– Dracula, Xena and others get deals

In separate deals, MCA/Universal Specialty Licensing, a unit of Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, which targets genre properties in categories such as nostalgia, science fiction, horror, thriller and fantasy, has signed two new licensing agreements with Kitchen Sink, a comics publisher, and Creation Entertainment.

Kitchen Sink is set to produce a new line of photo trading cards featuring the legendary ghouls of Universal Studios. The 90-card series features creatures from Universal Pictures’ classic films, including Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein and The Wolf Man, as well as lesser-known monsters from The Leech Woman and The Mole People. Each foil package contains eight cards, a full-color sticker of original movie lobby cards and biography cards with information on key stars such as Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The recommended retail price is US$1.79.

Creation Entertainment has acquired all domestic rights to create official fan clubs, produce and manage conventions and create merchandise, including apparel, photos and novelties for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.

-Time Life Kids acquires Kratts’ Creatures rights from PolyGram Video

Time Life Kids, the children’s brand of Time Life Video & Television, has become the North American distributor of Kratts’ Creatures videos in the direct-response continuity market after purchasing the rights from PolyGram Video, the master video licensee for the live-action series. Time Life Kids has committed to 10 titles, with an option for additional releases. A direct-response television campaign kicked off its efforts in mid-November. Kratts’ Creatures appears daily on PBS in the U.S. and on TVO in Canada, and also airs in Thailand, Hong Kong, South Africa, the Middle East, Singapore and Latin America.