WildBrain adds Smurfs, Playmobil to portfolio

DHX's digital kidsnet has signed on to manage the global YouTube presence of the little blue characters and the German toy brand.
January 31, 2019

Smurfs owner International Merchandising, Promotion and Services (IMPS) has tapped DHX Media’s WildBrain to handle YouTube distribution and taking over the classic brand’s 41 existing channels. Plus Spanish distributor Planeta Junior has inked a licensing agreement with IMPS to manage the IP’s consumer products program in Spain and Portugal.

All of this activity comes ahead of a new animated Smurfs series (52 x 11 minutes) that’s in production with co-pro partners KiKA (Germany), Pevo Productions (Belgium), TF1 (France), Ketnet (Belgium) and Ouftivi (Belgium) for a global launch in 2020.

The Smurfs started out as a comic book property in 1958, and more recently has spawned three blockbuster films produced by Sony Pictures.

In addition to managing The Smurfs YouTube channels, WildBrain also recently signed a two-year agreement to exclusively manage content on YouTube for Playmobil. The German toy brand’s library currently consists of 15 animated shorts streaming on Playmobil channels in German, English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Playmobil is among a growing number of companies that have partnered with WildBrain to bolster their brands on YouTube of late, including The Irish Fairy Door Company, Kuroba, Beyblades and Tulipop.

 

About The Author
News editor for Kidscreen. Ryan covers tech, talent and general kids entertainment news, with a passion for kids rap content and video games. Have a story that's of interest to Kidscreen readers? Contact Ryan at rtuchow@brunico.com

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