Nelvana Enterprises has signed a global licensing deal with the UK’s Vivid Toy Group (Nella the Princess Knight) for its new UniVersus collectible brand.

Along with representing global licensing rights in every category except toys, Corus’s L&M arm will produce original digital content for worldwide distribution. An initial run of 20 shorts based on the upcoming toy line is in development and will launch in next fall.

Targeting kids ages five to seven, UniVersus will feature a variety of collectible alien characters that come in sand-filled pods that kids can unlock by decrypting secret codes.

Nelvana is looking for potential partners to support a 2020 launch, but the IP’s consumer products program is already in the works and will cover publishing, back-to-school, apparel and outdoor.