Nick Jr kicks off 2013 with a new look!

Pre-school brand unveils a new look and network strapline, Every day's an adventure.

Top commercial pre-school network Nick Jr has unveiled a brand new look for the new year.

The fresh branding and strapline - Every day's an adventure - will run across the network on Nick Jr, Nick Jr+1 and Nick Jr 2.

The new branding will showcase the strong roster of pre-school programming available on the network including Peppa Pig, Dora the Explorer, Bubble Guppies, Team Umizoomi and Tickety Toc.

New on-air interstitials featuring Nick Jr characters in garden-like settings will act as channel navigation. Day parting will remain a consideration, with inerstitials and programming reflecting the waking, active, napping and bedtime rhythmes of the pre-school audience.

The New Year will also see additional short-form content including the musical The Go! Go! Go! Show and Big Block SingSong, as well as Cardboard Box Adventures.Guess How Much I Love You: The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare will also premiere on Nick Jr in early 2013.

Nickjr.co.uk has also been updated with a new 'Grown ups' section dedicated to parents.

The launch of 'Everyday's an adventure' will be supported with a marketing and PR campaign, which will launch in early spring and run across the year.

"Everyday's an adventure perfectly encapsulates the key learning style of our pre-school audience and all of the core Nick Jr programming with its strong sensibilities of imaginative learning and exploration," said Tina McCann, MD of Nickelodeon UK. "In addition to providing a strong basis for viewers navigating across the network, the new branding will also act as the framework for additional content that could be added to the Nick Jr channels.

"This refresh gives us an opportunity to build upon our success with family audiences and better align our pre-school and parental offering across both on-air and online platforms."

Aardman adds international Shaun the Sheep agents!

Representatives added in Africa, the Middle East and Asia as of third season of Shaun the Sheep starts to air.

With the third season of Shaun the Sheep starting to premiere around the world, Aardman Rights has announced new partnerships with agents across the world.

The team has secured deals for Shaun the Sheep with Seena in North Africa, LDI in Israel, TFC in Japan, TLC in Italy and Max Licensing in Taiwan/Hong Kong. An agency deal with MBC in the Middle East has been renewed, too.

Aardman has also secured an Indonesian broadcast deal for Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time with MNC.

Rob Goodchild, head of licensing at Aardman said: "There are some very exciting plans for Shaun the Sheep over the next five years and we are proud to have an enviable network of agents to help us deliver them. The brand is a global family favourite and we have worked hard to create a platform for strong and sustainable merchandise programmes."

Studio Licensing snaps up MGA in Canada!

Lalaloopsy, Bratz, Little Tikes and Novi Stars.

MGA Entertainment has appointed Studio Licensing to represent its brand portfolio for licensing and merchandising in Canada.

The two firms will work together on expanding the programmes for brands including Lalaloopsy, Moxie Girlz, Bratz, Bratzilla, Novi Stars and Little Tikes.

"Studio Licensing is thrilled about our new partnership with MGA and has identified tremendous growth potential here in Canada - the possibilities are endless," said Robert Miller, president of Studio Licensing. "Its coveted brands have an incredible market strength and resonance with young fans and parents.

"We look forward to helping each reach its full potential across a vast and diverse range of licensing categories."

Lauren Whitehead, VP of North American licensing at MGA, added: "Robert Miller is a veteran of the licensing industry and we look forward to him and his company to take our brands to new heights in Canada."

Retailers on board for Railway Museum puzzles!

Three 1,000-piece jigsaws from Ravensburger launch in John Lewis, on Amazon and more.

Ravensburger has signed a deal with Science Museum Group Enterprises to produce a range of National Railway Museum puzzles.

The first three 1,000-piece jigsaws for 2012 and 2013 are based on railway posters from the museum: Yorkshire, East Coast and Wales.

Retailers already on board include Amazon, John Lewis (selected designs), The Official UK Puzzle Club and various Toymaster stockists.

The posters are from the National Railway Museum collection, commissioned by railway companies in the post-war years. These posters were designed to tempt passengers to explore British towns and coastal resorts. 

