Crayola draws a plan for India growth with Luxor 

The art and stationery company has signed a long-term partnership with Indian manufacturer Luxor Writing Instruments to make and distribute co-branded Crayola products in the country. The deal will help Crayola reach India’s 436 million children—the world’s largest market for young consumers. In 2020, India introduced a new National Education Policy, which is designed to shift the country’s education system away from rote learning and toward creativity and problem solving, setting up a need for brands like Crayola in schools, according to a release.

Scholastic options Clifford for a live musical 

TheaterWorksUSA has optioned the rights to the animated series Clifford the Big Red Dog to create a live musical show. Clifford the Big Red Dog: The Musical will run a preview tour in May, with two shows in New York and one in New Jersey. The musical focuses on a young girl whose love for her new puppy turns him into a giant. Clifford doesn’t love being so big, but after wishing to be smaller, he has to become big again to save his friends. Clifford is a cornerstone of Scholastic’s portfolio, with more than 135 million books in print across 20 languages worldwide.

Sanrio teams up with an AI company for Hello Kitty avatars 

Hello Kitty and other Sanrio brands could soon be getting gen-AI avatars through a new agreement with AI company Genies, which will create avatars that fans can interact and communicate with. Sanrio will maintain oversight throughout the creative process to ensure the gen-AI output isn’t problematic, a major concern for brand owners. The avatars are set to launch later this year. Genies has previously signed deals with MLB to turn the league’s players into AI characters.

Image courtesy of Crayola.