Getting the Balance Right in Girls Animation P14 Smosh
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Getting the balance right Smosh plans move from YouTube Cartoon Forum—Check out some of the in girls animation p14 to retail shelves in US p20 hot properies headed to Toulouse p32 engaging the global children’s entertainment industry JULY/AUGUST 2013 US$7.95 in the U.S. CA$8.95 in Canada US$9.95 outside of & the U.S. in the U.S. US$7.95 A publication of Brunico Communications Ltd. Polywrap CANADA POST AGREEMENT NUMBER 40050265 PRINTED IN USPS AFSM 100 Approved KS.22319.MediatoonSoldCover.indd 1 2013-07-19 3:13 PM KS22964.Animonsta.indd 1 18/07/13 2:56 PM engagingenengag giingg thethee globalglobaal chchildren’shililddrreenn’ss entertainmentennterrtatainnmmentn industryinddusstrry JULY/AUGUSTJULY/AUGAUGUST 201301313 Cartoon Forum ’13 A sneek-peaksneek-peak atat projects set to pop this September in Toulouse US$7.95 in the U.S. CA$8.95 in Canada US$9.95 outside of Canada & the U.S. A publication of Brunico Communications Ltd. 003KS_JulyAug13Cover.indd 1 13-07-19 3:20 PM February 9-12, 2014 » Hilton NY, New York Registration opens this month! 2014’s biggest gathering of kids entertainment executives will take place at the Hilton NY from February 9-12. Join us for four days of essential networking, deal-making and professional learning at the one event you can’t afford to miss if you’re in the business of entertaining children. Save big with our lowest Early-Bird Rate starting August 26 summit.kidscreen.com KS.23514.KSS14_HA.indd 1 13-07-19 3:49 PM Inside July/August 2013 moves 8 Disney’s Adam Bonnett tells us about the role Jack Tripper played in his career Hot Stuff—With a greenlight from Amazon Studios, Bix Pix builds its originals biz tv 14 Getting the balance right when it comes to making animation for girls TuningIn—Irish pubcaster RTE spins off RTEjr for the preschool set consumer products 20 UK indie agency Bulldog Licensing sets up shop in the US Licensee Lowdown–Turtle Beach tops the licensed headphones heap kid insight 25 Nick looks into its crystal ball, forecasts three key kid-culture trends to watch Muse of the Month—Meet Olivia, tween app fanatic and devotee of pretend play iKids 29 Atlantyca reveals research on migrating 20 Geronimo Stilton from desktop to mobile New Kid in Town—Ex-TV execs in UK bet Alloy Digital’s Smosh looks to capitalize on its rabid tween/teen boy fanbase with a move into merch on all-in-one preschool app Hopster Special Cartoon Forum As the European animation crowd gets set to descend on Toulouse in September, Report we’re taking a look at some of the projects set to pop at the vibrant annual market p32 Disney Junior knocks Sesame reaches BookBet—Tween Cool or Not? Hasbro gets into the McStuffins out of out to kids with novel The Lost The hot hip-hop the digital game 82the competition 18 parents in jail 23Kingdom 6star edition 30with Rovio Cover Our cover features an ad for Mediatoon’s The Garfield Show, season four, while our inside editorial cover sports an image from Imira Entertainment’s new adventure-comedy Mondo Yan, debuting at Cartoon Forum in September. Oops! Kidscreen would like to clarify that the correct web address for PercyVites (featured in May/June’s “Percy3D sends invitation to the future,” p. 40) is www.percyvites.com. Additionally, PercyVites Thank You notes are 15 seconds in length (not 10 seconds, we reported), and can include a photo and message from the related event, but not video footage. July/August 2013 5 005_Contents.indd 5 2013-07-22 4:01 PM Editorial July/August 2013 • Volume 18, Issue 4 www.kidscreen.com vp & publisher Jocelyn Christie Girl talk [email protected] Last Christmas, Swedish toy retailer editorial Lana Castleman Editor & Content Director TOP-TOY made headlines around [email protected] Jeremy Dickson Features Editor the world with its gender-neutral [email protected] Wendy Goldman Getzler iKids Editor/Senior Writer catalogue. The pages were filled with [email protected] Gary Rusak Senior Writer pictures of boys wielding toy vacuum [email protected] Writers and Contributors cleaners and girls holding toy guns. Jim Benton (Bloomfield) Insight Kids (New York) Other European retailers like high- KidSay (Olathe, KS) Nickelodeon Kids & Family (New York) end UK department store Harrod’s Let’s start with the numbers. According to business development have also been experimenting with and advertising sales researcher The NDP Group, the top two proper- (416) 408-2300, 1-800-KID-4512 merchandising toys by category, not ties of 2012 in terms of growth were Mattel’s Myles Hobbs Associate Publisher [email protected] by sex. So, are we on the cusp of a Monster High and girl-skewing construction toy Jonathan Abraham Account Manager Lego Friends. Into this year, Monster High helped [email protected] gender-neutral consumer products