Toronto – Independent content creation, distribution and licensing company Epic Story Media Inc. (ESM) is launching a new toy division – Epic Story Toys Inc. (EST) – under which the company will design and manufacture toy lines for both its own and third-party properties internationally. The division is led by Kim Morris, who steps up to Head of Epic Story Toys from her current role as Global Marketing Director at Epic Story Media. This announcement comes as Epic Story Toys heads to the upcoming Spielwarenmesse Toy Fair in Nuremberg, running 28 January – 1 February.

Epic Story Toys’ services will oversee toy strategy, design and development, working with manufacturers, and securing partnerships with global and regional toy distributors and agents. The division will unveil its first products at Spielwarenmesse, including a new range for Vegesaurs, a preschool series created and produced by Cheeky Little and distributed globally by Studio 100 International, for which Epic Story Media has now been appointed as the Global Master Toy partner. Epic Story Media will continue to serve as the North American licensing agent for Vegesaurs.

Additionally, Epic Story Toys has created a toy line for its own IP, Bubble’s Hotel, a 3D animated preschool series co-produced by ESM, Tencent Video and Unicorn Entertainment Ltd., The initial line, targeting kids aged 4-7, was designed in collaboration with Unicorn Entertainment Ltd. and has launched alongside the series in Mexico with distribution partner Fotorama, following successful launches in China and South Korea. EST will unveil a new range at Toy Fair that includes collectible figurines and hotel and travel themed fashion play sets, allowing kids to explore their own dream vacations and adventures.

ESM Distribution is continuing to manage the licensing rights for the fan-favorite kids action series, Slugterra, owned by WildBrain. Epic Story Toys is working with Reesee on a toy line targeted at fans aged 6-12, which includes collectible figurines and blasters, including a Megamorph Blaster that shoots slug ammo over 30 feet. The range has launched in over 15 countries thus far as Epic heads to Nuremburg to look for more toy distributors around the world. In the U.S., Epic has employed a direct-to-consumer strategy on Amazon and Shopify.

Kim Morris, Head of Epic Story Toys, said: “I am thrilled to lead this new venture for Epic Story Media and to be able to combine storytelling and play in toys. We are excited to bring our own IPs, like Bubble’s Hotel and those of our trusted partners like Vegesaurs and Slugterra, to life and engage with our fans beyond the screen in new, interactive ways.”

Ken Faier, El Presidente and Founder of Epic Story Media, said “In an ever-evolving market for kids, we need to be open to new ways of thinking and working. Epic Story Toys is a natural extension of our vision to connect more meaningfully with our audience. That said, we will continue to partner and work with other global toy companies on specific projects to help build content and gaming strategies to help grow partners’ brands. We always strive to think in a 360 way and having Kim lead the division is exciting as she is a proven leader who is both consumer and franchise focused. Our first master toy partnership with Cheeky Little and Studio 100 International for Vegesaurs provides the perfect foundation to get started.

“As a global partner for Vegesaurs, we’re delighted to see the brand expand into the toy space with Epic Story Toys. This collaboration creates new opportunities to connect with young audiences, reinforcing the playful and imaginative spirit that defines Vegesaurs, “added Joachim Knoedler, Head of Licensing at Studio 100 International.

Kim Morris began her career at best-in-class packaged good companies having worked at Unilever and Revlon, and was drawn to the kids’ space when she began working for Mattel on the Disney Princess and Polly Pocket brands. Following this, she was VP of Disney brands while at Jakks-Pacific before she joined Alpha Toys, working on successful licensed programs Nickelodeon and WildBrain. She joined Epic Story Media in 2020 and has worked closely with the creative team to deliver meaningful play through storytelling while bringing innovation and creativity to carefully curated toy lines on some of Epic’s key franchises.

ABOUT EPIC STORY MEDIA
Founded in 2018, Epic Story Media is a globally recognized company that specializes in bringing kids franchises to their full 360 potential. ESM’s expertise includes brand management, toy development, content production, distribution, licensing, YouTube management & game development. Epic Story Media continues to develop brands with a mission to create experiences that inspire, educate, and entertain across a variety of platforms. Its active and growing slate of properties includes Outfit7’s Talking Tom, WildBrain’s Slugterra, Marc Brown’s HOP, Bubble’s Hotel and JAKK’s Wild Manes.

Co-CEOs Ken Faier and Steve Couture of Epic Story Media are partners in IP development company, Epic Storyworlds; toy developers, Epic Story Toys; animation studio, Loomi Animation; and Roblox game development studio, Freeground. Faier is also CEO of Vancouver’s Nightmarket Games (formally Epic Story Interactive), a mobile game development company. For further information: www.epicstorymedia.com

About Studio 100 International
Studio 100 International is a leading production and distribution company specializing in high-quality children’s and family movies and series. Based in Munich, it represents a portfolio of well-known brands such as “Maya the Bee”, “Mia and me”, “Heidi”, “100% Wolf”, and “House of Anubis”. Studio 100 International further engages in global brand rights licensing and manages its own state-of-the-art production studio, Studio Isar Animation. The company is part of the Belgian Studio 100 Group with a strong presence in the theme park industry across Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, and the Czech Republic.For further information: www.studio100international.com