House & Home
Fri, January 20, 2012
MALIBU, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Leading U.S. toymaker JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAKK) announced today an exclusive licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment, LLC to manufacture, distribute and market a line of plush products based on Marvel Super Hero Squad that ties into the new Marvel virtual online world, HeroUp.com. Under the same agreement, JAKKS Pacific also has the rights to manufacture, distribute and market skill and action games inspired by Marvel classic characters.
"With the breadth of new Marvel entertainment coming next year, including feature films based on The Avengers and Spider-Man, our goal is to deliver unique, high-quality toys that any Marvel fan would want while expanding our offerings in the boys category."
The Marvel Super Hero Squad plush line from JAKKS Pacific will feature plush characters designed after the unique style of the Marvel Super Hero Squad characters. The product line is expected to include collectible plush, plush clip-ons and large plush with interactive, online components that unlock special features on HeroUp.com, a vast online playground where kids can interact with their favorite Marvel super heroes. With JAKKSa Marvel Super Hero Squad plush, kids can collect virtual currency, gain membership access and participate in the online trading card game. The line is expected to launch at specialty retailers in Spring 2012 with broad distribution in mass retail channels starting in 2013.
JAKKS also is expected to launch innovative aSkill & Actiona based games that encourage active, physical play based on popular Marvel super heroes, such as The Avengers.JAKKSa line of Marvel games is slated to launch in Spring 2012.
aWe are thrilled to further grow our partnership with Marvel to create Marvel Superhero Squad plush products that expand Marvelas virtual world, HeroUp.com, with innovative ways to connect, collect and play,a said Stephen Berman, President and CEO, JAKKS Pacific. aWith the breadth of new Marvel entertainment coming next year, including feature films based on The Avengers and Spider-Man, our goal is to deliver unique, high-quality toys that any Marvel fan would want while expanding our offerings in the boys category.a
Paul Gitter, President of Consumer Products, North America, for Marvel Entertainment added, "As Marvel launches new digital entertainment experiences that enable consumers to experience our characters in entirely unique ways, we will continue to look for ways that we can further that connection through offline products that complement the online experiences. This deal with JAKKS showcases this strategy as it will bring toy products to the market that can both enhance the game play within our popular HereoUp virtual world, as well as offer a chance to showcase their Marvel fandom offline."
About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing.
About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a wide range of products that feature some of the most popular brands and children's toy licenses in the world. JAKKSa diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys and Pet Toys sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific, Creative Designs Internationala", Road Champs, Funnoodle, JAKKS Petsa", Plug It In & Play TV Gamesa", Kids Only!a", Tollytots and Disguise. JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., Ultimate Fighting Championship, Hello Kitty, Graco, Cabbage Patch Kids and Pokmon. [ www.jakks.com ]
This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS Pacific's business based partly on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those described above, changes in demand for JAKKS' products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and difficulties with integrating acquired businesses. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS undertakes no obligation to update any of them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
2012 JAKKS Pacific, Inc. All rights reserved.