Russell Willer Account Executive drive sales increases of 56% and 23% in Mattel’s kidscreenXchange and programming revolution? Not so Other Girls category in Q1 and 2, respectively. The [email protected] Vakis Boutsalis Marketing Coordinator much. Judging by the conversations toyco’s American Girl brand sales, meanwhile, [email protected] had at Licensing Show in June, recent were up 32% and 14% for the same quarters. Sure, creative flagship girls stalwart Barbie’s sales are down, but Creative Manager & Art Director Andrew Glowala chats with commissioners and the [email protected] both Monster High and American Girl are man- Junior Art Director Kate Whelan real, hard numbers surfacing in toyco aging to attract that coveted tween consumer, [email protected] Production/Distribution Supervisor Robert Lines quarterly reports, it looks like girls are effectively keeping girls coming back to the toy [email protected] having something of a moment. store long after they had been rumored to leave audience services it for good. Similarly, Hasbro’s just-published Q2 Director of Audience Services and Production Jennifer Colvin [email protected] numbers show its Girls segment sales, led by My Little Pony and Furby, were up by Manager, Audience Services 43%, while its Boys category sales dropped by 35%. (Admittedly, Boys had tough Christine McNally [email protected] numbers to measure up to. Last year’s Q2 had Marvel’s Avengers, after all.) corporate Given all the stellar girl talk in the financials, it wasn’t surprising at Licensing President & CEO Russell Goldstein [email protected] Show to find that licensees were on the lookout for new girls properties with breakout VP & Editorial Director Mary Maddever potential, especially ones targeting tweens. (Preschool was also on their girls’ lists.) [email protected] VP of Finance & Administration Linda Lovegrove It seems that—again thanks to Monster High and Lego Friends—American mass- [email protected] market retail giants are asking for more girls properties as they discover it’s possible VP & Chief Information Officer Omri Tintpulver [email protected] to tap into a lucrative, if somewhat fickle, market with a well-conceived and executed VP & Realscreen Publisher Claire Macdonald idea. And, naturally, licensees are more than eager to please their distributors. [email protected] Customer care On the programming side, things are a bit trickier. In animation, as Senior Writer To order a subscription visit www.kidscreen.com/subscribe To make a change to an existing subscription, Jeremy Dickson notes in this month’s “Getting the balance right” (p. 14), girls have been please contact us by e-mail: [email protected] Fax: 416.408.0249 Tel: 416.408.2448 historically under-represented, especially in toons that target older kids. The long-held Subscription rates Kidscreen is published 7 times per year notion is that girls will watch shows featuring male leads, but boys won’t watch ones by Brunico Communications Ltd. In the US: One year US$89.00 Two years US$159.00 Watch for starring female characters—and girls, for the most part, throw over animation for live Single copy price in the US is US$7.95. Please allow four the next issue of weeks for new subscriptions and address changes. action by the time they turn eight. There have been exceptions like Totally Spies!, of Postmaster Notification U.S. Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: Kidscreen PO BOX 1103 course, but they seem few and far between. However, several broadcasters I chatted Niagara Falls NY 14304 September 2013 Canadian Postmaster, send undeliverables and address changes to: with at MIPTV said they were willing to try to find that next generation of shows. Now, Kidscreen PO Box 369, Beeton ON L0G 1A0 Street Date: Printed in Canada. Canada Post Agreement No. 40050265. understanding that producers are becoming increasingly reliant on merchandising ISSN number 1205-7746 September 5 Opinion columns appearing in Kidscreen do not necessarily reflect the deals to get series made—even outside of preschool—and that toycos, in particular, are views of the magazine or its parent company Brunico Communications Ltd. All letters sent to Kidscreen or its editors are assumed intended cottoning onto this new wave of girl power...well, you do the math. for publication. Kidscreen invites editorial comment, but accepts no responsibility for its loss, damage or destruction, howsoever arising, while in its offices, in transit or elsewhere. All material to be returned must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Nothing Cheers, may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. © Brunico Communications Ltd. 2013 ® Kidscreen is a registered trademark of Brunico Communications Ltd. Lana 6 July/August 2013 006_Editorial.indd 6 2013-07-22 4:30 PM Enter early and save! Why? Because your team deserves to shine.