DIC to power iZ
By Staff -- Playthings, 1/1/2006
Zizzle Toys, just a year old and already making an impact with its iZ electronic music toy, is putting some merchandising muscle behind the product, appointing global licensing agent DIC Entertainment worldwide oversight of a licensed product program.
DIC will develop a mass retail-driven push with initial product lines launching this spring and more categories rolling out for back-to-school and holiday 2006.
The merchandising program will target tweens, teens and young adults up to age 25. It will include video games, mobile phone applications and accessories, apparel, and collectibles. Plans for the property also call for the creation of direct-to-DVD movies that will coincide with more product and, it's hoped, establish iZ as more than just a toy.
“The bottom line is what's good for iZ is good for Zizzle,” Zizzle founder and CEO Roger Shiffman tells Playthings. “We're trying to build iZ into a brand [beyond a toy]. That's why something like a direct-to-DVD iZ movie distributed by 20th Century Fox is so important.” Adds DIC CEO Andrew Heyward, “The toy business is a very interesting business, you never know what is going to be the next Furby.”
But if anyone might, it could be Shiffman, the co-founder of original Furby manufacturer Tiger Electronics.