"We are delighted to have Ravensburger on board and look forward to extending the brand with an amazing range of National Railway Museum Poster jigsaws," said Anya Hollis, SCMG Head of Commercial Development B2B. 

Ravensburger Product Manager Sarah Stevens commented: "We were delighted to discover the amazing imagery hidden away in the National Railway collection. It’s ideal for the adult puzzle market, and we expect the range to be very well received by our retailers and consumers alike."

The National Railway Museum is the largest railway museum in the world, with exhibitions and collections illustrating over 300 years of British railway history. 

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes video game announced!

Multiplatform title to land in autumn 2013.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, LEGO and Marvel have announced the development of a LEGO Marvel Super Heroes video game.

The game will be on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, the Wii U system and Windows PC, as well as the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.

In LEGO Marvel Super Heroes players will be able to unlock more than 100 characters from across the Marvel Universe, including fan favorites like Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Deadpool, Loki and Galactus!

The game will pack in a 'plethora of super-cool character abilities', combat-like action sequences, epic battle scenes, puzzle-solving and a unique story told with playful LEGO humor.

“Fans of both LEGO and Marvel have wanted this game for years, and we’re addressing that demand with more Marvel Universe characters than ever in a console game,” said TQ Jefferson, Vice President, Games Production, Marvel Entertainment.  “If you’re a fan of Spider-Man, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy or scores of other Marvel characters, this is the game for you.”

“We’re very excited to bring a myriad of classic Marvel characters to life in LEGO form for some fun, family-friendly gameplay in 'LEGO Marvel Super Heroes,'” said Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games Publishing. “Players will brave the ultimate mission to save the world as they explore famous landmarks in LEGO New York and take the adventure beyond Earth to iconic locations in the Marvel Universe.”

LEGO signed a licence to make toys based on Marvel movies in 2011.

Disney signs "groundbreaking" DreamPlay Toys deal!

Products by Jakks Pacific and NantWorks boast image recognition technology.

A range of Disney-branded DreamPlay Toys have been shown off for the first time at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Augmented Reality products, made by Jakks Pacific, can be recognised by pointing at them with a tablet or smartphone. They incorporate NantWorks’ 'groundbreaking' iD image recognition technology, which recognises images, 3D objects, voice, speech, data, live video and more, with the capability to differentiate between millions of objects at once.

In essence, kids will be able to use a physical toy to play iOS/Android app games and view animations using a tablet or smartphone.

Disney will be granted exclusive rights to utilise the DreamPlay technology in the toy space, along with certain characters and brands owned by Jakks, such as Monsuno. 

The range will launch into US retailers this autumn and internationally in 2014. Using NantWorks’ iD technology, apps will be developed for both iOS and Android devices, which will allow the consumer to access "deep, content-rich experiences from their mobile and tablet devices without the need for any type of QR code". 

The patented 2D and 3D recognition technologies instantly recognise the toy and allow children to interact, play and learn.

“What really sets this apart from anything else out there is the combination of a truly incredible technological platform combined with the best content and storytelling company in the world, Disney. Kids are about to see the magic they always dreamed of come to life right before their eyes,” said Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, NantWorks’ founder.

Bob Chapek, president, Disney Consumer Products, added: "One of our top priorities is to integrate cutting-edge technologies with our incredible Disney content to transform traditional toys into interactive storytelling experiences that are uniquely Disney. 

“Today’s announcement is an exciting first step toward our vision of re-imagining conventional toys as new forms of play and digital entertainment that will enrich and enhance how the consumer interacts with Disney products."

Stephen Berman, President and CEO, Jakks Pacific, commented: “We are excited to work with Disney, our longtime licensor, to develop and deliver best-in-class play experiences for families to enjoy.

“Increasingly, kids are 'playing' with digital technology. Our goal is to combine physical toy play with a digital experience incorporating the unique content that only Disney can provide."

DreamPlay is a joint venture between Jakks and NantWorks.

Image courtesy of RT.com