COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS MATTEL MASTER TOY LICENSE AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT HOME VIDEO LICENSE FOR COLISEUM'S ACTION SERIES SPIDER RIDERS, ON THE HEELS OF THE SERIES U.S. DEBUT ON KIDS' WB! SATURDAY, JUNE 17! CALLING ALL SPIDER RIDERS!
Mattel to launch toys and FUNimation Entertainment To Distribute Home Video Titles Based On Coliseum's Latest Action-Adventure Animation Series
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 15, 2006) - Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. today announced multi-year, worldwide licensing agreements naming the world's leading toy manufacturer, Mattel Inc. [NYSE:MAT], as master toy licensee and leading independent home video entertainment company, FUNimation Entertainment, license rights to manufacture and distribute home videos titles and personal video players content for the Coliseum action-adventure series SPIDER RIDERS. The announcement was made jointly by Toper Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cookie Jar Entertainment, Tim Kilpin, General Manager for Boys/ Entertainment of Mattel and Gen Fukunaga, Chief Executive Officer and President of FUNimation Entertainment. This news comes on the heels of the announcement of SPIDER RIDERS making its U.S. debut on Kids' WB's! Saturday morning line-up on June 17, 2006 (10:30 am ET/PT), following the series' successful premiere earlier this year on Teletoon in Canada and TV Tokyo in Japan.
As master toy licensee, Mattel has the exclusive rights to manufacture and market SPIDER RIDERS action figures and accessories, role-play, vehicles, activity sets and more. "Cookie Jar Entertainment has a history of developing the highest quality brands and transforming them into established franchises, and this goes for their new action-adventure brand Coliseum," said Kilpin. "With its inspired anime classic look, strong character development and great storylines, SPIDER RIDERS is certain to generate excitement with kids."
FUNimation will provide SPIDER RIDERS' fans the opportunity to experience the series outside of its broadcast schedule through DVD titles as well as content for media players and video playback units. Fans can take their favorite warriors with them wherever they go, never missing out on a chance to relive the mysterious journeys, testing battles, and celebrated triumphs of SPIDER RIDERS.
"We have always wanted to work with Cookie Jar Entertainment and SPIDER RIDERS is the perfect joint venture," said Fukunaga. "We are enthusiastic about bringing this story and others in Japanese anime to the U.S."
"We are extremely pleased to build the SPIDER RIDERS brand through our successful partnerships with Mattel and FUNimation. One of few properties today actually being animated by a studio based in Japan, SPIDER RIDERS is a bold and exciting new action brand. We look forward to Mattel and FUNimation bringing the action-adventure SPIDER RIDERS characters into the homes of kids in entertaining and innovative ways," said Taylor.
Through SPIDER RIDERS, set in the world of Arachna, we meet Hunter Steele, a young spirited boy whose life has turned upside down after falling into the Inner World. Hunter's only way out is to become the Arachna-Master; but first, he must become a Spider Rider. Overcoming his fear of spiders, Hunter succeeds in becoming a Spider Rider and evolves into a consummate warrior. SPIDER RIDERS follows Hunter, his ten-foot tall battle spider Shadow, and the rest of the Spider Riders as they seek to defend their land from the evil Invectids.
SPIDER RIDERS is a co-production between Cookie Jar Entertainment and leading Japanese advertising agency, Yomiko, together with celebrated Japanese animation studio, Bee Train. The series comes from award winning Japanese Director Koichi Mashimo and is based on the Cookie Jar Entertainment book Spider Riders – Shards of the Oracle, written by Emmy award winners, Tedd Anasti and Patsy Cameron-Anasti, and published by Newmarket Press. The series producer is Emmy award winning producer Steve Hodgins.
About Mattel:
Mattel, Inc., is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 25,000 people in 42 countries and sells products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. The Mattel vision is to be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow.
About FUNimation Entertainment:
FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ: NAVR), is a brand management company and one of the nation's leading independent home video entertainment companies. The company's most recent initiative is the FUNimation ChannelSM, a new, 24-hour digital network featuring programming from the top anime brands in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.
About Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc:
Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc., Cookie Jar Group's entertainment operation, is a globally-recognized, independent producer, marketing and brand manager for children's programming divisions: leading edutainment brand, Cookie Jar, and the newly launched action-adventure brand, Coliseum. These two brands have produced such celebrated children's properties as "The Doodlebops," "Caillou," "Arthur," "Gerald McBoing Boing," "Dark Oracle," "Are You Afraid of the Dark, and "Spider Riders," to name a few. Combining world-renowned intellectual properties with an industry-recognized management team, Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. is a market-driven, brand building company that is committed to children first and foremost and is dedicated to the development and production of quality programming that embraces the whole child, with animated and live-action series that educate, entertain, inspire and enlighten children and family audiences worldwide.
MEDIA CONTACT: Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc.
Shemiah Sullivan - (323) 297-0203
Mattel Inc.
Michele Sturdivant - (310) 252-4374
FUNimation Entertainment
Jackie Smith - (817) 788-0627 ext 249
