Category: News

Strong licensing potential for innovative new kids’ series launching on Rai YoYo in June

 

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), has been appointed to manage licensing in Italy for the remarkable new 52 x 11’ animated series ZAFARI, on behalf of brand owner Ink Group.

 

Produced by ZAFARI Holdings and distributed worldwide by NBCUniversal/Dreamworks, ZAFARI has already enjoyed a strong reception in France, Latin America and the UK and is about to launch in a number of other territories. It will appear in Italy on Rai YoYo, the free-to-air kids television channel owned by the Italian public broadcasting group RAI.

 

This innovative and original new series follows the adventures of Zoomba, a baby elephant born with zebra stripes who worries about being different until he and his best friend, a Borneo tarsier monkey named Quincy, discover ZAFARI, a world in a valley at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. There they meet Antonio, a lion with pink flamingo feathers, Pokey, a giraffe with a peacock tail, Babatua, a baboon with penguin colours, and many more. Together with his new friends, Zoomba learns to embrace differences in others and himself, realizing that sometimes being different, makes all the difference.

 

Aimed at audience of both boys and girls aged four to nine, ZAFARI takes up themes such as inclusion, tolerance and friendship through funny and exciting stories, creative characters and high-quality production values that bring beautiful locations and animals to life in stunning computer graphics.

 

In addition, a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has allowed the creation of 52 special mini videos, one of which will appear at the end of each episode. The videos will show real images of animals in their natural habitat, adding a touch of real-life magic to each delightful animated tale.

 

This is an entertaining and imaginative animated story that is already building audiences across Europe, but it’s even more than that. The look and themes have inspired a colorful and unique style guide that will allow the brand owner and licensees to build strong, appealing product lines, whilst the many endearing and instantly recognizable characters will lend themselves to numerous licensing categories.

 

The MDL team is available to provide more detailed information about the new property to potential licensees and retail partners.

 

Maurizio Distefano, founder and President, MD Licensing, says: “The ideas, themes and sheer quality of ZAFARI really make it stand out both as an animated show for kids and as a licensing property. We at MDL are very excited about ZAFARI, whose charm, wit, originality and stunning visuals are sure to charm children everywhere.”

 

Animaccord, the producer and distributor of the worldwide popular animated series Masha and The Bear, together with Samsung, the leader in the consumer electronics sector, will launch a joint communication campaign in Italy. The campaign will cover the entire Christmas period, starting November 30th, 2018 up to February 28th, 2019. By purchasing one of the 15 models* of Samsung tablets, users can download for free from the Galaxy Apps store, the application “Masha and the Bear for Samsung”, and enjoy 52 episodes of Masha and the Bear and 26 episodes of the spinoff series Masha’s Tales , as well as a variety of digital contents from e-books to games and posters. The promotion was carried out with the support of the local licensing agency Maurizio Distefano Licensing.

Masha and the Bear, one of the most popular cartoons in Italy, will be available for 15 different Samsung tablets*, including the latest Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 and Tab A 10.5, featuring innovative technical specs to make entertainment easier and more interesting anywhere, anytime.

Samsung is committed to security, and the whole Tablet portfolio is further proof of how the company is taking care of its users even from a security standpoint. The parental control feature allows all children to enjoy multimedia content in a more independent, secure and protected way.

A television campaign featuring Masha and the Bear together with Samsung devices will kick off on December 9^th, covering the main children’s tv networks.

Samsung tablet portfolio has been designed to meet every consumer need and their state-of-the-art technology guarantees an engaging and safe Tablet experience. Samsung tablets’ unique features make them the perfect companions to enjoy all the digital content of Masha & the Bear world.

The contents of Masha and the Bear will be available on 15 different Samsung Tab that can be purchased in the main electronics and online shops.

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), which manages licensing for the Masha and the Bear brand in Italy, has brokered this major agreement that brings together the popular children’s characters Masha and the Bear and Samsung.

*Tab E, Tab E, Tab A 10.1, Tab A 10.1, Tab A 10.5, Tab A 10.5, Tab S2 8, Tab S2 9.7, Tab S3, Tab S3, Tab A 7, Tab A 8, Tab S4

Thanks to Maurizio Distefano Licensing, today in kiosks the magazine for the youngest is dedicated to Bing and its friends

The popular magazine Focus Pico, edited by Mondadori and dedicated to the youngest readers, thanks to MDL agency, who manages licensing rights for the brand in Italy, has chosen Bing for a special issue ahead of Christmas.

