COMMONWEALTH APPOINTED MASTER TOY LICENSEE FOR THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PBS KIDS SERIES JAKERS! THE ADVENTURES OF PIGGLEY WINKS
Initial Product to Roll-Out Simultaneously with Publishing and Home Video in Summer 2006
New York, NY (September 29, 2005) United Media, a leading independent licensing and syndication company, today announced that industry veteran, Commonwealth Toys has signed on as Master Toy Licensee for Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks™, Entara's Emmy award-winning 3D, CGI-animated PBS KIDS series. Focusing initially on plush and beanies of the main characters, Commonwealth will also introduce wind-up toys, figurines, playsets, environments, key chains, and banks. Plans are underway for product to rollout summer 2006.
Partnering with Commonwealth is part of the larger consumer program for Jakers!, which recently began to air daily in a regular Monday to Friday morning time-slot. Simon & Schuster as master publisher will begin rolling out storybooks and Paramount Home Entertainment will release first two titles on DVD and video starting summer 2006. United Media will continue to build the Jakers! licensing program targeting additional key categories such as social expression, apparel and advertising/promotions.
"Signing a master toy licensee is a natural progression for the overall Jakers! licensing program," says Pamela Dixon, Licensing Director for Jakers! at United Media. "Commonwealth, known in the industry for producing high quality product, will no doubt execute the loveable and unique looks of the popular Jakers! characters in an excellent manner."
"Taking on a toy line for such a highly rated program that focuses on positive family values is a win for us," says Scott Bachrach, Chief Marketing Officer of Commonwealth. "With Jakers! now airing daily, the show now reaches an even larger audience and an increased demand for products related to it."
Jakers! follows the adventures of Piggley Winks™, a spunky eight-year-old piglet, and his friends Dannan the Duck and Ferny the Bull on Raloo Farm in Ireland. While the intrepid trio are enjoying their escapades ("Jakers!" is their oft-used Irish expression of delight and amazement), American transplant Wiley the Sheep (voiced by Mel Brooks) is busy offering wild and woolly advice to his all-too-sheepish flock. The opening and closing of each story features Piggley Winks as a granddad, telling these tales of childhood shenanigans as entertaining lessons in life to his three very contemporary, rambunctious city-dwelling grandpigs.
JAKERS!, produced for Entara by Mike Young Productions, debuted on PBS KIDS in September 2003 and quickly became a favorite among fans and critics alike, garnering rave reviews in The Hollywood Reporter, TV Guide, Child Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, among many others. The series has also received numerous accolades including a 2004 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award; two Annie nominations; a 2003 Genesis Commendation from the US Humane Society; and two Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Production Design and Outstanding Achievement in Storyboarding. For more information about the series, visit http://pbskids.org/jakers.
About ENTARA
Based in London, Entara holds all the rights to and manages the Jakers! franchise worldwide. Jakers! is the company's debut property and follows its founding philosophy to develop evergreen children's programming with quality content and global appeal; programming that will remain timeless throughout the generations.
Entara is dedicated to enhancing the Jakers! story through innovative educational materials online and compelling interactive initiatives developed and produced by an in-house team. To accompany the series, Entara will also release a range of appealing books, toys and games, featuring Piggley and his friends as they translate the values of the series across a variety of platforms.
About UNITED MEDIAJakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks is licensed by United Media in North America. United Media (UM) is a worldwide licensing and syndication company that focuses on building brand equity around a wide range of creative content. The company recently signed Mary Engelbreit Studios, the business behind the popular and prolific artist Mary Engelbreit, to expand and extend the existing licensing program into key areas. It also partnered with Televisa, a leading Spanish speaking media company, to represent the US rights to the company's children's telenovelas, as well as its long-running hit television series "El Chavo" and Bandai America, Inc. on brands including Tamagotchi Connection. United Media licenses and/or syndicates other properties, including, Peanuts, Precious Moments, Raggedy Ann & Andy, Arthur, and Dilbert. United Media is an E.W. Scripps Company.
