Playmates Toys, based in Costa Mesa, California, has been licensed by Fox to create action figures of characters from the series The Simpsons for Q1 2000. Three unique dioramas of the family’s living room, Homer’s work area, and his favourite food place, the Kwik-E-Mart, will be on store shelves at the same time. Plans are also underway to ship infrared dolls and a Bart that rides a board in fall 2000.

Golden Books Family Entertainment signed a licensing deal with New York-based apparel manufacturer Freeze Kids and Chatsworth, California-based Cronies. Products will feature Golden Books’ Poky and Friends on a line of boys and girls play and active wear. Freeze Kids will roll out its Poky collection to mass market retailers in the spring of 2000. Cronies T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts featuring the puppy and pals will be packaged with a keepsake Little Golden Book. The Cronies collection began to roll out in fall 1999 at mass market retailers nationwide.

The U.K.’s HIT Consumer Products has signed on Americom in South Africa, Gaffney International Licensing in Australia, Korea Anderson in Korea, and VIP in France to develop local Kipper licensing programs. The game plan calls for toys, gifts, stationery and other Kipper items to be available in fall 2000.

MM Merchandising Mönchen struck deals with: à la Carte in Langenfeld, Germany to make Check Mate with the Smurfs, a chess-like game featuring 3-D Smurf figurines; and with Noris Spiele in Furth, Germany for Smurf board games. These items will be available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and are set to hit store shelves on January 1, 2000. The company also struck a licensing agreement with Salzburg, Austria-based Stadlbauer Holding for a Pumuckl plush, and with Remus in Filderstadt, Germany for Pumuckl party accessories. Plush will be available in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on January 1, while the party gear bows this month. All products will be sold at Toys `R’ Us, Vedes, and Idee & Spiel stores.