Licensing News
-- Playthings, 3/1/2006
DIC Entertainment, Burbank, Calif., has teamed with famed investor Warren Buffet for a direct-to-DVD animated series designed to foster financial literacy in children. The Secret Millionaire's Club will launch this fall with two of a planned 13 titles. The DVDs will feature a likeness of Buffett helping a group of struck-it-rich kids learn how to invest their new-found wealth responsibly...Jakks Pacific, Malibu, Calif., is growing its TeleStory interactive books series with a host of new licenses, including Disney's Disney Princesses, Winnie the Pooh, Power Rangers and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story and The Lion King; American Greetings' Care Bears; RJM Licensing's Maisy; and Nickelodeon properties Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, Go! Diego Go! and SpongeBob SquarePants...Upper Deck, Carlsbad, Calif., gave NBA fans a sneak peek of its first urban vinyl sports action figures at its Web site last month during the basketball league's All-Star break. The assortment features four highly stylized 12-inch versions of NBA star LeBron James as seen in Nike's “The LeBrons” television ad campaign. The 750 figures offered for sale online quickly sold out. The LeBrons figures' officially launch at retail is mid-April in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces of each design. Upper Deck plans to release All-Star Vinyl figures of other sports stars starting this fall.
