy manufacturer with an award-winning, robust portfolio of wholly owned and licensed brands. Founded in 1997, Jazwares celebrates imaginative play with a progressive focus on identifying new and relevant trends to transform into high-quality products for consumers of all ages. Jazwares engages consumers through innovative play experiences with popular brands such as Squishmallows, Pokémon, Star Wars, CoComelon, Fortnite, AEW, Adopt Me!, Hello Kitty, and many more. In addition to toys, offerings also include Metaverse gaming, costumes, and products for pets. Headquartered in Sunrise, Florida, Jazwares has offices worldwide and sells its products in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.jazwares.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which has been prepared by management.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Thunderbird’s public communications may include written or oral “forward-looking statements” and “forward-looking information” as defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation. All such statements may not be based on historical facts that relate to the Company’s current expectations and views of future events and are made pursuant to the “safe harbour” provisions of applicable securities laws.
Forward-looking statements or information may be identified by words such as “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “forecast”, “may”, “will”, “plan”, “project”, “should”, “believe”, “intend”, or similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the initial Mermicorno: Starfall line is set to launch with a limited product assortment in spring 2025, followed by a larger rollout in fall 2025; the huge opportunity it presents to launch this brand into the mass market with fun and cool products; the lineup bringing epic new ways for kids to play, collect, and connect with their favourite Mermicorno characters; and additional international sales of the series being announced over the coming months.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; product capability and acceptance; international risk and currency exchange rates; and technology changes. An assessment of these risks that could cause actual results to materially differ from current expectations is contained in the “Risks and Uncertainty” section of June 30, 2022 MD&A. The foregoing is not an exhaustive list. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to Thunderbird or that management believes to be less significant may also adversely affect the Company.
The forward-looking statements or information contained in this document represent our views as of the date hereof and as such information should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.
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