PBS Kids has signed a half dozen new CP agreements for its children’s properties. The freshly inked partners—IKOS Toys, Peerless Plastics, The Jigsaw Puzzle Factory, R Squared Sales and Logistics, Leap Year Publishing and Steel City Brands—will launch product lines in major retailers across the US later this year and into 2019.
IKOS Toys is bringing out a range of construction sets made of recycled materials, while Peerless Plastics will bow sheets, blankets, art smocks, play parachutes and beanbags inspired by PBS KIDS brands.
Puzzles from The Jigsaw Puzzle Factory should be available in Whole Foods stores later this year, with additional formats in development for 2019.
Leap Year Publishing will launch wooden educational toys, bath toys, school supplies and craft kits, while the range from R Squared will include plates, bowls, cups, mugs and flatware. And Steel City Brand is planning to roll out a line of t-shirts and onesies.
These licensing deals are part of a strategic brand expansion effort that saw PBS KIDS tap Vancouver, Canada’s Broadband TV (BBTV) to manage fan-uploaded YouTube content inspired by its series last month.