Kartoon Channel! Debuts First Ever “Christmas In July,” Presented By Chuck E. Cheese
Week of Holiday Themed Specials Kicks off on July 2nd
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ:GNUS), announces the premiere of “Christmas in July” on Kartoon Channel, presented by Chuck E. Cheese and featuring a bonanza of holiday-themed series, specials, and movies, from July 2 – July 11.
Kartoon Channel!’s “Christmas in July” kicks off on July 2 with part one of the two-part world premiere of Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten holiday special, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Every day of the week new holiday themed co-viewing content will be available from special holiday episodes of Madeline, Babar, and Rainbow Rangers, to Enchanted Tales: The Night Before Christmas and Enchanted Tales: Christmas Elves. As the official event partner, Chuck E. Cheese will be featured across the Kartoon Channel! ecosystem with commercial spots, social media amplifications and offering Summer Fun Pass giveaways!
Jon Ollwerther, President of Kartoon Channel, and EVP of Business Development, Genius Brands commented: “We are determined to build Kartoon Channel! into the #1 most successful children’s streaming network, and will continue to bring bold initiatives such as ‘Christmas in July.’ To that end, we will continue to offer a family entertainment destination that brings unique viewer experiences that appeal to a broad demographic with content that celebrates diversity and inclusivity. The Chuck E. Cheese mission of ‘creating positive, lifelong memories for families’ is a perfect fit for Kartoon Channel!, and we are proud to welcome them as our partner and look forward to many more collaborations in the future.”
Melissa McLeanas, VP of Global Licensing, Media & Branded Entertainment Development, CEC Entertainment stated: “This collaboration is an ideal partnership given our shared values and our own seasonal immersive experience 'Summer of Fun' that offers kids and families all the wonders of the season at Chuck E. Cheese! We look forward to celebrating “Christmas in July” and Independence Day with Kartoon Channel! viewers next month, and we invite families to come play and have fun at Chuck E. Cheese all summer long.”
In celebration of Independence Day, Kartoon Channel! will feature an all-day marathon of the award-winning series, Liberty’s Kids, on July 4. An animated adventure series, which chronicles the American Revolutionary War as seen through the eyes of three kids all of whom work as reporters for Benjamin Franklin. The series features the voice of Walter Cronkite as Franklin and a host of voice talent, including Sylvester Stallone, Ben Stiller, Whoopi Goldberg, Yolanda King, Billy Crystal, Dustin Hoffman, Annette Bening, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liam Neeson and Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger).
About Kartoon Channel!
Available everywhere and anywhere kids are today, Genius Brands International’s digital network, Kartoon Channel! is a family entertainment destination that delivers enduring childhood moments of humor, adventure, and discovery.
Delivering 1000’s of episodes of carefully curated free family-friendly content, the channel features animated classics for little kids, including The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Babar, Mello Dees, Super Simple Songs and Baby Genius, and hit content for bigger kids, such as Pac-Man, Angry Birds, and Yu-Gi-Oh, to original programming like Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, now available and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, KC! Pop Quiz coming in Q3 2021, and Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal for 2022. Kartoon Channel! also offers STEM-based content through its Kartoon Classroom!, including Baby Einstein, and More.
Kartoon Channel! delivers positive and purposeful content across multiple platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Android TV, Android Mobile, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, Samsung Smart TVs, and LGTVs.
Kartoon Channel! can also be streamed on TVs and mobiles device by downloading the app, or on desktops by visiting www.kartoonchannel.com
About Genius Brands International
Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal on Kartoon Channel!; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and Netflix; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, on Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; and entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s new Kartoon Channel! and Kartoon Classroom! are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a broad range of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Apple i0s, Android TV, Android Mobil, Google Play, Xumo, Roku, Tubi, KartoonChannel.com, Samsung Smart TVs and LG TVs. For additional information, please visit www.gnusbrands.com.
About CEC Entertainment, LLC
CEC Entertainment, LLC is the nationally recognized leader in family entertainment and dining with its Chuck E. Cheese, Peter Piper Pizza and, delivery only, Pasqually's Pizza & Wings brands. As the place where a million happy birthdays are celebrated every year, Chuck E. Cheese's goal is to create positive, lifelong memories for families through fun, food, and play and is the place Where A Kid Can Be A Kid®. Committed to providing a fun, safe environment, Chuck E. Cheese helps protect families through industry-leading programs such as Kid Check®. As a strong advocate for its local communities, Chuck E. Cheese has donated more than $19 million to schools through its fundraising programs. Peter Piper Pizza features dining, entertainment and carryout with a neighborhood pizzeria feel and "pizza made fresh, families made happy" culture. Peter Piper Pizza takes pride in delivering quality food and fun that reconnects family and friends. With a bold design and contemporary layout, an open kitchen revealing much of their handcrafted food preparation, the latest technology and games, and beer and wine for adults, Peter Piper Pizza restaurants appeal to parents and kids alike. The Company and its franchisees operate a system of 556 Chuck E. Cheese and 114 Peter Piper Pizza venues, with locations in 47 states and 15 foreign countries and territories. For more information, visit chuckecheese.com and peterpiperpizza.com.
Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
MEDIA CONTACT:
pr@gnusbrands.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:
ir@gnusbrands.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/404d6242-ee74-4ea2-8fe8-d2ad9a3d2073
KARTOON CHANNEL! DEBUTS FIRST EVER “CHRISTMAS IN JULY,” PRESENTED BY CHUCK E. CHEESE
Week of Holiday Themed Specials Kicks off on July 2nd
Released June 30, 2021