Philadelphia, PA –  Leading global consumer products company, Just Play, announced today that it has entered into a licensing agreement with the edutainment company Kukua for the YouTube Originals series Super Sema. Fueled by STEAM superpowers, the show follows the world-changing adventures of an extraordinary young African girl, Sema. Just Play’s toy line will embrace the show’s core messages of kid-powered curiosity and empower fans to recreate Sema’s adventures at home. The new Super Sema toys, including talking dolls and role-play sets, are expected to launch across North America in Fall 2022.

Africa’s first animated superhero series for children, Super Sema premiered on International Women’s Day in March 2021 reaching millions of kids around the world within the first weeks. The series is set in an African-futuristic world where Sema and her twin brother MB utilize science and technology, along with creativity and courage, to save their village from a heartless AI robot villain. Super Sema was created by Kukua, a multidisciplinary media and technology startup that combines entertainment and education to inspire today’s generation of children, helmed by a female leadership team, including Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o, who is a shareholder in the company and executive producer and voice in the series. The second season of Super Sema has been greenlit by YouTube Originals for release starting later this year.

“We were drawn to the empowering and inspiring messages of Super Sema and its role in bringing African role models to children around the world,” said Geoffrey Greenberg, Co-President of Just Play. “Sema and MB are exceptional heroes who engage their gifts of inquisitiveness and self-reliance, along with their knowledge of science and technology, to accomplish seemingly insurmountable goals. We are captivated by what Kukua has created and are looking forward to this new partnership.”

“I’m excited to see Super Sema come to life as dolls and dress-up role play, so that kids around the world can play out Sema’s STEAMpowered adventures at home,” said Lupita Nyong’o. “I’m deeply invested in making Black children feel confident and comfortable in their own skin, and, like the series, this will give them the opportunity to play, be creative, and invent with toys that look like them. Sema is the kind of doll I wish I had growing up!”

About Just Play, LLC

Just Play is a passionate toy company and global leader across a broad range of children’s consumer goods including figures, playsets, dolls, plush, role-play and dress-up. They create unique and innovative proprietary lines, as well as award-winning products based on popular children’s entertainment brands with best-in-class licensing partners. Just Play was founded by two toy industry veterans, Charlie Emby and Geoffrey Greenberg, in 2010 and since then has become the #6 toy company in North America, according to NPD. To learn more about Just Play’s products, please visit www.justplayproducts.com or follow the company on Twitter (@JustPlayToys) or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JustPlay).

About Kukua

Founded by Lucrezia Bisignani in 2018, Kukua is a Nairobi-based children’s edutainment startup with an award-winning female team working at the intersection of technology, entertainment and education. It’s first franchise, Super Sema, was introduced to children in Africa through literacy apps, available on both iOS and Android. In 2019 Kukua launched Sema’s Lab, the first African kids’ DIY and science experiment series. The Super Sema animated series is the franchise’s most exciting development to date, and will be accompanied by real science and DIY experiments that children can do at home.