Dublin-based toy manufacturer Innov8 Creative Academy has hired animation veteran Chris Dicker to expand the company’s Deddy Bears collectible brand into content. 

Innov8’s Deddy Bears is a line of cute collectible bears that have a spooky Halloween-inspired look. The brand has sold “millions of units,” according to the company. 

Dicker has come on board with the goal of building the brand out into a digital series, a long-form TV series for broadcasters/streamers and theatrical feature films. 

A former JAM Media exec and showrunner on Jessy and Nessy and Becca’s Bunch, Dicker also created the concept for Spin Master’s upcoming first original animated feature. 

Details are scarce on Innov8’s ambitious content plans. The company has begun pre-production on the Deddy Bears digital series. Dicker and Innov8 founders Gavin and Aoife Lawler are heading to the LA Toy Fair next week, and they’ll be meeting with studios and potential film and TV partners in LA over the next few weeks, Dicker says.

License-2-Play distributes the toys, which are available in more than 50 countries and have signed more than 20 licenses, including Jay Franco & Sons (home goods), Thunder Bay Press (books), Ground Up Footwear and PlayMonster (crafting kits).

Innov8 paved the way for a Deddy Bears content push last year when it partnered with game developer Supersocial to make a Roblox game. Today, Deddy Bears Tower Defense has nearly 600,000 visits. 

“Deddy Bears is doing incredibly well on Roblox, where engagement continues to grow at a really encouraging pace,” says Dicker. “The brand has resonated globally, and we’re seeing that connection strengthen as we introduce new layers [like Roblox]… and now into original entertainment content.”

Image courtesy of Innov8.