Banijay Kids & Family

Public broadcaster EBS has licensed Banijay’s CG-animated action series Shasha & Milo to launch in South Korea. The 25 x 22-minute toon is being co-produced by Banijay’s Zodiak Kids & Family team and Korean animation studio Pingo Entertainment. It stars a pair of tweens who can change into cats and then combine into hybrid creatures to protect Crescent Island from evil. Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America acquired Shasha & Milo in March, and Tencent Video picked it up last year for China. 

Jazwares 

Plush brand Squishmallows has planted its flag under the golden arches. Fast food giant McDonalds has inked a deal with Florida-based toyco Jazwares to launch a line of 24 Squishmallows Happy Meal toys, featuring new seasonal-themed characters. To sweeten the deal, each Happy Meal will come with a QR code from Universal Music Group that kids can scan to unlock a curated playlist. The promotion is set to roll out in more than 70 countries this summer.

Sony Pictures Television—Kids

The crafty animal detectives who star in CG-animated preschool series The Creature Cases (22 x 11 minutes, pictured) have cracked the case of their first toy deal. Israeli toyco PMI has signed on as the Sony Pictures Television—Kids franchise’s master toy partner and will roll out a new range of playsets, figures and plush toys to retailers worldwide in 2024. PMI is best known as a toy licensee for preschool mega-brands PAW Patrol and Peppa Pig, as well as gaming IPs Sonic Prime and Among Us.

Cloudco Entertainment 

Care Bears’ parentco is lining up an army of new and returning licensees for its iconic preschool IP. New partners include Panoceanic (sunglasses), Berkshire (headwear and raingear), Tonies (electronic figures), Monogram (piggy banks and keychains) and Trends (posters and calendars). Meanwhile, Florida’s Basic Fun! has renewed its master toy deal with Cloudco, and Rubies II in New York has extended its license to create new Care Bears costumes in time for Halloween 2023. 

Moonbug Entertainment 

JJ and Blippi are looking to become the new hosts of car rides and nap time. Moonbug Entertainment has partnered with SiriusXM on a 24/7 Moonbug Radio channel, which launched in North America today and features tunes from Moonbug shows including CoComelon (“The Wheels On The Bus”) and Blippi (“The Excavator Song”). It will also program slower instrumental tracks for bedtime, upbeat music for dancing and holiday playlists.