With sweet Bing’s episodes stories to read, games and coloring pages, as well as a wide selection of stickers, the magazine will engage and entertain the younger children while waiting for Christmas, letting immerse themselves in the playful world of Bing, in an all winter version.

Bing is an award winning animated pre-school TV series that airs in Italy on Rai YoYo, with more than 15 episodes a day, that attracts children from 1 to 5 years old. Bing’s success has been lightning fast, both on television with a very high share of audience, and on social channels, where the official Italian Facebook page is already followed by more than 23,000 people just 5 months after its opening.

Adapted from Ted Dewan’s insightful books, Bing celebrates the noisy, joyful, messy reality of life when you’re a pre-schooler.

The stories are small but they are full of drama – everyday micro-dramas that all young children and the grown-ups in their lives will recognise – whether it’s dropping an ice cream or losing a favourite toy.

Precisely for this reason, Bing is becoming the favorite character of many and many Italian children.

 

Follow Bing on its official italian Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/BingBunnyItalia/ and on YouTube Italian channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2vF6YEhaKAh1uMUc58lqdg

Stores across the country to participate in two-week-long Masha superhero doll offer

 Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), which manages licensing for the Masha and the Bear brand in Italy, has announced a major new partnership between the nationwide Italian toy chain Toys Center and the enormously popular children’s characters Masha and the Bear for a massive November promotion.

From 1 to 15 November 2018, in any Toys Center containing the relevant promotional material, customers who spend a minimum of €19.90 on Masha and the Bear products will be able to claim from the cash desk an amazing Masha doll – Masha the Superhero, in full superhero costume, driving her very own train!

This great offer applies exclusively to participating Toys Center shops and Masha and the Bear toys sold in those shops.

Launched in the 1990s, Toys Center has in the past fifteen years become the leading toy retailer in Italy, with over 120 stores in total, covering the length and breadth of Italy. One in every three toys sold in Italy is sold in a Toys Center store.

This two-week promotion builds on high consumer awareness of Masha and the Bear, and its success, both as a licensed brand and a TV series, with Italian families. Now in its third season, repeat showings and new episodes of Masha and the Bear are greeted with enormous enthusiasm by big audiences on both DeA Junior and Rai YoYo.

So popular is the brand that two spin-off series – Masha’s Tales and Masha’s Spooky Stories – have been created. Episodes of these three shows are also available to mobiles, PCs and tablets, and streaming on Infinity, a dedicated YouTube channel and the official Masha and the Bear Facebook page.

Maurizio Distefano, President, MDL, said: “This promotion in an enormous number of toy stores, proves, yet again, the staggering popularity of the Masha and the Bear in the pre-school market – and especially in Italy. We’re delighted to be working with the leading name in Italian retail to bring this wonderful offer to Masha and the Bear fans.”

De Agostini Editore to offer collectible Hatchlings figurines in all kiosks

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MD Licensing), which manages licensing for the Angry Birds brand and its popular spin-off brand The Hatchlings in Italy and Switzerland, has announced that it has agreed on new Hatchlings license on behalf of brand owner Rovio Entertainment Corporation.

Leading Italian publisher DeAgostini Publishing is marketing a series of Angry Birds Hatchlings ‘Hatchies’ – colourful collectible figurines sold in flowpacks attached to the kids’ publication &Co Magazine – in all kiosks across Italy. The collectibles are going to be available at end of October.

Hatchies are based on the Hatchlings, the hilarious baby birds who rose to success with The Angry Birds Movie. Hatchies bring together the soft and bouncy Hatchlings characters with coloured casings that open up. The casings are interchangeable, so children can switch the characters round to invent new combinations. There are 12 different Hatchlings available to collect.

The Hatchlings were chosen from DeAgostini because of their enormous popularity with children. DeAgostini is supporting the Hatchies with an advertising campaign, TV spots and a dedicated site, where kiosks can register to take part in a contest linked to the initiative.

The first Angry Birds Movie in 2016, produced by Rovio Entertainment and distributed in Italy by Sony Pictures  , was released in Italian cinemas on June 15, 2016 and grossed $352 million at the world  box office. The movie sequel, produced and distributed by Sony Columbia Pictures, is in production and is set to be released in 2019.

The success of the Angry Birds mobile game series, one of the most popular the world has ever seen, and the Angry Birds Movie has driven strong licensee engagement with the Angry Birds brand in Italy.

Maurizio Distefano, President, MDL, said: “Hatchlings has a massive following among children. We’re delighted that DeAgostini Publishing is launching this wonderful and catchy product in kiosks. I’m sure Angry Birds fans all over Italy will love it.”

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.