COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT FOCUSES ON KID-PROVEN, TOP PERFORMING LIBRARY TITLES AT MIPCOM '11 Iconic characters. Proven TV ratings performers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Toronto, Ontario/Burbank, California (September 27, 2011) - Cookie Jar Entertainment is heading to MIPCOM Jr. 2011 with a focus on library title TV ratings winners, including Cookie Jar's 5-star line-up: "Arthur", "Inspector Gadget", "Johnny Test", "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Super Mario Brothers", "Caillou", and the Richard Scarry franchise "The Busy World of Richard Scarry" and "Hurray for Huckle! (Busytown Mysteries)."
Michael Hirsh, co-founder and CEO of Cookie Jar, reflects, "We are bringing to MIPCOM Jr. a renewed focus on entertaining kids and families around the world with our proven portfolio of TV ratings winners. We want to inspire kids to laugh, to smile and to get creative by using their imaginations. And we believe with more inspired kids, our clients will succeed with stronger ratings performance and increased viewership."
"Arthur"
With 185 episodes (185 x 30) for kids 2-5, Emmy Award-winning Arthur follows the adventures and misadventures of an irresistible eight-year-old aardvark whose charm is simple - he's just a regular kid.
Arthur is one of the most successful children's shows of all time with over a decade of proven on-air success. In the U.S., Arthur became one of the highest-rated shows on PBS Kids for several years (#1 kid's show in 1997, 2000, 2001), averaging almost 10 million viewers weekly. Plus, it is the longest-running children's animated series and the second longest-running animated series behind The Simpsons.
"Inspector Gadget"
Dubbed in 24 languages, Inspector Gadget continues to air successfully in reruns around the world and has been broadcast worldwide in over 190 countries. With 112 half-hour episodes (112 x 30), Inspector Gadget ranked #54 on a list of the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows of all time from IGN, the popular casual news/reviews website that focuses on video games, TV, films, music and other media. For Kids 6-12, Inspector Gadget is based on a bumbling detective equipped with an incredible array of gadgets. A recent Inspector Gadget mobile game has over 1 million downloads and hit #1 in many markets around the world.
"Johnny Test"
With 91 half-hour episodes (91 x 30), Johnny Test is one of the top children's TV shows in the world. In the U.S., Johnny Test is #1 among boys 6-11 and 9-14 across all television. Johnny Test is also a top-rated children's show in many other markets, including Canada, the U.K, Spain, and Latin America. According to Q-score research, Johnny Test is the #2 Cartoon Program and Character among Boys 6-11. Take one part spiky hair, two parts genius sisters, a dash of talking dog, mix thoroughly and the result is an action-packed animated series about a boy willing to try anything in the name of science. Johnny Test is for kids 4-14.
"Sonic the Hedgehog"
Based on the hugely successful Sega video game franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog is for kids 6-12 and has already aired in more than 92 countries around the world. With 130 half-hour episodes (130 x 30), Sonic the Hedgehog features Sonic as the fearless leader of a group of freedom fighters who attempts to free the citizens of Mobius from the tyranny of the evil Dr. Robotnik. This TV series is perfectly poised to leverage Sonic's highly anticipated new title, Sonic Generations, that will be released this holiday season, commemorating Sonic the Hedgehog's 20th anniversary. Sonic the Hedgehog is the #1 most iconic video game character of all time based on an MSN poll, and a Top 3 children's character brand according to Harris Interactive.
"Super Marios Brothers"
The Super Mario Brothers animated action series (75 x 30) is for kids 4-9 and features the adventures of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool who run amock in outrageous comedy adventures. This TV series is perfectly poised to leverage new and upcoming Mario game releases from Nintendo, such as the following four major titles for its hand-held device: Super Mario 3D Land (November '11), Mario Kart 7 (December '11), Mario Tennis and Mario and Sonic At The London Olympics. Mario has been featured in over 200 games, and the series has sold over 262 million games worldwide, making it the best-selling video game series of all time. Super Mario Brothers is the #1 children's character brand according to Harris Interactive.
"Caillou" Caillou is a household name for families around the world. In Europe, Caillou enjoys great success in Iberia and Turkey, and is a top rated television series in Germany on Super RTL and in Italy on Boomerang. In North America, Caillou airs in Canada on the #1 preschool destination, Treehouse; and in the U.S. on the #2 preschool destination, PBS Kids, and Sprout where it’s their #1 rated overall show. With Caillou (92 x 30), preschoolers feel right at home with trusted pal Caillou, his sister Rosie and all their family and friends as they experience the everyday adventures of childhood.
"Busy World of Richard Scarry" and "Hurray for Huckle! (Busytown Mysteries)"
Tens of millions of children, over three generations, in more than 80 countries have grown up with the delightful books and characters of Richard Scarry, one of best-selling children's authors of all time. With over 300 titles in the Richard Scarry library, over 150 million books have been sold worldwide, translated into 30 languages. The Busy World of Richard Scarry (65 x 30) features the residents of Busytown, always a buzz with energy and life, making time for a song and a smile together. Hurray for Huckle! (Busytown Mysteries) (52 x 30) lets kids join the fun-filled mystery adventures in Busytown! Both Richard Scarry-inspired TV series are for Kids 2-5.
Cookie Jar Entertainment will be showcasing these titles and more at booth 17.01 during MIPCOM.
About Cookie Jar Group of Companies
The Cookie Jar Group of Companies is one of the world's leading independent entertainment and consumer products companies with offices around the globe. Cookie Jar Entertainment is a leader in the creation, production and marketing of animated and live-action programming. Its library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes of television features some of the world's most recognizable series including Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Arthur, The Doodlebops and Johnny Test. The company controls Cookie Jar TV, the weekend morning block on CBS, and has a one-third interest in international children's television channel KidsCo. Cookie Jar Entertainment's Jaroo.com is the premiere web video destination for kids with the largest independent selection of full-length children's TV series and movies online. Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, (CPLG) Cookie Jar's full-service international licensing agency, represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands such as Strawberry Shortcake, Richard Scarry, St. Andrews Links, and Skelanimals. For more information, please visit www.cjar.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michael Berreth VP, Marketing & PR
Cookie Jar Entertainment mberreth@cjar.com
(818) 955-5636
