For Immediate Release
PANGEA DEVELOPS PENGUINS:
THE ONES FROM MADAGASCAR?!
Creative development team, entertainment licensors & licensee melt the ice with hot products!
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Dana Point, CA – March 4, 2010 – After developing monsters from the Gorm for the Gormiti toy line
produced by giant Giochi Preziosi,
PANGEA Corporation has teamed up with Hooga Loo Toys to develop the coolest line of playthings based on
the mega-hit TV show, The Penguins of Madagascar, from Dreamworks
Animation, airing on Nickelodeon, Sundays through Monday. CEO of Hooga Loo, William Beebe, has
effectively sold the line into major accounts, from Target Stores to Toys R Us,
from K-Mart to Meijer, the Penguins have already waddled into
the toy aisles and have been selling out since their appearance on store
shelves in the 1st quarter of 2010.
The exclusive license grants Hooga
Loo the rights to produce and distribute a full toy
range based on the runaway hit animated series. Previously, Hooga
Loo produced toys for the Dreamworks
feature film, Madagascar:
Escape 2 Africa.
The Penguins of Madagascar Presidents Day special,
"Dr. Blowhole's Revenge," guest-starring Neil Patrick Harris (Monday,
Feb. 15, 8 p.m., ET/PT), topped all TV for the week with kids 2-11 (8.3/2.9
million) and kids 6-11 (9.9/2.1 million). The Penguins special also ranked among the top
10 telecasts (#6) on basic cable with total viewers (4.6 million) for the week.
Year to date, The
Penguins of Madagascar ranks as the number-two animated series on broadcast
and basic cable with kids 2-11 and kids 6-11 (Source: NMR, Live + 7 Day,
12/28/09 2/7/10, Live + Same Day 2/8/10-2/21/10), second only to NickÕs SpongeBob SquarePants.
PANGEA has created an evocative and hip toy line
based on the break-out personalities seen in the show.
ÒWhat makes the show work well are the seemingly innocent and placid-posed
personalities of the Penguins, which then burst out into strike force mode,Ó
noted John Schulte, one of the principals of PANGEA. ÒThe product line was
designed with that sensibility in mind.Ó
The new toy line launched with a series of plush
and feature plush characters, from Skipper to Kowalski, from Rico to Private,
and of course, King Julien and Maurice. At the
International Toy Fairs in Hong Kong and New York, there were plenty of other
surprise offerings on show. Already shipping into retailers are a series of
figures called ÒCool Collectibles,Ó which capture the favorite characters from
the show in unabashedly humorous moments.
ÒPerhaps the biggest statement in the toy line
comes from the plush ÔYakkers,ÕÓ stated John Besmehn, a principal of PANGEA. ÒThe squat plush designs
boast sound chips which allow the characters to express themselves with witty
banter.Ó
Also in the toy line are 10Ó plush versions of
Skipper, Rico and King Julien.
ÒBecause the penguins are all different heights themselves, we kept the scale
consistent, so the 10Ó plush line is a bit of a misnomer. We call Ôem the ÔCute & Cuddly Boys,ÕÓ noted Besmehn.
Mini but mighty-soft ÒFul-o-BeansÓ plush are also available in character styles ranging from Mason
the Monkey to Skipper and King Julien.
The self-appointed monarch of the zoo, King Julien, is also featured as the ÒTalking KingÓ plush, with voice talent quotes from the TV series. One
listen and youÕll know why heÕs the ultimate party animal!
ÒThe Penguins toy line is like playing with the
show!Ó declared Besmehn. ÒKids will love the stuff as
much as they love the series!Ó Indeed, the
show seems destined for greatness: on February 6, 2010, the series won the Best
Animated Television Production for Children award at the 37th
annual Annie Awards
ceremony in Los Angeles, California.
Hooga Loo Toys is a
Southern California-based toy manufacturer, headed by industry veteran, William
Beebe. The company produces licensed and internally-developed
IP toy properties for distribution worldwide. www.hoogalootoys.com
PANGEA
Corporation is a unique privately-held
creative development salon, specializing in entertainment origination and
merchandising integration. PANGEA provides its clients
intellectual property development and a full array of creative services for
entertainment, toy and licensing application. The company and the principals,
John C. Besmehn, John Schulte and Cheryl Ann Wong are
based in Dana Point, CA. www.PangeaCorp.com
Media
Contact:
Cheryl Ann Wong
949.633.8665
To see PANGEAÕs work on
the Penguins of Madagascar toys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n8UqB8zPn8&fmt=18
