Ryan Tuchow & Sadhana Bharanidharan

Bluey stays at home with Moose Toys

The hit preschool franchise will continue its global licensing partnership with a fellow Aussie. The BBC has renewed Moose’s agreement as a master toy partner—and the timing is pretty crucial, since the IP is gearing up for its first-ever feature film, positioning it for more consumer products momentum. Moose Toys recently won the Playset of the Year award for its “Bluey Supermarket” product line, while its Bluey deal also scored a License of the Year honor at the TOTY awards. The renewed deal is a reminder that, despite recent accusations to the contrary, the hit preschool brand does indeed bring money back to Australia.

Kayou deals in KPop Demon Hunters for a trading card line 

The Chinese card manufacturer has secured a deal to release a collection of trading cards in the US based on Netflix’s hit animated film. Pre-orders for the card packs started today through TikTok Shop, Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy and Target, and the first cards are expected to launch in Q3, with more to come in the future. Kayou has made licensed trading cards for major kids brands, including My Little Pony, Harry Potter and Naruto. Trading cards are having quite a moment, as sales for trading card games surged 350% in the US, under-18s are responsible for close to half of that revenue, according to Circana. Kidscreen has a feature all about the trading card market, and how companies are reaching kids through cards, in its latest magazine. 

Four more webcomics get the WB toon treatment

Under the same deal it set up with WEBTOON last year, Warner Bros. Animation has picked out four more webcomics from the platform to adapt into animated titles. It’s not yet determined whether they’ll be series, movies or a mix of both. The new batch includes supernatural teen stories and older YA fare: The Wolf & Red Riding Hood (36.5 million views), Vampire Family (21.2 million views), Sable Curse (11 million views) and Snow and Briar (3.8 million views).

Kidz Bop grooves with renewals and new products

The music brand is keeping busy with music-driven drops and partnerships, starting with a range of licensed headphones, karaoke machines and microphones from toy company Move2Play. There’s also a Kidz Bop Toothbrush Timer hitting retail this June, while screen-free audio player Yoto plans to release more Kidz Bop cards this year. Finally, Chuck E. Cheese has been re-upped as the brand’s official music partner for the fifth year in a row—so expect to keep hearing more Kidz Bop tunes at the restaurant chain.

Lightcraft is growing the world of Wonderland

The Polish studio’s CG-animated fantasy family film isn’t out yet, but it has already put a same-name TV sequel into development. With a voice cast led by actor Mads Mikkelsen, Wonderland revolves around a tween boy and his best friend who fight mysterious creatures in their dreams. German sales company Kinostar has been shopping the film to buyers at Cannes this week. 

Lady Ada’s Secret Society is back with season two 

High Flight Pictures’ tween live-action series is returning after four years with a brand-new second season launching on YouTube channel marbleKids. Blue Ant Studios handles international distribution for this STEM-inspired comedy, which follows four girls navigating life at an anti-tech boarding school. The series was made with financial support from the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates.