WildBrain Takes Chip & Potato From Screen to Toy Shelf, Appointing Jakks Pacific Master Toy Licensee As Season Three is Picked Up
Extensive toy range based on global hit animated property will launch in Fall 2022, under partnership brokered by WildBrain CPLG
New York, NY and Santa Monica, CA – WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, has appointed JAKKS Pacific, the leading toy and consumer products manufacturer, as the first master global toy partner for its hit animated preschool brand, Chip & Potato.
Netflix has picked up Season 3 of Chip & Potato (20 x 11’) that’s due in 2022 plus three seasonal specials (3 x 22’). An original series produced by WildBrain and Darrall Macqueen, Chip & Potato (S1 and S2: 20 x 22’) first launched on Family Jr. in October 2018 before moving Netflix ithe following year, premiering on the streaming service on May 17, 2019. A second season was launched on Netflix on Nov. 29, 2019. It also is available on Netflix Junior’s YouTube channel.
The Master Toy partnership with JAKKS Pacific will launch the brand from the screen to the toy shelf, as JAKKS Pacific develops a range across multiple toy categories, including plush, figures, playsets, and role play for North America, the UK and Australia. Launch for the range is scheduled from Fall 2022. The deal with JAKKS Pacific was brokered by WildBrain’s consumer products licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG.
Michael Riley, Chief Brands Officer at WildBrain, said: “Chip & Potato is a terrific example of WildBrain’s brand capabilities extending from development and production, through global distribution, to consumer products licensing. Chip & Potato has captured the hearts of kids and families around the world, and it’s been a delight to work with Netflix and Darrall Macqueen to deliver this original property to a huge global audience. We look forward now to extending that enjoyment off screen for kids with new toys from JAKKS Pacific.”
Virginia Reneau, SVP of Global Licensing at JAKKS Pacific, Inc, added: “Preschool products and toys is a priority category at JAKKS and Chip & Potato is the perfect fit for our growing line. We look forward to working with WildBrain to bring Chip, Potato and the rest of their friends to the toy aisle.”
Jasen Wright, VP of North America at WildBrain CPLG, added: “With its diverse characters, charming visual style and international fan base, Chip and Potato offers significant potential in the L&M space. Welcoming JAKKS Pacific on board marks a meaningful first step as we unlock consumer products opportunities for this original property. JAKKS is perfectly placed to translate the fun, colorful and inclusive world of Chip and Potato into an imaginative toy range for young fans.”
Produced at WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio, Chip & Potato follows Chip, a five-year-old pug whose life is about to change. She’s going it alone at kindergarten, play dates and sleepovers, facing big life challenges without grown-ups. There to help and comfort Chip whenever she needs it is her best friend Potato: a little “toy” who she snuggles in her pocket. However, Potato is actually a real, living mouse who must be kept a secret.
About WildBrain
At WildBrain we inspire imaginations to run wild, engaging kids and families everywhere with great content across all media. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library – one of the world’s most extensive – we are home to such brands as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba! Caillou, Inspector Gadget, Johnny Test and Degrassi. At our 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art animation studio in Vancouver, BC, we produce such fan-favourite series as The Snoopy Show, Snoopy in Space, Chip & Potato, Carmen Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go! and more. Our shows are enjoyed worldwide in more than 150 countries on over 500 streaming platforms and telecasters, and our AVOD business – WildBrain Spark – offers one of the largest networks of kids’ channels on YouTube, garnering billions of views per month from over 245 million subscribers. Through our leading agency, WildBrain CPLG, we also license consumer products and location-based entertainment in every major territory for our own properties as well as for our clients and content partners. Our television group owns and operates four family entertainment channels that are among the most viewed in Canada. WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at WildBrain.com.
About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of toys and consumer products sold throughout the world, with its headquarters in Santa Monica, California. JAKKS Pacific’s popular proprietary brands include; Fly Wheels™, Kitten Catfe™, Perfectly Cute™, ReDo™ Skateboard Co, X-Power™, Disguise®, Moose Mountain®, Maui®, Kids Only!®; a wide range of entertainment-inspired products featuring premier licensed properties; and C’est Moi™, a new generation of clean beauty. Through JAKKS Cares, the company’s commitment to philanthropy, JAKKS is helping to make a positive impact on the lives of children. Visit us at www.jakks.com and follow us on Instagram (@jakkstoys), Twitter (@jakkstoys) and Facebook (JAKKS Pacific).
©2021 JAKKS Pacific, Inc. All rights reserved.
About Darrall Macqueen
Darrall Macqueen is a multi-award-winning UK indie producing high-quality and innovative children’s and pre-school entertainment for major broadcasters around the world. Formed in 2000 by former Disney execs Maddy Darrall and Billy Macqueen, the company has a proven track record of devising and producing returning live action and animated series and has championed long-running serialised storytelling for under 7s, including BAFTA award-winning live action drama Topsy and Tim and the 2018 BAFTA nominated CBeebies comedy drama, Waffle the Wonder Dog.