EXPANDING FRANCHISE INITIATIVES FROM FOX CONSUMER PRODUCTS CARRIES
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID MERCHANDISE INTO INTERNATIONAL RETAILERS – ZOO-WEE-MAMA!
LONDON, UK – October 18, 2012 – (Virtual Press Office) -- With Book Seven from the best-selling phenomenon releasing November 14th and category licensees in place, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise proves it is no wimp! Fox Consumer Products EMEA (FCP) announces UK retail partnerships and programme expansion for the international bestselling book series, tapping into a growing fan base of 6-12 year olds worldwide.
FCP has signed an array of UK and European deals that will propel the world's most popular middle school student, Greg Heffley, into a wide-ranging consumer products campaign. New partners include Winning Moves and its Top Trumps card game, which will launch this November worldwide. WH Smith is supporting the brand with board games from Paul Lamond, stationery from Robert Frederick, and greeting cards from Danilo. BM Fashions debuted T-shirts at BHS this summer, and have now expanded their deal to include nightwear and essentials.
Aware of the huge consumer demand for the international best-selling property, the German market has been quick to leverage the success of the Jeff Kinney books and related films. In Germany publishing partner, Baumhaus, printed more than 400,000 copies of book 6 (Keine Panik!) in its first run. Franckh Kosmos Verlags is on board for games in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the same territories are covered by a deal for apparel and back to school with Bastei Luebbe. Belltex will launch bedding across Europe, and University Games has a pan-European deal for board games and puzzles. In the USA, Funko distributes figures and plush for a toy range worldwide
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are now the biggest and fastest selling book series for kids. Last year the sixth book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, was the bestselling novel across the entire UK book market beating Harry Potter to win Blue Peter's 'Best Children's Book of the Last 10 Years' award. Two theatrical film releases have generated £2 million at the UK box office. A new DVD release in Q4 and the upcoming release of the seventh book supported by publisher Penguin and a UK tour from author Jeff Kinney, will add to the 75m books already sold around the world in 40 different languages.
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a cultural phenomenon among audiences," said Jeffrey Godsick, President of Fox Consumer Products. "Licensees can now bring the franchise to retail shelves allowing fans to experience the brand in all new ways.
FCP will be presenting unique creative assets for Diary of a Wimpy Kid at BLE this October based on the original cartoon drawings by author, Jeff Kinney. "Licensees and retailers are now maximising the potential of Diary of a Wimpy Kid," adds Godsick. "Over the next few months we look forward to seeing product appear in stores, meeting the demand for authentic merchandise true to the book series."
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About Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products
A recognized industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products licenses and markets properties worldwide on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Twentieth Television and Fox Broadcasting Company, as well as third party lines. The division is aligned with Twentieth Century Fox Television, one of the top suppliers of primetime entertainment programming to the broadcast networks.
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