MALIBU, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 15, 2012– Leading U.S. toymaker JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAKK) announced today a license agreement with Khush, a leading developer of intelligent music applications, to create an innovative new product inspired by the best-selling “Songify” app. Songify, developed in part by YouTube sensations The Gregory Brothers along with Khush, launched in the summer of 2011 as the first mobile app that turns speech into music instantly. JAKKS Pacific plans to bring the popular technology to the toy aisle this summer.
With more than 7 million downloads and 100 million songs created to date, Songify can carry anyone’s tune by using technology that transforms spoken words into song. JAKKS’ Songify toy will allow users to simply press record and talk directly into the toy, which instantly analyzes their speech, slices it into a chorus and verses while mapping it to a melody, and produces a beat to go along with the corrected voice pitch. The Songify toy will combine all of these into a finished song. Users can then listen to the song in a variety of styles, select their favorite one, save it and play it.
“Partnering with Songify aligns with our strategy of combining technology with entertainment and creating the hottest consumer products that target how kids today interact with smart phones and tablets,” said Michael Bernstein, Senior Vice President of Marketing, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. “With Songify, we are taking a successful app and turning it into a tangible product that we believe kids and adults alike will have a lot of fun spending countless hours creating music and sharing their recordings with family and friends.”
“The success of the Songify iPhone app has shown that people everywhere have an innate desire to turn moments of everyday life into song,” said Prerna Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of Khush, Inc. “We are thrilled to be taking this unique technology into the toy aisle with the Songify device and hope it will allow more people to experience the joys of ‘Songification.’”
JAKKS Pacific debuted its “Songify” toy at the American International Toy Fair in New York this week.
About Khush, Inc.
Khush is an app development studio, now part of leading social music company Smule, Inc., that creates intelligent music apps. Khush’s goal is to make music self-expression as ubiquitous as social expression is today, with apps such as Songify and LaDiDa, which have been used to create over 125 million songs worldwide. Khush’s music technology lets users find their voice and express themselves with the help of advanced artificial intelligence. Based in Atlanta, Khush was founded in 2009 by Prerna Gupta, Parag Chordia and Alex Rae and is backed by 500 Startups (Dave McClure), the National Science Foundation, Georgia Research Alliance and Shotput Ventures. To start making beautiful music today, visit http://khu.sh.
About The Gregory Brothers
The Gregory Brothers combine music, technology and humor to reach millions, and their unique, satirical YouTube series Songify This and Auto-Tune the News has caught the ears of the world. While they continue to work on making their YouTube jams, The Gregory Brothers now tour the country speaking at colleges, playing at rock and comedy clubs, and are in the process of making a pilot for Comedy Central. Their hit “The Bed Intruder Song” was the first YouTube video to cross over onto the Billboard Hot 100.
About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products with a wide range of products that feature popular brands and children’s toy licenses. JAKKS’ diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys, Ride-On Vehicles, Wagons, Inflatable Environments and Tents, and Pet Toys sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific®, Creative Designs International™, Road Champs®, Funnoodle®, JAKKS Pets™, Plug It In & Play TV Games™, Kids Only!™, Tollytots®, Disguise® and Moose Mountain®. JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Nickelodeon®, Warner Bros.®, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Hello Kitty®, Graco®, Cabbage Patch Kids® and Pokémon®. www.jakks.com