Genius Brands International Partners With Spirit Halloween on Direct-to-retail Program for New Preschool Brand, Rainbow Rangers, Based on the Series Debuting in Fall 2018 in the U.S. on Nick Jr.
New Rainbow Rangers Costume and Accessories Will Be Available in Over 1,300 Stores in the U.S. and Canada and Online
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Aug. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. "Genius Brands" (NASDAQ:GNUS), a global media company that creates and licenses animated multimedia entertainment content for children, continues to build on the momentum of key licensing partners supporting the 2019 retail launch of its new original preschool brand, Rainbow Rangers, which debuts in fall 2018 on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. As announced today by Genius Brands’ SVP Global Licensing Lloyd Mintz, Spirit Halloween has signed on for North American licensing rights in the character costumes and accessories category.
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Spirit Halloween will design and manufacture an exclusive line of Rainbow Rangers character costumes and accessories, which will debut at over 1,300 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada beginning August 2019. Spirit Halloween joins an expanding roster of retail partners as it gears up for the retail debut in 2019 of a broad array of new Rainbow Rangers merchandise from apparel, accessories, beauty products and electronics to room décor, books, music and home entertainment, available for the first time. Led by global master toy partner Mattel, Inc., and global master publisher Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for its Imprint label, some of the licensing partners for Rainbow Rangers include Bentex (master apparel), Global Brand Group (sleepwear and hosiery), Berkshire Fashions (cold weather accessories), BioWorld (bags, backpacks), H.E.R. Accessories (hair and jewelry accessories), Jay Franco Mfg. (bedding and bath), Dynacraft (bikes, trikes, scooters and wagons), and Kiddieland (foot-to-floor ride-on toys), along with many others.
“Rainbow Rangers are the super heroes for the preschool set, and we are very happy to entrust our partners at Spirit Halloween with translating the imaginative and unique personalities of the Rainbow Rangers to costumes and accessories that will delight our young fans and engage them in inventive play,” said Mintz in making the announcement. “We’re eager to see little Rainbow Rangers out saving and healing the planet in support of the brand.”
“Rainbow Rangers continues to build on the solid partnership between Genius Brands and Spirit Halloween as we devise a robust program that capitalizes on current market trends while piquing the interests of the brand’s anticipated fan base,” added Rick Goralnick, Divisional Vice President, Licensing for Spirit Halloween. “Rainbow Rangers has broad appeal with preschoolers and offers a unique opportunity to express their creativity and imagination through the distinct personalities of the characters. We’re very enthusiastic about our role in introducing this fun and imaginative brand through an array of colorful, creative costumes and accessories.”
About Rainbow Rangers
The Rainbow Rangers series follows the thrilling rescue-based adventures of seven 9-year-old girls who are Earth’s first responders, protecting people, animals, resources, and the natural beauty of our world. The Rainbow Rangers, who live in the magical land of Kaleidoscopia at the other side of the rainbow, have their own distinctive personalities and superpowers. Whenever there’s trouble for the people or animals of Earth, our seven heroines zoom into action and ride their Spectra Scooters across the rainbow to save the day. Viewers will join them on exciting adventures, but also see them at home having the same daily dramas and hilarities as every preschooler watching the show. And at its heart, Rainbow Rangers is about empowering and encouraging girls to take action and make a difference in their own homes and neighborhoods to improve and safeguard the planet. Every viewer—boys and girls alike—will see themselves in at least one of these strong, unique and empowered Rangers!
Boasting a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture world, Rainbow Rangers’ creative development and production team includes Rob Minkoff (Disney’s The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney’s Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials) who is serving as head writer and co-creator. Genius Brands’ Chairman and CEO and multiple Emmy-winning producer of more than 5,000 episodes of children's programming Andy Heyward serves as executive producer, with legendary Disney alum Ruben Aquino creating key designs. Aquino is responsible for the design and animation of many of Disney’s most iconic characters from award-winning films including “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Mulan” and “Frozen.”
About Spirit Halloween
Spirit Halloween (spirithalloween.com) is the largest Halloween specialty retailer in the country with over 1,325 locations in strip centers and malls across North America. Celebrating 35 years of business, Spirit is the authority on all things Halloween, offering one-stop shopping for everything from costumes to decor and party goods to accessories. In addition to being a fun and interactive event for shoppers, Spirit stores offer complete selections of costumes and accessories for infants/toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, and adults along with exclusive décor you won’t find anywhere else.
For more information, please visit: http://www.SpiritHalloween.com
At the heart of Spirit Halloween is Spirit of Children (spiritofchildren.com), a program which focuses on making hospitals less scary for kids and their families. Since its inception in 2006, Spirit of Children has raised over $45 million for the Child Life department at hospitals across the country. Donations to Spirit of Children stay within local communities, with 100% of funds going toward a child’s life. For the 2018 Halloween season, Spirit of Children will be supporting 140 hospitals across the country, with a goal to raise $9.0 million. Spirit encourages customers to help make a difference in a child's life this Halloween season by donating at their local Spirit Halloween or spreading awareness via Facebook and Instagram by using #SpiritofChildren in their photos.
About Genius Brands International
Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GNUS) is a leading global media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media distribution and retail channels. Led by award-winning creators and producers, Genius Brands distributes its content worldwide in all formats, as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. In the children's media sector, its portfolio of “content with a purpose” includes new preschool properties Rainbow Rangers for Nick Jr. and Llama Llama for Netflix; tween music-driven, YouTube brand SpacePOP; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. The Company is also co-producing an all-new adult animated series, Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment and The Hollywood Reporter. Genius Brands’ Kid Genius Cartoon Channel is currently available in approximately 60 million households via Comcast and OTT platforms and Kid Genius Cartoons Plus!, which is now available to Amazon Prime subscribers. For additional information please visit www.gnusbrands.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 those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. 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.
Genius Brands International Media Contact:
Michelle Orsi
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
(310) 418-6430
michelle@360-comm.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Michael Porter
PLR Investor Relations
212.564.4700
mike@plrinvest.com
Released August 2, 2018